1. Tips For Writing Your 2016 Grades 6-8 Essay
How to InvestWrite
Tips For Writing Your Grades 6-8 Essay

2. Read the question aloud to the students.
Ask the class to help create a definition of interest and interest rate. Define interest as what your money earns in the bank. Define interest rate as how quickly your savings earns money.
Ask the class to help create a definition for risk as it relates to saving and investing. Define risk as the possibility that you will lose money on your investment. Define risk tolerance as how worried you are about losing money on an investment. Someone who worries a lot has low risk tolerance. Someone who doesn’t really worry has a high risk tolerance.
Invite the students to make recommendations to Billy. Be sure to have them explain why Billy should invest in a specific company (if they think he should buy stock) or mutual fund or bond. Suggest they consider a mix of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. If students are shy, please make your own suggestions for Billy.

3. Three Key Aspects To Address
RATIONALE
UNDERSTANDING
WRITING
Now that they have shared some ideas informally. They need to organize them into a formal essay with a rationale and supporting facts. Encourage them to be creative in their writing but to not lose sight of the essay’s goal. As they write they should remember why they are writing this and why someone would read what they’ve written.
A possible start might be: “When my friend Billy asked me to help him earn $2000 in just seven years I...”
One possible reason people would want to read their essay because it contains helpful information for considering moderate or aggressive investments.
REMIND students that these are only suggestions. They should be creative and original in their writing.

4. Your Rationale Is your essay well organized?
Did you answer every part of the question?
Is your description of your stock, bond, or mutual fund price changes focused on the important details?
Do you support your opinion with relevant citations and sources?
These are additional considerations...
Is there a clear progression of logical thought?
Does the essay clearly address the elements of the question?
Does the student provide a concise description the stock’s, bond’s or mutual fund’s price movement over time?
Has the student successfully focused on important highlights or has he or she included unnecessary details?
Has the student successfully convinced you that his or her selected stock, bond, or mutual fund is a good investment?
Does the student support his or her opinion with relevant citations and sources?

5. Your Understanding Have you helped Billy?
Are you using the appropriate industry terms?
Have you shown you understand the investment concepts in the question? (i.e. risk, return, risk tolerance)?
Have you shown the difference between long and short term investments?
In writing the essay has the student made rational investment recommendations to Billy?
Does the student use the appropriate jargon or terminology when explaining his or her position?
Does the student demonstrate a correct understanding of the concepts they address in their response?
Does the student exhibit an understanding of the Time Value of Money concept?
Does the student demonstrate an understanding of the differences between long term and short term investments?

6. Your Writing Did other’s enjoy reading your story?
Have you cited resources that support your opinion?
Have you checked your spelling?
Have you checked your grammar?
Is the essay interesting to read?
Does the student use an engaging approach to address the elements of the essay?
Does the response encourage the reader to continue reading to the conclusion of the essay?
Does the essay demonstrate the student’s careful crafting and revision?
Does the student use complete sentences, proper punctuation, and good grammar?
Has the student cited supporting work and resources?

7. Resources
Kiplinger.com: 7 Best Bond Funds for 2016:
Kiplinger.com: How to Research and Buy Bonds:
CNN Money: Reitrement Strategies With Low Risk, High Returns:
Investing In Bonds:
Morningstar:
Yahoo! Finance:
Google Finance:
Seeking Alpha:
These are links to helpful resources. They should be encouraged to find their own or you might suggest some of your own. If you do suggest some, please be sensitive to the needs of the students you are speaking with. A suggestion that is too sophisticated for them may end up discouraging them from submitting an essay.
Please tell the students that these are links other teachers and students have found helpful. This is not an endorsement of any of the websites listed or opinions expressed in the articles.

8. MUST BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 13, 2016
Word Count
Minimum: 400
Maximum: 900
MUST BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 13, 2016
900 words double-spaced, using Arial 12pt font is about three and a half pages.
400 words double-spaced, using Arial 12pt font is about one and a half pages.
Inform the students to ignore the word count on their first draft. What is most important at this stage is determining whether or not they have answered the question and provided the judges with what they want.
If the student’s paper is too long or short that is remedied in the second draft of the essay.

9. WHY SHOULD YOU WRITE AN ESSAY? GREAT PRIZES!
What makes the InvestWrite competition unique is that it acknowledges that academic success is the result of supportive school administration, teachers and parents as well as classmates. InvestWrite awards all of these important student influences.

10. NATIONAL INVESTWRITE WINNERS
LOCAL INVESTWRITE WINNERS
NATIONAL INVESTWRITE WINNERS
Though InvestWrite is a national competition, the Foundation also recognizes local winners.