MURRAY, KY - The Kentucky Council on Economic Education, the Murray State University Bauernfeind College of Business and the Murray State Center for Economic Education offers grade 4-12 teachers the opportunity to participate in a free workshop designed to enrich students about the diversity of the stock market.

There will be two workshops teachers can attend to receive the necessary resources and information to begin the Stock Market Game™. The first workshop will take place 4-6 pm on Thursday, Sept. 6, in Room 201, Business Building North, on the campus of Murray State. The Business Building is located on 16th Street.

The second workshop will be from 4-6 pm on Thursday, Sept. 13, at McCracken County School Board Offices, Technology Center. It is located on 435 Berger Road, Paducah. Both workshops will cover the same material.

Workshop participants will learn how to teach math, social studies and other significant applications that relate to real-world investing. The teachers participating in the Stock Market Game™ will receive grade-and subject-specific curriculum guides, lesson plans and newsletters for classroom instruction and correlated lessons are aligned to Kentucky State Academic Standards. By participating in the competition, teachers have the flexibility of choosing how much or how little class time to devote to the program.

The Stock Market Game™ allows teams of 3-5 students to invest $100,000 in stocks and mutual funds through a real-world Internet simulation. Students are encouraged to research companies and make investments as a team. By working together, students will develop leadership, negotiation and cooperation skills and will be awarded for their success. Each team will be ranked and the teams ranked the highest will receive prizes.

Teachers are offered three Stock Market Game™ options. The first option, Year-Long Stock Market Game, begins Sept. 24 and runs through April 19, 2013. It includes stocks, mutual funds and bonds for a diverse experience.

The second option, Fall 2012 Stock Market Game, starts Sept. 24 and runs through Nov. 30. Students must research and evaluate all companies listed on the main stock exchanges.

The last option, Fall 2012 Take Stock in Kentucky, begins Oct. 1 and concludes Dec. 7. It gives students the same Internet simulation, but students can only invest in Kentucky companies with headquarters in the state, companies that have state offices, or subsidiaries or companies that are of special interest to the economy of Kentucky.

During the workshop, participants will receive professional development certificates, a light snack, free resources and “Free Team certificate” door prizes. Pre-registration is required online at www.econ.org/pd or through email at msu.econed@murraystate.edu .

For more hands-on learning activities and curriculum, the Murray State Center for Economic Education will host the Fall 2012 Workshop Series. The workshops include The Economics of Elections on Aug. 28, The Economics of Seinfeld on Sept. 11, Lawn Boy Economics on Sept. 25 and Playful Economics on Oct. 16. Each workshop is 4-5 p.m. in Room 304, Business Building North, on the campus of Murray State. All teachers and pre-service education majors are welcome and no registration is required.

For more information, call Barry Brown, director of MSU’s Center for Economic Education at 270-809-4277 or email msu.econed@murraystate.edu