Period 6: Last Day for Mr. Fritz, Class Recap

Sunset over London, in 2007 as I was studying abroad there. I am very sad to be leaving teaching at Westview and also excited to be able to travel to one of my favorite cities in the world next month!

Dear class,

Thank you for a wonderful last day, full of fun, laughter, and a bit of learning. I will really miss you all - so much so that I will probably be back the very next class to check in and help out Mrs. DeFrance Gilman. I hope you enjoyed my time as your long term substitute teacher, because I thoroughly enjoyed working for you. On to the last recap!

Soundtrack: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. I always have this at the entrance music for my last classes, because I truly am thankful for the all the blessings, and the lessons that I have learned with everyone! Lyrics (some of which I read to the class) here.

AGENDA 4/26/13:
Final Jeopardy
Letter to Mrs. DeFrance Gilman
The Long Goodbye

Homework: Keep in touch! Work hard for Mrs. DeFrance Gilman!

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Final Jeopardy: I loved this so much. It is always fun to play - congratulations to Team 1 for winning the friendly competition! As a reminder, the categories were: What is Economics?, Free Enterprise, Demand, The Class, Mr. Fritz, and "Places in Pictures."

A little loud and rowdy (I'm sure Mrs. Carpenter loved it next door), but that was okay.

Letter to Mrs. DeFrance Gilman: After the game, I had you write to Mrs. DeFrance Gilman, who will take over teaching our class next week. I just wanted you to introduce yourself, say a bit about what you have learned so far in Economics, how you liked me as a teacher, and what you would like to see from her as a teacher. I will try to get these to her this weekend (as promised, I haven't looked at them).

The Long Goodbye: At the end of class, I said a few words about how grateful I was to be able to teach your class, and talked a bit about ways in which you can stay in touch with me, if you would like to. I am not sure how long I will continue to have the Beaverton school district email, so if I do not respond to that, you can write to me at lukefritz64@gmail.com - I would love to help look at papers, give advice on school stuff, or just check in!

I also talked about social media, because I know that students are aware of my presence there. So yes, a good way to follow what I will be up to is bookmark and/or follow me on twitter, here: @LukeFritz64 on Twitter - I made sure to explain that what I post on twitter is NOT teaching - it is my own commentary and should not be seen as factual. Also, if you want me to follow you, let me know. I will just assume that you do not want me to unless you tell me. Another social media site that I am on (also publicly, so you can follow without me following you, if you want) is www.instagram.com/LukeFritz.

We talked in class about my role (just like any other adult that works with students) as a mandatory reporter, meaning that if you post something that threatens your own life or others, or about physical, mental, or sexual abuse, I am required by law to contact Child Protective Services to try and get you help.

In general, I would love to be a resource to help you and keep in touch in the future! I hope to see everyone again soon. Please keep working hard for Mrs. DeFrance Gilman the rest of the year!

Until next time, thank you so much again! :-)

Period 6: Demand, Day 5

This is the room inside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Constitution was created amid much debate and discussion. Sort of like class today!

Hi everyone,

Not a whole lot to recap from today, since it was almost entirely a discussion about the answers to the Chapter 3 test on demand. I will try anyway!

Soundtrack: "At Last" by Etta James. Selected because this is my last week as a long term substitute here at Westview this year. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/24/13:
Warm Up
Chapter 3 Test Review
Merchants of Cool

Homework: Check the blog! Your work for notebook check #3 was due to be turned in today in class.
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Warm Up: #18 in your notebook. Why do many taxi drivers quit early on rainy days? - Quotas! Opportunity costs!

Chapter 3 Test Review: This took FOREVER. I felt under siege as a teacher at some points. I think we eventually cleared most of the answers up, but I do have to go back and give more credit if we agreed upon it. I am sorry to everyone that had a hard time staying engaged while many in the class felt the need to shout out answers and rationale.

Merchants of Cool: At the end of class, we began to watch the PBS Frontline documentary "Merchants of Cool" - we will keep going with this next class. Here is the worksheet to download (finish the first three questions if you missed class):

Google Drive - Merchants of Cool Worksheet

See you on Friday, for my last class as your official teacher! :-)

Period 6: Demand, Day 4

Here's something that illustrates the concept of demand rather well: a large pineapple pizza. My favorite food!

Hi everyone,

I am typing away quietly while everyone is working hard on the Chapter 3 test! I hope that it went well for you! On to the recap:

Soundtrack: "Three More Days" by Ray LaMontagne. Chosen for today because not only was today the Chapter Three test, but at the start, I had three days left teaching your class! Lyrics here.


AGENDA 4/19/13:
Chapter 3 Review
Test

Homework: Notebook check next class! Check the blog!
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Chapter 3 Review: At the start of class, I tried to go over the main concepts of the chapter again. Your Chapter 3 packet was due today. If you have not done it yet and need another copy, here it is:

Google Drive - Chapter 3: Demand Review Packet

I hope I was able to get the main points out of the way, even with barely being able to talk.

