Stock Market Game Week in Review

If you've already covered the basic lessons under the "Before You Invest" unit in the Lesson Sequence section of the Teacher Support Center, take a look at the lesson, "How Money Grows Over Time." It teaches students about compound interest and the Rule of 72 -- both are excellent demonstrations of the long-term investing philosophy.

With so much of the evening news dedicated to the stimulus package and troubles in the markets, elementary/middle school Stock Market Game students may be interested in the StockTalk issue, "Levers & Loans." It brings our old friends, Queso and Crackers, back together to explain "leverage" and its role in the current financial status of the country.

For our high school students (and upper middle schoolers), the "Buckle Up" edition of In the News is appropriate in addressing the current volatility of the markets. The issue uses the metaphor of a roller coaster ride to introduce an explanation of volatility and the Chicago Board Option Exchange's (CBOE) Volatility Index. The issue also contrasts the market's short-term volatility with its long-term performance. To access the StockTalk and In the News newsletters, please visit the Teacher Support Center. Click the "Publications" link in the In the Classroom section, and locate the appropriate newsletter series from the list of publications.

We also encourage students to get a jump-start on their InvestWrite essays. The essay prompts remain the same from the fall semester, so students who participated last semester and didn't win have another opportunity to revise, edit and rework their essays to earn great prizes. For those of you who did not participate in the InvestWrite competition in the fall, please take a look at the essay questions on our Web site, www.investwrite.info. Essays are due Friday, April 3, 2009. Good luck!

To learn more about The Stock Market Game, visit www.stockmarketgame.org.