WORLD CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY
2013 - 2014 Course Syllabus
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION: Welcome to World Cultural Geography! The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. You will employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis using maps, aerial photos, and satellite images to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. You will also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. GOALS: On successful completion of the course, students should have developed skills enabling them to:
· Use and think about maps and spatial data. Maps and spatial data are fundamental to the discipline of geography. Students will learn how to use maps and spatial data to pose and solve problems, to analyze spatial information, and to think critically about what is revealed in different types of maps.
· Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places. Students will learn not just to recognize and interpret spatial patterns but to assess the nature and significance of the relationships among phenomena that occur in the same place, and to understand how tastes and values, political regulations, and economic constraints work together to create types of cultural landscapes.
· Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes. Geographical analysis requires a sensitivity to scale as a framework for understanding how events and processes at different scales influence one another. Students should understand that phenomena they are studying at the local scale may well be influenced by developments regionally, nationally, or globally.
· Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process. Geography is concerned not simply with describing patterns but with analyzing how they came about and what they mean. Students should be seeing regions as objects of analysis and exploration and move beyond simply locating and describing regions to considering how and why they come into being and what they reveal about the changing character of the world in which we live.
· Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places. At the heart of a geographical perspective is a concern with the ways in which events and processes operating in one place can influence those operating in other places. Students should view places and patterns not in isolation but in terms of their spatial and functional relationship with other places and patterns.
TOPICS: We will cover the following topics during the year in World Cultural Geography:
Thinking Geographically
Language
Political Geography
Industry
Population
Religion
Development
Services
Migration
Ethnicity
Agriculture
Urban Patterns
Folk & Popular Culture
Resource Issues
MATERIALS:
Students should have the following materials available to use:
A) Notebook, folder, paper, and pencils
B) A good student atlas
C) A “jump” drive useful for saving work from computer projects
D) Colored pencils (a set of 24 or more)
TEXTBOOK: None
OFFICE HOURS: Mr. Wetter will be in his room (7-201) after school, before school, or during lunch by appointment for makeup or tutoring.
CLASS RULES:
1) Turn off and put away cell phones & iPods.
2) Follow directions
3) Be on time
4) Use proper language & manners
5) Keep the room clean
6) No food/gum/drinks
CONSEQUENCES:
1) Warning
2) Student/teacher conference
3) Parent/teacher contact and/or conference
4) Teacher detention
5) Office referral
EVALUATION: A student must score at least a 70% on tests in order to demonstrate mastery of a topic. If they do not pass the student must perform a remediation activity of the instructor's choice and a second session to retake the test. All students performing under a 90% on an assessment summative may retake the test provided that they have completed additional work of the instructor's choice. MINI SUMMATIVES (specifically labelled in pinnacle) are NOT eligible for retakes). A student will have only one opportunity to retake the test and the second of the two grades will be taken unless the instructor can see a concerted effort has been made to improve. Exam retakes must be taken within 15 school days or else it cannot be retaken and only one retake may be taken during a school quarter unless permission has been received through the instructor. Overall grades will be calculated by the following formula: 40% for formative assignments (ex. homework) and 60% for summative assignments (ex. tests).
EXAMS: You will be tested on the major concepts, ideas, and vocabulary covered in class or found in your text at the end of every chapter. Exam questions will come from the notes you take during lecture/discussions, information from class activities and/or labs, and from the guided reading questions assigned for homework. For each chapter, exams may contain…
1) a 50 point multiple choice exam that checks your comprehension of the content covered.
2) a free-response questions
3) a vocabulary exam by matching terms with their definitions.
Students who complete the reading assignments, take the time to answer the guided reading questions, and review notes & daily work should be well prepared for the exams.
QUIZZES: Expect a quiz multiple times per week. Questions are normally related to work completed during class the day before or on your reading assignments. Students who are on task during class and complete their own work usually do very well on daily quizzes. Students who miss a quiz will need to schedule a make-up time after school. All quizzes for a particular unit need to be made up before the chapter exam in order to receive credit.
