US History
Mr. Jeffers
AP Human Geography
Bill Jeffers, B-22
Voice Mail: 510-657-3600 Ext. 37022
E-Mail:
AP Human Geography is a two-semester course that examines cultural constructs including politics, religion, language, race, agriculture, region and place. Students will be expected to take the AP Human Geography test in the Spring.
OFFICE HOURS
I am available by appointment before school, at lunch or after school for additional help. You are welcome to stop by at any time, but understand that if you want specific help, you need to have made an appointment to ensure dedicated time.
CODE OF UNDERSTANDING
¨ Show respect in word and action Work hard with honesty and integrity
¨ CELL PHONES ARE NOT ALLOWED. Phones will be confiscated and taken to the office.
MATERIALS
Each day you are responsible for bringing:
- Pens, pencils, and highlighters, notebook, homework, assigned text, bottled water (no food or soda is allowed in class)
CLASS WORK AND PARTICIPATION
One of the most rewarding experiences of being in our AP Human Geography is participation in it. Participation is defined as being fully engaged in the class intellectually, physically, and emotionally. This means coming to class prepared and willing to contribute to our class and group discussions and projects as well as individual work. This does not mean that you have to speak on every question or every minute. Rather, it means being a thoughtful, informed, and respectful participant and contributor, both as a listener and as a speaker.
TESTS AND QUIZZES
All tests will be announced in advance. There will be a test approximately for every chapter in the textbook. Tests will be composed of objective, short answer, identification, and essay questions. Quizzes will also be assigned either as an announced quiz or a pop-quiz.
HOMEWORK
Daily homework assignments are due at the beginning of class. They will not be accepted late- NO EXCEPTIONS! If you are in school on the date an assignment is due, but you miss my class, the work is still due for you to hand in to me in person that same day. It is expected that you will do 30 minutes of Human Geography homework every day.
MAJOR PAPERS AND PROJECTS
All major papers and significant writing projects must be:
Type written; 12 point font; double spaced; left-justified; margins at 1.25"; on 8 1/2" x 11" paper; stapled
They must be handed in at the beginning of class on the date that they are due. All work will follow MLA format. PLEASE NOTE THAT WIKIPEDIA IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE RESEARCH RESOURCE.
EXCUSED ABSENCES AND MAKE-UP WORK AND TESTS
It is your responsibility to schedule a make-up test, resulting from an excused absence, to be taken upon your return. If you are in school on the date that an exam is given but fail to show up for the exam, without an excused absence, your grade will be zero for that exam. Assignments missed during an excused absence lasting X number of days, must be handed in within X days upon returning to class.
CHEATING/PLAGIARISM
It is our understanding and agreement that all work is to be uniquely yours and not the result of cheating and plagiarism. Such practices shall not be tolerated and will result in the following immediate action:
1) Grade of F on the assignment in question
2) Phone call to your parents
3) Notifying the school administration
4) Loss of all participation points for that grading period
Sources must be cited if you do any of the following:
1) quote, paraphrase or summarize a passage (to the extent that you use the author’s structure and organization)
2) include information not in common knowledge or use statistics gathered by someone other than yourself
4) borrow someone else’s opinions or conclusions
GRADES
All of your work in this course is scored according to criteria that you have access to before the actual completion of your assignments. Assignments are not weighted, but rather, will be a cumulative total for each semester and will come from the following areas:
Tests / Quizzes, Homework, Projects, Class Participation
Additionally, your final grade may be affected by excessive absences, excessive tardiness, or in-class behavior that I assess to be impolite, disrespectful, or simply not welcome in the classroom.
For each grading period the points will be averaged to calculate a percentage, equal to the following grades:
A (93-100); A- (90-92.9); B+ (87-89.9); B (83-86.9); B- (80-82.9); C+ (77-79.9); C (73-76.9);
C- (70-72.9); D+ (67-69.9); D (60-66.9); F (00-59.9)
PARENTS
I WILL USE A VARIETY OF MULTIMEDIA SOURCES INCLUDING WEB SITES, VIDEOS AND MOVIES TO SUPPLEMENT CLASSROOM LEARNING. SEVERAL OF THESE CONTAIN MATURE THEMES AND IMAGES. WHILE THIS INFORMATION IS NOT DESIGNED TO OFFEND STUDENTS, IT IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE A REALISTIC HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR DICUSSION AND HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE. EXAMPLES INCLUDE THE MOVIES SAVING PRIVATE RYAN AND BAND OF BROTHERS.
I have read and understand the expectations in Mr. Jeffers AP Human Geography class.
Textbook # ______(the same book and number must be returned at the end of the school year)
Student Name ______Student Signature ______
Parent Name ______Parent Signature ______
I have read and understand the expectations in Mr. Jeffers AP Human Geography class.
Textbook # ______(the same book and number must be returned at the end of the school year)
Student Name ______Student Signature ______
Parent Name ______Parent Signature ______
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