Sena High School
Economics – Syllabus
Ms. Bren Vitter
bvitter@senahigh.com
(505)237-2374, Ex. 238
What to Expect
Welcome to Economics at Sena High! This is a semester course and you are required to complete
this course to earn a half credit for graduation. Economics is a blended course comprised of a
mixture of teacher-led Direct Instruction (DI) and student-paced assignments in BlackBoard.
Throughout this course we will study the basic concepts of economics and compare the various
economic systems that exist around the world. In addition, we will examine the United States’ free
market system and explore the role of the individual within this system. The prerequisite to this
course is completion of United States History B and a 12th grade classification.
The Economics course at Sena High School will be utilizing the New Mexico State Standards for
Social Studies, grades 9-12 as well as the Common Core State Standards English Language Arts,
Social Studies Supplements for grades 9-12. These standards can be found at the following
websites:
New Mexico State Content Standards: http://www.ped.state.nm.us/standards
Common Core State Standards: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RH/11-12/
Text & Materials
All reading information required for the completion of this course will be provided to you via the
textbook for this course:
O’Sullivan, Sheffrin, & Wiggins. (2013). Economics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
There may occasionally be articles, handouts, hardcopies, and/or books made available via
BlackBoard or in class to supplement what we are learning.
The following materials are required for each student every day in this class:
 3-prong pocket folder (Student Journal)
 Writing utensils
 A positive attitude
 Willingness to learn
Student Expectations
You are expected to complete homework as well as classwork in order to succeed in this class. On
average, you will be expected to complete 3 assignments per week. If you do not complete the
assignments during your scheduled class time you should finish the assignments for homework. In
addition to the self-paced assignments on BlackBoard, you will complete occasional in-class
assignments that are done as Direct Instruction (DI). There will be three projects you are required to
complete for this course. Please plan accordingly and make sure you are keeping up with the
expected pace for this course.
Everyone will be successful in my class if they work to follow the 5 B’s in the classroom at all times:
 Be a community
 Be respectful
 Be professional
 Be your best
 Be responsible
We will be discussing the 5 B’s and any additional rules during the first week of the school year.
These rules are important, as they allow us to work together in the same space without negative
affect on others.
Submitting Assignments: When submitting assignments in BlackBoard it is the student’s
responsibility to make sure the assignment submitted properly. When dealing with technology, it is
important to prepare for the glitches and failures that are bound to take place. Students submitting
work to me through BlackBoard must complete their work in Word, PowerPoint, Publisher or
Excel before submitting. Working in the BlackBoard submission box is guaranteeing that your
assignment will be lost at some point. I will not accept work submitted through the BlackBoard
submission box or the BlackBoard comment box. Work must be saved to your student folder (T:/)
and then uploaded to BlackBoard. I will only accept work saved with the following file extensions:
docx, xlsx, pptx, pub, or pdf.
Plagiarism & Cheating: I have a strict zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism and cheating in my
Social Studies classes. Any students who are found to have plagiarized an assignment, shared work
with another student, or copied work from another student will received a 0 on the assignment and
will not be allowed to redo the assignment. Any student who makes this offence a second time will
be written up and sent to the administration for further disciplinary action.
Please initial that you have read and understand my policy on plagiarism & cheating:
Student ________
Parent ________
Assignment & Grading Policy
The following is a basic outline of my assignment and grading policy:
Participation & Attendance: Daily attendance is mandatory at Sena High. If you are unable to
attend school your parent or legal guardian needs to contact the school immediately. Attendance is
class is mandatory in order to be able to participate in DI. Positive participation in classroom
activities, including bell work, exit work, daily action plans, and class discussions will earn you 5
points per day towards your participation grade.
Discussions: Social Studies cannot be learned without human interaction – we are, after all,
studying the interactions of the lives of people! In order to facilitate the discussion I believe is
necessary in order to truly understand Social Studies there will be regular discussion posts on
BlackBoard in this class. You are expected to contribute and participate in these discussions. Please
remember to be kind, courteous, and respectful – even on the internet you are speaking to real
people!
Black Board Assignments & Homework: Classwork and homework are the practice that helps us
to develop the skills we are learning. Throughout the course, you will encounter various assignments
on BlackBoard. You are expected to take these seriously, complete them to the best of your ability,
and submit them according to the guidelines I have posted. Not only does your grade on the
assignment matter, but these will also affect your grade in my class. If you are unable to complete
any BlackBoard assignments in class, you must complete the assignments as homework. The
pacing guide for the course is not simply a suggestion, but a requirement for you to be able to pass
the class.
Tests & Quizzes: I believe regular assessment is important in helping me to see how students are
learning and what they are learning. Quizzes will happen periodically during a unit and will be taken
in BlackBoard. Quizzes will be multiple-choice, multiple-answer, fill-in-the-blank, or true/false in
format. Tests will always come at the end of a unit. In order to prepare you for college, I believe tests
should assess your understanding and challenge you. Tests will usually take most students 40-60
minutes to complete and will have a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay
questions. Sometimes there will be other question formats such as maps, graphs, charts, and
matching. Tests will always be taken on BlackBoard without the assistance of assignments,
books, or the internet. You will be allowed to use your personal notes for your unit exams and
quizzes.
Projects: You will complete three projects during the semester of the course: 2 group projects and
an independent research paper. These projects are intended to allow you to explore the material in
creative and unique ways. You are expected to contribute to your group’s efforts during projects –
after all, this is Social Studies class!
Direct Instruction: From time-to-time assignments will be completed during DI. Any time Direct
Instruction takes place in Economics, credit for the assignment will be given. Direct Instruction
assignments can be small projects, lectures and note taking, videos, class readings, or
demonstrations. Attendance is mandatory during DI days. If you are absent for a DI day, you must
sign up with me to come in on a Friday and make up the assignment.
Final Exam: New Mexico state law requires all high school courses to have a final exam. Students
in Economics will take the NM EoC exam for Economics. This is a cumulative exam that covers all of
the units completed in the course.
Grading System: I will grade your work in this course according to the following system:
Participation & Attendance
Discussion Boards
BB Assignments/Homework
Quizzes
Direct Instruction
Projects
Unit Exams
Final Exam
5%
10%
10%
10%
15%
15%
15%
20%
BlackBoard Adaptive Release
The BlackBoard system contains a feature called “adaptive release” that allows teachers to control
students’ movement through the course. This system is activated in my social studies courses in
order to prevent students from moving to a new unit before completing the current unit. This ensures
that all students are completing all assignments, quizzes, tests, and projects before moving on to
new material. Since many Social Studies classes require a chronological sequence it is imperative
students complete the unit they are working in and pass all requisite assignments and assessments
before moving on. The system is an automatic feature that does not require my presence to “unlock”
an assignment. Once the student has met all of the requirements for completing the unit the next unit
will automatically be made available.
Parents and Students: after reading the syllabus, please complete the contract below and return
this syllabus to me stating that you have read and understand all parts of it.
Economics
Student/Parental Contract
I _________________________________ (student) have read and understand the expectations
described in this syllabus. I agree to adhere to the expectations described and know that I am the
only person responsible for my success in this course. I will attend class regularly, ask for help when
it is needed, and complete all of my assignments in a timely manner in order to succeed.
Student signature: ____________________________
Date: __________________
I _________________________________ (parent) have read and understand the expectations for
my son/daughter described in this syllabus. I agree to help my son/daughter to adhere to these
expectations. I understand that my son/daughter is the only person responsible for his/her success,
but I will do all that I can to help him/her succeed. I will contact Ms. Vitter any time I have a concern
or question about my son’s/daughter’s progress in this course.
Student signature: ____________________________
Date: __________________