Test: The rest of the class was devoted to the Chapter 3 test. Thank you for your focus here! I will get these graded and back to you next class, on Wednesday.

Period 6: Demand, Day 3

A picture at Disneyland that I took in 2007, which relates to the warm up question today!

Hi everyone,

I apologize that I could barely speak today in class - my voice was just about shot after the first two periods of the day! Luckily, today was mostly about completing the Chapter 3 review packet. Please finish it as homework, if you did not get to complete it today!

Soundtrack: “I Will Buy You A New Life” by Everclear. This song mentions the "West Hills" of Portland. Obviously connected to the concept of demand. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/17/13:
Warm Up
Demand Video
Chapter 3 Review
Merchants of Cool

Homework: Keep working on review for the Chapter 3 test on Friday. Notebook check next class! Check the blog!
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Warm Up #17: “Why do many amusement parks not charge extra for their most popular rides, even though there are always long waiting lines for them?”

Think about what would happen if children kept demanding to go on their favorite rides. Eventually, parents would have to say no, and then what would happen?

Demand Video: I played this video from the St. Louis branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, which helps explain some of the main concepts in the demand chapter visually, in a different style than the book or PowerPoint:

YouTube.com - "Demand" - The Economic Lowdown Video Companion

Hopefully this helped you understand the concepts better!

Chapter 3 Review: The rest of class was devoted to completing the Chapter 3 review packet. If you missed class, or somehow lost the packet, you can download a copy here:

Google Drive - Chapter 3: Demand Review Packet

This is due at the start of next class.

Keep studying and be prepared for the Chapter 3 test on Friday! Let me know if I can clarify anything!

Period 6: Demand, Day 2

One of the articles we were analyzing in regards to demand today was about fresh vegetables. Here's a nice salad full of vegetables that I enjoyed at JFK airport in New York, in 2010.

Dear class,

Like I said at the start of the day, today was largely a work day for getting the demand article analysis done and starting up the Chapter 3 review packet. Hopefully the vocabulary and concepts around demand are starting to make sense!

Soundtrack: “All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow. Selected because you can think of the concept of demand as something like what people want to do with their money. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/15/13:
Warm Up
Demand Article Analysis
Chapter 3 Review

Homework: Keep working on review. Check the blog!
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Warm Up #16: “Why do many fast food restaurants promise a free meal if you are not given a receipt at the time of purchase?”

The answer here is that restaurants are giving the consumer an economic motivation for monitoring the cashier (in that they will not steal the money) for free.

Demand Article Analysis: In class, we were analyzing three different articles as to how they relate to the concept of demand. Here are the two documents you need to do this, if you missed class:

Google Drive: Demand Article Analysis Assignment

Google Drive: News Articles to Complete Demand Analysis (First 2) and the Third Article

We reviewed these briefly in class (the answers need to be in your economics notebook, please), then we moved on to:

Chapter 3 Review: At the end of class, I passed out the Chapter 3 review packet. We will keep working on this next class, in order to prepare for the Chapter 3 test on Friday. Here is the packet, if you didn't pick one up in class (I have plenty of copies if you want to start next class) and want to try and get some done before Wednesday:

Google Drive: Chapter 3 Review Packet

See you on Wednesday!

Period 6: Demand, Day 1

This is a picture of two slices of pizza that I enjoyed in New York City in 2009. Pizza is a great example of diminishing marginal utility. One slice is very high in desirability. The second slice might be high, but not as high. Thank goodness there wasn't a third slice in this scenario, because I don't think I would have been able to eat it!

Dear class,

Yeah, it was one of those days with a lot of lecturing about content. I know it was not the most interesting class. I'll try to find different ways to help you understand the concepts. Hopefully, reading this recap and checking out the PowerPoint will be beneficial for you!

Soundtrack: “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Selected because the last slide of the PowerPoint was about changes to demand. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/10/13:
Warm Up/LT Check
Chapter 3 PowerPoint
Demand Article Analysis

Homework: Finish the financial collapse paper if you have not done so (due by tomorrow if you want to not have a zero on it for your quarter grades). Check the blog!

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Warm Up/LT Check: As the class was answering the warm up question, I went around and checked to see who had done the Chapter 3 Learning Targets, for a note card on the Chapter 3 test. The warm up question for today (#15 in your notebook) was: Why do most department stores place men’s fashions on the lower floors and women’s fashions on the higher floors?

Chapter 3 PowerPoint: I tried as best as I could in class to explain this carefully and thoroughly. If you do not understand the terms and concepts, please let me know and I will try to explain them again! I think I might have to come up with another illustration of the shift in demand charts, as that one seemed to be difficult. Here's the PowerPoint, if you want to review it:

Google Drive: Chapter 3 - Demand PowerPoint

Knowing these concepts are key to passing the Chapter 3 test!

Demand Article Analysis: We didn't have a whole lot of time to start with this, so we will do most of the assignment in class next week. If you missed class, here is the assignment: we are reading three articles that have to do with demand (in some way), and writing in your notebook about them.

