📈 Stock Market Contest – Middle School Math Project

Bring real-world finance into your classroom with the Stock Market Contest Project! This engaging activity teaches students the basics of investing while reinforcing key math skills like percents, decimals, and graphing.

Students choose companies to invest in, track their stock performance over time, graph their results, and reflect on their investment decisions. The project turns learning into a fun competition where students try to become the “Top Stock Picker.”

Perfect for middle school math, financial literacy lessons, or project-based learning.

🧠 Math Skills Practiced

Students strengthen important math concepts, including:

• Percents
• Decimals
• Line graphs
• Data tracking and analysis
• Financial literacy and investing basics

📚 Lesson Overview

Students will:

1️⃣ Read background information about the stock market and investing

2️⃣ Choose two companies to invest in

3️⃣ Track and record stock prices over time

4️⃣ Create line graphs to visualize stock performance

5️⃣ Evaluate and reflect on their investment decisions

Teachers can make the project more exciting by awarding prizes to the top investors at the end of the contest.

📦 What’s Included (17 Pages)

• 2 Stock Market Basics information sheets
• 1 Stock Market Ticker Symbols sheet + Answer Key
• 1 Company Spotlight activity + Sample
• 1 Stock Market Contest Rules sheet
• 2 Stock Picks Recording Sheets
• 2 Stock Performance Line Graphs + Sample Graph
• 1 Portfolio Performance Evaluation sheet
• 3 Teacher Tips sheets
• 1 Project Cover Sheet

⏱ Time Required

Approximately 1–2 hours of class time, plus occasional tracking throughout the year.

This project can be used:

• At the beginning of the school year
• As a mid-year activity
• As an end-of-year reflection project

🏫 Suggested Grade Level

Grades 5–8 (and adaptable for higher grades)

⭐ Teacher Feedback

Teachers love how this activity helps students learn how the stock market works while reinforcing math skills in a meaningful, real-world context.

Students enjoy investing in companies they recognize and competing to see who becomes the top stock investor.

💡 Also Available in Discounted Bundles

This resource is included in the following larger collections:

📘 Middle School Math Lessons, Projects, and Games eBook

(42 engaging math activities – 438 pages)

📘 Money Math Activities eBook for Middle School Math

Make math meaningful and exciting with this Stock Market Contest project, where students learn real-world investing while practicing essential math skills. 📊📈