This activity can be used to get students started thinking about what they might want to invest in for the Stock Market Game. Read this story to your students, emphasizing the underlined words, Ask students to write down as many names of companies as they can think of that produce the type product indicated; i . e, for tennis shoes (Nike, Adidas, Reebok, etc.).

Jim hurries out of P.E. class and throws his tennis shoes in his locker and picks up his new jacket. Moving quickly down the hall and out the front of school, he sees Mom's car parked in the second row. It is an exciting day for Jim because his birthday is this weekend and plans are underway for a pizza party for his basketball team friends. They want to rent some videos and drink soft drinks in the basement with no little sisters and no interruptions from parents with party games.

His grandmother is flying .in and staying at the local hotel , but she's planning on taking Jim shopping for his birthday gift to choose something he really wants. He's hoping Mom has told Granny that his sunglasses are broken.

Mom tells Jim that she has to stop at the grocery store to pick up some things for supper on the way home. As Jim slides in the car, Mom tosses him a candy bar to snack on until they get home. Jim accidentally sits on his little sister's favorite toy that was left on the back seat from the trip to the discount store last night.

"Mom", have you talked to Dad about my portable CD Player ? ", Jim sputters between bites of the candy bar.

"Jim, I told you we would look at the advertisements in Sunday's paper and see what is available at stores in the Mall ," Mom impatiently replied. "You know CD players cost a lot of money," she said.

"I know, but everybody has one but me," Jim explained, hoping to sound pathetic.

"We'll see," Mom muttered under her breath. "Oh, by the way, this came for you today." Mom flipped Jim an envelope. "It's from Aunt Susan." Jim ripped open the envelope, expecting money to fall out, then read the note from Aunt Susan. "Big deal, I don't get it. What's shares of stock? She says I'm a shareholder in a corporation. "What's that got to do with me? I don't know what a corporation is."

Let students share the names of some of the companies they wrote down. Discuss whether these are brand names or actual corporations. "Can you buy 100 shares of "Snickers"? No, but you can buy 100 shares of Mars Corporation." Note: Most all products have the corporation name/address on the wrapper box .

Initiate a discussion about... What a stock is? What is a corporation? Why do companies have stockholders? Why do people invest in the stock market?