Google Drive: Demand Articles Assignment

Next class, I will link to the three articles we are analyzing. Just come to class ready to work on this next week, please.

Thank you!

Period 6: Financial Collapse, Day 6

The warm up question today was about the tuition rates at really excellent universities. This is a picture I took at Princeton University, where my brother went to college. This was actually his dorm building!

Hi everyone,

A fairly good work day in class. I do think many of you need to manage your time a bit better, because many students were not able to finish the financial crisis paper today. Please get it in to me ASAP.

Soundtrack: “I Want You Back” by *NSYNC. Selected for today because Chapter 3 is about Demand (what people want). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/8/13:
Warm Up
Financial Crisis Final (Due at end of class)
Chapter 3 LTs

Homework: Finish Chapter 3 LTs for notecard on test. Check the blog!

Warm Up #14: Why don’t top-ranked private universities charge higher tuition than many of their lower-ranked counterparts?

If the question is confusing, think: why doesn't Harvard charge double what Princeton charges for tuition?

Financial Crisis Final: In case you spaced on this and need to see the assignment again, here it is:

Google Drive - Financial Crisis Final Essay/Visual Assignment

This was due at the end of class. If you did not finish, please turn it in to me ASAP (it will go on your third quarter grades).

Chapter 3 LTs: We are moving on to a new chapter in the textbook! If you missed class, please download the Chapter 3 Learning Targets and complete them for Wednesday:

Google Drive - Chapter 3 Learning Target Assignment

Be ready to go on these next class! We will review them with the PowerPoint and start studying up for the Chapter 3 test, which will probably be next week.

Period 6: Financial Collapse, Day 5

Part of the podcast we listened to today had to do with the housing market in New York City. I took this picture in 2011, of some apartments in NYC. I really like the black and white here!

Dear students,

A day of finishing and moving on. Plenty of stuff to go over, so read on!

Soundtrack: "In the Deep" by Bird York (from the Crash soundtrack). Selected because it is nice and calming and because it has to do with crash (like the financial crash). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/4/13:

Warm Up

Capitalism: A Love Story

Financial Collapse Final

Finish Bad Bank

Homework: Finish one page of the Financial Collapse final project (a two page written paper and visual representation). Be ready to complete the rest within 30 minutes or so during class on Monday.

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Warm Up: This should be warm up #13 in your notebook. The question was: "Why is the proportion of aluminum cans recycled in Brazil much higher than in the United States?"

Great to get back in the swing of things with this. Lots of great possible answers thrown out, as usual!

Capitalism: A Love Story: We finished the movie (there was only about 5 minutes left) and went over the answers on the worksheet. If you lost the worksheet, here it is to download. If you missed some or all of the movie, you can watch it online here.

Financial Collapse Final: Before finishing with the NPR podcast, I passed out the assignment for the end of the financial collapse unit, which you can download here:

Google Drive: Financial Collapse Final Assignment

Basically, I want you to write a two page paper (it is okay if it is typed, two pages, double spaced) about the financial crisis in 2008. What happened? Use at least five of the terms we defined in class. You should also give your opinion on the 700 billion dollar bailout at some point.

Finally, you should make some sort of visual representation of what happened in the crisis.

Try to have the majority of this done by Monday, so you can finish it in class!

Finish Bad Bank: For most of the rest of class, we listened to the last part of Bad Bank, the NPR podcast that helped to explain the crisis. Check it out here, if you missed it (transcript also available at the site):

ThisAmericanLife.com - "Bad Bank" Podcast

It appeared to me that most of the class was paying attention to this, instead of writing (which was fine), so I decreased the homework for a bit.

Next class, you need to bring in your economics textbook, as we are going to start Chapter 3! Have a great weekend!

Period 6: Financial Collapse, Day 4

One of the places that Michael Moore goes in Capitalism: A Love Story is here, the National Archives building in Washington DC. I took this picture on Spring Break in 2010.

Hi everyone,

It was so nice to have you back in class today! I hope your breaks were nice and positive. Hopefully you are rested and ready to finish out the semester!

Soundtrack: "Welcome Back" by Ma$e. Selected today for obvious reasons. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/2/13
Spring Break Report
Capitalism: A Love Story

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in any missing work!
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Spring Break Report: Instead of a warm up, we went around the room and said one thing we liked about the break and one thing we didn't like. It was great to briefly hear about what you were up to!

I also updated all of the grades on the board. The notebook check #2 and Chapter 2 Learning Targets were the newest entries. You should know exactly where you stand in my class! Third quarter grades are due next week.

Capitalism: A Love Story: We just about finished the movie today in class (we maybe have 10 minutes left). Again, so many of the themes and concepts that we have been talking about with Chapter 2 (on free enterprise) and with the NPR podcasts were referenced! In case you missed today, here is a link to watch the movie online.

Your worksheet should be just about complete at this point. If you somehow lost your worksheet, you can print off another copy here:

Google Drive - Capitalism: A Love Story Worksheet

See you on Thursday!

