MOVE: Let's Make a Mutual Fund is a teacher favorite when it comes to the NGPF Investing Unit. But, how can teachers take the magic of this popular activity and move (pun intended) it to a virtual learning environment? NGPF's top virtual high-fiver Christian (if you've attended Christian's Virtual PDs, you know) has transformed this activity into a spreadsheet format that allows you and your students to still experience the magic and get those a-ha! moments. 

Below you'll find a quick 3-minute explainer video and a link to the spreadsheet you can use to implement this activity virtually with your students. Note that this adaptation is designed to be done synchronously. 

Step 1: Watch the Explainer Video

Step 2: Prep 

1. Open the MOVE: Let's Make a Mutual Fund Visualizer Spreadsheet. 
2. Go to File > Make a Copy. You will use your copy of the spreadsheet with your students.
3. Review the discussion questions you will ask students after every round from the MOVE: Let's Make a Mutual Fund teacher support document. 
4. Think about how you will implement the various rounds of the activity depending on the number of students you have. Use the tips provided in Tab 3 of the spreadsheet if you encounter any of the following challenges: 
   • Too many students for the 30 stocks in this activity
   • Too few students for the 30 stocks in this activity 
   • Breakout sessions for Round 3 are tricky to organize 

Step 3: Implement

It's time to implement the activity with your students! Use the directions Christian reviewed in the video and/or the directions in Tab 1 of the spreadsheet. Have fun! 

Important Note: These ideas are not meant to take away from the magic of MOVE activities. In a physical classroom, it is important to get students up moving, learning, and thinking. These are merely virtual adaptations for the remote teaching and learning environment.

We would love to hear how these adaptations work in your digital classroom! Reach out to Amanda at amanda@ngpf.org to provide improvements, suggestions, & feedback!   

View NGPF's Virtual Adaption Series if you are looking for additional resources with suggestions on how to facilitate in a virtual environment. 

About the Authors

Sonia Dalal

Sonia has always been passionate about instruction and improving students' learning experiences. She's come a long way since her days as a first grader, when she would "teach" music and read to her very attentive stuffed animals after school. Since then, she has taught students as a K-12 tutor, worked in several EdTech startups in the Bay Area, and completed her Ed.M in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is passionate about bringing the high quality personal finance content and instruction she wished she'd received in school to the next generation of students and educators. When she isn't crafting lesson guides or working with teachers, Sonia loves to spend her time singing, being outdoors, and adventuring with family and friends!

More posts by Sonia

Christian Sherrill

Former teacher, forever financial education nerd. As NGPF's Director of Growth & Advocacy, Christian is laser-focused on our mission to guarantee all students a rigorous personal finance course before crossing the high school graduation stage. Having paid down over $40k in student loans in the span of 3 years - while living in the Bay Area on an entry level teacher's salary - he's eager to help the next generation avoid financial pitfalls one semester at a time.

More posts by Christian