Advanced Placement Human Geography Summer Assignment
Summer Reading Assignment
Stockbridge High School: Summer, 2015
Instructor: Toni Phillips
Required Knowledge: Maps of the world
1. You will need special knowledge of the world. Even though this is not a regional course it is important to build your mental map of the world. We will have little time to do this in class, so it is important that you do your best to work on it this summer To that end you should have a good atlas. You will also need a set of maps. You can get these from your instructor or print them off-line. If you have any questions after reading this assignment please contact me via e-mail at:
You need to study the atlas and self-test on the maps. An excellent website to use as a study aid is: http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/asiaquiz.html
The World Regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East or Southwest Asia (know the difference), Russia and the Republics, Africa (Sub-Saharan and North Africa), South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia.
Once you are confident about regions, and major physical features, then work on countries within these regions. You also should have a mental map of the United States and Canada (States, provinces, and major cities (not just capitals—large population centers).
We will have a map test the second week of class.
2. You will also need a basic geography vocabulary when class begins. It is suggested that you purchase spiral bound index cards and do your vocabulary as flash cards throughout the year. You may create a vocabulary notebook – a geography dictionary- yourself. Either way is acceptable. The vocabulary will be due the first Friday of class.
You will need a dictionary or use the websites listed below to identify these terms:
Cartography
Region
Formal region
Functional region
Geographic Information System (GIS)
Global Positional System (GPS)
Remote Sensing
Greenwich Mean Time
International Date Line
Land Ordinance of 1785
Latitude (Parallel)
Longitude (Meridian)
Location (absolute, relative and place name)
Map
Mental map
Place
Projection
Scale
In addition:
Start watching the news and reading the international section of major newspapers. Make it a point to learn about what is going on in the world and discuss it with your family or friends.
Suggested Reading:
Fiction
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (book 1)
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer (book 2)
Nonfiction:
1. Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1997, 1999.
2. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
3. Kunstler, James Howard. Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape. Simon and Schuster, June 1993.
4.Lapierre, Dominique. City of Joy. Doubleday, October 1985.
5. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. HarperCollins, 2002.
Suggested supplemental reading and workbook:
Barron’s: How to prepare for the AP Human Geography advanced placement examination
McGraw/Hill: 5 Steps to A 5 AP Human Geography
(Amazon. Com or Barnes and Noble usually carry this text)
Websites:
Vocabulary help:
http://www.infoplease.com/; http://www.quia.com/jg/853598.html ;
http://www.studystack.com/menu-1575
Mental map help:
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/;
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/world.htm;
http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/mapquiz/menu/menu.htm; http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/; http://www.50states.com/maps/usamap.htm;
http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=geography&cdn=education&tm=18&gps=109_368_865_582&f=21&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html