TAKING STOCK  
      An Integrated Thematic Telecommunications Unit

 Take your class on a corporate venture!  Sign them up for Taking Stock, 
the newest on-line interactive telecommunications project based on the
inner-workings of the Stock Market, integrating research techniques,
writing skills, math strands, and collaborative learning.  


1500 Students!

 The first 50 teachers of 5th through 12th graders to return acceptable
applications for their classes will be signed up for open slots in their
grade levels for the 1994-95 Taking Stock Project.  Those missing the
cut-off for this year's project will be placed on a waiting list for 
the 1995-96 project.
 Applications, must be returned no later than October 1st.  (An application
is found at the bottom of this document.)  Once accepted into the project,
all teachers will divide their classes into working clusters of three
students.  Some groups of four students will be allowed when necessary.


100 Investment Teams!

 The Taking Stock directors will create 100 Investment Teams, comprised of
four or five 3-member clusters from around the country.  Each Investment Team
will have 12 to 15 members, from four or five schools representing diverse
geographic locales.  Clusters will be grouped into teams based on geograpic
location and grade level distribution.  Investment Teams will have students
from 5th through 12th graders working together to make decisions.  Teachers
will be informed of Investment Team composition near the end of the
Background Activities Period.


Background Activities!

 Prior to meeting with the other members of their Investment Teams, the
three-member clusters will be responsible for completing a number of
Background Activities within their own classroom setting.  The activities
will be completed together as a cluster, and may include market history,
percentages, fractions, predictions, graphing, research, interviews, and
persuasive writing.  Successful completion of activities brings a financial
reward to clusters.  Each cluster will receive a dollar value for each
assignment completed successfully.  Therefore, each cluster will bring a
specific amount of funds to invest with their Investment Group.  The
Background period will last from October 21st to November 11th.


Initial Investment Team On-line Board Meetings!

 During the second week of November, all Investment Teams will meet on-line,
in a private chat room, either on America On-line or Internet Relay Chat, to
get acquainted, determine total dollar value of their group, and share
persuasive writings about corporations they have researched.  A specific
stock may not be purchased unless it has been researched and reported on in
writing by one of the Investment Team members or clusters.  Once corporations
have been lobbied for, members of the Investment Teams will vote to determine
on which stocks they will spend their money.  Fifty percent of investment
funds must be used to purchase long-term stocks, which must be held until the
final weeks of the project.  The remainder of the investment funds may be
used to purchase and sell short-term stocks at the members' discretion.


Monthly Investment Team On-line Board Meetings!

 Between November and June, Investment Teams will schedule regular on-line
meetings, will continue to write persuasive essays to convince team members
to buy or sell specific stocks, will track their stocks using portfolios,
will use ongoing graphs to compare their successes and failures, and will
contact their brokers for updates and reports.
 On-line experts and brokers will be available to Investment Teams throughout
the project.  Teams will be encouraged to expand and enhance the project in
whatever creative ways they like.  All proposals most be cleared by the
Taking Stock directors.
 We look forward to receiving your applications and meeting your three-team
clusters!

**************************************************************************

                       Taking Stock Application
                       ------------------------

Please complete one application for each teacher interested in 
participating, copy, paste, and e-mail to xx161@nptn.org or send 
U.S. mail to one of the following addresses:

  Taking Stock                       Taking Stock
  Leni Donlan                        Jory Post
  Town School for Boys               3125 Branciforte Dr.                      
  2750 Jackson St.                   Santa Cruz, CA 95065              
  San Francisco, CA 94115   



Date:

Teacher Name:

Grade(s):

Number of Students:

Number of Teams(3 or 4 per team):

E-mail Address(es):

School Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Your level of telecommunications knowledge (beginner, intermediate,
advanced):


How you found out about this project:


Why you want to participate in this project: