Name _____________________________________ Class ...



Eugene International High School

I.B. Comparative Politics and Economics

2008-2009

I.B. Internal Assessment Portfolio

a.k.a. “Current Events Papers” or “Commentaries”

[pic]

© 2008-2009

Jim Holm

Steve Smith

Kyle Yamada

I.B. Economics Internal Assessment Portfolio, a.k.a.

“Current Events Papers”/“Commentaries”:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the I.B. Economics Internal Assessment Portfolio?

What are the required Economics “current events papers” or “commentaries”?

By the second week of March, 2009, you will write four (4) original, illustrated, 650- to 750-word “Current Events Papers” – I.B. calls them “commentaries” – that adhere strictly to guidelines prescribed by I.B. These four commentaries will be based upon current news articles that you find, analyze and evaluate (details below). Your Economics teacher will evaluate these papers according to I.B. grading guidelines; together, they will count for a large portion of your total term grade. In addition, for those students taking the I.B. Economics exam, the commentaries may be assembled in a portfolio, shipped off and evaluated by trained Economics examiners in other countries. For I.B. test-takers, your scores for these commentaries will count, collectively, for 25% of your total I.B. Economics score.

2. Who must complete this portfolio of economics commentaries?

All students enrolled in Economics at I.H.S., whether or not they intend to take the I.B. Economics test.

3. Why should I care about these commentaries?

Economics does not happen in a vacuum; real people’s lives are changed every day by individual and collective economic decisions. These commentaries are an important way for you to demonstrate to your Economics teacher, and to I.B., your ability to apply economic theory to a variety of real-world situations. In addition, these commentaries will give you practice in critical writing, and may provide you with an excellent writing sample for college applications, scholarships, etc.

4. What kinds of articles will I use to write these commentaries?

You will select your own articles, subject to these restrictions:

(a) Three of the four articles you select must have as their “main focus” a different section of the I.B. Syllabus. There are five total sections in the I.B. Economics syllabus: (i) Introduction and Overview of Economic Concepts; (ii) Microeconomics; (iii) Macroeconomics; (iv) International Economics; and (v) Development Economics.

(b) Your four selected articles must be current. Each article must have been published within sixty (60) days before the due date of the commentary on which it is based. For example, if a commentary is due on November 6, 2008, you will write that commentary based on an article dated on or after September 6, 2008.

(c) Your four selected articles must come from a variety of sources and media. You may not use the same source twice, such as the Register Guard or the New York Times. The articles must come solely from print-based sources – local, national and international magazines, newspapers, and journals – unless they appear in the list of non-print news outlets below or you get approval from your Economics teacher. Articles from the web pages of print-based sources are acceptable.

5. How will my commentaries be evaluated?

Your Economics teacher will grade each commentary separately on a scale of 0-20 points, according to I.B.’s five grading criteria:

Criterion A – Formal Requirements (0-2 pts.)

Criterion B – Organization and Presentation (0-4 pts.)

Criterion C – Use of Economic Terminology (0-5 pts.)

Criterion D – Application and Analysis of Economic Concepts and Theories (0-5 pts.)

Criterion E – Evaluation (0-4 pts.)

Total Score per Commentary up to 20 pts.

Expectations for each of the above criteria will be discussed in depth in your Economics class. A more detailed grading rubric that expands on each criterion follows in this packet.

6. Can I see an example of a “good” commentary from last year?

Yes, your Economics teacher may show you examples of commentaries written in previous years. You may also see some commentaries that your friends may have done in previous years. A few years ago, the I.B. criteria for length of the commentary changed. It is important to pay attention to the instructions in this packet and not allow yourself to be confused by what another former I.H.S. student may have done for their commentary.

7. Where will I find sources for the articles I’ll use in my commentaries?

Your school library, of course! Don’t confine your search to “business” or “news” magazines alone. A story from Rolling Stone on declining CD sales, for example, might yield an excellent Section 2 commentary on supply and demand. A story in the Eugene Register-Guard about job losses in Lane County might produce a strong Section 3 commentary on structural unemployment. Be alert to the economic implications of everything you read, regardless of the source.

8. Do you mean I have to read the newspaper, like, every day?

Ideally, yes. Certainly, on at least a weekly basis, we will expect that you have been reading news stories (online and in print) about what’s happening with the local, national and international economies. Your Economics teacher will require such readings frequently as part of your homework assignments. Even when not specifically mentioned as homework, keeping up with economic current events will be an important part of your ability to participate in your Economics class.

9. So, when are these commentaries due?

Commentary 1: __________

Commentary 2: __________

Commentary 3: __________

Commentary 4: __________

*Those who are not taking the I.B. Economics test will have a later due date for their fourth commentary. This will allow teachers to grade and assemble the portfolios for I.B. assessment and will permit some of you to present a final commentary on a topic from the Development unit.

|

Internal Assessment Criteria

Criterion A: Rubric requirements (2 marks)

This criterion assesses the word limits and syllabus coverage of the portfolio.

