Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Paragraph Planning Page

This is the planning page for the Economy Paragraph :)



Create-A-Country
Paragraph Planning Page

You are required to write a paper describing your country’s economic system.  As you are writing your paper, be sure to include these points:

_____ Name and briefly describe the economic system (market economy/command 
            economy/tradition/etc.)  (10 points)

_____  What is your Primary Industry?  Why?________________________
What type of work is done at this level?______________________________
What percentage of the country’s population works at this level?______________
 (15 points)

_____ What is your Secondary Industry? ______________________________
What type of work is done at this level? Why?____________________________
What percentage of the population works at this level? _____________________
(15 points)

_____ What is your Tertiary Industry?________________________________
What type of work is done at this level?  Why?___________________________ 
What percentage of the population works at this level? _____________________
(15 points)

____ What is your Quaternary Industry?_______________________________
What type of work is done at this level? Why?___________________________
What percentage of the population works at this level?_____________________
 (15 points)

_____ What does your country export?__________________________
            Why?_____________________________________________
             (5 points)

_____  What does your country import? ________________________
             Why?_____________________________________________
              (5 points)



Paragraph Due Wednesday

Almost everyone turned their poster in on time!  Of course, we had seven school days, and the bonus of a snow day on the day the poster was actually due.  I will begin the process of grading the posters today, and hopefully I will be done next week.

Yesterday and today, February 25 and 26, were dedicated to writing the Economy Paragraph.  This paragraph is based on each student's "Created Country", and should reflect the economic information on the poster.  The "worksheet" for the paragraph was part of the "Create A Country" assignment packet, which is available on my LMS website page.  This is a fairly straight-forward paragraph, but many kids STILL struggle with what happens at each level of economic activity.  I included this information in the "Create A Country" assignment packet.  I am making the kids READ the information if they have questions; I won't tell them the answers.  I am a mean, mean teacher :)

So, just to be clear, the paragraph is due Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

The Marking Period ends the Friday, March 1, 2013.  Please be sure all make-up work or late work is turned in by Thursday, February 28, 2013.


Thursday, February 21, 2013

It's Time!!

It's time to put these posters to bed!  The poster is due tomorrow, Friday, February 22, 2013.

We have been working on this part of the project since February 13, 2013.  We spent three days last week in the computer lab typing 15 "Fast Facts".  This week maps, flags, and Material Culture items were drawn, and today was spent assembling posters.  Many are already complete and hanging in the hallway!!

The countries are very interesting, and if they actually existed, I would visit!!

Thanks,
Cathy

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Final Days for Poster

Today, everyone should have been drawing pictorial representations of their "Material Culture Traits".  This is the final bit of information that is needed to complete the "Create a Country" poster tomorrow.  I am hoping that everyone will be assembling their poster on Thursday, February 2, and turning the poster in at the end of the class period.  The due date for the poster is Friday, February 22, 2013.  We will not be working on the poster during class on Friday, so the poster must come to class finished.  We will be discussing the paragraph, which is the second half of this project.

The posters look great, and the kids have really worked hard on the economics aspect of their countries.  We have been working on GDP and per capita GDP based on the country's goods and services, so kids have had to make adjustments to make sure there is a balance.  It's been interesting to watch them go through the process!!

Thanks,
Cathy

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Create a Country Up-date

Greetings,

We spent our class time in the computer lab today; kids were busy typing their 15 fast facts, Goods and Services, and doing the math to find GDP and per capita GDP.  A few kids are ready to start assembling their posters.  Tomorrow is the last day I have reserved for the computer lab, but many kids have been working on their project at home, and opening their "saved work" to continue in class.  It's nice to see this use of technology; I've had kids e-mail their work to me, too, which is fine.  My computer has printer access, so I can print any work sent to me.

Next week the goal will be to assemble an awesome poster, and I have faith that everyone will do an excellent job.  This is a BIG project; the poster and the economic paragraph will each count as a "Test/Quiz/Project" grade.  Those grades comprise 60% of your child's total grade; daily work is 40% of your child's total grade.

The countries are very imaginative; I can't wait to see the finished products :)

The poster is due Friday, February 22, 2013.

Thanks,
Cathy

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A Change in Dates!!

