Class: Beginning
in September, I am offering a “Current Issues” class that will have a heavy
economics and government/civics emphasis, but will also include geography,
culture, and global studies. The course
will count for a ½ credit Social Science elective according to KY standards.
Age: Mature 8th graders – 12th
graders.
How Students Will Learn: This is NOT a typical drill-and-memorize the
facts course. Students will be engaged
in project-based learning through online and in-class simulations, debating and
discussing issues and role-playing different perspectives. Using book excerpts, news articles, film
clips, maps, and a class website, students will get to work in groups and tailor
in-depth projects to their specific interests.
My goal will be for students to feel connected to the issues we cover and
for students to find them relevant to their lives. After
all, research supports that students learn more when they are engaged and see
the subject as important!!
Specific Content: In the fall semester, there will be an on-going
in-class personal finance simulation in which students will be given an income
and must manage a budget (including purchasing a house and car, acquiring loans
and determining payments based on different interest rates, paying federal,
state, and local taxes, buying a health insurance policy, and investing their
money for retirement). The simulation
will be a springboard for other current issues, such as investigating health
care reform, the federal budget (where exactly is your tax money going), recession,
inflation and the stock market. Everyone
will become very familiar with various economic terms.
The second semester will
involve an on-going simulation in which students act as members of government. Content may include, but not be limited to the
U.S. military, terrorism, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Arab/Israeli conflict, Iran,
the role of the media in influencing public opinion, and various other political
hot topics. Not only will kids have to
think like U.S. and/or foreign officials, we will also consider how economics
can help us understand human behavior and current events. How deeply we delve into topics will depend
on the group’s interest.
Class Meeting time: We will meet three to four times a month from
September through May. Class meeting
will be an hour and half on Fridays. The
exact time and location is TBD. Outside class
time will be 30 minutes to 1 hour per week.
During the rest of the week, students will be able to talk to each other
(and me) on the class website.
Method of Assessment: Will be determined by two student-chosen
projects (one each semester) where kids will take the information we are
learning and create something meaningful with it. I will provide a grade if the parent or
student requests one.
If your child is uncertain about the class, you may pay for them to
attend the first month to try it out!!
Cost:
$10 per month (includes cost of handouts and a donation to church for
use of classroom)
Feel free to email me any questions!!