Marks

0. Level 1 is not achieved.

1. Each commentary meets the word limit requirement, or the portfolio covers at least three different sections of the syllabus.

2. Each commentary meets the word limit requirement (650-750 words), and the portfolio covers at least three different sections of the syllabus.

Criterion B: Organization and presentation (4 marks)*

This criterion assesses the range of sources used for the extracts, the organization and presentation of the portfolio, and the use of diagrams in the portfolio.

Marks

0. Level 1 is not achieved.

1. The extracts are chosen from four different sources, or the portfolio is well-organized and presented.

2. The extracts are chosen from four different sources, and the portfolio is well organized and presented.

3. The extracts are chosen from four different sources, and the portfolio is well organized and presented. The candidate includes appropriate diagrams in the portfolio.

4. The extracts are chosen from four different sources, and the portfolio is well organized and presented. The candidate makes effective use of diagrams in the portfolio.*

*In order to achieve the highest mark in criterion B, portfolios must be absolutely free of mechanical/typographical errors and candidates must thoroughly explain each diagram in the text.

Criterion C: Use of economic terminology (5 marks)

This criterion assesses the candidate's ability to use and to define economic terminology.

Marks

0. Level 1 is not achieved.

1. The commentaries in the portfolio demonstrate minimal use of appropriate economic terminology and there are no attempts to define terms.

2. The commentaries in the portfolio demonstrate minimal use of appropriate economic terminology and there are only limited attempts to define terms.

3. The commentaries in the portfolio demonstrate appropriate use of economic terminology. However, terms are not always defined, or they are incorrectly defined.

4. The commentaries in the portfolio demonstrate appropriate use of economic terminology. Terms requiring definitions are correctly defined.

5. The commentaries in the portfolio consistently demonstrate appropriate use of economic terminology. Terms requiring definitions are correctly defined.

Criterion D: Application and analysis of economic concepts and theories (5 marks)

This criterion assesses the candidate's ability to apply and analyse the economic theories and concepts that have been identified from the extracts.

Marks

0. Level 1 is not achieved.

1. Little application or analysis of relevant concepts and theories has been attempted.

2. The application or analysis of relevant concepts and theories has been attempted, but the linkages to the extracts are rarely appropriate.

3. Relevant concepts and theories have been identified, but have been applied to the extracts in a superficial way.

4. Relevant concepts and theories have been identified and suitably applied or analysed in some of the commentaries.

5. Relevant concepts and theories have been identified and have been applied or analysed well in all commentaries.

Criterion E: Evaluation (4 marks)

This criterion assesses the candidate's ability to evaluate economic concepts and theories in the context of real-world examples.

Marks

0. Level 1 is not achieved.

1. In the commentaries, the candidate attempts to evaluate the economic theories and concepts applied to the extracts, but the evaluation is inappropriate.

2. In the commentaries, the candidate attempts to evaluate the economic theories and concepts applied to the extracts, but the evaluation is limited.

3. In the commentaries, the candidate demonstrates evaluation of the economic theories and concepts applied to the extracts, but this evaluation is not presented in all the commentaries.

4. In the commentaries, the candidate demonstrates evaluation of the economic theories and concepts applied to the extracts consistently throughout the portfolio.

I.B. Economics Current Events Commentaries: Formal Requirements

To earn full credit, all commentaries should:

_____ 1. Be word-processed and saved to a diskette, CD, hard drive or other source that is immediately accessible to you if requested by your Economics teacher.

_____ 2. Be formatted as follows:

• 1” margins on all sides, all text double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Courier font only

• printed neatly in black ink on one side of 8-1/2” x 11”, white bond or general use office paper

• stapled neatly in the upper left-hand corner, in the following order:

o your commentary cover sheet (see below)

o body of commentary, followed by Work[s] Cited

o photocopy of source article on one side of 8-1/2” x 11” white paper only (no originals, no copies larger than 8-1/2” x 11” – you may need to reduce some articles).

_____ 3. Start with a cover sheet that looks exactly like this:

FORMAT: EXAMPLE:

2” from top + centered + double-spaced between items:

First N. Last

I.B. Comparative Politics and Economics (SL)

Your Econ Teacher

Your School & Economics Class

[e.g., South AM1, North PM2, Churchill AM2, Sheldon PM1, etc.]

Date Commentary Actually Turned In

(+ Date Due, if different)

Commentary # _____

[A, 1, 2, 3 or 4]

Source: ________________

[work cited should be in complete MLA format – see below]

I.B. Economics Syllabus Section # ___.___

[e.g., 1.3, 4.4, etc.; OK to list more than one]

Word Count: _____

|

Jane Q. Fernandez

I.B. Comparative Politics and Economics (SL)

Mr. Steve Smith

South AM2

December 15, 2008 (due December 14, 2008)

Commentary #2

Source: Brummitt, Chris. "Indonesia's Food Needs Expected to Soar." BostonGlobe 1 Nov. 2008: A7.

