Dear Student and Parents: Welcome to my Advanced Placement Human Geography course at East High School. I am excited and looking forward to having the opportunity to work with you this year. The goal for this class is to create a learning community where we can work together to learn from one another about our wonderful world. I have high expectations and standards for each of my students and believe through open communication, honesty and dedication we will have an amazing and successful year. Please read through this syllabus to become familiar with the activities and topics of this class. Also, please read through the Student Course Preparation Guideline packet. Both of these documents contain useful information to help you get off to a great start. If you have any questions at any time during the school year, please feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail. Here is to a wonderful year ahead. Sincerely, Matt Dimick. Phone: 583-1661, ext. 2107 E-mail: matt.dimick@slcschools.org Teachers open the door, but you must walk through it by yourself (Chinese Proverb)
ADVANCED PLACEMENT HUMAN GEOGRAPHY Open Disclosure Document Instructor: Matt Dimick Room: B107 Phone: 801-583-1661, ext. 2107 E-mail: matt.dimick@slcschools.org COURSE DESCRIPTION: Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHUG) is designed to be a college introductory geography class. It aims to introduce students to the basic concepts of human geography and provide a geographic framework for the analysis of current world phenomenon throughout the use of case studies. The course develops students ability to ask geographic questions; acquire, organize, and analyze geographic information; and answer geographic questions. The course will culminate with the option of taking the AP test in May. High scores on that test may result in academic credit awarded by a college or university. COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Students will Understand the patterns and processes that influence the people and places of the world today Develop deeper analytical and critical thinking abilities Use and think about maps and spatial data Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places Recognize and interpret, at different scales, the relationships among patterns and processes Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places Ask geographic questions; acquire, organize, and analyze COURSE MATERIALS: The main books used for this class are: 1. Rubenstein, James, M. An Introduction to Human Geography, 10e, Prentice-Hall Publishing 2011 2. Steinberg, Philip E., Sherman-Morris, Kathleen, People in Places: A Documentary Case- Study Workbook, Upper Saddle River, NJ.: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011 Additional materials include: 3. Kuby, Michael, John Harner, and Patricia Gober. Human Geography in Action. 3 rd ed., New York: John Wiley, 2004. 4. Goode s World Atlas, Rand McNally 5. Various multimedia resources 6. Teacher-prepared materials 7. Current news periodicals published from sources such as: The Economist, New York Times, Salt Lake Tribune, Time, etc. FORMAT AND PROCEDURES: Students will engage in a variety of learning activities which may include direct instruction, small group collaboration, text based discussions, whole class discussion and debates, problem solving, role playing, and presentations. Students will be assessed using both formative (informal and non-traditional) and summative (formal and traditional) assessment strategies. Please refer to the College Board approved syllabus for this class for more information about assignments. COURSE REQUIREMENTS (Assignments, Attendance, Tardies, Discipline, etc.) (In other words, HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS): 1. ATTEND CLASS AND ARRIVE BY THE TARDY BELL READY TO PARTICIPATE. I can t teach you and you won t learn the material if you are not here. 2. BE PREPARED with texts, readings, homework, three ring binder, a pad of sticky notes, blue or black pen, highlighters, paper, and colored pencils.
