IB Economics SL Syllabus Lamar IB World School

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John F. Laymon III Class Website: tinyurl.com/lamarecon Economics is a dynamic social science, forming part of IB group 3 individuals and societies.

1 John F. Laymon III Class Website: tinyurl.com/lamarecon Economics is a dynamic social science, forming part of IB group 3 individuals and societies. The study of economics is essentially about dealing with scarcity, resource allocation, and the methods and process by which choices to satisfy the needs and wants of a healthy society. As a social science, economics uses scientific methodologies that include quantitative and qualitative elements in analysing economic choices. Units of Study in Order Detailed assignments and Class Calendar available online at tinyurl.com/lamarecon -Microeconomics: Scarcity, Production Possibilities Curve, Demand, Supply, Microeconomic Equilibrium, Elasticity, Consumer Choice, Price Mechanism, Externalities & Market Failure, Government Intervention, Micro. Exam -Macroeconomics: Circular Flow, Real vs. Nominal GDP, Business Cycle, Aggregate Demand, Short- Run Aggregate Supply, Long Run Aggregate Supply Neo-Classical & Keynes, Short-Run Equilibrium, GDP/LRAS Growth, Unemployment, Inflation, Taxation, Growth & Redistribution -International economics: International Trade, Exchange Rates, Balance of Payments, Economic Integration -Development economics: Economic Growth vs. Economic Development, Measuring Development, Domestic Determinants, The Role of International Trade, The Role of Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign Aid & Multilateral Development Assistance, International Debt, Balance Between Markets & Intervention Course Goals After this course you will be able to: -Analyze information that you have learned to create a solution to a real world economics situation. -Understand how to take what you have learned, analyze a problem, and write an analytical essay explaining a problem with economic terms and diagrams. You will also provide possible solutions and interventions evaluating all possibilities with diagrams and economic analysis on your own -Effectively study at home in order to master concepts so you can expand your analysis of how concepts work with real-world problems in class -Work with others and your knowledge of economics to present solutions to current economic problems in the United States and around the world -Properly present and explain your analysis and solutions on real-world economic issues in an essay, multimedia presentation, and/or publication that is of university-level quality -Transfer skills and work towards goals above into the passage of the IB exam with a score that get you out of entry level economics courses in college. You will then be able to start higher level courses your freshman year and save time and money. Resources & Materials Needed - Bring these items daily (Failure to be prepared for class will result in a low conduct grade. A U-(unsatisfactory) will result in ineligibility for the student to participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities.) 1. Textbook (Optional) -Economics for the IB Diploma Second Edition - Ellie Tragakes (Lamar HS is not buying textbooks for students to use and is expecting students to use the teacher s materials on The HUB and the internet for help at home.) There will be a class-set of books available to use in-class and I will be publishing all class notes to the class website. If you feel it is easier to reference a textbook

2 when you study, you can find used versions of this textbook online. The ISBN number is: Binder with the following dividers: -Microeconomics, -IA#1 Micro, -Macroeconomics, -IA#2 Macro, -International Economics, - Development Economics, -IA#3 3. Pens/Pencils 4. Coloured Pencils/Pens for graphing 5. Spiral for warmups and notes 6. Loose-Leaf Paper for assignments and homework Class Expectations - Completing Assignments -Lamar is going paperless and is removing copiers and printers from the school. All worksheets will be online and you must complete your work handwritten on your own sheets of paper writing the question/prompt & answer. (Both must be written for credit and this will allow you to study the assignment later) -Due to cheating issues I do not accept assignments to be turned in digitally. It is too easy to copy and paste another student s assignment and I want to make sure everyone is truly learning and practicing the material to reach class goals. If you have a 504 medical reason you cannot write, paperwork must be on file from your doctor with the Special Education office before I will accept typed work. It is clinically proven that you learn and remember concepts better when you write by hand. Read more about the Princeton UCLA study here: -Assignments are due on their due dates. Late points will be deducted for anything turned in late after the assignment has been graded. Class Expectations -Technology Cell phones are not allowed during class. Students must deposit cell phones in the locking box as they enter the room. Students will get their cell phones back from the instructor only when cell phones are needed as part of the lesson. If a student refuses to turn in their cell phone the instructor will confiscate the cell phone and turn it into the business office for the parent to pick up. If a student is off task when the cell phone is being used as part of the lesson the cell phone will be confiscated and turned into the business office. Students are not permitted to use their laptop during lecture and will take handwritten notes unless otherwise directed by the instructor. Laptops will be used after lecture and during specific times for activities related to the lesson. If a student refuses to close their laptop when it is time to focus back in with the class or, if the student is off-task during work-time (using social media websites, Netflix, playing video games, working on work for another class rather than working on work for the current class, etc.) the instructor will confiscate the laptop or call an administrator to confiscate the laptop and the student may lose their school laptop for the entire semester. Laptops from home will be confiscated in the same manner and the parent will have to pay a fee and pick up the laptop after school from the business office. Class Expectations -Late Work Students should not have late work unless a student has been absent from class. There is no excuse to have late work this is a college-level (in many cases higher than college-level) course. According to the Lamar Student Handbook - HISD policy dictates, a student will be given the opportunity to make up work missed due to an absence. However, it is the responsibility of the student, immediately upon his or her return to class from an absence, to request and complete any assignments or tests missed because of an absence teachers will provide a reasonable amount of time for students to make-up work. A rough standard is one day of make-up time for every school day missed (page 18) Aside from absences, past the days given for absence make-up

3 teachers will then take 20% off the assignment s grade if it is late. Advice: Turn in work on-time, stay on track and up to date., ask questions, get help with problems sooner rather than falling behind. Classroom Expectations -Food, Drinks, & Restroom Use According to Lamar Policy food & drink is not allowed in the classroom. Teachers must call the office to request permission for students to leave the classroom. Only one student can be out of the classroom at a time. Please use the restroom quickly during the passing periods and wash your hands with soap and water to prevent the spread of germs. You might want to carry your own hand soap with you in a shampoo travel container as the soap containers in the bathroom get vandalized by students and there are periods of time where there is not hand soap. Classroom Expectations -Tardies & Absences According to page 18 of the Lamar Student Handbook a tardy is defined as NOT being in your assigned seat prepared for instruction at the ringing of the tardy bell. In accordance with page 4 and 26 of the HISD Student Code of Conduct, it is required that there is regular attendance and punctuality of all students meaning, that all students must have their electronics turned-in and be seated in their correct seat completing their opening task or warmup by the ringing of the bell or they will be marked tardy NO EXCEPTIONS. Extracurricular Activities An Extracurricular and/or off-campus Excused Absence does not excuse students from turning work / assignments in on the due date and during the scheduled class period when the work is due. If a student knows he or she will be absent on the assignment due date, please plan to turn the assignment in early. (Lamar Student Handbook, pg. 18) Cheating/Plagiarism Policy If a student turns in a project or work that has been copied from another source or the work does not have proper citations the student will receive a zero immediately. Further action such as an office referral may result as well. If a student uses their electronic device or is communicating by any means while taking an assessment, even if the student is done with their assessment while others are still testing, the student will be written up automatically for plagiarism/cheating. Again, students are not permitted to use or charge their electronic devices in class without the instructor s permission. Any resistance to this rule will result in an immediate confiscation of device, referral if device is not given up, removal from class by an administrator, and/or suspension. Grading Criteria All assignments are available on the class website tinyurl.com/lamarecon and they correspond with the titles in the grade book for each cycle. IB Assessments There are two types of IB assessments in this class. The first is the Internal Assessment which ALL students will be expected to complete regardless if they will take the IB Economics Exam or not, it is required by the course and will count as part of everyone s final exam grade. The Internal Assessment is a collection of three analytical economics papers written over the course of the year including graphs and minimal quantitative reasoning. More information on the IAs can be found on the class website. The second major assessment is the IB exam at the end of the year. All SENIORS are expected to take this exam regardless of DP status. If you are a senior and you do not sign up for the exam you will be removed from this course at the end of the semester. If you have questions about your DP status and testing requirements please contact the IB Coordinator Robin Bissell in the Advanced Academics Office before October at rbissell@houstonisd.org or at (ext. 351). It is important to know your DP status and requirements if you do not. Your teacher is not given this information, please obtain it from the Advanced Academics Office.

