Trading Basics — Lesson Plan
KS2–KS3 (ages 9–14) · 60 minutes
Learning objectives
- • Explain trading as buying something and selling it for a different price.
- • Describe profit and loss with a real-life example.
- • Use the words BUY and SELL correctly when reading a price move.
Key vocabulary
trade · buy · sell · profit · loss · price
Starter
Sweet shop starter: pupils buy an imaginary box for £5 and set their own selling price. Collect answers on the board and label each one profit or loss.
Main activities
10 min
Read lesson 1 “What Is Trading?” together on the board and pause at the key idea.
15 min
Pupils work through lessons 1–3 on their own devices and complete each quiz.
10 min
Paired task: write one BUY story and one SELL story using pocket money.
10 min
Open the practice demo and place one BUY trade as a class, narrating the P/L.
Discussion questions
- • Is trading the same as gambling? What makes the difference?
- • Why does every profit need someone to take the other side?
- • What would you do if your first trade lost money?
Assessment
- • Module quiz average of 70% or higher.
- • Pupils can label a chart move as a profit or a loss for a BUY.
Homework
Find one real price at home (a game, a snack, a bus fare) and write what would make it go up or down.
Safety note
Practice money only. Remind pupils that real trading is for adults and always supervised.
Lessons in this module
1. What Is Trading?
Trading = using rules to decide if price might rise or fall, and managing what happens next.
Open lesson2. What Does BUY Mean?
BUY = “I believe this price will rise from here, and I'm willing to risk a small amount on that belief.”
Open lesson3. What Does SELL Mean?
SELL = “I believe this price will fall from here, and I'm willing to risk a small amount on that belief.”
Open lesson5. What Is Loss?
Loss = “Less money than you started with after a trade—and we manage it, not fear it.”
Open lesson