Course Description
This is a one-semester course. One section of this course is offered the first semester: Thursday 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET. Two sections are offered in the second semester: Tuesday 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET or Friday 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET.
This one-semester course introduces students to the world of economic thinking. Students will begin to define economic concepts, understand why economists choose to view the world through a particular lens and analyze the economic interactions of the people and businesses they observe in society. A primary goal is for students to become familiar with foundational market concepts such as scarcity, opportunity costs, comparative advantages, and inflation. Students should then be able to appropriately apply their economic understanding to personal decisions, business activities, and government policies. The course focuses mainly on microeconomics but will also touch on some macroeconomic ideas.
Course Structure
The course will be very engaging, including group discussions and activities. Students will be expected to contribute to class activities in the live classroom or through the class discussion board. They will also have weekly homework assignments, which will reinforce and expand upon the classroom discussions. Some examples of assignments include the following: running a virtual lemonade stand and identifying economic principles used, watching a video about minimum wage laws, making a government budget using certain economic and social goals, comparing the economic and government structures of two different countries in the world, playing a stock simulation game, and reading about the history of money and inflation. There is an estimated 3-4 hours of work per week outside of the live class. There is one quiz and assignment to be completed after the final live class session.
Here is a preview of some of the weekly topics:
- Scarcity, Resources, Opportunity Cost, Cost/Benefit Analysis
- Supply and Demand Shifts, Elasticity, Types of Goods
- Diminishing Returns, Allocation of Scarce Goods, Specialization
- Trade in Competitive Markets, Transaction Costs
- Understanding Economic Institutions (Banks, Corporations, Cooperatives, Labor unions), Rules of the Game
- The Role of Government in the Economy (Taxes, Externalities, Regulations)
- Nature and Causes of Money (Valuation, Historical Development, Inflation)
- Comparing Economic Systems (Market, Command, Traditional, Mixed)
- International Trade and Economic Growth
- Stocks and Investment Options (with simulation stock buying opportunity)
Honors Level
The honors level is designed for students that are advanced and would like to explored the topic in more depth. The honors section will have one extra assignment per week. It may require more difficult reading and writing elements. Everything else (including quizzes) will remain the same.
This class is recommended for 9th-12th graders. Eighth graders accepted if advanced in their studies and work ethic. The course is intended to fulfill the typical requirements for a half year high school level course. The maximum class size is 16 students to encourage student engagement.
Technology Requirements
- High speed, broadband Internet
- Web cam, sound card, and microphone (for live sessions)
- Streaming video capabilities to watch recorded lectures
Evaluation and Feedback
Students will receive comments and individualized feedback on their assignments via Canvas. Work will be graded, and student questions will be addressed, in a timely manner.
Communication
Parents do not need to contact me before registering for this class. I will confirm registration and provide a welcome email to students. All parents should join Canvas as observers, and I will respond to all parental questions. Parents and students can contact me during the course via e-mail. I will try to respond to any questions within 24 hours.
Mimi –
Intro to Economics is an amazing introduction to Economics with an equally skilled teacher. Mr. Gilbert is one of the best teachers and explains each topic calmly and simply. Though Intro to Economics is a challenging course (I had a tough time the first few weeks), Mr. Gilbert stayed incredibly patient with me and helped me with the assignments I didn’t know how to do. Because of Mr. Gilbert and this class, I now know much, much more about Economics than I did before, and I left with a bag full of tricks to help expand my knowledge and business as an entrepreneur.
Jacob P –
This was a great class and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about economics. I think that this class is great for anyone even people that might not necessarily be interested in economics. When I started this class I was not really interested in learning about economics, but Mr. Gilbert did a great job at teaching our class about economics, and he did a good job making sure the lessons were interesting and that people stayed involved.
Kate B. –
This class was really enjoyable for me! I already enjoy learning about the government, the economy, and society in general, but this course illuminated the scope of economics in a way that I hadn’t known before. Financial literacy is one of the most important skills someone can acquire to function in modern society, and I’m very grateful to have been introduced to that through this course.
Mr. Gilbert is an excellent teacher (I’ve taken this class as well as Intro to Government and World Geography so far) and I like how he lays out each of his classes. I personally didn’t find the assignments repetitive; I appreciate knowing generally what we’re going to do every week and approximately how much time that will take (some assignments took much more time than others, but on average, I was able to anticipate the work load pretty well). I really like how each lecture is like a general overview/discussion of the topic for each week and that the assignments delve into certain aspects of the topic more than in the live class. The assignments are like supplemental material which get into the specifics of a topic or a certain news story, which, in my opinion, helps give the course variety but also keeps its structure at the same time.
As a sidenote, I love how he chose Whatever Happened to Penny Candy for this course! That book is excellent and played a huge role in helping many of the concepts click into place for me personally. Highly recommend this class!
Keaton S. –
I loved this course. I came into it not looking forward to it(because I don’t like economics very much), but I ended up really learning about it. The best class was selling the cocoa powder by far.
Ella S. (verified owner) –
This was a good class that helped me understand a lot more about how our economic systems work. It was clear and challenging, but not too difficult. It was quite enjoyable as well and covered a lot of topics that relate to economic issues that I will have to face. The only objection is that some of the assignments were slightly repetitive, but it was not significant.
Austin Butler –
This class kept my attention. It was interactive and beneficial. I highly recommend, especially Mr. Gilbert’s method of teaching.
Ben D –
Mr. Gilbert does a great job at simplifying concepts to make them easy to understand. He provides both theoretical and real-life scenarios to demonstrate concepts, and the balance of the two aid in my understanding. The assignments are well-created, and often there is a question about what you think about an issue or policy, and these can be quite interesting and fun to answer. I find these really help to further my understanding of concepts.
Carina Chan –
Mr. Gilbert’s class and teaching style is one of my favorites! He consistently questions the students on the material throughout the class to keep us engaged and listening. This made me feel like I was learning a lot in each class and the assignments helped me apply my knowledge in real-world scenarios. Thank you for such a wonderful class experience!!
Nathan P. –
Great course! I learned a lot from this class and would easily recommend to a friend. Mr. Gilbert clearly knows what he’s talking about and gives constructive feedback. Really enjoyed this!
Kimberly Neff –
lots to learn in the class, but make sure whoever takes the course is fully awake and taking notes because its a lot of information.
Jennifer Kochert (verified owner) –
I was impressed with the content of Nate’s Economics course. He is clearly passionate about this topic, and it shows through his understanding and teaching of the subject. I felt the course covered a broad range of economic topics and was at an appropriate level for high schoolers. Directions to assignments were easy to understand and complete, yet allowed for added learning and understanding of what was discussed in class.
N.L. – Economics – 2022-2023 –
I enjoyed this class immensely. Professor Gilbert does a very good job teaching the information and allowing for feedback at the same time. He uses eases to understand language but also makes sure that the topic and point is understood and at no point during his classes did I feel intimidated to ask him what he meant or for more explanation! Thank you for class!!!
Norm (Parent) (verified owner) –
As a national sales manager with a BA in economics, I found the class content to be excellent, covering a wide range of economic topics/issues with real life examples in the US and internationally. Especially loved that the class covered the Whatever Happened to Penny Candy book which explains economics in a very understandable manner. Also, appreciate Mr. Gilbert’s conscientious and quick feedback regarding class participation and assignment submissions. Excellent!
Levi –
This was a well-informed introductory class. The content was well established, although I felt like the concepts could’ve been better expounded upon. Most all homework assignments generated critical thinking and established groundwork principles of economics. The lectures were beneficial and included reviews. The grading could be a slight bit more lenient he isn’t the most open to different, unique, or creative answers. The grading is very textbook. Overall, the class was informative and provided fundamental elements of economics.
Ruthie –
Intro to Economics helped me to understand basic economic concepts; however, I did feel like some of the assignments did not always go with and help me understand certain concepts. There is an assignment due after the semester is over, but if you are looking for a simple course to get your economics credit, I would recommend this course.
Molly Slovinsky –
I have learned so much in this class! I have taken an economics class before, but I have learned a lot more in Mr. Gilbert’s class than in previous years. The work can be challenging but is manageable, and Mr. Gilbert is a very knowledgeable, interactive, and helpful teacher.
Jackson –
Mr. Gilbert is an understanding, patient and willing to accommodate for my learning difference. The quiz questions were difficult to understand. For example, some questions had similarly worded answers that made it difficult to correctly answer the question. Overall, the course is informative and interesting.
Summer –
Mr. Gilbert makes the terminology and concepts easy to understand. He always responses timely to questions and always makes sure that you understand the material before we move on. Can’t wait for next semester!
Alyssa –
I enjoyed having Mr. GIlbert as a teacher! He explains content clearly and concisely and helps out if there is any confusion. Overall, this is a great introductory course on economics.
Avery –
I learned so much in this economics class! Mr. Gilbert was great at helping us understand complex topics by providing examples, charts, real-world situations, and more. The interactive aspects were especially useful–he asked us questions throughout the live classes and made sure to clarify any uncertainties before moving on. I would definitely take his classes in the future.
Jordan W. –
Mr. Gilbert is a fantastic teacher who really cares about his students learning the subject that he is teaching. He makes the class very interactive by asking a lot of questions and this really helps retain the information.
Ryan –
Great Course! Mr. Gilbert does a great job of explaining the course material. During live classes, he teaches the content in an interesting and easy to understand manner. The weekly quizzes pair nicely with the homework.
Riyria –
Mr. Gilbert has my teacher for both economics and government. During those two courses, I have learned much and, while I though it would be confusing, Mr. Gilbert made both concepts and key events clear as day. I could not have asked for a better teacher while traversing the confusing topics of economics and government.
Margaret Curd –
Wow! Mr. Gilbert is an amazing teacher and explains everything simply and clearly. He starts and ends class on time, posts useful information and additional articles, and responds quickly to emails. The assignments were clear, organized, and easy to understand. I’ve always had a hard time understanding economics but Mr. Gilbert really helped me and I feel like I will use the knowledge in this class throughout the rest of my schooling. I can not say enough good things!! If you are looking for an economics class, THIS IS IT!
Jessy Roberts –
I have really enjoyed this class. The teacher always makes or breaks the learning experience and you have made government and economics my favorite subjects. You are an amazing teacher and I was glad to be under your guidance.
W. M. (student fall 2017) –
This course is definitely a 5/5 rating! It was a very engaging classroom and I love how everything in it was set up, including the quizzes. It did not seem that we were being overloaded with useless work, and the work that we did get was easy to retain and memorize. The teaching style was fantastic and very friendly which made it much easier to learn and remember important information. Overall it was fantastic!
Economics Student –
This was an excellent class. Nathaniel Gilbert is a professional and competent teacher. He was very clear in his expectations and explanations of the material. He also made the topics relevant to the students in a way that maintained their interest. I really appreciated the homework and quiz portion which allowed me to know that the student was retaining the information. I would have no reservations in recommending this class to other students.
Jocelyn –
I was very impressed with Mr. Gilbert! My 12 year old dd wrote a review “I really like this teacher because, he is very thorough and makes sure that you know the subject before you move on. He is very nice, and he explains the topic simply so you understand. He taught me this class even though I was the only one there. He is a good teacher and I believe that I will be taking some future classes with him.” If he offers more classes She will definitely attend!
A.J. –
Mr. Gilbert is an enjoyable teacher to take classes with. He is calm, relaxed, and knowledgeable. He covers a good amount of content, and he asks lots of questions to keep the students involved and thoughtfully interacting with what they’re learning.