Shanghai American School
Pudong Campus
IB Economics Year 1SL/HL
2014-2015
Ms. Lyons – Room 307
Course Description
International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Economics is a two-year course comprised of four
sections. Sections one and two are covered in the first year and sections three and four are
covered in the second year. This course is combined for the Standard and High Levels.
The content area sections are as follows:
Section 1: Microeconomics
Section 2: Macroeconomics
Section 3: International Economics
Section 4: Development Economics
Students will construct economic models and explain their significance as well apply the models to
historical and current events and evaluate the underlying assumptions of economics.
Course Outline
Semester 1: Microeconomics
o Chapter 1: Foundations of Economics
o Chapter 2: Competitive Markets; Demand and Supply
o Chapter 3: Market Equilibrium and Efficiency
--Unit Test
o Chapter 4: Elasticity
o Chapter 6: Market Failure
o Chapter 5: Government Intervention
--Unit Test
HL ONLY: Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 with Unit Test covering four chapters
--Semester Exam 1: Cumulative formatted in accordance with the IB format
Semester 2: Macroeconomics
o Chapter 11: National Economic Performance
o Chapter 12: AD & AS
o Chapter 15: Economic Growth
--Unit Test*
o Chapter 13: Unemployment
o Chapter 14: Inflation
o Chapter 17: Fiscal Policy
o Chapter 18: Monetary Policy
--Unit Test*
o Chapter 19: Supply-side Economics
o Chapter 16: Equity in Income distribution
--Unit Test *
* For the purposes of unit planning, these chapters be combined in different sequencing for
SL and HL l
--Semester Exam 2: Cumulative formatted in accordance with the IB format
Materials
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TEXTBOOK: Maley and Welker, Economics, 1st edition, 2011
WORKBOOK: Morton and Goodman. Advanced Placement Macroeconomics and
Microeconomics Workbooks (2). You will be issued the Microeconomics in the first
semester and Macroeconomics in the second semester. This book will be a supplement to
the text for additional practice.
STUDY GUIDE: Ziogas. IB Study Guide to accompany texts.
4 color pen (blue, black, red, green)
Flashcards
3 Ring Notebook, at least 1 ½ “ or 2” with clear plastic coating
Regular loose-leaf paper, at least 25 sheets of blank paper at all times, graph paper also
acceptable
3 dividers: 1 for Table of Contents, 1 for notes, 1 for tests and quizzes
Expectations
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Treat all people with respect and consideration.
Follow all school rules.
There will be no cell phones or i-pads or i-pods “on” in the classroom.
There will be no food or drink in the classroom.
Be responsible for your own learning.
Be on time or have a pass.
Be prepared and ready to begin class as you enter the room.
In the event of an excused absence, students should contact the instructor as soon as
possible to create a make-up plan.
There will be no grade make-ups after two weeks of posting.
Absences due to suspensions will not be allowed to makeup tests or other missed work.
Assessment Policies
For the purposes of this class and transcript grades:
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The grade for this class will be based on a variety of assessment methods, which
will be both formative and summative in nature. This includes, but is not limited to: a
notebook grade, internal assessments, projects, presentations, quizzes and tests.
The most weight will be assigned to tests.
Example Unit:
Notebook: 25%
Internal Assessments/Projects/Chapter Tests: 15%
Presentations/ Quizzes: 15%
Unit Test: 45%
There will be one opportunity to retake one unit test per semester, given that
students have completed 75% of the formative assessments for that unit.
The combined units will comprise 80% of the grade for the semester and the
semester exam will be weighted 20%. There will be no retakes for the semester
exams.
For the purposes of IB DP grading:
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For the two-year course, assessments will be conducted both internally and
externally. Internal assessments are done in school and will become the portfolio,
which will be sent to IB. These will take the form of student generated evaluative
written commentaries. At the completion of the course in the second year in May,
students will take an external examination created by IB, which covers material from
both year one and year two.
The external exam is 80% of the IB grade (7 point scale). The internal assessment
is 20% of the IB grade (7 point scale).
In general:
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You will be expected to stay current with your grades. There will be no grade makeups after two weeks of posting, in accordance with school policy. You will be
responsible to keep all graded student work in your binder for verification of the 75%
rule in the event you want to retake a test.
The combined units will comprise 80% of the grade for the semester and the
semester exam will be weighted 20%. There will be no retakes for the semester
exams.
Homework and practice through keeping the notebook are crucial to your success.
Problem sets and notes must be practiced with close attention to detail. Students
must complete every homework assignment, whether a reading assignment or
writing assignment and this will have a significant impact on student learning. If for
some reason you are unable to keep up with the homework, CASH will be an
opportunity for you to make-up missing work.
Letters of Reference
In your senior year, references will become important for the purposes of applying to colleges. I will
be happy to write letters of reference in accordance with school policy. Please be aware that you
should be asking teachers for these letters by the second of September in your junior year. Please
submit a copy of your resume and be prepared to schedule a meeting with me after school when
requesting a letter of reference, or additionally when requesting assistance with a college
application essay.
Academic Integrity
Neither cheating nor plagiarism will be tolerated. This is considered a very serious offense and will
be referred to the Vice Principal, Dean of Students with the appropriate recommendation for
suspension or expulsion in accordance with school policy. See page 30 of the student handbook.
Contact Information
Parents and Students: Please contact me by e-mail should you have any questions. Parents,
please specify your preferred method of communication.
“I have read and understand the requirements and expectations for this class.”
Student Name _________________________________________________Period____________
Student Signature______________________________________________ Date______________
Parent/Guardian Name(s): _________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian email/phone: ______________________________________________________