Period 6: Financial Collapse - Day 3

Today, we continued watching "Capitalism: A Love Story" in class. I took this picture in Love Park, Philadelphia (known as "The City of Brotherly Love") in 2011. 

Hi everyone,

Welcome to Spring Break - for some of you, the last Spring Break of your high school career! We had a nice and easy class before the break. Here's what happened:

Soundtrack: "Love Lockdown" by Kanye West. Chosen for today because of the word "love" in the title and the lyrics, which are about a dysfunctional relationship ("Capitalism: A Love Story" has a similar theme).

AGENDA 3/22/13

Grades Talk

Bad Bank, Continued

Capitalism: A Love Story

Homework: Make sure to complete any missing work, because once break is over, we will come back and start in on Chapter 3. Have a great and safe Spring Break!

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Grades Talk: I posted updated grades in the classroom. You should know where you are at! Notebooks were due to be checked today.

Bad Bank, Continued: We listened to another 15 minutes or so of the NPR podcast, while I explained some of the terms.

Capitalism: A Love Story: We continued watching this documentary.

Period 6: Financial Collapse - Day 2

The US Capitol building in Washington, D.C. - where Congress voted to provide bailout money to banks during the financial crisis we are learning about in class! I took this picture during Spring Break of 2010.

Dear class,

I really enjoyed the discussion and questions today! My biggest fear with teaching is that the content is too boring. Hopefully, we managed to make it so that learning about all of these terms and new information was interesting. Read on to see what we did!

Soundtrack: “Is This Love?” by Bob Marley. Selected for today because of the film we started watching. Lyrics are here.

AGENDA 3/20/13:
Warm Up
Bad Bank
Capitalism: A Love Story

Homework: Check the blog!

Warm Up: (#12 in your notebook) Why do budget airlines charge for onboard meals (which are typically free on luxury airlines), while luxury hotels charge for Internet access (which is typically free at budget hotels)?

Again, a really good discussion of possible reasons for this in class. Lots of great economic thinking! This is a situation that I frequently encounter when traveling, so it is interesting to learn about the reasons behind the different marketing choices.

Bad Bank: The last NPR podcast about the financial crisis! In class, we went through the main terms - I had students write down the definitions from the top of this paper:

Google Drive: "Bad Bank" Definitions and Transcript

During the middle of this, a great conversation came up about where the United States gets oil. Here is a great article, with a graph that is somewhat more recent than the chart I showed the class: NPR.org: Where Does America Get Oil? You May Be Surprised.

After the definitions, we started listening to the (really excellent, in my opinion) podcast about the financial crisis and bailout. Here it is if you wanted to listen again or preview next class:

ThisAmericanLife.org - 375: "Bad Bank" Podcast

During the podcast, I paused and showed the class how to make a bank balance sheet with the information that was being given. The podcast uses the funny example of a dollhouse mortgage at a bank to show how the real life financial crisis happened. I stopped the episode about 15 minutes in, to move on and stop everyone from being bored. We will come back to this next class.

Capitalism: A Love Story - Next, we started watching this film by Michael Moore. I made sure to note that the film has an obvious bias to it, and that we will discuss what this is as we watch. To not mention this would be basically showing propaganda as fact, haha. It really is a great film to watch and discuss, especially at the end of the Free Enterprise chapter. Here is the worksheet that I passed out:

Google Drive: "Capitalism: A Love Story" Worksheet

We stopped about 15 minutes into this, as well. We will return to it next class!

Please make sure to come and take the Chapter 2 test if you have not taken it yet. Also, please turn in the Chapter 2 review packet. I will post updated grades on Friday. :-)

Period 6: Financial Collapse - Day 1

The now famous ball of yarn, all wrapped back up!

Hi everyone,

Today was a pretty laid back day. We did not really get to any new content, but that is fine. It was mostly reviewing the answers from the test and the yarn activity.

Soundtrack: “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey. Selected for today because of the class unity activity. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/18/13:
Warm Up
Test Review
Class Unity Activity
Bad Bank

Homework: Check the blog! Make sure your notebook is ready to be checked!
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Warm Up: (#11 in your notebook) Why is milk sold in rectangular containers, while soft drinks are sold in round ones?

At first, it seemed like the class had no clue, but with the help of both of these items being in class (!!!) we were able to figure out possible answers. Thanks for the good discussion!

Test Review: As it sounds, we went over the answers to the Chapter 2 test. Unfortunately, this meant that many of the students that missed last class (and the test) had to go study outside. Thus, I tried to be somewhat quick in my explanations.

Class Unity Activity: This was to get away from the usual dynamic of me up in front of the room, talking. We passed a ball of yarn away and connected to each other using our family backgrounds. Economically, the world is increasingly become a global competition of markets, because of the internet and air travel (among other inventions). This was a fun way to think about those connections. We finished right at the end of class, so we will come back to the financial collapse podcast next time.

Period 6: Free Enterprise, Day 6

The soundtrack today was "2 Legit 2 Quit" by MC Hammer. Here is a picture I took with him in 2001 (I had just completed my freshman year of high school) outside the Colosseum in Rome.

