AP Microeconomics Herdegen Spring 2011

Mr. Herdegen – voted by seniors as most likely to be a nerd in high school (multiple times) Truth: My mom said I was cool, so there!!

This class – my baby!! Syllabus – You can do it!

Biggest benefit of taking this class is…….

OK – really. Two ways to get 3 college credits --BSU concurrent credit ($195) --AP test in May ($86)

Full time tuition at 1994: $947/semester 2010: $3,437/semester 263% increase

OK – so this is a great opportunity, so how do I learn this stuff?

How many teachers are in the room right now?

Round 1 What are you looking at? If you know don’t say anything

Round 2 What are you looking at? You can ask a general question.

Round 3 See it now?

Round 4 Ask for help if you don’t see it

This is just like AP ECON Why?

The Cow Analogy 1. What happened in each of the four rounds? Round 1: Few people get it right away Round 2: Questions help us move forward Round 3: Nearly all people get it when shown explicitly (but some still don’t get it). Round 4: EVERYONE gets it when we work together. 2. What is your responsibility if you see the cow? 3. What is your responsibility if you don’t see the cow? If you don’t see the cow, don’t leave the room!

D MR Q Price, costs, and revenue A monopoly making a profit MC ATC

How do students learn best? Ferris Bueller video clip (unit 1)

Just because we’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid.

What is the FIRST thing you see on the next slide?

What students really think about Econ!

Why is AP Econ the best course? Answer to 2005 Micro FRQ #2 a. i) P=$12 and Q=100 ii) A+B+C+F iii) E+D+G b. No, they share the tax c. i)$11 ii)$160 iii)A iv)F+G There are NO essays No thesis statements It is always current and relevant Endless supply of interesting examples Perfect for fun hands- on discovery learning activities

3 FACTS! 1.Econ is a skills based course. Learning methodology resembles algebra more than history. 2.You MUST read assigned chapters and sections BEFORE class Class time should be about sharpening skills, rather than just introducing new concepts. 3.Econ is a very intuitive subject, but it requires PRECISION. Many questions are similar to geometric proofs and cannot be “fluffed”

The AP Exams

Two Sections 1.Multiple Choice Questions (70 Minutes) 60 Questions 1.25 minutes per question Worth 66% of score Each question is equal to 1.1% of grade 2.Free Response Questions (60 Minutes) 3 Questions 1 Long Response Questions (16% of score) 2 Short Response Questions (8% each) 10 Minute organization time 50 Minute response time Important Rules No Calculators No colored pencils/pens. Blue or black pens only!

Two Sections 1.Multiple Choice Questions (70 Minutes) 60 Questions 1.25 minutes per question Worth 66% of score Each question is equal to 1.1% of grade 2.Free Response Questions (60 Minutes) 3 Questions 1 Long Response Questions (16% of score) 2 Short Response Questions (8% each) 10 Minute organization time 50 Minute response time Important Rules No Calculators No colored pencils/pens. Blue or black pens only!

There will be some review nights in May for the AP Micro test– I’ll get a list of interested students at the end of the semester

How do I know if I will be good at econ?

Do I have to be a math wiz to do well in econ? Math Skills test

Thinking Like an Economist