The "Create A Country" poster, that was originally due on February 20, 2013 is now due on Friday, February 22, 2013.

I am making the kids work harder than even I had planned, so I need to extend the time allowed to work on each portion of the assignment :)

The paper about the country's economy will now be due on Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Thanks,
Cathy

Assignment for Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The work listed below is due Thursday, February 14, 2013.

List four (4), or more,  areas of Service performed in your country.  How many people perform each service, what are they paid for the service, and what is the total revenue for that service? 

Example:

Teacher             10 people     x   $ 30,000  = $300,000

Doctor                 2 people     x    $ 75,000 =   $150,000

Clerk                 30 people     x     $15,000 =   $450,000

Gov’t                 25 people    x     $20,000 =    $500,000

Scientist               2 people    x     $80,000 =   $160,000

Veternarian         1 person   x       $ 90,000  =  $ 90,000

Add the total revenues!




List your last 7 fast facts; you can have MORE, but you must have at least 15 Fast Facts J

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Create A Country, Day 2

Today, we discussed how to "build" an economy for one's country.  I gave an example on the board, and we worked on two examples on a hand-out.

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, February 13 is the following:

"What goods are produced/manufactured in your country?  What are the revenues for your goods?"  You need to list at least four items produced/manufactured in your country.  It just need to be a list, and can look like this:


Cat Nip          50,000 lbs   x  $2.00 lb  =    $100,000

Cat Toys         100,000      x  $3.00 each = $300,000

Litter Box       500,000     x $5.00 each   =  $2,500,000

Cat Litter        2,000,000 lb  x  $1.00 lb  =  $2,000,000


This will provide the Goods portion of your GDP.  Tomorrow we will discuss the "Services" portion of your country's GDP!

Thanks,
Cathy

Monday, February 11, 2013

Create A Country

Day 1  February 11

Today, the task, and possible homework, is the following:

Name of Country
Population of country
List of Natural Resouces
8 "Fast Facts" which might inculde: type of government, religion, language

I will be checking for this information tomorrow, February 12, 2013.  This will be a "Daily Grade", and there will be NO WAY to "make up" this grade. I am doing this to make sure everyone is using classtime productively.  I don't want kids sitting during class, then panicing on February 19!!

All information EXCEPT economic information will be listed as  "Fast Facts".  The economic information will be presented in the paper written about one's country's economic system.

Thanks,
Cathy

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Create A Country Project

Yesterday I briefly explained the "Create a Country" project to the students.  Today, we looked a the requirements in a little more depth.  This is a  "long term" project, and the poster and Economy paper will each be a test grade, so it is very important that your child do the best work possible on each assignment. 

We will spend next week working on the project in class, so if time is used well, there should be no homework.  I have given due dates of February 20 for the poster, and February 22 for the Economy paragraph. 

I have put the information hand-outs on my web-site.  Just go to the LMS website, and look at my "Documents".   You will want to look at the documents added TODAY, February 7, 2013.


I have also attached the information below: 

Create A Country
Individual Project

Material Culture Traits:
Houses, furniture, vehicles, food, art, clothing, sports, toys, games, technology, monuments
These items can be represented through drawings.

Non-Material Culture Traits:
Include these items, but add more if you can think of appropriate traits J
Country Population
Religion (monotheistic, polytheistic, mix of Christian and other religions?)
Language
Behavior (greetings)
Dances
Holidays/Celebrations
Customs
Politics 
When you describe the politics of your country, be sure to include the type of government in your country.  How are leaders in your country determined?
Education is also a country’s culture trait, so you will need to describe the educational system in your country.  When are students required to enter school (at what age), how long must they attend school (to what age) what types of education are offered: vocational, college prep, other? What percentage of students graduate from High School?  What percentage of students go on to college?  How many colleges are in your country? 

Economic System:
Look on pages 56-57 in your Social Studies book and in your “Intro to Economics” booklet for information on economic systems.  You need to choose one system and write about the system as it applies to your country.  You will need to include the levels of economic activity; primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary industries need to be included.
You will need to identify imports (what is being imported, and from where) and exports (what does your country export?  What country buys your products?)
Economic Systems include: Free Enterprise, Market, Command, Tradition-based, Mixed, and One-crop economies.
Your economic system will help determine if your country is an Industrialized country or a Third World country. 
When you establish your GDP/GNP make it realistic.  It should be based on your country’s industries, imports, and exports. 
****You  will produce a written explanation your country’s economic system.***

Telephone Lines/Technology:
Think of this in terms of the number of televisions, computers, and/or telephones people in your country have in their homes.  You can also tell whether or not your country has cell phone service.
Report this information as a percentage.  For example:  “Eighty percent of the people in Marshmallow Land have at least one computer and one television in their home.  One hundred percent of the people over the age of 10 have a cell phone.”

The following pieces of your Country poster MUST be typed:
Fast Facts – 15 facts about your country; this is a good way to report your Non-Material Culture Traits
Economic System – individual report
Non-Material Cultural Traits

 Have fun, be creative, but remember to be “school appropriate”. J








Name:______________________________________________________________

Create-A- Country
Planning Page

My Create-A-Country Poster includes the following items:

____ A map of the country- including physical features/homes/industries/schools/etc

____  A map Key in the lower left hand corner of poster.

_____A compass rose in the lower right hand corner of the poster

_____Material Culture Traits: these can be represented through drawings and/or listed in 
          your “15 Fast Facts”.  Check page 1 for ideas of Material Culture Traits.

_____ Non-Material Culture Traits:  These can be listed in your 15 Fast Facts, check
           page 1 for ideas of Non-Material Culture Traits.   You need at least 8 of the
           ideas, examples are listed on page 1, but you are free to develop your own ideas J

_____  Economic System: this can be part of your 15 Fast Facts, but each group member
            will need to write an individual report about the economic system, too. Obviously,
            the system should be the same for all group members, but each of you needs to
            submit your own paper explaining you country’s economic system.

_____ “15 Fast Facts” 15 facts about your country; these can be listed as single sentence
             statements of fact or bullet points. 
             Example:  The population of Cheeseland is 5.2 million people.
                               Twenty-eight percent of the population is under the age of 20.
                               The GDP of Cheeseland is $25,000 per capita.
             This would qualify as three “Fast Facts” J
             These 15 Fast Facts need to be typed and attached to your poster in the
             upper right hand corner.
            
_____  Technology information: telephones/telephone lines/televisions/computers
             This can be part of your 15 Fast Facts J


_____ The poster is neat, colorful, and all spelling is correct!! J


Create-A-Country
Paragraph Planning Page

You are required to write a paper describing your country’s economic system.  As you are writing your paper, be sure to include these points:

_____ Name and briefly describe the economic system (market economy/command 
            economy/tradition/etc.)  (10 points)

_____  What is your Primary Industry?  Why?________________________
What type of work is done at this level?______________________________
What percentage of the country’s population works at this level?______________
 (15 points)

_____ What is your Secondary Industry? ______________________________
What type of work is done at this level? Why?____________________________
What percentage of the population works at this level? _____________________
(15 points)

_____ What is your Tertiary Industry?________________________________
What type of work is done at this level?  Why?___________________________ 
What percentage of the population works at this level? _____________________
(15 points)

____ What is your Quaternary Industry?_______________________________
What type of work is done at this level? Why?___________________________
What percentage of the population works at this level?_____________________
 (15 points)

_____ What does your country export?__________________________
            Why?_____________________________________________
             (5 points)

_____  What does your country import? ________________________
             Why?_____________________________________________
              (5 points)


Create a Country Grade Sheet

Name:___________________

1. Name/Greeting          ____/5pts                   
2. Material Culture Traits____/12pts
Food                 Housing            + 4 more:

3. Non-Material Traits_____/12pts
Religion            Language          +4 more:

4. Economic System_____/8pts
System:

5. 15 Fast Facts Chart______/30pts
Country name, GDP, population, per capita GDP, literacy rate, life expectancy, telephone lines, area in square miles, etc.