Hi everyone,

I am writing the recap while you take the test! Multitasking at its finest. A really basic day today.

Soundtrack: "2 Legit 2 Quit" by MC Hammer. Chosen for today because of it being the Chapter 2 test and because you hopefully were "too legit to quit" on the test today. :-) Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/13/13:
Review
Chapter 2 Test

Homework: Check the blog! The next notebook check will be next week, so make sure that you are all up to date with the work in class! There was no warm up today.
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Review: Before the test, I think (and hope) that we went through the review packet quite thoroughly. I wanted to be sure that we went over the main concepts and the learning targets again. Hopefully, this helped! Your review packets were due in class (in the Period 6 basket).

Chapter 2 Test: I hope that this went well and that the class average was much better than last time. We will review these next week.

I will not be starting with Chapter 3 next week, because it would not be fair to do all of the learning target work and then have the entire Spring Break to forget it. We will be working on the economic collapse some more, as well as some other interesting stuff.

See you next week - have a great weekend!

Period 6: Free Enterprise, Day 5

Here's a big symbol of the US free enterprise market economy: the statue of the bull by Wall Street in New York. A good stock market is called a "bull market" and a bad one is a "bear market." I took this picture in September of 2009.

Hi everyone,

We did not end up with as much time as I would have liked to finish the review packets for Chapter 2 today. You should have PLENTY of time to do them over the long weekend, though, as I only see you once next week - on Wednesday for your Chapter 2 test. Read on for review help and prep!

Soundtrack: "Confessions, Pt. 2" by Usher. This album came out when I was in high school, haha. Selected for today because we are working with Chapter 2 of the textbook. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/8/13:

Warm Up
Swap Cops
Review Packet

Homework: Finish Chapter 2 review packet. Study for Chapter 2 test on Wednesday! Check the blog and ask questions if needed!
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Warm Up: #10: Why does Taco Bell sponsor 20,000 Free Chalupas for the Blazers crowd if they go over 100 points, for every game?

Loved the responses here, as usual. I created this one myself. It is fun to use economic reasoning with what is going on around us!

Swap Cops: I wrote a diagram of what we had learned through the NPR podcasts so far, with the mortgage situation leading to banks defaulting, and then all of these impossible to pay out bets/insurance on whether or not those banks would fail. Yeah, it is complicated. Hopefully, we are starting to make some sense of it in class. If you want to check out the podcast again, here it is: ThisAmericanLife.org - Another Frightening Show About the Economy.

After listening to the end of the episode, I posed a simple question: how do you feel about the bailout? You wrote a short response (a paragraph) to this, then we talked as a class for a bit. Again, a very interesting discussion!

Review Packet: The rest of the class was spent (or should have been spent, in some cases) working on completing the review packet. I will try to go through it briefly on Wednesday before the test. If you did not complete this in class, it is homework to be turned in next class! If you somehow lost your packet, here it is to download again:

Google Drive: Chapter 2 - "Free Enterprise" Review Packet

Please let me know if you are at all confused on any of the concepts in the packet or in the chapter! Here is the Chapter 2 Learning Targets PowerPoint, if you want to review that again:

Google Drive: Chapter 2 LTs PowerPoint Presentation

Have a great long weekend. Study up and be ready for Wednesday!

Period 6: Free Enterprise, Day 4

The Statue of Liberty (with lower Manhattan in the background) is a symbol that many Americans see as representing freedom.

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed the conversations today in class, as usual. It is nice to have a little bit of balance between all of the freshmen (who I love, don't get me wrong) I have and you all. Read on for the recap!

Soundtrack: "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty. Chosen for today because of the connection to our look at the financial collapse in 2008 (when our economy was free falling) and because of the chapter title of "free enterprise." Lyrics are here.


AGENDA 3/6/13:
Warm Up
Out of the Hedges
Chapter 2 LT PowerPoint
Review Packet

Homework: Read the blog. Work on review packet so you can finish in class on Friday.
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Warm Up: The question (#9) for today was: Why do the keypad buttons on drive-up automatic teller machines have Braille dots?

I heartily enjoyed the few responses we had on this. The real answer is that 1) it would cost more to change the keypads for specific drive up ATMs and 2) the US government requires that all ATMs have Braille dots for blind people, regardless of where they are located.

Out of the Hedges: We continued listening to "Another Frightening Show About the Economy" from NPR/This American Life. Today, we heard Part 2 of the podcast, which was titled "Out of the Hedges and Into the Woods." As usual, I scrolled through the transcript as we listened to the reasons behind why the economy crashed in 2008.

This time, however, your assignment was to make a graphic representation (a picture of some sort, for instance, or a political cartoon) of what the section was about. You could have drawn a ticking time bomb, a pyramid, or anything that you could connect to what you were listening to. I will check this off in your next notebook check.

