High School Microeconomics & Macroeconomics

Microeconomics explores how individuals, households, and businesses make decisions about using limited resources. Students examine concepts such as supply and demand, market structures, pricing, competition, consumer behavior, and incentives. Through real-world examples and case studies, the course develops analytical skills for understanding how everyday economic decisions shape markets and outcomes.

Macroeconomics focuses on the economy as a whole, examining large-scale forces that influence growth, employment, inflation, and national productivity. Students study economic indicators, fiscal and monetary policy, international trade, and the role of government and financial institutions. The course helps students understand how national and global economic trends affect businesses, communities, and daily life.

There is an AP track option for these courses that have extended learning, materials and support for AP students.  College Board requires separate tests – one for Microecononics (fall semester) and one for Macroeconomics (spring semester).[/rara_toggle]

Required Course Materials:

• Small (2″) 3 ring binder with 3 dividers (more dividers are fine)
  • Standard lined/”filler” paper
• Access to a Google Drive under the student’s own e-mail address
• Basic calculator at home for homework

Additionally, students will need technical ability to access Zoom, Discovery Education Streaming, OERCommons, Study.com and Canvas (our learning management system).

At home, students will need access to the internet (home or library) to look up information, related published materials and/or videos and do work through our class learning management system.  Some videos will be subscription-based and issued by illuminat-ED (all students will have accounts for Discovery Streaming and Study.com for additional video support).  Some videos will be freely available.

Amount of time will depend on your student’s speed/fluency with writing, reading or the topic at hand and the content of the week. Families should allocate approximately 3 hours/week to complete various assigned labs, tasks or group collaboration that might require internet access in preparation for live class. Some of this can be done during Flex Work Time at our facility.

Students pursuing AP level coursework: should allocate approximately 7-9 hours/week to completing a broad range of tasks including online work in AP Classroom and other resources.  Keep in mind that AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics are college level courses and each semester course covers one college semesters of economics.  AP students will be offered an additional hour/week of  Zoom-based “office hours” that can be scheduled based on the instructor’s and student’s mutual availability.

These courses have 2 pre-scheduled Asynchronous Learning weeks during Fall Pause & Mid-winter Pause; but does not have additional assigned work during Thanksgiving Week, Winter Break or Spring Break.

Combined with our live class time, the regular version of this course is a total of 4-1/2 hours/week (except for our 2 asynchronous weeks which will have 2 hours of work) for a course total of approximately 150 hours for the year.  This equates to one full credit using the Carnegie unit methodology.

Live class time will assume students have done their pre-reading, online content and any offline case studies, fieldwork, etc. (if any). We will be collaboratively sharing and discussing results in the context of the assigned readings and asynchronous work in addition to doing practical and group activities.

In the first class, we will cover note-taking skills and some basic project management skills of time management, planning and organization (which will be revisited regularly in the course).

Parents of AP students should understand that College Board sees each semester course as a separate AP course and each has it’s own AP exam.