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Course Welcome Letter Fall 2024
My name is Jim Gill, and I am your child’s Economics teacher. This course, which is a graduation requirement, is uniquely positioned to help students understand the world around them and the costs and benefits of the choices they make. Economics is the science of how decisions are made. Since there are only 24 hours in a day and a limit to the resources people, businesses and the government have at their disposal, choices must be made. This is what the course is based on. As a class we will examine personal decisions and finance, government economic policy, economic indicators (such as the stock market, unemployment, inflation, etc), entrepreneurship, the global economy and some economic theory.
The course is designed to be practical and academically challenging. Your child will be expected to analyze their own experiences and goals to help them better understand the economic concepts we will study. All assignments will be posted in their Google Classroom. All students and parents should have received an invitation to join the class. Please let me know if you have not received one. I will also utilize my high school website to post review materials such as vocabulary lists, test prep activities and helpful links.
Each quarter is worth 50% of your child’s overall grade. There is no final exam. Within each quarter, unit tests/projects are worth 50%, homework assignments 30% and quizzes 20%. The course syllabus is listed below.
Your support is important and appreciated. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. My phone number is 256 - 4175 ext. 69522 and my email address is jgill@newpaltz.k12.ny.us . Together, we can provide the support to help your child display their resilience, flexibility and commitment towards a successful school year.
Sincerely,
James E. Gill
COURSE OVERVIEW
Introduction- Did you know that you are already economists?
- economic needs and wants - scarcity
- trade-offs & opportunity costs
- 4 basic economic questions
- economic systems - supply and demand
- personal finance - costs and benefits
Microeconomics- What is our role in our nation’s economy?
- factors of production - entrepreneurship
- budgets - consumers & producers
- copyright/patents - role of banks
- market structures - labor unions
Macroeconomics- How are we impacted by the bigger picture?
- economic indicators - taxation
- The Federal Reserve - federal budget
- national debt - role of government
- income inequality -property rights
Global Economy-What is our role in the global marketplace?
- interdependence - international trade
- foreign exchange rates - externalities
-quotas and tariffs
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