In today’s economy, we continue to see the effects of geopolitical events occurring throughout the global economy and how it impacts our immediate community. Currently, many Americans are understanding how different global and domestic issues can change our stock market in a limited time frame. As middle school students take on more responsibilities in the classroom, they are also observant of issues occurring in the daily news cycle. Some may have questions about what’s happening with today’s news stories on companies, inflation, and so on.
As a way to communicate and inform students, the RCS Middle School – led by seventh and eighth-grade Social Studies Teacher and Middle School Social Studies Curriculum Content Specialist Ms. Erin Sawyer and sixth grade Social Studies Teacher Ms. Kristi Kemmer – has introduced a Stock Market Club. The purpose of the club is to keep students aware of the basic principles of the stock market and its impact on our regional economy, as well as have engaging discussions about what they are learning. It’s providing a brief overview of how the economy works and how we are impacted by a series of events – whether overseas or domestic – within our local economy.
“The basic idea of the Stock Market Club is to provide a clublike instructional opportunity to engage our middle school students with everything from personal finances, to basic stock market principles, while giving them an overview of how our economy is connected with our global partners,” said RCS Middle School Teacher Ms. Sawyer. “We try to keep the club engaging, but also answer questions from our students. We are excited to see their interest in learning more about the stock market, various companies, and how decisions are made that affect our day-to-day financial viewpoints.”
At their first meeting, the group got to know each other and discussed their interest in the club. They also spoke about possible activities and opportunities for the new club. Another great opportunity for RCS students to learn about real-world business and how it may relate to them.