6. Flag____/8pts

7. Motto____/5pts

8. Map____/10pts
Title, key, compass rose, color, extras

9. Quality of Work:   Excellent Very Good          Good       Average       Poor

10. Presentation______/10pts
Greeting, material, non-material culture traits, fast facts, flag, motto, map
Spoken in a clear, strong voice so everyone could hear
Total Points Earned:
Total Points Possible:  100
Grade:
Comments:
 







Name:_______________________
Hour:________  Date:__________


Create A Country
Economics System Scoring Rubric


Type of Economic System described:_____________/10

Primary Industry: ____________/10
Percent of population:______/5

Secondary Industry:_________/10
Percent of population:______/5

Tertiary Industry: ____________/10
Percent of population:______/5

Quaternary Industry: _________/10
Percent of population:_______/5

Imports:   ___________/5

Exports: _____________/5





Total:____________/80

Letter Grade:__________

Percent:______________
 

 

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Homework! Homework! Homework!

There will, in all probability, be homework this evening, February 5.  We are close to wrapping up our Econ Booklet, and part of tonight's assignment is to complete pages 34 and 35 in the booklet.  I told the kids they DID NOT have to write their own scenarios on page 35!  I also assigned an assignment entitled "New Shoes" which consists of four short paragraphs, five (5) mutliple choice questions, and three (3) incredibly short "short answer" questions.  This work is due Wednesday, February 6, 2013.

Below is the "New Shoes" assignment.

New Shoes

     Nina needs a new pair of sports shoes.  She wants a special brand name shoe.  Nina and her mom go to the store that sells sports shoes.  Nina sees just the pair of shoes she wants in the window.  Mom asks the clerk the dreaded question, “How much does this pair of shoes cost?”  The clerk replies, “$99 plus tax.”  Running shoes that cost over $100 is outrageous to Nina’s mom.
     Nina and her mom shop around.  They go to a department store in the mall.  They find a good pair of running shoes that are only $50. They ask to try on a pair in size 8, but the clerk says they have sold every pair except one pair in size 6.
     The next stop is a discount shoe outlet store.  There are no sales clerks.  Nina looks for a pair she likes.  She tries them on, and they fit well.  This pair of shoes seems to be of equal quality to the first pair of shoes she saw in the sports shoe store.  This pair of shoes is $35.
     Nina’s mom is willing to pay $35 for a pair of shoes, but she will not pay $100 for a pair of shoes.  If Nina gets the expensive shoes, she will have to take money out of her savings, which she is saving to redecorate her room.

1.       How is scarcity illustrated in this scenario?
a.        The sports store wants to sell the higher priced shoes.
b.       The department store did not buy enough of the mid-range priced shoes.
c.        The store ordered more of the big brand name shoes.
d.       There are not enough inexpensive shoes.

2.      What is the opportunity cost of choosing the $100 shoes?
  1. Nina will have to pay $3.84 more in sales taxes
  2. Nina will not have the money to redecorate her room as soon as she wanted.
  3. Nina will have to get more baby-sitting jobs
  4. Nina will have to borrow money from the bank.

3.      Clerks in the store are providing
  1. imported goods
  2. income
  3. a service
  4. a capital resource

4.      Why do people make economic choices?
  1. Businesses entice consumers with advertising
  2. People are likely to do impulse buying
  3. They want shoes
  4. Wants are greater than needs

5.      Nina has to compare quality, fit, price, and financial resources when she makes her final decision.  This is:
  1. benefit/cost analysis
  2. being a consumer
  3. money management
  4. substitutes



New Shoes
Short Answer

    1. Nina decides to buy the expensive, name brand running shoes for $100.  What is her opportunity cost?







    1. Nina decides to buy the shoes for $35 at the discount shoe outlet.  What is her opportunity cost?









    1. Nina decides to wait until the shoes for $50 are available at the shoe store in the mall.  It will take two weeks for the shoes to arrive at the store.  What is her opportunity cost?

Friday, February 1, 2013

Econ Homework Possible

Greetings,

Today we worked in our Econ booklet, which is now on-line at my LMS website, under the "Documents" section.  It's entitled "Introduction to Economics". 

I assigned pages 26-33, which sounds like a ton of work, but it is actually about three pages of "written" work.  The kids are reading about Supply and Demand and Scarcity and Shortage.  There were questions to be answered in which the kids had to determine if a scenario was describing a supply or demand issue, or if an item was scarce or just experiencing a "shortage".

There was PLENTY of time given in class to work on this set of pages, and students could work with a partner if they wanted.  Please ask your child if they completed the work; grades will be taken on pages 26,28, and 33-34.

Thanks,
Cathy