Pre-APWorld Geography

Victoria West High School

2017 - 2018

Instructional Goals

By the end of this course, you will:

This course is designed to provide an opportunity for students to study the interaction of man and his environment. The study includes current developments around the world, which affect physical and cultural settings. Emphasis is placed on geographical processes, which affect decisions concerning interrelationships among nations, production and distribution of goods, uses and abuses of resources and political and economic conditions.

Required Materials

To successfully complete this course, you will need

•Pens/Pencils/Highlighter

•80 sheet spiral notebook (1 each semester)

•Notebook paper

•Map pencils

•Box of Kleenex (by class- 1st &2nd Period)

•Index Cards – 3x5 (by class- 3rd &5th Period)

Course Schedule

First 9 weeks: Aug 21- Oct 19

Unit One: Physical Geography

Unit Two: Celebrate Freedom Week

Unit Three: Human Geography

Unit Four: US and Canada

Second 9 Weeks: Oct 23 – Dec 20

Unit Five: Latin America

Unit Six: Europe

Unit Seven: Russia and the Republics

Review for Midterms and Finals

Third 9 Weeks Jan 8 – March 8

Unit Eight: North Africa and SW Asia

Unit Nine: Sub Saharan Africa

Unit 10: South Asia

4th Nine Weeks: March 19 – May 24

Unit 11: East Asia

Unit 12: Southeast Asia

Unit 13: Australia and Oceania

Review for Finals

Victoria West Student Guidelines for Success

Warriors are….

Polite, Proud, Prepared, and Positive

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS. . .

1. Respect yourself, the teacher & others

  • Show respect for the teacher, yourself and others at all times. This includes personal property and school property.
  • Pushing, shoving, hitting, bullying, etc. will not be tolerated.
  • Students must be in dress code at all times. ID’s must be attached via a lanyard around the neck.
  • The use of foul language, shouting, yelling is not permitted.

2. Put forth your best effort at all times

  • Always do your own best work.
  • Study hard, ask for help when needed.

3. Be prepared for class each day

  • Come prepared with all necessary materials

4. Follow directions when given

  • When directions are given, do your best to follow them the first time. If you are confused or have questions, ask. I would rather have you stop class to clarify than be off task while everyone else is working.

5. Pay attention, participate and ask questions

  • I will frequently ask the class to answer certain questions. Be prepared – I often call on those who aren’t raising their hand.

6. Preserve a positive learning environment

  • It is my responsibility to provide a safe and learner-centered environment. Student actions that interfere with teaching or learning in the classroom will NOT be tolerated.
  • Use class time to learn World Geography. I will not allow students to do work from other classes.

7. Take responsibility for your actions

  • If you are confronted about a rule infraction, own up to it. Don’t deny it, lie about it, or blame

someone else.

  • Take responsibility for missed assignments.
  • All handbook rules will be enforced. Please read your handbook. Students that choose to break these rules lose valuable learning time for themselves/classmates and face the possibility of additional consequences. Actions have consequences.

CLASS RULES

1. Turn off cell phones & electronic devices

  • Electronic devices (CD players, Ipods, handheld games, mini-TVs or personal DVD players, cell phones, pagers, etc.) are NOT permitted in my classroom.
  • Cell Phones should be turned off and invisible during the class period UNLESS we are using them for class activities. If I see or hear your phone it will be taken away and given to an administrator, according to the cell phone policy outlined in the VWHS handbook.
  • Refusal to turn over a cell phone will be treated as insubordinate behavior.

2. No food or drink, except water

  • You may drink bottled of water in the classroom. If a spill occurs, please clean it up immediately andinform the teacher.
  • No other food or beverage is permitted without a doctor’s note.

3. Arrive to class on time & ready to learn

  • When the bell rings, you need to be sitting in your assigned seat.
  • You should immediately begin on the warm up/ “DO NOW” activity
  • Be “physically” and “mentally” present in the classroom

4. Never line up at the door before dismissal

  • Please remain in your seat until I have dismissed you. Never line up at the door before dismissal. The front door will NOT become Walmart on Black Friday. I will dismiss you when the bell rings.

5. Do not cheat, plagiarize, or copy work

  • Cheating is completely unacceptable. If I see you cheating on any assignment even for another class… I will give you a zero and report the incident to the other teacher as well as your assistant principal and parents.
  • Plagiarism (copying work from another source without giving proper credit) is completely unacceptable. If you plagiarize on any assignment you will earn a “0” on that assignment with no opportunity to re-do the work for credit. If you share your work with another to copy, you will also receive a zero.

6. Use polite and appropriate language

  • Offensive, derogatory, and profane terms are not tolerated. In order to have a safe classroom environment where all students feel comfortable, no put downs, swear words, or slang words with demeaning connotations will be accepted. Remember, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all!

7. Do your best work & turn it in on time

  • Remember that the work that you turn-in is a reflection of your effort on the assignment. Think about the following expectations when you are preparing an assignment that I will review:

Write your full name and hour on all assignments.

All work must be neatly done and legible in order to receive credit. If you print, capitalize properly (do not write using all capital letters).

ALL MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS, ESSAYS & PROJECTS MUST BE TYPED. If you don't have a computer at home, the Homework Center or Public Library is a great place to work on essays! Final draft format for typewritten work is as follows: 12-point font, double-spaced, 1” margins, and use a Times New Roman Font.

CLASS PROCEDURES

1. Turn in homework to the proper bin

  • Homework is due at the beginning of class.Turn in your homework to your class bin. I will not accept work once class begins.Failure to turn in homework/assignments on time will result in a ZERO. However, as per District Grading Policy, you have the opportunity to redo afailed assignment ONCE, within 3school days of due date.

