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Concordia High School World Geography Syllabus
Instructor: Caleb Taylor
Classroom: 502
Phone:
Email: [email protected]
Availability: Upon Request
Course Description:
Geography is the study of how people change the land and how the land affects
people. During the first quarter students will learn the basic concepts needed to
understand the countries and regions of the world. Next will be a study of North
America and the U.S. The rest of the year will deal with other regions of the world;
for example: Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Europe, etc. We will examine the
world regions using the five themes of geography analysis: location, place,
human/environment interaction, movement and region. These themes will be
introduced and explained in the first quarter.
Rationale:
Concordia High School believes that geography is the foundation of all other social
science classes. Students should be exposed to world cultures both through a
chronological approach (world history) and a spatial approach (world geography).
The world continues to become more familiar and accessible due to rapidly
improving communication and transportation. Every individual should know their
place in it, since much of their future will be interacting with regions outside of the
United States. So to summarize, this course is going to be used to further the
knowledge of where things are in spatial terms, how humans interact with the
environment and with one another, and how regions affect the people within them.
Course Guidelines:
1. The student understands how geographic contexts (the geography of places
in the past) and processes of spatial exchange (diffusion) influenced events in
the past and helped to shape the present.
2. The student understands how people, places, and environments have
changed over time and the effects of these changes on history.
3. The student understands how physical processes shape patterns in the
physical environment (lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and
biosphere), including how Earth-Sun relationships affect physical processes
and patterns on Earth’s surface.
4. The student understands the patterns and characteristics of major
landforms, climates, and ecosystems of Earth and the interrelated processes
that produce them.
5. The student understands how political, economic, and social processes shape
cultural patterns and characteristics in various places and regions.
6. The student understands the types and patterns of settlement, the factors
that affect where people settle, and processes of settlement development
over time.
7. The student understands the growth, distribution, movement, and
characteristics of world population.
8. The student understands how people, places, and environments are
connected and interdependent.
9. The student understands the concept of region as an area of Earth’s surface
with unifying geographic characteristics.
Texts:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Geography
Required Materials:
Textbook and notebook
General Policies:
Due Dates- They are there for a reason. Assignments are due at the BEGINNING of
class unless otherwise specified. If the assignments are not ready at the given time,
they will be counted as late.
Late Work- Turning in late work should rarely occur. Unless there is a reasonable
reason as to why the homework was not turned in at the beginning of class the
student will lose 50% and then the assignment will be graded accordingly. If the
assignment is more than one day late it will result in a 0%. Students will still need to
do the assigned work or they will receive an incomplete.
Cheating- DO NOT DO IT! If cheating, suspected cheating, or attempted cheating
takes place you will receive an automatic zero on the assignment and appropriate
disciplinary action. *** (Includes talking during a test)***
Plagiarism- Plagiarism falls under the cheating category. Any text that is borrowed,
quoted, or otherwise included from an outside source must be cited or its inclusion
is considered plagiarism. If plagiarism occurs, you will receive a zero and will be
further dealt with in accordance with school policy.
Absences- If you are aware of any absence in advance (doctor's appointments, trips,
athletic events, etc.), you must turn in any due assignment prior to your absence,
or make other arrangements with me before the scheduled absence occurs. If your
absence is unforeseen, you have the number of days you were absent to turn in the
assignment (absent 1 day=1 day to get it to me; absent 4 days=4 days to get it to me)
unless we make special arrangements.
Grading-Every assignment will be worth a certain amount of point, which will be
calculated into a weighted total score for the quarter. The semester grade will be
calculated as follows: 1st Quarter 40%, 2nd Quarter 40%, Final Exam 20%.
***Grades can be accessed through RenWeb***
Weight of grade and scale is as follows:
Participation and Discussion
20%
Assignments
20%
Maps/Projects
30%
Tests/Quizzes
30%
A
B
C
D
F
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
59 or below
Papers and Written Assignments:
All essays and outlines are to be typed and in MLA format: 12 point font, Times
Roman, double-spaced, with the appropriate heading.
Participation:
Students are expected to participate daily in this course, meaning they will be
diligent in listening, note taking, discussion, and group work. Each day there will be
an opportunity to earn 5 points. Points may be deducted for poor participation,
distracting behavior, or being unprepared.
Classroom Discipline:
Students are expected to behave with respect, responsibility, and integrity. When
students choose to disrupt learning, the following consequences occur:
-First Disruption: verbal warning
-Second Disruption: verbal warning, talk to the teacher after class
-Third Disruption: removed from class, a trip to the dean's office
-Fourth Disruption: A trip to the dean's office and a conference with parents