Economics Syllabus Mr. Mattson Rm. 111 mmattson@lcsd2.org What is Economics?

Due to a limited amount of resources, no person or group of people can have everything they want. This forces us to make decisions. Economics is the study of how people make those decisions. This class is very applicable to everyones life. The curriculum is geared at showing how economics affects those in the class. We will study a wide variety of topics from what car to buy to how government policy affects your life. This class will be fun. I look forward to seeing you here. Assignments Participation Points Every day students come to class they will receive five points. They will keep those points according to how they perform in class. Economics can be a very fun and interactive class. Interruption, sleeping, tardiness, cell phones, etc. will cost these points. A few days of this will not hurt a grade but constant loss of these points will. Every day at the beginning of class there will be a short quiz on the board covering what was discussed previously. This quiz will be part of the participation grade. Participation points will account for ten percent of your final grade. Homework This includes all homework, worksheets, and projects that will be used to aid in learning. There is no busy work in this class. All work is to help students understand and retain the material. This will account for thirty percent of the grade. Periodically students will be required to bring a news article and be able to explain its relevance to the class. It can be out of a newspaper or off the Internet. Tests Tests will be over every chapter or section. These plus the final will account for twenty percent of the grade. These tests will be to assess students understanding of key economic concepts. The final will be comprehensive. Common Assessment There will be four common assessments. Each one is worth ten percent of your overall grade. Two will be projects and two will be tests. Materials Needed You will need a notebook, folder or binder to keep handouts in, also a pen or pencil. You will be issued an economics textbook that you will need to bring with you to class. Failure to bring these materials to class will affect the participation points.

Make-up If you were absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed. If you have an excused absence, the work missed will be required two days after you return. I do not accept late work after the two day deadline. Economics is a progressive class. The principles in this class should be learned in succession. Speedy make-up will require students to catch up quickly so they are not permanently behind. Talk to me if there are any questions or special circumstances. Policies Be respectful. We are all adults and should act like it. Tardiness. I will follow the school policy for tardiness. Electronic Devices. All devices (mp3s, phones, etc) are expected to be turned off. A phone ringing is an unfair distraction to your classmates, and there will be no need for headphones because we will be learning everyday. A person whose phone rings in class will receive punishment previously decided by popular vote. Extra Credit. I do not give extra credit. There is no extra way to make up for not performing the already required tasks. Cheating. Cheating will not be tolerated. It is equivalent to lying and stealing. It will result in an immediate zero on the assignment. If it continues it will result in failing the class. Notes. Taking notes aids some students and hinders others. You are obligated to do whatever helps you learn. Take notes if it will help you learn, but it is not required. Attendance. Dont forget the attendance policy. It will be strictly followed. Responsibility. As adults you need to be responsible for yourselves. It is your responsibility to come to class, do homework, take notes, participate and do all things necessary to obtain a good grade. Grading The grades will be weighted in this way. 40% Common Assessment 20% Tests 30% Homework 10% Participation Points I will follow the district grading scale. Economics can be a hard concept for lots of people. If you need extra help I am here between classes, before and after school, and during most lunches. Please feel free to come to me at anytime. I want everyone to have fun and get a good grade in this class. If there are any questions or problems please talk to me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------Student name printed __________________________________ Student Signature ____________________________________ Parent Signature _____________________________________