DAILY WORK: Each student should have a three 3 – ring notebook and/or folder with pockets. The middle section of the folder should consist of at least 100 pages of ruled notebook paper. You will keep all notes & information from class in this folder. Daily work is given to you to help you understand the material and prepare you for the exam at the end of the chapter. During the quarter, I will collect and grade only a fraction of the work you have been assigned. Many times however, quiz questions are based on work that should have either been completed in class or at home the day before.
PROJECTS/REPORTS: Each student taking a social studies class at Deland High School is expected to participate in the Volusia County Social Studies Fair. Students in my classes will be creating a documentary using pictures, video, narration, music and computers. The most important aspect of any entry is its historical quality. This means that students need to spend a great deal of time doing solid research and a thorough analysis of the chosen topic before creating their presentations. Most of this work should be completed outside of class. I expect to see high school level work done on these assignments …don’t wait until the night before!
MID-TERM/FINAL: Student will be expected take a comprehensive exam at the end of each semester.
Teacher’s Authority to Override Final Grade: A teacher may override the final grade if a student’s overall performance warrants it. Before the grade override is finalized, the teacher must notify the parent/guardian concerning the student’s performance if the override may result in a lower final grade. The teacher may issue a failing grade override based on the student’s overall performance only with the approval of the principal.
- This refers to the final grade of the grading period, or the final grade for the course.
Tardy Policy
If you are tardy and swept to the tardy room on the day of a test or quiz you will receive a zero for that assignment and can retake the test or quiz after completing a remediation assignment per the policy above for retakes. If you have already used your one test retake per quarter earlier in the quarter you will not be able to retake the assignment unless given permission by the instructor. If you are tardy swept when a formative assignment is given in class you will be required to complete additional work, in addition to the given assignment, in order to demonstrate proficiency.
Viewing of PG-13 Movie Release
Often appropriate PG-13 movies or sections of PG-13 movies can be utilized effectively to enrich classroom instruction and accomplish identified objectives. If you give permission for your child to view such materials, you do not have to do anything. (NOTE: NO “R” rated movies will ever be shown per Volusia County School Board Policy). If you do NOT wish to grant permission for your child to view any PG-13 movies identified by the teacher as effective in teaching the curriculum, please contact me via email at [email protected] or send in a note with your student.
2013 - 2014 Course Syllabus
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION: Welcome to World Cultural Geography! The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. You will employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis using maps, aerial photos, and satellite images to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. You will also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. GOALS: On successful completion of the course, students should have developed skills enabling them to:
· Use and think about maps and spatial data. Maps and spatial data are fundamental to the discipline of geography. Students will learn how to use maps and spatial data to pose and solve problems, to analyze spatial information, and to think critically about what is revealed in different types of maps.
· Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places. Students will learn not just to recognize and interpret spatial patterns but to assess the nature and significance of the relationships among phenomena that occur in the same place, and to understand how tastes and values, political regulations, and economic constraints work together to create types of cultural landscapes.
· Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes. Geographical analysis requires a sensitivity to scale as a framework for understanding how events and processes at different scales influence one another. Students should understand that phenomena they are studying at the local scale may well be influenced by developments regionally, nationally, or globally.
· Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process. Geography is concerned not simply with describing patterns but with analyzing how they came about and what they mean. Students should be seeing regions as objects of analysis and exploration and move beyond simply locating and describing regions to considering how and why they come into being and what they reveal about the changing character of the world in which we live.
· Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places. At the heart of a geographical perspective is a concern with the ways in which events and processes operating in one place can influence those operating in other places. Students should view places and patterns not in isolation but in terms of their spatial and functional relationship with other places and patterns.
TOPICS: We will cover the following topics during the year in World Cultural Geography:
Thinking Geographically
Language
Political Geography
Industry
Population
Religion
Development
Services
Migration
Ethnicity
Agriculture
Urban Patterns
Folk & Popular Culture
Resource Issues
MATERIALS:
Students should have the following materials available to use:
A) Notebook, folder, paper, and pencils
B) A good student atlas
C) A “jump” drive useful for saving work from computer projects
D) Colored pencils (a set of 24 or more)
TEXTBOOK: None
OFFICE HOURS: Mr. Wetter will be in his room (7-201) after school, before school, or during lunch by appointment for makeup or tutoring.
CLASS RULES:
1) Turn off and put away cell phones & iPods.
