Welcome to Economics!You may choose your own groups for today.

When the bell rings, your cell phones need to be placed in the containers on your desk.

Please fold the green papers in half and use the marker to write your name nice and big so I can see it.

Writing Prompt This year you’ll be making many important choices about your future. In a well-developed argumentative paragraph using supporting evidence, respond to the following prompt.

Given the high cost of attending a 4-year university, is college worth it? What is the value of a higher education?

What is Economics?

● Economics is the study of how people seek to satisfy their needs and wants by making choices.

● Because people act individually, in groups (such as businesses), and through governments, economists study each of these groups.

Essential Questions ❖ How is economics about scarcity, investment, growth, employment, competition, protection, entrepreneurship, and markets?

❖ What is capitalism? What are its benefits and problems?

❖ What does it mean to be financially literate?

❖ How do worldwide markets affect me?

Units of Study 1. Fundamental Economic Concepts2. The American Market Economy3. Government Influence upon the

American Economy4. Labor Markets5. Aggregate Economic Behavior6. The Global Economy

Wisconsin Roots

Education and Teaching Background

My Family

Interests

Student ProfileGrab a ChromebookGo to Google Classroom Click the + in the top right to join a class

Class Code: 4uocneqComplete the Student Profile

Classroom Guidelines● RESPECT peers, teachers, administrators, visitors, textbooks, supplies and facilities. The use of

swearing, derogatory comments and put-downs is not only disrespectful but also inappropriate for the school and work environment. Therefore, they will not be tolerated.

● RESPONSIBILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY: The grade you earn in this class will be a reflection of your effort and learning. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of their academic standing and bring any questions they have about their grade to the attention of the teacher.

● PREPARATION: Be on time to class with all materials. (WR Tardy Policy will be enforced)● All school rules will be enforced according to the West Ranch Student

Handbook.● ELECTRONICS POLICY: Cell phones and any other electronic devices will NOT be allowed for

use during class time, except at teacher’s discretion at appropriate times. Any violation will result in confiscation of the item which will be turned in to the student’s Assistant Principal’s office.

Please respect the teaching and learning environment by arriving to class on time

and ready to learn. Do not disrupt the learning of others.

⦿ Regular attendance is a critical element to success in this and all classes. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the teacher for make-up assessments. Any assignments/assessments missed due to an unexcused or disciplinary absence will be recorded as a zero (including assessments).

⦿ Be on time to class! Students who are not inside the classroom when the bell rings will be considered tardy and will lose points in the professionalism category of their grade at the end of each grading period. In addition, the West Ranch Tardy Policy will be enforced. Please respect the teaching and learning environment by arriving to class on time ready to learn.

Restrooms● In addition to being in class on time, it is also important for

students to respect the learning environment by being actively engaged in the class. In order to encourage this appropriate behavior, students need to sign out on the clipboard by the door when they leave the classroom for any reason. Each grading period, a professionalism grade is recorded. Students will lose points on this grade based on the number of times and amount of time they are out of the classroom and missing instruction or activities.

Academic Honesty

● The West Ranch Academic Integrity Policy will be in effect. Any student involved in dishonesty on any work, from homework to projects to tests and quizzes, will receive zero credit for the assignment in question (this includes plagiarism on writing assignments). Repeat offenders may be subject to a referral to the Assistant Principal, suspension from class, and/or a parent/teacher conference.

● Students with cell phones or other electronic devices out during tests will receive an automatic zero on the test and a referral to the office. This also includes looking at other websites while testing online.

Grades!Unit Tests (50%)

These will consist of approximately 40-50 multiple choice questions and 3-5 free response questions. There will be NO opportunities for re-takes or corrections.

Final Exam (10%)The final exam will be cumulative over the entire semester. ALL students are required to take the final exam regardless of their grade in the class!

Projects and Discussions (10%)A variety of individual and group projects will challenge students to study economic topics in more depth. This category will also include formal discussions, debates, simulations, current events, and review activities that will help students gain a better understanding when studying economics.

Personal Finance Activities (10%)Throughout the semester students will be completing a series of activities focused specifically on financial literacy. The goal of these activities is to help students be better prepared to live independently.

Grades!Budget Challenge (10%) - Online Simulation / Competition

Although students are not assessed on the results of the competition, they will earn grades for the following elements of the simulation…

● Knowledge (scores on the weekly quizzes and completion/accuracy of the Cash Flow Spreadsheet)

● Behavior / Engagement (assessed twice during the simulation based on logging in regularly, paying bills on time, and completing assigned quizzes within the time frame provided)

● Skill (assessed at the end of the simulation based on the student’s Real World Readiness - to score well a student will need to save money, avoid fees, and do well on quizzes)

Class Work (7%)As I am well aware of the high level of outside commitments for seniors, I typically do not assign outside homework for this class. With that said, though, please be aware that if you are not using your class time effectively, you will be expected to complete your work as homework outside of class. Due dates for unit packets will be posted on my website. Please be aware that I do not grade EVERY assignment. It is impossible for me to do an effective job teaching and making this course a great experience for you if I am grading your note-taking and class activities daily.

Grades!Participation and Professionalism (3%)

Although I allow students to make-up work for full credit, I also want to reward those students that turn work in on time.  Therefore, the professionalism grade will be a “separate” 10-point grade at the time that work is turned in.

Students will also earn a professionalism grade at the end of each grading period which reflects their on-time attendance and active engagement in class (i.e. time spent IN class, on task, and free of distractions such as cell phones).

Extra CreditI do not offer extra credit.

Each year, there are always a few students that are asking for more work that they can do to bring up their grade. Please be aware that I have a very firm policy that I will NOT do this. I will not allow one student to do extra work when all students aren’t given the same opportunity. Therefore, please do not ask me for extra credit or to “bump” your grade up. The grade you earn is the grade you earn and I do not “round up” or “bump” grades.

Build a Zoo!

Your task is to work with your group to build a zoo. Your challenge, however, is to make choices based on the guidelines provided. Design your zoo as a presentation to your investors by completing it on a large scale poster that will highlight the key elements of your zoo.

1. The grid paper you have is 40 x 25 squares. Each square represents a ¼ acre.

2. Your zoo will be a total of 250 acres (1000 grid squares) and you must use the entire grid. No empty spaces!

3. Each exhibit/feature takes up a certain number of acres based on the chart below. (Just multiple by 4 to figure out how many squares each takes up.)

4. You need to decide what animals and features will be used to set up your zoo.

5. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND using pencils until you have your design in place. Then use markers so your final product can be viewed from a distance. Add creative elements/drawings/labels as appropriate for a presentations to your investors. Remember that your zoo must include an entrance area and title/name.

Kidney Dialysis Scenario

A kidney dialysis machine is used for patients who have kidneys that don’t work properly – without dialysis the patients would quickly die. They are expensive – costing about $100,000.

Some patients, however, can get a kidney transplant, which means they won’t need dialysis any longer.

A hospital in a town has one dialysis machine that can run for 30 hours per week. As the chief executive of the hospital, you must decide who gets the treatment.

Your task is to decide who gets the treatment. Please use the next 15

minutes to work with your group to make your decision. You may circle which

patients you are choosing but you must also write a paragraph response on the back of this page that explains why you

chose these patients over others.