Research a few stocks as a class using the Internet to help students improve their stock market literacy. Learn about different companies and what products they sell, then look up the current value of the stock and follow it throughout the week to see if it rises or falls. Teachers can simplify the task by walking students through the research in the computer lab or dividing the research among groups. One group might be responsible for finding the stock symbols of three companies. Another group could find out what each company sells. Once the class is done with its research, lead the class in a discussion about which of the stocks they would invest in and why.
Have children buy and sell stocks as a class. Describe at least five stocks that the children can buy: the companies, their products and how the stocks have performed. Let the children vote on two stocks to "buy" as a class. Over the course of a few weeks or months, check your stocks' performances and chart their rise or fall on a poster. You can designate a student to give investment reports each week. He would discuss the stocks' performances and suggest possible reasons for why the price went up or down.
A number of online stock market simulators are designed to teach elementary school students the basics of the stock market while helping them apply their math skills. Some examples are Sifma Foundation's stock market game and SmartStocks' simulation. Students need to know how to lead a financial life that will allow them to invest, so instruction about the stock market should include lessons about personal finance, such as budgeting and saving. Many software programs offer to teach children these skills while reinforcing basic math skills. For example, the Council for Economic Education offers software programs that teach personal finance skills to children as young as kindergarteners.
When elementary school students study the Great Depression, they often fail to understand why people reacted the way they did when the stock market crashed in October 1929. Help students grasp the historical significance of the event by looking at it from the perspectives of the different people involved. Assign students different identities; some can be bankers and investors, while others are workers who did not have money invested in the market. Have them study the crash using textbooks, Internet sites and documentaries. Then ask them to write a story about the crash and its effects from the perspective of their character. Share the stories in small groups, then have a large group discussion about how the crash affected different types of people.