How to get started

One of the reasons teachers register their classes in The Stock Market Game™ (SMG) program year after year is that it is easy to use. The SMG program provides all of the materials they need to teach about investing through its Teacher Support Center.

As a registered SMG Afterschool Advisor, you will have access to a set of materials created specifically for your needs in an afterschool setting.

However, while we have provided you with the instructional materials you need to run the SMG Afterschool program, there are some things you must do at your site to insure a positive experience for your students:

Check Computer & Internet Access
Organize Teams
Read the Rules
Encourage Journals
Register

Computers & Internet Access The SMG Afterschool program is an online activity. Students will need computers with Internet access to participate. The number of computers needed will be determined on how many students are participating and how you have grouped them. We usually recommend teams of two to five students each.

A current version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer should be installed on all of the computers being used for the SMG Afterschool program. While the site will be viewable by other browsers, accessing the site via a current version of Internet Explorer will provide the best viewing experience and interaction.

Please Note: Limited access to computers with Internet connections does not mean you cannot run the SMG Afterschool program with your students. It simply means you and your students must become more effective time managers. Advice for managing limited computer and Internet access is available through your SMG Afterschool Coordinator.
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Organizing Teams In addition to teaching personal saving and investing, the SMG Afterschool program also provides students with opportunities to practice important career skills in cooperative decision making, conflict resolution, and collaboration.

You may group your students into teams as small as two participants or as large as five. If you are working with students unfamiliar with working in groups, consider assigning each student a role on the team. Assigned roles will help reduce moments of chaos because students will understand what is expected from them. A list of team roles is available after you have registered for the SMG Afterschool program.
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Rankings & Rules Whether or not there is an official competition in place, all SMG Afterschool program team investment portfolios are ranked based on percentage growth against the Standards & Poor's Index. The rules of the SMG Afterschool program insure that everyone is trading under the same conditions. They also determine what is allowable and what is not. It is important that you familiarize your SMG Afterschool teams of the rules. All decisions by the SIFMA Foundation on disputes are final. The most up-to-date rules are available through the Rules link on the Team portfolio page.
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Journaling Each student is encouraged to keep a journal. They may write about what was discussed at team meetings, information about companies they think are good investments, or chose to reflect on the decisions they have made. The goal of the journal is to get students to think critically about their actions and practice introspection. The journal need not be the traditional marble notebook filled exclusively with handwritten notes. It may be a sketchbook containing a mix of newspaper clippings, thoughtful commentary, and drawings. If your need help with encouraging your students to write, please feel free to email the SMG Afterschool Coordinator for assistance.
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Registration Please complete your online registration for the SMG Afterschool program carefully. Remember to click the box to the left of the Acknowledgement box at the top of the online registration form. Your registration will not go through without it.

When completing the form, if you have registered for the SMG Afterschool program before, enter your email address into the form's Email Address field and click on the Prior Registration button to pull up your last SMG Afterschool program registration. Please correct outdated information.

In the School Category section of the online registration form, please select "Public", if you are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or a public school. If you are neither, select "Private".

In the next section, your School Name is your organization's name. After completing the address information, click the "Continue Registration" button at the bottom of the form.

If you have more than one group of students during the week, please divide them into "classes". Each "Class" will have their own set of teams.

Please select "Afterschool Activities" as your Main Subject Area and "Other" as your School Type.

The next page of the registration form is self explanatory. You may name your class anything you want. When you click Submit & Continue, you will receive an email message with an SMG Advisor ID. This ID will provide you with immediate access to the SMG Afterschool program's support materials.

Please do not hesitate to contact your SMG Afterschool program Coordinator with any questions.
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