4 Getting Help Lamar pays tutors to provide you help in the library everyday before and after school. I am available some afternoons for tutoring by appointment only to ensure more time is spent with a smaller group of students. All class notes and activities are posted online as well to help you review what was taught in class. ing me at 11PM is not the best way to get help for something that is due the next day, I m not a robot and have a family and other activities outside of work that I am committed to. Please ask questions if you have them in-class and get an answer that day, someone else might have the same question you do. I do not respond to after 3:45PM on the weekdays and I do not check on the weekend. I m either studying or grading papers. Make sure you fully understand what you need to do for assignments before you leave class, be prepared and write down your questions as soon as they arise so you can ask me before you leave. I will not give you the absolute answer to an assignment. You have to study your notes, think, and come up with your own answer to questions. Except for math problems and formulas, in our class there isn t always one right answer there can be many answers and I want to see what you think based on what you ve learned. If you have difficulty and want me to tell you the answer that defeats the purpose of learning. You need to form a study group and see what others in your class think about the concept, do further research, think about what was taught in-class, and review notes on the class website. I will not fail you if you are working hard, learning the concepts, behaving as an excellent student in class, showing me what you know, and you are fully completing your assignments on-time. Teamwork In the professional world you work with strangers that you learn to know. Three important features affect your productivity and success: your own effort, the effort of people you depend on, and the way you work together. When we do team-based activities we utilize all three of those features. As in the real world, teamwork and professionalism are paramount (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly). For each group project, you will work closely with three or four of your classmates, as part of a project team. The teams will change for each of the projects, so as to provide an opportunity for you to become better acquainted with your peers and also to develop the interpersonal skills you need in the professional workforce where you are likely to encounter a diverse ensemble of people (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly). Research on teamwork suggests the following good team practices: Sit close together in a circle so as to enable easy communication and eye contact, which is very important to team performance. Do your part and come prepared. Before working as a team, read any relevant material(s) and formulate your own approach to the task at hand. Bring all relevant materials, including your preparatory work, so you can share it with others. In all team activities, be prepared to share three things with your teammates: (a) what approach you chose as an individual, (b) why you chose that approach, and (c) how confident you are about your approach. Deliberate as long as time permits. Regardless of the make-up of the team, teams that deliberate longer to come up with the best ideas do better in team activities. Keep an open mind and a willing attitude. You are responsible for the success of the entire team (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly).

5 Peer Assessment It is important to provide positive feedback to people who truly worked hard for the good of the team and to also make suggestions to those you perceived not to be working as effectively on team tasks. During group activities you will provide an assessment of the contributions of the members of your team (including yourself) to all the activities in class and to the project. The feedback you provide should reflect your judgment of each team members : -preparation were they prepared when they came to class? -contribution did they contribute productively to the team discussion and work? respect for others ideas did they encourage others to contribute their ideas? -flexibility were they flexible when disagreements occurred? Your teammates assessment of your contributions and the accuracy of your self- and peer-assessments play an important role in your group project s grade (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly). Policy on collaboration In addition to the plagiarism and cheating guidelines above in this syllabus we also have a policy on working with others. Because teamwork is stressed in this class working with others is permitted (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly). Please note the following restrictions, however: 1. During the individual parts of assignments, quizzes/tests, paper practices, IB test practices, and any other activity the instructor says you must do on your own, you are not allowed to consult others. Consulting others includes any form of electronic communication. For this reason you must not use or any chat or text messaging software. Having such software open on your screen during the above activities constitutes academic dishonesty (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly). This automatically reveals that you lack the ability to adhere to basic ethics and professionalism standards and your conduct grade will automatically drop to a U making you ineligible for extra-curricular activities. You will also automatically receive a zero on that assignment, you will not be able to make-up the zero, and you will be written up. Policy on use of materials and software You are permitted to use information sources, including looking up information in (text)books, consult notes, and carrying out Internet searches when the instructor allows you to use electronics. This policy holds true even during the the writing of your IA commentaries. Please note the following restrictions, however: 1. During the online quizzes/tests, you can not look up any other website, your notes, or any source of information (nor other people, as mentioned above). 2. When working on assignments, you may not copy solutions from the internet or from each other (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly). Ethical conduct We expect everyone to adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct. For every action/decision you take, subject yourself the headline test : if your action were printed as the front-page headline in the newspaper and all those you care about your friends, family, your team members, peers, the teaching staff would read it, how would you feel? If the answer is anything but good, you are probably not adhering to the highest ethical standards and your conduct score and grade is likely to be affected (Mazur, Erik & Miller, Kelly). In the extreme, copying the work of others, interfering with the performance of others or other teams, plagiarizing ideas or work that are copyrighted or in the public domain, communicating in person or electronically during the individual parts of test, quizzes, and assignments, constitute academic dishonesty. Any such dishonesty will be reported in accordance with school policy.

6 Works Cited: HISD Student Code of Conduct 2015 Lamar Student Handbook Mazur, Erik, & Miller, Kelly. AP50 Fall 2014 Syllabus. Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts: 29 August, Titus, Casey. IB Economics SL Syllabus Houston, Texas: May 2014

CLASS EXPECTATIONS Respect yourself, the teacher & others 2. Put forth your best effort at all times Be prepared for class each day

CLASS EXPECTATIONS Respect yourself, the teacher & others 2. Put forth your best effort at all times Be prepared for class each day CLASS EXPECTATIONS 1. Respect yourself, the teacher & others Show respect for the teacher, yourself and others at all times. Respect others property. Avoid touching or writing on anything that does not