Aim: How can we construct a personal portfolio?

Setting: This lesson could take place in a computer lab or in a classroom setting in cooperative learning groups. In a class of thirty students, six groups would be formed.

Materials:    Computer with Internet capabilities

Vocabulary:    portfolio        split        commission        last nav.      gain    loss                value
 

Motivations: 

1.     Students, within their cooperative learning groups will be following the progress of the stocks they have chosen to invest in over a period of 4-6 weeks.
 2.    Students will obtain quick access to multimedia displays of information via the internet.
 3.    Students will develop pride in being able to create a personal portfolio for their cooperative learning group
4.    Teacher will exhibit previously made personal portfolios.
5.    Students will time how long it takes to look up each stock quote and calculate the change, gain or loss,  and value of of the stock with and without a personal portfolio as set up on America Online.

Additional URLs:
The following sites may be used to look at the world of business news, get stock quotes and investment research related to stocks chosen by student groups.
http://wsj.com
http://marketwatch.com
http://bloomberg.com
http://multexinvestor.com
http://thestreet.com
http://money.com
http://stockplayer.com

Procedure:
 1.    Students, meeting in their cooperative learning groups (which were set up at beginning of stock market game unit), sign onto America Online going to keyword: Personal Finance.
 2.     Students select My Portfolio and click on the Create button.
  3.    On the set up screen, students enter the symbols of each of their stock, the exchange, the number of shares, the purchase price per share, the purchase date, and the commission paid.
 4.    They add each stock to their portfolio by clicking on the Add button.
 5.    Student groups access their portfolio by clicking on My Portfolio after choosing keyword: Personal Finance. The portfolio will look like the one pictured below.
 6.    Students can readily access the following information from their portfolio:    quotes, news, charts, research, and stock splits

Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on their success in setting up a group portfolio, interpreting daily changes in their portfolio, and keeping a narrative journal of changes in their investments.

Follow up: Students will be able to find out which stock will be splitting, add the to their portfolio, and calculate price per share, gain/loss, and value.