Introductions and Semester Pre-Assessment
Unit 1 · Lesson 1.1 · Last updated August 6, 2025
A 45-minute first-day lesson combining classroom introductions with a baseline economic literacy assessment — setting the stage for the semester ahead.
Overview
Students will introduce themselves and get an introduction to their teacher and the course. Students will then complete the Test of Economic Literacy (TEL — created by the Council for Economic Education) individually to establish a baseline of economic knowledge. This pre-assessment will be repeated at the end of the semester to determine growth. Neither the pre-assessment nor post-assessment should be used as a summative assessment. Note: Edit the Syllabus and Slides 4 and 6 of the Instruction Slides to fit your classroom.
Learning Objectives
- Describe classroom procedures and expectations.
- Preview economic concepts.
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Materials
- Instruction Slides (display during class period)
- Syllabus — edit to reflect your classroom expectations (1 copy per student)
Paper Option
- Semester Pre-Assessment: Paper Form pp. 4–11 (1 copy per student)
- Answer Sheet: Paper Form p. 12 (1 copy per student)
- KEY Grading p. 13 (1 copy for educator use)
- Optional: TEL Educator's Manual
Digital Option
- Semester Pre-Assessment: Digital Form (Google account required)
- Computer with internet access (1 device per student)
- Optional: TEL Educator's Manual
Lesson Sequence
Introductions & Clarification
- Display Slide 2. Tell students you are excited to have them in class and to spend the semester learning about them and exploring economics together.
- Advance to Slide 3. Explain the learning objectives. Tell students the first portion of class will focus on introductions and classroom expectations.
- Proceed to Slide 4. Ask students to get out a piece of paper (a half sheet will suffice) and answer the prompts on the slide. If a student is not comfortable sharing a response, they may skip it. Allow approximately five minutes. Collect the half-sheets.
- Display Slide 5. Distribute the Syllabus (1 copy per student). Use the text at the top to briefly introduce yourself. Emphasize the "Why should you be excited about this class?" and "What can you do to succeed?" sections.
- Proceed to Slide 6. Emphasize the classroom expectations and procedures students must know on the first day. Pro Tip: highlight the most important items — many procedures can be addressed when they first arise.
Pre-Assessment Introduction
- Progress through Slides 7–8. Explain the purpose of the pre-assessment. Emphasize its low-stakes nature — students are not expected to know any of the information yet.
- Remind students not to search for answers online. The TEL questions and answers are easily found, and doing so would undermine the validity of the assessment.
- Proceed to Slide 9 (skip if using the digital form). Distribute 1 copy of the Paper Form and 1 copy of the Answer Sheet per student, or provide the link to the Digital Form. Read the instructions aloud and pause for questions before students begin.
Individual Assessment
- Progress through Slides 10–11. Tell students to complete the assessment individually and remain quiet until all students are done. Students who finish early should read the class syllabus.
- Circulate to supervise and clarify instructions as needed. Do not re-explain or elaborate on questions — encourage students to reread the prompt and make their best choice.
- Proceed to Slide 12. With five minutes remaining, announce that the period will end soon.
- Collect all materials. Students should not take the Paper Form or Answer Sheet from the room.
- Use the KEY Grading sheet for paper forms. The Digital Form automatically scores submissions. We recommend not sharing results with students yet — most will have low scores which can be discouraging. Consider releasing pre- and post-assessment scores together at the end of the course to highlight growth.
Aligned Standards
Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics