Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Ms.Carol Vonnes and Ms. Kristin Puric-----Academic Integrity and Citation of Resources


WMHS Library Resources
Virtual Reference Collection
eLibrary
Proquest Multiple Databases (NY Times, Academic Journals)
SIRS (Pro/Con Issues)
Student Resource Center
Academic Integrity
MLA Assignment:
In the past 30 years, video games have had a major impact on how people spend their leisure time. There has been debate about the positive and negative effects it has on children.
Students will research the topic and type a 2 page report in MLA format. Students will present both positive and negative effects.
Students will use the VRC (Virtual Reference Collection) for research.
Instructions:
Go to
http://www.wardmelvillelibrary.blogspot.com/
Click on Virtual Reference Collection
Choose database
Complete the following steps before you start typing your report:
1. Margins: Set the top, bottom, left and right margins to 1”.
2. Line Spacing: Set the line spacing to Double.
3. Font and Point Size: MLA reports should be typed using Times New Roman 12 points.
4. Header and Page Number: The header contains your last name and the page number, and is right aligned.
You are now ready to start typing your report.
· Starting the first page of your report:
The following lines must be typed before the title of your report:
Your Name
Teacher’s Name
Course Name
Date written out
· Center the title of the report (first letter of important words are capitalized). Press enter once.
· Left Align the report. (Format – paragraph – general alignment – left)
· Direct Quotes: Direct Quotes of four or more typed lines should be indented 1” from the left margin (Format, paragraph or increase indent icon on formatting toolbar)
· Create a new page for Works Cited: When you are finished typing the report, insert a page break to start the Works Cited page.
· Go back to
http://www.wardmelvillelibrary.blogspot.com/ and click on Noodle Tools.
· Enter your username and password
· Create a new list
· Enter all information from your sources
· Print into a word document ( Noodle Tools will format and alphabetize all sources)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Ms. Emma Domino--Childcare Lesson/Assignment


Using the websites below or finding your own, your group shouldcreate a math activity that will tie into the themes of the month of March i.e. spring, St. Patrick’s Day, or lions and lambs. Please print and save any important material. This includes instructions, pictures or templates you need to make your activity. Remember this should be challenging for the students. Your math problems should have activities from 1-20. they should incorporate both addition and subtraction.
Here are some websites to use:

General March ideas:
http://www.learnnc.org/
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/
http://www.kinderthemes.com/
www.kindergarten2.homestead.com/march.html
www.firstschool.ws/theme/numbers
www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten
www.printables4kids.com

St. Patricks Themes:
http://www.first-school.ws/
http://www.mathisfun.com/

Friday, March 5, 2010

Ms. Gisella Muller, Global Languages--Un Viaje Ideal

Costa Rica


Spanish 4
Ms. Gisella Muller


CIA World Factbook

Virtual Reference Collection-CultureGrams

“Un Viaje Ideal”

Due: el 12 de marzo

You have one day in the library to research a country and prepare a travel brochure. This must be informative, attractive, and in Spanish. Use Microsoft Publisher. Use pictures in your project.

Front Cover: Your country & FLAG

Places of interest
Currency used the exchange rate
Map of the country
Climate and clothes to wear
Popular forms of transportation
Typical Souvenirs to buy
Fun Facts(English)

Countries

1. Spain
2. Mexico
3. Colombia
4. Chile
5. Bolivia
6. Peru
7. Venezuela
8. Paraguay
9. Uruguay
10. Ecuador
11. Ibiza
12. Mallorca
13. Menorca
14. Guatemala
15. Panama
16. Costa Rico
17. Honduras
18. El Salvador
19. Cuba
20. Puerto Rico
21. Santo Domingo
22. Nicaragua
23. Islas Canarias


See example: Argentina

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Mr. Jeffrey Harris--Econcomics--Stock Market History



Wall Street Journal
Yahoo Finance
Databases
Virtual Reference Collection
Business Company Resource Center
Proquest Multiple Databases
(Newsday, New York Times, Wall Street Journal)


The history of stock market trading in the United States can be traced back to over 200 years ago. Historically, the colonial government decided to finance the war by selling bonds, government notes promising to pay out at profit at a later date. Around the same time private banks began to raise money by issuing stocks, or shares of the company to raise their own money. This was a new market, and a new form of investing money, and a great scheme for the rich to get richer. A little further on the history timeline, more specifically in 1792, a meeting of twenty four large merchants resulted into a creation of a market known as the New York Stock Exchange(NYSE). At the meeting, the merchants agreed to meet daily on Wall Street to daily trade stocks and bonds.
Further in history, in the mid-1800s, United States was experiencing rapid growth. Companies needed funds to assist in expansion required to meet the new demand. Companies also realized that investors would be interested in buying stock, partial ownership in the company. History has shown that stocks have facilitated the expansion of the companies and the great potential of the recently founded stock market was becoming increasingly apparent to both the investors and the companies.
By 1900, millions of dollars worth of stocks were traded on the street market. In 1921, after twenty years of street trading, the stock market moved indoors.
History brought us the Industrial Revolution, which also played a role in changing the face of the stock market. New form of investing began to emerge when people started to realize that profits could be made by re-selling the stock to others who saw value in a company. This was the beginning of the secondary market, known also as the speculators market. This market was more volatile than before, because it was now fueled by highly subjective speculation about the company’s future.
This was the pretext for appearance of such stock market giants as NYSE. History books tell us that the reason the NYSE is so highly regarded among stock markets was primarily because they only trade in the very large and well-established companies. It acted as a more stable investment alternative, for people interested in throwing their capital into the stock market arena. The smaller companies making up the stock market formed into what eventually became the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). Contrary to its 80-year old history, today the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ and hundreds of other exchange markets make a significant contribution to the national and global economy.
The growth in the number of market participants led the government to decide that more regulation of the stock market was needed to protect those investing in stock. History was made in 1934, when following the Great Crash, Congress passed the Securities and Exchange Act. This act formed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which, through the rules set out by the act and succeeding amendments, regulates American stock market trading with the help of the exchanges. It also includes overseeing the requirements for a company to issue stock shares to the public and ensures that the company offers relevant information to potential investors. The SEC also oversees the daily actions of market exchanges and how they trade the securities offered.
Although historically, investing in stocks was a “hobby” for the rich, an average person too soon came to realize the value of the investing in stocks vs. traditional assets like land or a house.
What are FIVE strategies or techniques used for buying profitable stocks (“Playing the Market”) ?
1. INVEST [“_________________________”]
• Purchase stocks of companies with strong “fundamentals”
• Invest in _______________ with a long history of impressive stock performance
• Harvard Business School advises to invest in 5-7 solid companies and not to sell for twenty or more years
• S & P 500 has returned an average return of 10% over the past seventy years
2. ____________________________________________
• Do you see products/services being consumed by friends, family, people of certain companies ? New companies ?
• Stories: Tommy Hilfiger, Starbucks, AOL, Ugg Boots, Cheesecake Factory
3. _____________________________
Use charts, graphs, research, and statistics to judge when a stock will make a move up or down (*see handout)
4. _______________________________________
Purchase stocks of companies that pay a dividend or profit every three months (ranges 1%-15%)
5. _______________________________
• “Buy & Sell” method of profiting from the stock market
• Searching for higher risk, but more growth potential companies

* What is Day Trading ?

What is a stock?

