Sunday, April 29, 2018

AP Released Macro Exam

Go to the following link  https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-macroeconomics-practice-exam-2012.pdf to the 2012 AP Macro Released Exam. Select a question that no one has done yet, copy the question, answer, and your rationale for why it is correct. There is an answer key at the end of the MC section. Once all of the MC questions have been taken, use a section of one of the FRQ questions.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

AP Economics Exam Review

From the OG Grand Puba himself, Steve Reff. Pick one of the topics from this site. Check out the video. Give us a synopsis of the lesson. Answer the question "Would it help to look over this prior to the AP Exam.

Monday, April 09, 2018

Planet Money’s t-shirt, comparative advantage and protectionism. A lesson in International Trade

introduction: The purpose of this activity is to reflect on the principle of comparative advantage and better understand how the patterns of global trade are shaped by this fundamental concept. You will watch and read the story of a t-shirt that was manufactured using resources from four separate countries. Next, you will respond to an essay prompt.
********************************************

Steps:
  1. Read the page that tells the backstory to the Planet Money t-shirt project.
  2. Watch the five part documentary 
  3. Read the stories behind the t-shirt’s different stages of production:

Essay prompt:
A comparative advantage exists when a particular task can be done or a good can be produced at a lower opportunity cost by one nation than by a potential trading partner. When countries specialize in the goods for which they have a comparative advantage, the allocation of resources (landlabor and capital) between nations is more efficient, allowing for a greater level of overall production and income than what is possible without trade.
Carefully explain how the the story of the production of the Planet Money t-shirt demonstrates the principle of comparative advantage.

Sunday, April 01, 2018

The Fed Chairman Game

Check out this game created by the Federal Reserve. It deals with exactly what we are studying right now, monetary policy. The game puts you in the position of the Fed Chairman, and you must manipulate interest rates in order to balance unemployment and inflation. Click on the learn more button before playing. Investigate the Fed Toolkit and the other items in the help section. After this play the game. Give me a short summary of your strategy and how it went.

Image result for political cartoon trump and janet yellen

Sunday, March 25, 2018

A Course load for the Game of Life

Greg Mankiw is a professor of Economics at Harvard University. He has written an introductory Economics textbook that is widely used in AP courses around the nation. He has served on the Presidents Council of Economic Advisors, and is a real star in our field. In this New York Times article, he spelled out his advice for the college bound. Read the article and leave your comments. Do any of his points hit home for you? Remember no copying your fellow student's comments.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Keynes vs. Hayek

Read the article and decide which famous Economist you most identify with. Then watch the two youtube videos at:
Fear the Boom and Bust:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk

and Part II of the Epic Battle at:
Fight of the Century: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQnarzmTOc

Identify at least 3 points from either Economist that you agree with. List the point and the video that it came from. Don't copy your classmates responses.

Sunday, March 04, 2018

Illegal Immigration; Not an Economic Debate

Check out this article by Jason Welker about the Economics of Illegal Immigration. It is a refreshing take on an issue that has gotten a great deal of publicity recently. What are your thoughts after reading the article? Is this different from what you have been hearing from both the Republicans and the Democrats lately? Leave your comments before Friday at midnight. This change is due to the end of the nine weeks on Friday.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Will the National Debt Ever be Paid Off

will the debt ever be paid off

Read this article on the U.S. debt. Then select one of the other articles from the website, read it and post a 50-75 word summary of the key points. You may not copy anyone else's article, there are plenty of them on the website.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index is perhaps the most popular of the many price indices calculated by the federal government. It is used to determine Social Security benefits, Cost of Living Adjustments, and the amount of certain taxes that are paid. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has a neat educational tool known as the
"drawing board" on their website. Watch the following video (Click on post title to go to video) and in your post you must do two things.
1) Come up with a legitimate higher order thinking question over material covered in the video.
2) Provide an answer to someone else's question that they posted. (In your answer be sure to list whose question it is you are answering.)
3) Once someone's question is answered it is no longer usable by anyone else.



My Question #1"How is the Economy like Goldilocks?

Saturday, February 03, 2018

Is Paying Kids for Grades a Good Idea

There have been several experiments by school districts at paying students for attendance, good behavior, and good grades. The most recent attempts in Washington, D.C. and New York City have shown some promising results. Money is a powerful incentive. Click on the title link, read the article and leave your thoughts about "money for grades." Posts should be 50-75 words.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Supply and Demand Practice

In your response, select the first unanswered problem from the table. Give your answers to the problem and then leave a problem of your own. The first to respond will answer #2 and leave question #34, the next student to respond will answer #3 and leave #35 and so on.