Chapter 2 LT PowerPoint: I finished up with the Chapter 2 PowerPoint. If you do not have the learning targets written out, they are here for you to review and complete for credit:

Google Drive: Free Enterprise - Chapter 2 PowerPoint

Please be sure to ask questions if you are confused! Be very familiar with the pillars of free enterprise and the circular flow of the economy, for sure.

Review Packet: For the last bit of class, I passed out this review packet and we started it. Next class, you will finish it and we will review for your Chapter 2 test next Wednesday (the only time we meet next week, so treat it like a final, or something).

There are multiple copies left in class, but if you want to get a start (if you missed class or lost your copy), here is the packet to download:

Google Drive: Chapter 2 Review Packet

That is it for today! Next class, we will continue with the podcast, finish the review (and go through it), and prep for the Chapter 2 test. See you on Friday!

Period 6: Free Enterprise, Day 3

Today's warm up had to do with flights to and from Hawaii. Here's a picture I took from the top of Diamond's Head crater, looking out on Honolulu and the Pacific Ocean. Why would you want to leave this, if you didn't have to for business? That was a main reason why airfares are higher from Hawaii to the mainland.

Hi everyone,

Another good class today - I'm sort of glad that we did not finish the PowerPoint, because it meant less talking by me during class! We will pick back up next class. If you would like to review, the presentation is below.

Soundtrack: "Regulate" by Warren G and Nate Dogg. Picked for today because the regulation of Wall Street and the mortgage backed securities was sorely lacking before the financial crisis. Lyrics (somewhat dirty, but not too bad) here.

AGENDA 3/4/13:

Warm Up/LT Check

Another Frightening Show

Chapter 2 LT PowerPoint

Homework: Read the blog. Finish learning targets if you did not already!

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Warm Up: The warm up question for today (#8 overall) was: Why are round-trip fares from Hawaii to the mainland higher than the corresponding fares from the mainland to Hawaii?

I talked a little bit about this above, but the reason is because vacation travelers have all sorts of opportunity costs at play with where they select to go to. Thus, airlines need to be competitive for the vacation travelers from the mainland, where the most frequent passenger from Hawaii to the mainland are business people, which really HAVE to be on a flight (there isn't much choice there).

While you were writing the warm up, I was checking off completed learning targets. If you did these for today, you get to use a note card on the Chapter 2 test. If you did not complete them, you still need to get them done ASAP!

Another Frightening Show: We listened to the first part of this podcast: ThisAmericanLife.org - "Another Frightening Show About the Economy" Here's the transcript and definitions that we looked at in class: 

Google Drive: "Another Frightening Show" Definitions and Part 1 Transcript

You need to have these definitions written down. At the end of this section, I had students write in your economics notebooks to put the podcast in your own words. We will continue doing this in future classes, too.

Chapter 2 LT PowerPoint: We were able to get through about half of the presentation. Next class, we will finish this. Thanks for taking notes and paying attention. Here it is if you want to preview next class, or review what I talked about in class:

Google Drive: Chapter 2 - Free Enterprise Learning Targets PowerPoint

See you on Wednesday!

Period 6: Free Enterprise, Day 2

This is a house in the Dominican Republic that I stayed at in 2011. Hey, if a bank was willing to give me the money to buy a house like this with no check of my income or assets (NINA loans), I might be tempted!

Dear class,

I enjoyed today! Especially our talk during the warm up and your thoughts after the NPR radio broadcast. Read on for the recap.

Soundtrack: “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield. Selected because of the title having to do with how much something is worth. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/28/13:

Warm Up

The Giant Pool of Money

Chapter 2 Learning Targets

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the Chapter 2 learning targets for note card on test.

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Warm Up: This was the first time that our warm up thoughts became somewhat heated! The question (warm up #7) was - Why are brown eggs more expensive than white eggs, even though they have the same taste and nutritional value?

Many interesting perspectives and opinions here. The economic reasoning that I found for this can be found here.

The Giant Pool of Money: I thought that this would be an interesting subject for us to delve into a bit more  about - why the US economy collapsed in 2008 and how it is still impacting us today.

To begin this section, I had the class write out the definitions of the various different loans that were made to people wanting mortgages. You can find those again at the top of the transcript of the podcast we listened to. The short response I had the class do is at the end of the transcript. Here it is to look at:

Google Drive: "The Global Pool of Money" NPR Transcript, Definitions, and Short Answer Prompt

Here is the actual podcast that we listened to in class: NPR.org - "The Global Pool of Money Got Too Hungry" Podcast.

As I mentioned in class, this was very reduced in length from an original broadcast, which is about an hour long. If you were interested in the podcast we listened to and want to hear the longer version, here it is: NPR.org - This American Life 355 "The Giant Pool of Money"

There are two more episodes in this series, which we will carefully go through during the next few weeks.

Chapter 2 Learning Targets: The rest of the class was devoted to completing the answers to the Chapter 2 LTs in your economics textbook. Here are the LTs again, if you lost them or were absent from class.

Google Drive: Chapter 2 Learning Targets

Remember that if you get these done in time for the next class, you will be allowed to use a notecard on the Chapter 2 test. 