2) Follow directions
3) Be on time
4) Use proper language & manners
5) Keep the room clean
6) No food/gum/drinks
CONSEQUENCES:
1) Warning
2) Student/teacher conference
3) Parent/teacher contact and/or conference
4) Teacher detention
5) Office referral
EVALUATION: A student must score at least a 70% on tests in order to demonstrate mastery of a topic. If they do not pass the student must perform a remediation activity of the instructor's choice and a second session to retake the test. All students performing under a 90% on an assessment summative may retake the test provided that they have completed additional work of the instructor's choice. MINI SUMMATIVES (specifically labelled in pinnacle) are NOT eligible for retakes). A student will have only one opportunity to retake the test and the second of the two grades will be taken unless the instructor can see a concerted effort has been made to improve. Exam retakes must be taken within 15 school days or else it cannot be retaken and only one retake may be taken during a school quarter unless permission has been received through the instructor. Overall grades will be calculated by the following formula: 40% for formative assignments (ex. homework) and 60% for summative assignments (ex. tests).
EXAMS: You will be tested on the major concepts, ideas, and vocabulary covered in class or found in your text at the end of every chapter. Exam questions will come from the notes you take during lecture/discussions, information from class activities and/or labs, and from the guided reading questions assigned for homework. For each chapter, exams may contain…
1) a 50 point multiple choice exam that checks your comprehension of the content covered.
2) a free-response questions
3) a vocabulary exam by matching terms with their definitions.
Students who complete the reading assignments, take the time to answer the guided reading questions, and review notes & daily work should be well prepared for the exams.
QUIZZES: Expect a quiz multiple times per week. Questions are normally related to work completed during class the day before or on your reading assignments. Students who are on task during class and complete their own work usually do very well on daily quizzes. Students who miss a quiz will need to schedule a make-up time after school. All quizzes for a particular unit need to be made up before the chapter exam in order to receive credit.
DAILY WORK: Each student should have a three 3 – ring notebook and/or folder with pockets. The middle section of the folder should consist of at least 100 pages of ruled notebook paper. You will keep all notes & information from class in this folder. Daily work is given to you to help you understand the material and prepare you for the exam at the end of the chapter. During the quarter, I will collect and grade only a fraction of the work you have been assigned. Many times however, quiz questions are based on work that should have either been completed in class or at home the day before.
PROJECTS/REPORTS: Each student taking a social studies class at Deland High School is expected to participate in the Volusia County Social Studies Fair. Students in my classes will be creating a documentary using pictures, video, narration, music and computers. The most important aspect of any entry is its historical quality. This means that students need to spend a great deal of time doing solid research and a thorough analysis of the chosen topic before creating their presentations. Most of this work should be completed outside of class. I expect to see high school level work done on these assignments …don’t wait until the night before!
MID-TERM/FINAL: Student will be expected take a comprehensive exam at the end of each semester.
Teacher’s Authority to Override Final Grade: A teacher may override the final grade if a student’s overall performance warrants it. Before the grade override is finalized, the teacher must notify the parent/guardian concerning the student’s performance if the override may result in a lower final grade. The teacher may issue a failing grade override based on the student’s overall performance only with the approval of the principal.
- This refers to the final grade of the grading period, or the final grade for the course.
Tardy Policy
If you are tardy and swept to the tardy room on the day of a test or quiz you will receive a zero for that assignment and can retake the test or quiz after completing a remediation assignment per the policy above for retakes. If you have already used your one test retake per quarter earlier in the quarter you will not be able to retake the assignment unless given permission by the instructor. If you are tardy swept when a formative assignment is given in class you will be required to complete additional work, in addition to the given assignment, in order to demonstrate proficiency.
Viewing of PG-13 Movie Release
Often appropriate PG-13 movies or sections of PG-13 movies can be utilized effectively to enrich classroom instruction and accomplish identified objectives. If you give permission for your child to view such materials, you do not have to do anything. (NOTE: NO “R” rated movies will ever be shown per Volusia County School Board Policy). If you do NOT wish to grant permission for your child to view any PG-13 movies identified by the teacher as effective in teaching the curriculum, please contact me via email at [email protected] or send in a note with your student.
