Westampton Middle School

In Mr. Powers’ Social Studies classes, the students were learning about the stock market
and The Great Depression. The students were assembling portfolios based on companies that
they would be interested in buying. They also researched how much the stocks cost, the range of prices in the last year, and the PE Ratios (price per earnings). The students will continue to
monitor their companies throughout the year and decide whether the company is growing or
slowing in the current market. Students also identified the causes and effects of the stock market crash in 1929 and comprehend the realities of the Great Depression. They understand how the public was buying stocks on margin, and why people purchased goods on credit. They also compared the causes of the Great Depression with today’s unstable markets. The eighth grade students are gaining a clear understanding of how the stock market works and how it affects our lives today.