Let me know if you have any questions or additional responses! Have a great weekend.

Period 6: Free Enterprise, Day 1

We talked about budgeting today in class. A big part of my budget is saving to travel. This is a picture of me with my friends Clarke and Beri on the top of the highest mountain in Vietnam: Mt. Fansipan. It was quite the achievement, I assure you.

Hi everyone,

Hopefully you all know exactly where you are at in terms of grades for this class. Please ask questions if you are unsure about how to improve your grade!

Soundtrack: “Smile Like You Mean It” by The Killers. Selected for today because we were reviewing the Chapter 1 test, which some of you did very well on, and some probably need to come and retake. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/26/13: 
Warm Up
Review Chapter 1 Test
Budgeting

Homework: Read the blog. Finish budget paper if you did not in class. Bring textbook for next class!

Warm Up: The question for today (#6 overall, I believe) was: Why does a $500 tuxedo rent for $90 a day, while a $20,000 car rents for only $40? I thought the initial response to this question on Yahoo! answers was a good one. Remember that I just need some proof of your effort in thinking about these questions - more than a sentence, please.

Review Chapter 1 Test: We went over all the answers for the Chapter 1 test. There were a few which we engaged in a class debate on (and mostly, I gave you credit for), but overall, these really should have been pretty clear. If you need further clarification, please post a comment on here or come see me in person. If you would like to retake the test, you also need to come see me and set up a time to do that (the Learning Center is fine - I just need to know that you want to do that, so I can have copies ready for you).

Your grades have been entered for the test and notebook check. I posted grades on the wall (by student ID number) so you know exactly where you are at and what you have to turn in. Again, please see me if this is at all unclear.

Budgeting: Next, I had the class complete a worksheet (please see me next class if you missed it - I do not have a digital copy) with balancing a budget, since many students wrote to me at the beginning of the course to say they wanted to be better at handling money and savings. This was a fairly straightforward activity about trying to use the money that was given to you to pay for various different expenses. At the end, I had you write your own personal plan for the year after high school and how you are going to pay for whatever you end up doing. If you did not finish this in class, it is homework.

Let me know if you have any questions! See you on Thursday!

Period 6: What is Economics? Day 7

One of the questions on today's test had to do with the factors of production in making an Apple Pie. One such factor would be natural resources/land. I took this picture in upstate New York, on an apple picking trip with my cousins there.

Hi everyone,

I hope that you are feeling at least a little bit relieved after the first chapter test! I still have to go through and grade them all. I will get them back to you on Tuesday!

Soundtrack: "One and Only" by Adele. Selected for today because it was the chapter one test, and because of the line "I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before" due to all the review and preparation we have done. Full lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/22/13:

Review (Quick)

Chapter 1 Test

Turn in Notebooks

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great weekend!

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Review (Quick): Since we already had a compressed schedule, due to forecasting, I tried to do this as quickly as possible, to make sure everyone had enough time on the test to not feel rushed. That seemed to be a good decision, as I think the last students finishing had about 5 minutes left in class. In any case, I had everyone turn in the Chapter 1 Review packet after this.

Chapter 1 Test: I hope this went well! It seemed to go pretty well, judging by the initial response in class. We will review the answers next week. Thank you for your effort!

Turn in Notebooks: This will be notebook check #1. You should have warm ups #1-5 and short responses to the activities in class that I had you respond in writing to. I will grade these on Monday and get them back to you for our next class.

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That's it for now! Have a great weekend. Bring your economics book on Tuesday!

Period 6: What is Economics? Day 6

I talked today about booking flights to Europe because of a company mixing up my ticket order for the Men's Basketball Gold Medal game at the London Olympics. It worked out. Eventually, I had these seats with my brother for that game (this picture was taken from our row) and I had a lot of free credit for flights. Good times. Satisfied consumer/customer. :-)

Hi everyone,

Hopefully today was a nice and easy day of review. Read on for some links that might help you study for the Chapter 1 test, on Friday.

Soundtrack: “The Hardest Part” by Coldplay. Chosen for today because the hardest part of the chapter 1 test should be reviewing - the test itself should be a breeze. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/20/13:

Warm Up

Finish Chapter 1 Review

Study for Chapter 1 Test

Homework: Finish Chapter 1 review packet. Read the blog. Bring 3 x 5 card of notes for test if you completed the Learning Targets HW on time. Study up!

Warm Up: Today's warm up question (#5 in your notebook) was: Why are seat belts required in cars, but not in school buses?

Plenty of great responses and discussion here. This is the somewhat lengthy reasoning I found for the answer: ThinkGeek.com - Why are There No Seatbelts on School Buses?

I think it is crazy that you have to sit three to a row on the bus to come to school! The times are a changing, I guess. The high schools in Portland Public don't even use buses at all.