Market
Event
Would the demand curve or supply curve shift?
Would the curve shift to the right or left?
Determinant
Involved
1. wheat
A drought destroys much of the crop.
Supply
Left
Stoner (R)
Resources/Raw Materials
2. redwood lumber
Environmentalists urge consumers to boycott redwood products.



3. cigars
A new study shows that smoking cigars results in lots of wrinkles.



4. butter
The price of margarine goes up.



5. paper
The price of wood pulp rises.



6. Hula hoops
Brad Pitt confides to People   magazine that "he gets a big kick out of his hula hoop."



7. yachts
The average price of stocks falls by over 20% between now and the end of the year.



8. gasoline
Large sports-utility vehicles   (like Suburbans and Expeditions) become more popular.



9. umbrellas
Heavy rain is forecast.



10. tofu
E. Coli bacteria is found in another meat plant.



11. gasoline
Two oil supertankers collide.



12.hamburger
The price of hamburger rises.



13.oranges
There's an early frost which   destroys much of the crop.



14. apples
A new pesticide is developed which controls tent caterpillars.



15. grapes
The National Marines Fisheries Service bans pesticide spraying within 1,000 feet of waterways containing coho salmon.



16. wine
The average wage of grape harvesters rises by 10%.



17. U.S. cars
The U.S. imposes a tariff on Japanese car imports.



18. hospital beds
Scientists discover a pill that cures cancer.



19. cement
A 7.9 earthquake hits San Francisco.



20.Video rentals
The price of getting cable TV goes up.



21. windshields
A new law is passed requiring gravel trucks to cover their loads with tarps.



22.Taxi service
Local subway workers go on strike



23.Bike helmets
The price of bicycles goes down



24.melons
The cost of water goes up.



25. Lucernemilk
The price of Safeway milk goes down.



26. jellybeans
The price of jellybeans goes up.



27.Oreo cookies
The price of milk increases.



28.Burger King whoppers
McDonald's lowers the price of Big Macs.




29. Hot dogs
60 Minutes does an expose called "The Truth about Hot Dogs."



30.Hot dog buns
The price of flour rises



31. butter
Mad Cow Disease wipes out a lot of dairy cows.



32. candles
An electric company official announces that a computer bug will likely result in power outages.



33. Cowboy boots
Old Navy launches an ad campaign called "Everyone in cowboy boots."




34. Your entry

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Its a Small World After All



Here is a great quote about the interrelatedness of the global economy, and it comes not from a famous economist but from someone you all know. 

"Did you ever stop to think that you can’t leave for your job in the morning without being dependent on most of the world? You get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and reach over for the sponge, and that’s handed to you by a Pacific islander. You reach for a bar of soap, and that’s given to you at the hands of a Frenchman. And then you go into the kitchen to drink your coffee for the morning, and that’s poured into your cup by a South American. And maybe you want tea: that’s poured into your cup by a Chinese. Or maybe you’re desirous of having cocoa for breakfast, and that’s poured into your cup by a West African. And then you reach over for your toast, and that’s given to you at the hands of an English-speaking farmer, not to mention the baker. And before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality." Martin Luther King, 1967 

Your assignment this week is to find 5 items that you use in your everyday lives and determine where they are produced. Look on the bottom for the "Made in ..." stamp. 
List the items and the country where they are made. Be creative. You'll be surprised at the journey that some of these common items have made to get into your hands.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Best Blogs for Economics Students

Click on Post title to be taken to list website

Review two blogs from this list of the 100 best blogs for economics students. Make sure they are from different categories, and don't repeat one that someone else has already done. Yes I realize that this means you will have to check the previous posts to see which ones have already been reviewed. The sooner you do this one the easier it will be. Reviews need to include:

1) Content
2) Appearance
3) Ease of Navigation
4) Apparent bias

Once the best ones are taken click here for secondary list

Friday, January 05, 2018

Welcome Class of 2018

Hello Future Economists,
Please post one topic you think that we will be studying this semester in AP Economics. You may not copy any of your classmate's posts. Leave your name and period at the bottom of the post. I'm looking forward to a great semester.