A stock represent a share in the ownership of a company. If you own a company's stock, then you are a owner, or shareholder, of the company. A stock represents a claim on the company's assets and profits. A stock is also known as equity.
The ownership percent, of a company that you own is calculated by dividing the number of shares a person owns buy the number of shares of stock outstanding. For example:1000 shares owned10,000 shares outstanding= 10% ownership.
Ownership of stock is represented by a stock certificate. A stock certificate represents your ownership of the company. These days, when you buy stock of a company, you usually do not get the actual stock certificates any more. Instead, your ownership is tracked electronically, making it easier to buy and sell shares.So, now that you have stock and ownership of a company, what can you do? Not really very much. You will benefit when the price of the stock goes up, or lose if the price goes down. As an part-owner of the company, you are given the right to vote for company's board of directors. Another way you may benefit is if the company pays dividends. Dividends represent a percent of the company's profit, paid to the shareholders.Buying stock can be risky, since while the price of the stock may go up, it may also go down. If the company goes bankrupt, then you could potentially lose all the money you invested in the stock. However, that is what investing is all about. Taking risks, in the hope of making money on your investment, with no guarantee that you will make money.


Before investing in stocks, you will need to understand some basic tools. One tool is the stock market table.

The stock market tables give you basic information and price history for stocks. You can use it to see how stocks you own or are interested in owning are performing, how their prices are changing, and how they have performed in the past. Reading a stock market table is simple once you understand how to do it.

Here is a sample line from a stock market table for the stock of General Electric:

Ticker

Company Name

Sales
100s

Hi

Low

Last

Change


GE

General Electric Co

6567

26.86

24.64

25.73

-2.40

<1>
Stock ticker symbol
This is the company stock symbol, and it represents the company's stock. Often, the stock symbol is similar to the company's name.

<2>
Company Name
This is the name of the stock.

<3>

Sales 100s

The number of shares that traded the last day this stock traded. The number is given in hundreds, so you need to add 2 zeros to the number to get the actual number of shares traded.

<4>
Hi
The stock's highest price the last day this stock traded.

<5>
Low
The stock's lowest price the last day this stock traded.

<6>
Last
The stock's last traded price. Also sometimes called closing price.

<7>
Change
The amount of change of the stock's closing price and the prior trading day's closing price (2 trading days ago). A "-" represents a negative change.


You may find stock market tables in many different places. One place to look in the financial section or your local newspaper, or in a financial publication such as the Wall Street Journal.

THE HARRIS 21
Stock Terms To Know


IPO/ ”Go Public” –

Dividend-

Common Stock-

Preferred Stock-

Capital Gain-

Bond-

Bull vs. Bear-

Volume-

PE Ratio-

Short Selling-

Dow 30 (DJIA)-

S&P 500

Insider Trading (SEC)-

Old Economy vs. New Economy-

Blue Chips-

Spread (“Bid”/”Ask”) -

Securities and Exchange Commission

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

American Stock Exchange (AMEX)

NASDAQ

Economics/ Mr. Harris Stock Market Investment Project

$100,000

STOCK MARKET CHALLENGE
Congratulations!
You have been left $100,000 by your long, long, long, long, long, long lost Uncle Chester, who unfortunately recently passed away. However, it seems that Uncle Chester left several stipulations for you to be able to inherit this money.

The regulations are as follows:
-You must invest the entire gift in the stock market
-You must purchase at least 5 different stocks, but not more than 7
-YOU MUST INVEST AT LEAST 15% OF THE MONEY IN EACH STOCK OWNED

-You must purchase the stock on _____________________

-You must sell (liquidate the account) on __________________

-You must keep a weekly account for all the activities of the stock (Friday’s closing price)
-You may “play” the market by buying or selling your stocks. However, you must always maintain a 5 stock minimum and always have your $100,000 fully invested.
-In addition, there is a $100 transaction fee for every stock trade made after your first five!
-Any stock trades (buys or sells) made after the original purchase day must be immediately handed in to Mr. Harris (on the day of the purchase) and signed.
-When you buy you will use the day’s high as the purchase price
-When you sell you will use the day’s low for the selling price

Stipulations for the Project
-You must present your findings to Mr. Harris, the lawyer who is handling the will of your Uncle Chester, on or around April 30th.
-You are only entitled to your inheritance if you turn in the project/complete the stock portfolio presentation

NO LATE REPORTS OR PRESENTATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED!
Your Project must contain the following elements:
1) An Initial Investment Statement
2) The Tracking Log
3) The Tracking Graph
4) The Final Report – Including the GAIN/LOSS Statement
5) A TYPED Business Letter which summarizes the account’s activity
6) Presentation of findings to Mr. Harris (and the class)
- Visual Aids (Graphs, Charts, etc. on poster/PowerPoint presentation)
- Proper Stock Vocabulary/Lingo – Name Your Portfolio
- Proper Attire (Business Suits)/Vocal Tone/Eye Contact
- Reasons for stock purchases/History of each company
1) The Initial Investment Statement
[10 Points]

(Must follow this format)


Purchase
Date

Stock Name

Stock Symbol

Share Price

PE Ratio

# of Shares Bought

Total Cost
$$$$

Reason Purchased

Industry
of the
stock

52 Week
High/
Low
Price

Market Cap. of
the
stock

CASH RESERVES = $ ______________
($100,000 minus total of “Total Cost” Column)
*** YOU MUST MAKE A COPY OF THIS SHEET AFTER FILLING IT OUT FOR YOUR RECORDS ***
[You will hand one in to Mr. Harris, and keep one for yourself]


SAMPLE STOCK PORTFOLIO:
THE HARRIS FUND

Purchase
Date
Stock Name
Stock Symbol
Share Price
PE Ratio
# of Shares Bought
Total Cost
$$$$
Reason Purchased
Industry of the stock
52 Week High/ Low Price
Market Capital.
of the
Stock
September
1, 2000
Citi-group
C
58.62
21
300
17,586
Low Interest Rates
Banking; Financial Services
59-30
$353
Billion
September
1, 2000
Star- BucksCoffee
SBUX
38.25
52
500
19,125
Brand; Good Same Store Sales
Fast Food
Restaurant;
Beverage
Retail
45-19
$7.2
Billion
September
1, 2000
Harris Corp
HAC
43.75
40
500
21,875
Profit Margins
Water Comp.
49-30
$275
Billion
September
1, 2000
Intel
INTC
75.62
43
250
18,905
Good Play on Tech nology Sector
Semi-Conductors;
Computer Chips
75-32
$506
Billion
September
1, 2000
Tommy
Hilfiger
TOM
10.81
7
2,000
21,620
Battered Retailer;
Comeback
Story
Retail Clothing
41-6
$993
Million
CASH RESERVES = $ 889
($ 100,000 minus total of “Total Cost” Column)

2) THE TRACKING LOG [10 Points]
Name of Stock
Date Checked
Closing Price
Net Change
(+/-)
News/
Evidence
Buy/Sell
Price
# of Shares
Total Value of Stock
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

CASH RESERVES = $___________________


3) THE TRACKING GRAPH [10 Points]

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week4
WEEK OF THE MONTH (_______________________)


4) THE FINAL REPORT [20 Points]


Name of Stock
Liquidation Date
Liquidation Price
# of Shares
Total Revenue
News/
Evidence

GAIN/LOSS STATEMENT


Name of Stock
Total Revenue

MINUS

Total Cost

= Gain/Loss

TOTAL OUTCOME FOR THE PORTFOLIO:
(Including Cash Reserves & Minus $100 Transaction Costs)

$________________________



5) TYPED BUSINESS LETTER: [20 Points]

You must also write a conclusive statement which summarizes the portfolio’s activities and your final results in a business letter format to the lawyer (me).