Finish Chapter 1 Review: As it sounds, I had the class continue to work on the Chapter 1 review packet, which will be due next class. We will go over it together next class, before the test (I will give you plenty of time to do the test). In case you missed class or somehow forgot the review packet, here it is to download:

Google Drive: Chapter 1 Review Packet

There are some questions on the review packet that you do not have to answer - a couple of the crossword terms I couldn't even figure out, myself! Just try your best, please. This will help on the chapter 1 test, because it will be on the same exact terms.

Study for Chapter 1 Test: This was going to be a section of class for writing out note cards and studying, but much of the class did not finish the review. Just in case you would like to prepare at home, here is the Chapter 1 PowerPoint on the learning targets:

Google Drive: Chapter 1 Learning Targets PowerPoint

All good? Let me know if I can clear anything up or otherwise help you get ready for the test on Friday! It will be multiple choice/scantron, with two short answer questions. See you on Friday!

Period 6: What is Economics? Day 5

To go with the air travel theme of the soundtrack, here is a picture on the roof of Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan, that I took in December of 2011. The major airports in Asia are like an entirely different world than our airports in the United States.

Hi everyone,

Last class before a three day weekend! I hope you rest up and come back ready for next week. We will review the Chapter 1 packet on Wednesday and take the Chapter 1 test on Friday.

Soundtrack: “Paris, Tokyo” by Lupe Fiasco. Chosen because tomorrow, I am going to go visit the Boeing Airplanes 737 factory in Seattle area. Air travel is a huge part of the world economy! Lyrics here. 

AGENDA 2/15/13:

Warm Up

TED Talks – Tim Jackson

What Do You Want?

Chapter 1 Review

Homework: Read the blog, keep reviewing the learning targets.

Warm Up: The question for today (warm up #4) was: Why does women’s clothing always button from the left, while men’s clothing always buttons from the right?

As usual, Avi brought the heat with a possible reason (apparently in a documentary). Here is the somewhat convoluted (and possibly made up) answer.

TED Talks - Tim Jackson: We watched the first 10 minutes or so of this video. I had students take notes on familiar terms from the Chapter 1 learning targets. What was he saying about scarcity? About the Want-Satisfaction Chain?



What Do You Want?: Next, I had the class think of something quantifiable (a good or service) that they want. What were the factors of production to make that item? I asked you to write a short response imagining everything that went into making something that you want.

Chapter 1 Review: For the rest of class, I had students quietly work on the rest of the Chapter 1 review packet. I will give you a little time to finish this next class, then we will review it together during that class before the Chapter 1 test on Friday. Sound like a plan? Again, if you somehow do not have the packet to work on, here it is to download: Google Drive: Chapter 1 Review Packet.
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Have a great weekend! Let me know if there is anything I can help you understand better with the Chapter 1 learning targets.

Period 6: What is Economics? Day 4

I talked about football uniforms changing as a form of marketing, or "perceived obsolescence" today in class. As a fan of the Oregon Ducks, I am VERY aware of all the crazy different uniform combinations that are used! This picture is of three eventual NFL players in 2006: 

Jonathan Stewart, Jeremiah Johnson, and Patrick Chung.  

Dear class,

I need to find a stool or something to sit on, because all of this standing and talking with the class is killing my back! I wonder if Fred Meyer would start giving my family furniture coupons if I go buy one from them. :-) On to the recap!

Soundtrack: “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles. Chosen because money isn't everything. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/13/13:

Warm Up

Finish The Story of Stuff

Chapter 1 Review

Homework: Read the blog, keep reviewing learning targets. To repeat: the Chapter 1 review packet is NOT homework. We will keeping working on it together next class.

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Warm Up: Today should be Warm Up #3 in your economics notebook. The question was: Why is milk often sold the farthest from the doors of supermarkets?

The first answer in class was pretty much right on the money. I typed out "Most people drink milk and need to buy it, at the back because people have to go through different products/sales/aisles so it increases chance they will spend more money." 

A more thorough explanation can be found here: Why is milk at the back of the store?

Finish The Story of Stuff: We were about halfway through "The Story of Stuff" after last class. If you missed part or all of it, here it is (we started at about 9:30 in today):

As you were watching the film, I had you note the five stages of consumption that are talked about:

Extraction --> Production --> Distribution --> Consumption --> Disposal

After the film, I had the class respond to these three questions, then we had a class discussion. If you missed this part of class, you need to complete the answers to these questions in your notebook:

1) What is your first reaction to this video?

2) Can you think of an example of planned or perceived obsolescence in your own life?

3) What was the most debatable or interesting "fact" that the woman uses?

I really enjoyed the responses here. Thank you!

Chapter 1 Review: To start getting ready for the Chapter 1 test (probably next week), I passed out a review packet and went through parts of the first two pages on the overhead. If you missed class, or lost your packet, you can download and print another one here (I have a few extra copies in the room, as well):

Google Drive: Chapter 1 Review Packet

Again, this is NOT homework. I want to go through it together so that we are all on the same page before the chapter test.

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That was it for today! Hopefully the terms in the Chapter 1 learning targets are starting to make more and more sense. Please let me know if you are confused at all! See you on Friday!