Continued 3. COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS AND TURN YOUR WORK IN ON TIME. In the event a student is absent from class a. It is the student s responsibility to find out what they missed in class. b. Students who are absent on the day an assignment is due may hand it in on the day of their return to school with an excuse (the excusal note must be presented with the work.). c. Late or make up assignments will be accepted up to one week from the original due date. Late work will be docked points. d. Some major assignments such as projects and research papers must be handed in on their due date (even if the student is absent). There will be timely notification of these types of due dates. e. All assignments turned in for credit must be neat and legible. Outside written work turned in for credit must use the English Department Policies on format one inch margins, double spaced, neatly written in blue or black ink, and be double the length required of typed papers. If students type papers they must use one inch margins, double space, use 12 point font, Times Roman or Helvetica font. 4. Please read through the Syllabus and Student Preparation Guide for this class to give you more information about the format of this class and assignments. 5. PARTICIPATE RESPECTFULLY AND SENSITIVELY. The more students involve themselves in discussions the more they and others will learn, remember and understand. 6. COMMUNICATE WITH THE TEACHER any questions or concerns. If something is confusing or if you need assistance with anything, please don t hesitate to discuss it with the teacher. Mr. Dimick will be available after school or by appointment to help students. 7. Because of the nature of the class, there will be controversial issues addressed in which many view points will be discussed. No single point of view will be espoused by the teacher and grades will not be based on individual opinions. 8. Cheating, including plagiarism, copying, or allowing copying will not be tolerated in any form. Students caught cheating will receive zero credit for the assignment in question and also risk being removed from the course. All parties involved will be held accountable. 9. As per school and district policy, absolutely NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES ARE ALLOWED DURING CLASS TIME (phones, music players, pagers, etc.). Phones are expected do be turned off during class, head phones put away, etc. Should a student violate this policy, the device will be taken and given to an administrator. GRADING PROCEDURES: 1. Grades are based on a combination as follows: 40% assessments, 60% assignments. A student s final grade will be based on the quality and quantity of assignments completed. The grade scale will be as follows: 93-100% = A 83-86% = B 73-76% = C 63-66% = D 90-92% = A- 80-82% = B- 70-72% = C- 59-62% = D- 87-89% = B+ 77-79% = C+ 67-69% = D+ 2. Late work or assignments that are not ready to be turned in on a due date risk losing points that may adversely affect the student s grade. Late or make up work is ineligible for revision. 3. After the final assessment has been given for a unit, no late or make up work will be accepted for that unit. Continued
4. All missed tests and quizzes must be made up within one week of the student s return to school. 5. There is no extra credit offered in this class, however, there will be bonus questions asked on quizzes and tests and possibly some assignments. Bonus points are a way for students to earn extra points on assignments or tests. 6. Students may use an assignment log to keep track of assignments, grades, and due dates. Assignment logs are for reference for both students and parents. Students grades will be updated every two weeks. Because of the volume of writing done in this class, some assignments and written work may require additional time to be graded and recorded. It is possible that late and make up work may not be entered on PowerSchool until the end of the quarter. Parents are encouraged to e-mail or call the teacher any time they have a question or concern about their student s grade. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE: The following is a general outline for the year. The schedule may be accommodated depending on the constraints we experience during the year and depending on the needs of the students. Semester 1 Chapters 1: Thinking Geographically Chapter 2: Population Chapter 3: Migration Chapter 4: Folk and Pop Culture Chapter 5: Language Chapter 6: Religion Chapter 7: Ethnicity Semester 2 Chapter 8: Political Geography Chapter 9: Development Chapter 10: Agriculture Chapter 11: Industry Chapter 12: Services Chapter 13: Urban Geography Chapter 14: Resources AP Exam Review
Please fill out and return. Mr. Dimick - AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT Parents and Student: Please read the entire disclosure document for AP Human Geography and sign and return this page for 10 points of credit toward the student s grade. For full credit, please also answer the questions below. We have read the disclosure document for Advanced Placement Human Geography and agree to abide by the policies set forth in it. We will work hard at succeeding in this class and will keep an open line of communication with Ms. Bullis to ensure a successful school year. home phone # Parent/Guardian Signature Date work phone # e-mail: Student Name (printed) Period # Student signature Date ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- In order for me to get to know your student better in order to better meet their needs, please answer the questions below together with your student. 1. How well informed do you feel your student is about the world we live in? 2. In what parts of the world and/or what parts of our country do you feel your student has a good awareness of the people and society? 3. What is the furthest place your student has traveled to from Salt Lake City, Utah (list one or several)? 4. How often and when does your student inquire about events in the world? 5. Are there any specific world issues your student is most interested in such as religion, economics, environment, migration, etc.? 6. What learning strategies help your student succeed? For example, does your student prefer to learn more by role playing or reading something? Does your student prefer to work alone or in groups, etc.? 7. Please offer any other suggestions I may need to know to better serve your student.