The Wall Street Challenge
In this unit, fifth grade students learned about investing and the stock market! Using the Wall Street Survivor website, students worked in teams to invest $100,000. They worked collaboratively to make decisions about how to best their invest their money. Students researched stocks using newspapers and websites, talked strategy, and competed with their classmates to see who could earn the most money by the end of the unit! Scroll down to check out the Wall Street Survivor Leaderboard, and see how our investments fared over the course of six weeks! Read student testimonials to find out what they learned from this real world unit!
So FiFTH GRADERS, WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS UNIT?
Bunny Lover= $106,428
Ben- In this unit, I learned about the stock market and how it is very risky. However you can also draw in a large profit from it.The stock market is where you can exchange stocks for money. A stock is a piece of a company. The New York Stock Exchange is the second largest stock market in the world. More than 4000 companies are listed on the NYSE.
When you buy stock in a company, you become a shareholder. Some stockholders, have more stock than the owners. If you have lots of stock in a company and it goes up,you will make more money than if you had 1 stock.
There was a company on the stock market that lied to it’s shareholders. That company’s name was Enron. It created fake companies to pin it’s losses on. And just to make money! Enron’s stock went down. Fast. It went to pennies. It had to close down after it went bankrupt.
My strategies for the stock market were very in and out. I would look at the season to see who would make the most money. The time was crucial because if you buy FTD during summer, that probably wouldn’t work out for you.
One important part of US history was the great depression. It started with the stock market crash. It happened when everyone wigged out and sold their stock. I made lot’s of people losing their jobs.
Thank you for listening. I really enjoyed this unit. I learned a lot and it was really fun.
Waverly- Learning about the stock market was very fun but also interesting. I learned that you can invest in certain stocks and the stock’s can rather go up or down. If the stock’s go down then you will lose money and if the stock’s go up you will earn money. You have to do a lot of research about the stock to see how it has been doing. If the stock was doing good then you should invest in it and if it's not doing good then you should wait until it goes up a little.
I learned about the history of the stock market. I learned that the history of the stock market was very different. One time in 1929 there was something called the “Great Depression”. The Great Depression was a time when most of the stocks went down. In the time between 1924 and 1929 the value of the stocks went up by a huge amount so everybody thought it was safe to invest in those stocks. Eventually all of those stocks went down so people started to lose a lot of money and people lost their jobs.
Another thing I learned was about the New York Stock Exchange. The New York Stock Exchange was the second largest stock market in the world. About 4,000 companies were listed on the exchange, and more than 30 billion were invested in it. It's located in lower Manhattan.
My experience of being a stock marketer was very fun but also interesting. It was very interesting to learn about how the stock market works and how it has changed.
Ben- In this unit, I learned about the stock market and how it is very risky. However you can also draw in a large profit from it.The stock market is where you can exchange stocks for money. A stock is a piece of a company. The New York Stock Exchange is the second largest stock market in the world. More than 4000 companies are listed on the NYSE.
When you buy stock in a company, you become a shareholder. Some stockholders, have more stock than the owners. If you have lots of stock in a company and it goes up,you will make more money than if you had 1 stock.
There was a company on the stock market that lied to it’s shareholders. That company’s name was Enron. It created fake companies to pin it’s losses on. And just to make money! Enron’s stock went down. Fast. It went to pennies. It had to close down after it went bankrupt.
My strategies for the stock market were very in and out. I would look at the season to see who would make the most money. The time was crucial because if you buy FTD during summer, that probably wouldn’t work out for you.
One important part of US history was the great depression. It started with the stock market crash. It happened when everyone wigged out and sold their stock. I made lot’s of people losing their jobs.
Thank you for listening. I really enjoyed this unit. I learned a lot and it was really fun.
Waverly- Learning about the stock market was very fun but also interesting. I learned that you can invest in certain stocks and the stock’s can rather go up or down. If the stock’s go down then you will lose money and if the stock’s go up you will earn money. You have to do a lot of research about the stock to see how it has been doing. If the stock was doing good then you should invest in it and if it's not doing good then you should wait until it goes up a little.
I learned about the history of the stock market. I learned that the history of the stock market was very different. One time in 1929 there was something called the “Great Depression”. The Great Depression was a time when most of the stocks went down. In the time between 1924 and 1929 the value of the stocks went up by a huge amount so everybody thought it was safe to invest in those stocks. Eventually all of those stocks went down so people started to lose a lot of money and people lost their jobs.
Another thing I learned was about the New York Stock Exchange. The New York Stock Exchange was the second largest stock market in the world. About 4,000 companies were listed on the exchange, and more than 30 billion were invested in it. It's located in lower Manhattan.
My experience of being a stock marketer was very fun but also interesting. It was very interesting to learn about how the stock market works and how it has changed.
TurtleMasta= $100,172
Bastion- In this stock market LEAP unit I learned that you can never be 100% sure about a stock going up. The stock market game has a fair bit of luck involved. I also learned that the more stock you buy there is a higher chance of you making money. The stock market is a thing you use to buy and sell shares of a company. People use the stock market to earn money. One website that really helped us was Hot Stocks made by CNNMoney. This website showed us what stocks are going up and what stocks are going down. I thought this unit was fun and informative. I learned all about the history of the stock exchange. I learned that there are more than one way to make money off of stocks. The most common way to make money is to sell stocks. Another way to make money is by buying stock in a company that gives out dividends. A dividend is when a company earns money and they give part of that money to all the people who own stock in that company. You can’t buy stocks in all companies because not all companies are public. The reason a company would go public is to earn money. They way they earn money is because if people buy stocks they have to pay the company money. I really liked this unit.
Sarah- This unit, I learned that different companies own different stocks. You are never quite sure if a stock will be going up or it will be going down. It just depends on if the company that you bought stock from is doing good that day. There are 2 different kinds of stock that you can buy: the NASDAQ and The New York Stock Exchange or The NYSE. The NASDAQ is all technology related companies like Samsung (KRX: 005930) or Apple (AAPL) and The NYSE are basicly stocks that aren’t technological, like Disney (DIS) or Newmont Mining Corp (NEM). The NYSE is the 2nd largest stock market in the world. More than 4000 stocks! Whenever you buy some stock in a company, you become a shareholder.
Having stock in a company is pretty much just a game of luck. The stocks go up and down or it fluctuates. You never know unless you’re a psychic! If you buy a bad stock, your score or your money will start to go down, like what happened to us a couple of times. All that you want is to make the stock go up and get you in 1st place. If you buy a really good stock, your portfolio value will rise rapidly. But, the chances are, it will probably go down again. But, this unit was really fun. I really liked it (Even though SOMEONE at first wouldn’t let me buy DISNEY! Like OMG!)!
Danielle-In this unit I learned that stock marketing is where you can buy and sell stocks. You buy the stock, hold it for awhile, then sell it when you think it is ready. When you buy a stock you become a shareholder which means that you own part of the company you invested in. If the company loses money that means you lose money, but is the company is doing good and making money, you will do the same. Companies go public because, when you buy a stock from a company the company gets the money that you paid when you bought the stock which means that companies make money when you buy stock from them.
Bastion- In this stock market LEAP unit I learned that you can never be 100% sure about a stock going up. The stock market game has a fair bit of luck involved. I also learned that the more stock you buy there is a higher chance of you making money. The stock market is a thing you use to buy and sell shares of a company. People use the stock market to earn money. One website that really helped us was Hot Stocks made by CNNMoney. This website showed us what stocks are going up and what stocks are going down. I thought this unit was fun and informative. I learned all about the history of the stock exchange. I learned that there are more than one way to make money off of stocks. The most common way to make money is to sell stocks. Another way to make money is by buying stock in a company that gives out dividends. A dividend is when a company earns money and they give part of that money to all the people who own stock in that company. You can’t buy stocks in all companies because not all companies are public. The reason a company would go public is to earn money. They way they earn money is because if people buy stocks they have to pay the company money. I really liked this unit.
Sarah- This unit, I learned that different companies own different stocks. You are never quite sure if a stock will be going up or it will be going down. It just depends on if the company that you bought stock from is doing good that day. There are 2 different kinds of stock that you can buy: the NASDAQ and The New York Stock Exchange or The NYSE. The NASDAQ is all technology related companies like Samsung (KRX: 005930) or Apple (AAPL) and The NYSE are basicly stocks that aren’t technological, like Disney (DIS) or Newmont Mining Corp (NEM). The NYSE is the 2nd largest stock market in the world. More than 4000 stocks! Whenever you buy some stock in a company, you become a shareholder.
