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The Investment Expedition

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  • Price per Classroom
    $9 99
  • Duration 4 Hours
  • Activities 60
  • Grade 8-12

Lab Description

Dive into the world of investing with our comprehensive and interactive Investment Lab. This lab is designed to equip students with essential financial literacy skills through engaging activities and real-world examples. The lab is divided into five sections

  1. Introduction to Investing
  2. Stocks & Stock Market
  3. Risks & Managing Risk
  4. Funds & Bonds
  5. Invest for Retirement & Conclusion

Key topics covered in each section include:

Introduction to Investing

  • Difference between saving and investing
  • Importance of investing
  • Understanding compound interest & impact of starting investments early using interactive worksheets
  • How inflation affects savings and using investments to beat inflation, interactive inflation calculator
  • Overview of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and other investment options

Stocks & Stock Market

  • What are stocks? How it represents ownership in a company
  • Simulation of John's Doughnut business's stocks
  • Writing activities such as investigating Volkswagen share price drop
  • Stock exchanges
  • Interactive share market simulation (teacher will present a leaderboard based on the profit each student gets from the simulation)
  • Interactive worksheet to analyze the performance of Microsoft, Tesla and Apache
  • Importance of financial statement analysis and worksheet to analyze financial data of Apple Inc. and NVIDIA Corp.
  • Stock Market Indices

Risks & Managing Risk

  • Understanding risks associated with Investment
  • Interactive worksheet to manage risk by Investing for Long Term
  • Interactive worksheet demonstrating the power of diversification
  • Interactive worksheet demonstrating the power of Dollar Cost Averaging

Funds & Bonds

  • Understand what bonds are and the types of bonds
  • Understanding funds

Invest for Retirement & Conclusion

  • Understanding the importance of saving for retirement
  • Interactive retirement calculator
  • The story of Warren Buffet
  • Tips for new investors
  • Writing letter to parents
  1. This lab is ideal for high school students looking to build a strong foundation in financial literacy and investment strategies.

Who this course is for

Middle & High school students

Student Feedbacks

We asked students, what you remember the most about the lab, and here are some of the responses


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How and what to do when it comes to investing
- Anonymous Student

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I will remember all of the stock activities
- Anonymous Student

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The fact that we can sit and do it at our own pace. Not the speed of the teacher giving the notes.
- Anonymous Student

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I had no clue about investments for my future. Now I do.
- Anonymous Student

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When investing, it is most important to give it time. You must be patient in order to get the maximum amount out of your investment.
- Anonymous Student

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I will remember the importance of starting to invest earlier in life to get a bigger income.
- Anonymous Student

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I remember it being extremely helpful
- Anonymous Student

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What I will remember most from this lab is the different amount of investments provided and stocks
- Anonymous Student

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Knowing how to understand the risks of investing and knowing it takes time to gain the money you want.
- Anonymous Student

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Compound investments and stock
- Anonymous Student

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How different levels of risk have a huge effect on how much money you are getting back in returns.
- Anonymous Student

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I will remember the interactive activities the most, especially the ones where you could change things and experiment with your money to get a feel of how the stock market really is.
- Anonymous Student

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The investment games
- Anonymous Student

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Not all investments will succeed, but it is still a smart idea to invest for your future.
- Anonymous Student

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The investing simulator
- Anonymous Student

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Investments don't always work and you should always research what you want to spend money on.
- Anonymous Student

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The investment games.
- Anonymous Student

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How you had to actually do math in the real world and use it towards saving and investing in things
- Anonymous Student

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Why I should probably invest
- Anonymous Student

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How easily the stock market can change.
- Anonymous Student

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Investments aren't guaranteed by the risk rate, the lowest risk could make you the least amount of money.
- Anonymous Student

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the simulations, it helped me understand
- Anonymous Student

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When to buy and sell shares.
- Anonymous Student

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I will remember that stock markets are and can be very risky.
- Anonymous Student

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Risk management, diversification, and consistency.
- Anonymous Student

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How fun and exciting it was.
- Anonymous Student

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To diversify your investments and research before investing.
- Anonymous Student

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to improve my investment skills
- Anonymous Student

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The bonds and how outside events can affect the stock market
- Anonymous Student

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I will remember to check the risk factor of stocks in the future.
- Anonymous Student

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How to invest correctly and how to keep your stocks and bonds under control.
- Anonymous Student

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The idea of compound interest
- Anonymous Student

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The simulations.
- Anonymous Student

