Course Syllabus and Classroom Expectations

Vista Grande High School

Economics
Mr. Scherr

Contact Information:
Name: Mr. Scherr
Classroom: 1223
E-Mail: [email protected]

Course Description:
 This course is designed to teach students basic economic concepts. Students will
be learning basic economic questions like “What a country produces and why?” to
“How does the United States economy functions?” Students will also learn the
real-world functions of economics and how the semester long course will have an
impact on them as soon as they graduate high school (or how it has already had an
impact on their lives.)

Content:
 What is Economics?
 Macroeconomics
 Scarcity
 Factors of Production
 Production Possibilities Curve
 Opportunity Cost
 Market Systems
 Supply and Demand
 Microeconomics
 Banking and Money
 Government and the Economy
 Inflation/Unemployment
 GDP
 Stock Market
 Global Economics
 Personal Finance

Materials:
 Laptop
 Notebook
 Pen/pencil
 Economics only folder
Expectations for class:
 On time to class
o School policy states that a student who shows up 10 minutes after class
has begun will be marked absent. If a student is tardy to class three times,
they will be given a Saturday school.
 Active note taking and participation. Notes will be done in notebooks, NOT on
Laptops.
 Work completed and handed in on time.
 Respectful
 Cell Phones put away for the entire class. There will be no need to use phones at
all for the entirety of Economics class. See Student Handbook for more details.
Grading:
a) Students will be graded on a points system. Assignments that are out of a higher
number of points (I.e. __/50) will be worth more towards their final grade than
assignments that are out of a lower number of points (I.e. __/10).
Late Work:
a) Work turned in late and not associated with an absence will NOT earn full credit.
Any student handing in work late due to absence will be given the same amount
of time as the rest of the class.
b) Vocabulary turned in after teacher does a class check will result in half credit,
after 2 weeks the student will receive a 0.
Missed Work:
a) It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the homework assignments, notes &
any other pertinent information that is missed during an absence.
b) Missed work due to an absence: Additional time (up to three school days) and full
credit will be allowed for each day of a verifiable and excused absence. After
three school days, credit will be reduced 5 points for each additional day.
Exceptions will be made in unique, deserving situations as determined by the
teacher and/or administrator.
Extra Credit:
a) Extra credit will be given to students randomly. Students may also earn extra
credit by creating a music video or documentary about class content.
Notable Assignments:
a) Vocabulary: At the beginning of every new unit students will be given a
vocabulary list. They will have until the end of the unit (dates below) to finish the
definitions in their notebooks. Vocabulary words will count in the final test/quiz
grade for the unit.
Topic Start Date Due Date
Introduction to Econ 1/9/2019 1/18/2019
Economics Systems 1/22/2019 2/1/2019
Supply and Demand 2/4/2019 2/22/2019
Business 3/11/2019 3/15/2019
Taxes 3/11/2019 3/15/2019
Banking and Money 3/25/2019 3/29/2019
Measuring an Economy 4/15/2019 5/1/2019

b) Discussion Board: Students are to answer the question(s) in the discussion board
for that reading. Once they create an original post of their own, they are to post a
comment on at least two posts of their peers.
c) Homework: Every week there will be one homework assignment. The
assignment will be handed out on the Monday of that week and will not be due
until Wednesday or later (subject to change).
d) Projects: There will be three projects for the class. All projects will have specific
due dates, and check points where work is expected to be completed.
a. The Island Project will be worked on throughout the semester. Students
will be working on this project in groups and will be required to update
their projects once a week (subject to change).
b. The Starbucks Drink Project which will be completed at the end of the
supply and demand unit.
c. The Personal Finance Project which will be worked on at the end of the
semester.
Test Retakes:
a) All students who are unhappy with their test/quiz scores and would like to
complete test corrections must do so within a week of receiving their test. Half
credit will be given to every correction done. (Ex. Student gets a 50/100 on a test
and they complete all their corrections the grade will be bumped to a 75/100).
Students must type or write out the entire question that they got wrong, all the
answers (if multiple choice) and then circle the correct answer. This process will
be done for ALL questions that the student got wrong.
Class Calendar:
a) On the attached page I have provided a rough outline of the weeks of school and
what we will be studying during those weeks. Students who are missing days of
school should first look at this calendar to see what they are missing in class.
Class Calendar: Dates are tentative and subject to change.

Week: 1st Sem. (2nd Sem.) Topics What Is Due?

(1/7-1/10) Introduction to Economics; Signed Course Syllabus (1/18)
Factor of Production;
Scarcity

(1/13-1/17) Production Possibilities Introduction to Econ

Frontier vocabulary (1/18)

Discussion Board: “The

Adventures of Primero
Dinero” (Episodes 1-3 with
different due dates)

Quiz (1/18)
(1/21-1/24) Economics Systems, The Economics of Baseball
Capitalism, Communism, (1/22)
Command Economy,
Traditional Economy, Free Discussion Board: Should the
Market Economy, Mixed United States become more
Economy. socialist? (Due dates will be
announced at time of
assignments)
(1/27-1/31) Economics Systems, Economic Systems
Capitalism, Communism, Vocabulary (2/1)
Command Economy,
Traditional Economy, Free DBQ on Changing Economic
Market Economy, Mixed Systems 1/31-2/1
Economy.
(2/3-2/7) Relationship between firms TBA
and households
Quiz (2/8)
(2/10-2/14) Law of Demand; Demand Discussion Board: “Nike
Curve; Determinants of Demand”
Demand
Demand Curve Practice HW
(2/15)

Quiz (2/15)
(2/18-2/21) Law of Supply; Supply Discussion Board:
Curve; Determinants of “Subsidized Cars”
Supply
Supply Curve Practice HW
(2/22)
Supply and Demand
Vocabulary (2/22)

Quiz (2/22)
(2/24-2/28) Combining Supply and Practice worksheets (2/28)
Demand

(3/2-3/6) Starbucks Drink Project Project will be due by the end

of this week! (3/8)
(3/9-3/13) Taxes; Tax Brackets; Business and Taxes
Military Spending; Vocabulary (3/15)
Government Spending;
Fiscal Policy MIDTERM EXAM (3/15)
(3/23-3/27) How to do Taxes; Money; Discussion Board: “When-
Types of Money and Why Did People First
Start Using Money?”

Banking and Money

Vocabulary (3/29)

Quiz (3/29)
(3/30-4/3) Banking; Federal Reserve; Quiz (4/5)
Required Reserve Ratio;
How do banks work?
(4/6-4/9) Stock Market; How the Stock Market Webquest (4/9)
Market works; how to make
money; how to lose money; Start Stock Market Game
becoming a millionaire. (4/10)
(4/14-4/17) Unemployment; cyclical Unemployment webquest
unemployment; frictional (4/16)
unemployment; seasonal
unemployment; Structural Discussion Board: “Types of
employment; Labor Force Unemployment: 3 main types
plus 6 more- Which is the
Worst?”

Quiz (4/18)
(4/20-4/24) Inflation; Interest Rates; CPI;
Cost of Living; Dollar Value
(4/27-5/1) GDP; International Trade; Measuring an Economy
Inflation; NAFTA; tariffs; Vocabulary (5/1)
Barriers to Trade
Discussion Board: “As
NAFTA talks continue, your
hamburger hangs in the
balance”
(5/4-5/8) Personal Finance; loans; Personal finance project
interest rates;
12/10-12/14 (5/11-5/21) Personal Finance Project
Presentations
(Seniors Finals 5/14- Island Project
5/15)
End of Stock Market Game
(5/20)