2. Sign OUT/IN when going to the restroom

  • If you need to use the bathroom, raise your hand to ask for permission. You are not allowed to leave the classroom during the first 15 minutes & last 15 minutes of class. Also, while I am instructing the class (speaking to the class) you will not be allowed to go to the bathroom unless it is an absolute emergency.
  • If given permission, I will need to initial and date your bathroom pass on the back of Student ID and you will sign the Sign OUT/IN Sheet located near the door.

3. Pick up after yourself before you leave

  • Take all of your belongings, pick up any scrap papers around you, and put your desk back in line before you leave each day. No pencils on the floor.

4. Get missed work from absent bin, if not there then ask the teacher

  • Attendance is essential for optimal learning. Being on time and present and class physically and mentally will be part of your overall grade. You may not be excused from my class by another teacher without first seeking my permission.
  • If you are absent, it is your responsibility to obtain any missed class work. Begin by looking for missed handouts in the ABSENT bin pertaining to your class. Follow-up with the teacher if necessary at the end of class.
  • Make arrangements to take quizzes and tests immediately. It is your responsibility to make these arrangements; I will not and cannot track you down.

Department Grading Categories:

The following Grading Guidelines will apply to all Social Studies Courses at Victoria West High School.

Course averages will be computed according to the following weights and categories:

  • 50% Summative: Tests, Projects, Final Drafts
  • 50% Formative: Daily, Quizzes, Journals, Homework

A minimum of one grade will be recorded each of the weeks of the 9 weeks – at least 3 of these grades will be summative grades. Teachers have been given the responsibility of recording all grades into the Parent Grade book within one week of the assignment’s due date. Summative assessments may be given administrative approval to allow a few more days for grading reasons. Information about course work and grades is available online through the VISD home page by accessing the Parent Grade book.

Failure Is Not An Option!

Our goal is for all students to be successful. In order to take advantage of every learning opportunity, students should actively participate in all class activities and discussions and complete all assignments in the time prescribed. In the event students are not successful the first time they complete an assessment or assignment, opportunities exist for them to demonstrate mastery of essential knowledge and skills.

District Wide Re-teaching and Reassessing Policy:

Students who meet the criteria detailed in these guidelines will be provided a reasonable opportunity to retake a test for which the student earns a failing grade.

The guidelines are as follows:

  1. Each student will be allowed to retake a failed test (below 70%)one time.
  2. In order for a student to retake a test, the student must have all the assignments related to that test completed and turned in to the teacher and attend the required tutorial session(s). The amount of required tutorial time will be based on the individual student’s understanding of the objectives not mastered.
  3. The teacher will provide a different test or format for the student based on the course objectives and essential knowledge and skills which were assessed on the original test. The retest must have the same level of rigor as the original test.
  4. A student must utilize the retest opportunity within two weeks of the initial test.
  5. The student will receive the higher of the two grades; the original test or retake test.
  6. A student will not be able to retake a mid-term exam, benchmark or a final exam.

Teachers may assign a late penalty to any project, final draft or assignment turned in after the due date if the guidelines have been previously established in a rubric and approved by administration. The rubric will be disseminated to students when the assignment is introduced.

Late Work Policy

  1. If an assignment is turned in 1 day late – 90% is the maximum grade that I will give.
  2. If an assignment is turned in 2 days late – 80% is the maximum grade that I will give.
  3. If an assignment is turned in 3 days late – 70% is the maximum grade that I will give
  4. If an assignment is over3 days late – 50% is the maximum grade that I will give.

I will, of course, follow the district absence policy giving students one extra day for each class period missed.

Instructor Information:

Name:Phillip Gonzalez

Room #: B217

Phone: 361-788-2830

Email:

School Website:

IMPORTANT: In my class I will send messages, files and links to students via Remind. It is their responsibility to sign up.

REMIND:

I utilize “Remind” in all of my classes to send information to students. Usually this includes reminders of exams and quizzes, study sessions, study guides, etc. There is a sheet in this packet that shows students how to register for Remind. Remind does not give me their phone numbers or texting information, nor does it give them mine. It only pushes short messages, web links and files to the students. Students are required to sign up, parents are welcome to if they wish.

DROPBOX:

I also utilize “Dropbox” in all of my classes. At the beginning of each unit, students will be sent a “web link” to my Dropbox file for that unit. I place all work, papers, study guides, Power Points and videos inside of that folder. At any time, a student can retrieve a missed assignment, re-watch a video or view a Power Point that we used in class.

The Victoria Independent School District and its career and technology education program do not discriminate on the basis of gender, disability, race, color, age or national origin in its education programs, activities, or employment as required by Title IX, Section 504 and Title VI.

El distrito escolar independiente de Victoria y suprogramaeducacional de carrera y tecnologia no discriminan a base de genero, incapacidad, raza, color, edad u origennacionalensusprogramaseducativos, actividades, o empleocomo lo requiere el Titulo IX, Seccion 504Titulo VI.

Name: ______Period: 4 5 7

Parent Signature Form

We have read the syllabus and understood what is expected to successfully complete this course. Please sign and return to Mr. Gonzalez by Thursday, August 24th, 2017.

Student Signature:______Date: ______

Parent Signature:______Date:______

Parent email:______

Parent phone number______

Second phone number______

PLEASE NOTE: EMAILS ARE VERY IMPORTANT SINCE THIS IS FREQUENTLY THE EASIEST WAY TO CONTACT ME AND FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE AN EMAIL ADDRESS THAT IS READABLE.