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How interesting investing is.
- Anonymous Student

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how quickly stocks change over time
- Anonymous Student

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The fact that some stock prices can change so suddenly.
- Anonymous Student

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when and how to invest and risks
- Anonymous Student

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I will remember investing
- Anonymous Student

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the warren buffet story
- Anonymous Student

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You have to do your research before investing because it can be risky. Mutual funds are a good way to invest in a diversified portfolio. Stocks can have a nice return when investing but you can also lose your money if they go down. Choose wisely.
- Anonymous Student

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to idolize 90 year old white men born in the 30s into wealthy families.
- Anonymous Student

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Investing in multiple pools
- Anonymous Student

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diverisifying your investments so there is less of a risk
- Anonymous Student

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how powerful compounding is and the differences between the intrests.
- Anonymous Student

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The value of investing early
- Anonymous Student

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Market fluctuation
- Anonymous Student

Introduction to Investing (41 Minutes)

This reading activity gives an introduction to the lab and to the next "quick start" activity that they are going to do.

Sub Activities
  1. Quick Start Activity

Students will read about the purpose of investment and how is it different from savings. Students will also understand the need of investing early and why should they start investing are there young age.

Sub Activities
  1. Saving vs Investing

In this activity, students will read and understand about compounding, the difference between simple and compound interest, also the rule of 72

Sub Activities
  1. Effect of Time in Compounding
  2. How Does Compounding Work?

Students will read about inflation and how the prices of different commodities have changed over the years. They will understand why a regular savings account, though it is safe, is not enough to beat inflation, and how investing can help them grow their wealth by beating inflation. They will also be introduced to waters CPI (Consumer Price Index)

Sub Activities
  1. Inflation Calculator

Students will do a recap on the benefits of investment. Then they will briefly understand different investment schemes in which they can invest their money, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate. They will be delving deeper into each of them in the upcoming sections of the lab.

Sub Activities
  1. Review Questions

Stocks & Stock Market (71 Minutes)

In this infographic activity, students will understand what shares or stocks are and how they represent ownership in a company. They will follow the story of John, who runs a donut cart and needs capital to expand his business. By learning how John sells shares of his company at $100 apiece in exchange for a share of the profits, students will gain insight into the process of trading shares and how share values fluctuate. Additionally, they will recognize that share prices do not always increase but can also decrease, reflecting the risks and dynamics of the stock market.

Sub Activities
  1. Review Questions
  2. Doughnut Stock Trend
  3. More events
  4. Volkswagen Share Price Drop
  5. More About Stocks
  6. Review Questions

Students will read about stock exchanges, how shares are traded in stock exchanges, different exchanges such as NYSE, NASDAQ, etc. and the importance of timing in buying and selling shares. Students will also be given an introduction to the next activity which is a share market simulation.

Sub Activities
  1. Review Questions
  2. Share Market Simulation

In this reading activity students will understand that they should be very careful in selecting the stocks in which they should invest, the activity explains how to analyze stocks before investing in them, such as evaluating financial statements, profitability ratios, growth potential, etc.

Sub Activities
  1. Analyzing Performance of 3 Stocks

In this reading activity, students will try to understand the key financials of a company to look at before purchasing the shares, such as - Market cap, Revenue, Profit, P/E ratio, EPS, etc.

Sub Activities
  1. Analyzing Financials of APPLE and NVIDIA
  2. Not just financial data?

Students will understand that the share prices are not just affected by the financials of each company but also depend on global market conditions. They will understand that indices such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Nasdaq Composite, and S&P 500 are indicators of global market conditions.

Sub Activities
  1. Review Questions

Managing Risk (35 Minutes)

Students will read and understand that investing comes with a risk of losing money. They will read about different events that happened in the past that eroded a lot of money from the share market, they will understand that balancing risk and return is very important.

Sub Activities
  1. Review Questions

Students will read and understand the risks associated with investments and learn how to mitigate these risks using three key strategies: investing for the long term, diversification, and investing over time. This activity aims to enhance students' knowledge of risk management in investing, equipping them with practical strategies to make informed and resilient investment decisions.

Sub Activities
  1. Invest for the Long Term

Students will read in-depth about how diversification can help reduce the risk associated with investment.

Sub Activities
  1. Diversifying investment

Students will read about the importance of Investing Over Time (Dollar Cost Averaging) in reducing the risk associated with investments.

Sub Activities
  1. Dollar cost averaging

Funds & Bonds (16 Minutes)

Students will read and understand what bonds are and the key terminologies used in bonds.

Sub Activities
  1. Review Questions
  2. Types of Bonds
  3. Review Questions

Students will read and understand what funds are and different types of funds such as Mutual Funds, ETFs, etc.

Sub Activities
  1. Review Questions

Invest for Retirement & Conclusion (49 Minutes)

Students will read about the importance of saving for retirement, and how investment can help them create their retirement fund quickly. They will also read about how the share prices of Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft soared from their initial public offering.

Students will read about the next activity which is a retirement calculator activity and the importance of doing that activity.

The objective of this activity is to enable students to understand and plan for their retirement by forecasting their savings needs based on their current age and annual expenses. By experimenting with different starting ages and monthly savings amounts, students will learn the importance of starting early, the impact of compounding interest, and how to achieve their financial goals for retirement.


Following is a screenshot of the calculator

Students will be given different scenarios to find the minimum amount to be saved every month for successful retirement -

The objective of this activity is to provide students with an inspiring example of successful long-term investing through the life and career of Warren Buffett. By reading Buffett's success story, students will understand the principles of value investing, appreciate the importance of patience and discipline, learn about the power of compounding, gain insights into risk management, and be motivated to set their own financial goals. This activity aims to encourage students to start investing early and leverage Buffett's lessons to build a secure financial future, while also developing their critical thinking skills by analyzing Buffett's investment strategies and decisions.

Sub Activities
  1. Interviewing Warren

This lesson outlines tips for new investors, which should help students feel more prepared to pursue investing for themselves.

The objective of this writing activity is to help students articulate the importance of investing for long-term financial security and personal growth. By explaining the concepts of early investment, the power of compounding, and the ability of investments to combat inflation, students will reinforce their understanding of these financial principles.

National Standards in Financial Education

Investing 8-1 -
Investing

Students will know that Investors in financial assets expect an increase in value over time (capital gain) and/ or receipt of regular income, such as interest or dividends .. Students will use this knowledge to 8-1a . List the potential benefits of investing money in a financial asset . 8-1b . Explain why some people might prefer to buy investments that grow in value over time instead of investments that pay regular income .

Investing 8-2 -
Investing

Students will know that Common types of financial assets include certificates of deposit (CDs), stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate .. Students will use this knowledge to 8-2a . Define common types of financial assets . 8-2b . Demonstrate how to find the current prices of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds . 8-2c . Discuss how some financial assets can be harder to sell quickly (e .g . stocks traded on an exchange versus real estate) .

Investing 8-3 -
Investing

Students will know that Investors who buy corporate or government bonds are lending money to the issuer in exchange for regular interest payments .. Students will use this knowledge to 8-3a . Compare corporate and government bonds . 8-3b . Calculate the amount of annual interest income an investor would receive from a corporate bond offering at a given coupon interest rate .

Investing 8-4 -
Investing

Students will know that Investors who buy corporate stock become part-owners of a business, benefit from potential increases in the value of their shares, and may receive dividend income .. Students will use this knowledge to 8-4a . Select a stock and find the dividends it paid last year and how much the price of the stock has changed over the year . 8-4b . Explain the potential risks and rewards of investing in corporate stock .

Investing 8-5 -
Investing

Students will know that Instead of buying individual stocks and bonds, investors can buy shares of pooled investments such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) .. Students will use this knowledge to 8-5a . Explain the concept of investment diversification both within and among different asset classes . 8-5b . Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of investing in a diversified stock or bond mutual fund versus individual stocks and bonds .

Investing 8-6 -
Investing

Students will know that Different types of investments expose investors to different degrees of risk .. Students will use this knowledge to 8-6a . Compare rates of return on different types of investments and order them by risk . 8-6b . Identify investments that would be most appropriate for people who are uncomfortable with taking financial risk .

Investing 8-7 -
Investing

Students will know that The benefits of compounding for building wealth are greatest for people who invest regularly over longer periods of time .. Students will use this knowledge to 8-7a . Explain the concept of compounding . 8-7b . Estimate the future value of a lump sum invested today for a specified period of time and rate of return . 8-7c . Estimate the future value of a regular series of equal annual investments for a specified period of time and rate of return . 8-7d . Demonstrate the difference in wealth accumulation for a person who begins to invest regularly at age 30 versus someone who starts at age 40 .

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  • Price per Classroom
    $9 99
    $60.00
  • Duration 4 Hours
  • Activities 60
  • Grade 8-12