Having stock in a company is pretty much just a game of luck. The stocks go up and down or it fluctuates. You never know unless you’re a psychic! If you buy a bad stock, your score or your money will start to go down, like what happened to us a couple of times. All that you want is to make the stock go up and get you in 1st place. If you buy a really good stock, your portfolio value will rise rapidly. But, the chances are, it will probably go down again. But, this unit was really fun. I really liked it (Even though SOMEONE at first wouldn’t let me buy DISNEY! Like OMG!)!
Danielle-In this unit I learned that stock marketing is where you can buy and sell stocks. You buy the stock, hold it for awhile, then sell it when you think it is ready. When you buy a stock you become a shareholder which means that you own part of the company you invested in. If the company loses money that means you lose money, but is the company is doing good and making money, you will do the same. Companies go public because, when you buy a stock from a company the company gets the money that you paid when you bought the stock which means that companies make money when you buy stock from them.
Moneybird= $99,540
Abby- In this unit in LEAP I learned a lot the stock market and economy. I learned how a small drops in stocks is natural. This is called fluctuation. Another important stock market term is a portfolio. Your portfolio shows you the stocks you own and how they are doing. An extremely important word in the stock market is...stock! A stock is a piece of a company that you can buy. If the company makes a lot of money the value of your stock goes up. There are two stock exchanges in the US and many more around the world. The two in the US are NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange.
My advice for future investors is to have a diverse portfolio (even though that didn’t work for Audrey and I). Buying only one company could go really well or really badly. If it goes up (like it did for Ben and Wave) you could make a lot of money! But if that one stock goes down you could lose tons of money. You can play it safe with a diverse portfolio or you can play it risky with portfolio consisting of only a few companies.
Audrey- I learned that when you buy stock you are buying ownership in a company. You make or lose money depending on the stocks you have invested in. If the company you invested in does not do well your stock decreases in value. Plus stock is not something that you can hold. It is something you own. If a company's progress is shaky and often goes up and down it is called fluctuation. Now I know that you should buy low and sell high. You should make sure that the company is increasing but the stock does not cost to much yet.
I also learned about the stock market crash that led to the great depression. I learned that the economy won’t do well if there is a job shortage. If there is a job shortage people will not spend as much money and then these companies will not do as well. Some might even have to shut down. I also learned that a recession is what often comes before a depression. A depression is worse though and the economy will suffer more than if there is a depression.
I learned that you should invest in many companies but just a little in each. Because if you only have a few companies you are relying too much on just one or two. You should diversify what you invest in. Websites that helped me were CNN and a site called Gap Up Stocks. Plus you should not sell your stocks unless you really know you have to. It could really damage your progress if you sell just one stock, because it is going down. The market is just really educated gambling and half the money you make is probably because of luck.
Abby- In this unit in LEAP I learned a lot the stock market and economy. I learned how a small drops in stocks is natural. This is called fluctuation. Another important stock market term is a portfolio. Your portfolio shows you the stocks you own and how they are doing. An extremely important word in the stock market is...stock! A stock is a piece of a company that you can buy. If the company makes a lot of money the value of your stock goes up. There are two stock exchanges in the US and many more around the world. The two in the US are NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange.
My advice for future investors is to have a diverse portfolio (even though that didn’t work for Audrey and I). Buying only one company could go really well or really badly. If it goes up (like it did for Ben and Wave) you could make a lot of money! But if that one stock goes down you could lose tons of money. You can play it safe with a diverse portfolio or you can play it risky with portfolio consisting of only a few companies.
Audrey- I learned that when you buy stock you are buying ownership in a company. You make or lose money depending on the stocks you have invested in. If the company you invested in does not do well your stock decreases in value. Plus stock is not something that you can hold. It is something you own. If a company's progress is shaky and often goes up and down it is called fluctuation. Now I know that you should buy low and sell high. You should make sure that the company is increasing but the stock does not cost to much yet.
I also learned about the stock market crash that led to the great depression. I learned that the economy won’t do well if there is a job shortage. If there is a job shortage people will not spend as much money and then these companies will not do as well. Some might even have to shut down. I also learned that a recession is what often comes before a depression. A depression is worse though and the economy will suffer more than if there is a depression.
I learned that you should invest in many companies but just a little in each. Because if you only have a few companies you are relying too much on just one or two. You should diversify what you invest in. Websites that helped me were CNN and a site called Gap Up Stocks. Plus you should not sell your stocks unless you really know you have to. It could really damage your progress if you sell just one stock, because it is going down. The market is just really educated gambling and half the money you make is probably because of luck.