I.B. Syllabus Sections 2.1, 3.2

Word Count: 734 | |

_____ 4. Contain an MLA Work(s) Cited section, with a separate heading, immediately following the body of the commentary. Normally, you will be responding to only one source article, so this section will usually be a single entry.

Here’s the MLA Works Cited format for a newspaper article adapted from :

Begin with the name of the author, if known, followed by the title of the article. Next give the name of the newspaper, the date, and the page numbers (including the section letter). Use a plus sign (+) after the page number if the article does not appear on consecutive pages.

Work[s] Cited

Brummitt, Chris. "Indonesia's Food Needs Expected to Soar." Boston

Globe 1 Feb. 2005: A7.

When citing online articles, follow the guidelines for printed articles, giving whatever information is available in the online source. End the citation with your date of access and the URL.

From an online magazine

Morgan, Fiona. "Banning the Bullies." 15 Mar. 2001. 21 Sept. 2004 .

From an online newspaper

Rubin, Joel. "Report Faults Charter School." Los Angeles Times 22 Jan. 2005.

24 Jan. 2005 .

_____ 5. Contain one or more (usually 2-3) fully labeled, clearly presented graphs/charts. These graphs can be hand-drawn in black ink, if necessary. However, simple graphs can be created easily in Word, Excel, AppleWorks, and other freely available software. Graphs should be incorporated directly into the text of your commentary, and should be actively discussed and referred to. Don’t just “tack them on at the end.”

_____ 6. Be 100% free from typographical, spelling, punctuation, grammatical and proofreading errors. It usually helps to have a parent, friend or other teacher read your “final draft” solely for the purpose of catching these errors.

_____ 7. Be your own, individual, original work. Plagiarized work will earn a “0” from the assigning teacher, and may jeopardize your ability to complete the I.B. Economcs test, earn an I.B. Diploma, or even receive your high school diploma. The District’s guidelines regarding academic honesty will be enforced strictly.

I. B. Economics Commentary – Guiding Questions

1. Give the citation for the assigned article using the unique I.B. Economics format:

2. Write a 1-2 sentence abstract for this article:

3. What economic concepts are raised by this article? List and define at least three (3) here:

•

•

•

4. How are the economic concepts you listed illustrated in the article? Use bullet-point notes to provide specific details from this article that illustrate your economic concepts (at least one detail for each concept listed and defined above).

•

•

•

5. Describe at least two (2) graphs and/or charts that would best illustrate the economic concepts you have identified. Sketch and label accurately these graphs/charts below:

6. What is your opinion of the completeness, reliability, or bias of this article? What specific, additional information might help a reader come to a more informed conclusion? What assumptions does the author make, and how might his or her conclusion differ if these issues were viewed from an alternative perspective, or in a different time frame?

7. Evaluate the economic basis of your article by performing one or more of the following:

• Evaluate the usefulness of the economic theories and concepts presented in your commentary – focus on the assumptions inherent in the economic models (highest priority)

• Consider the viewpoints of different stakeholders, (i.e. workers, investors, governments, special interest groups)

• Compare short and long term implications of economic events discussed in your commentary

• Make a prediction and justify it with specific evidence from the article

• Make a policy recommendation and justify it using specific economic models and terminology

News Sources for Economics Current Events Commentaries

International Newspapers

The Daily Star (Lebanon)



The Daily Yomiuri (Japan)



Deccan (India)



The Globe and Mail (Canada)



The Guardian (U.K.)



Ha’aretz (Israel)



The Hindu (India)



International Herald Tribune



Japan Times



Jerusalem Post (Israel)



The Mail and Guardian (South Africa)



The Nation (Thailand; not the same as The Nation magazine below)



National Post (Canada)



People’s Daily (China)



Pravda (Russia)



Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)



The Times of India



The Times (U.K.)



Non-Print News Outlets

(links to African news sources)



British Broadcasting Corporation



Canadian Broadcasting Corporation



Al Jazeera







Slate Magazine



U.S. Newspapers

Boston Globe



Chicago Tribune



Christian Science Monitor (U.S.)



Los Angeles Times



Miami Herald (Good source of news on Latin America under the “Americas” tab)



New York Times



Washington Post



Oregon/Eugene Regional Newspapers

The Eugene Weekly



The Oregonian (Portland)



The Register Guard (Eugene)



The Statesman Journal (Salem)



Magazines

(U.S. unless otherwise noted)

Atlantic Monthly



Foreign Policy



Harpers



Macleans (Canada)



Mother Jones



The Nation



National Review



Newsweek



The Progressive



Reason



Time



U.S. News & World Report



The Utne Reader



Business Press

(U.S. unless otherwise noted)

Business Week



Dollars and Sense



The Economist (U.K.)

Ask your teacher for permission before using this source. Many articles already contain too much economic analysis and may make your job too easy!



Financial Times (U.K.)



Forbes



................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download