Mr. Jeff Harris
380 Old Town Road
East Setauket, NY 11790

6) PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION

[30 Points]
(= ____/100 Points x .3)

EVALUATION FORM

Accurate Information ______/ 20 Points

Visual Aids ______/ 20 Points

Stock Vocabulary/Lingo ______/ 20 Points

History/Reasons ______/ 20 Points

Proper Clothing/Attire ______/ 10 Points

Eye Contact & Vocal Tone ______/ 10 Points
Total ______/100 Points
STOCK MARKET INVESTMENT PROJECT FINAL EVALUATION


INITIAL INVESTMENT STATEMENT ______/10 POINTS



THE TRACKING LOG ______/10 POINTS



THE TRACKING GRAPH ______/10 POINTS



THE FINAL REPORT ______/20 POINTS

(INCLUDING THE GAIN/LOSS STATEMENT)



TYPED BUSINESS LETTER ______/20 POINTS
(PORTFOLIO SUMMARY)



PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION ______/30 POINTS




FINAL GRADE _______/100 POINTS




1) The Initial Investment Statement
[10 Points]

(Must follow this format)


Purchase
Date

Stock Name

Stock Symbol


Share Price


PE Ratio

# of Shares Bought

Total Cost
$$$$

Reason Purchased

Industry
of the
stock

52 Week
High/
Low
Price

Market Cap. of
the
stock CASH RESERVES = $ ______________

($100,000 minus total of “Total Cost” Column)
*** YOU MUST MAKE A COPY OF THIS SHEET AFTER FILLING IT OUT FOR YOUR RECORDS ***
[You will hand one in to Mr. Harris, and keep one for yourself]2) THE TRACKING LOG [10 Points]

Name of Stock
Date Checked
Closing Price
Net Change
(+/-)
News/
Evidence
Buy/Sell
Price
# of Shares
Total Value of Stock

CASH RESERVES = $____________

TOTAL PORTFOLIO VALUE (MINUS $100 PER TRANSACTION) $_________


3)THE TRACKING GRAPH [10 Points]

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week4
WEEK OF THE MONTH (_______________________)



PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION


EVALUATION FORM

Accurate Information ______/ 20 Points

Visual Aids ______/ 20 Points
(PowerPoint, Poster board, transparencies)
Stock Vocabulary/Lingo ______/ 20 Points

History/Reasons ______/ 20 Points
(Research!)
Proper Clothing/Attire ______/ 10 Points

Eye Contact & Vocal Tone ______/ 10 Points


Total ______/100 Points

(= ____/100 Points x .3)


_______/ [30 Points]

$$DOLLAR VAULE OF PORTFOLIO$$
(INCLUDING CASH RESERVES & MINUS $100 TRANSACTION COSTS)
BUY / SELL TRANSACTION FORM


Student Name _______________________


Date of Transaction

Stock
(Symbol)


Buy/
Sell
(# of Shares)

Price


Overall
Cost
(-$100)

Signature of Lawyer


*** YOU MUST STAPLE A PRINT OUT OF A STOCK QUOTE FOR THE STOCK
YOU ARE SELLING AND THE STOCK YOU ARE BUYING TO THIS FORM

*** MAKE SURE TO SUBTRACT $100 FROM THE TOTAL AFTER SELLING
YOUR STOCK AND ADD $100 TO THE TOTAL AFTER BUYING NEW STOCK
(THESE ARE YOUR “TRANSACTION FEES” or COMMISSION FOR TRADING STOCK)

*** YOU MUST MAKE COPIES OF ALL OF THESE FORMS FOR YOUR RECORDS

***MAKE A COPY OF YOUR PACKET BEFORE HAND IT IN!!!
SO YOU CAN REFERENCE IT IN YOUR PRESENTATION.

*** DO NOT CONFUSE THE STOCK MARKET PACKET WITH THE STOCK MARKET PRESENTATION.
THESE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
STOCK MARKET PACKET: 70% OF YOUR GRADE
STOCK MARKET PRESENTATION: 30% OF YOUR GRADE

IF YOU ARE USING POWERPOINT TO COMPLIMENT YOUR PRESENTATION, PLEASE MAKE SURE IT WORKS. IF YOU ARE USING A JUMP DRIVE, PLEASE CONSIDER EMAILING ME AT
jharris1@threevillagecsd.org TO ENSURE IT WORKS!