Course Syllabus

AP Human Geography

Syllabus

Mr. Justin Leath

Course Introduction:

 AP® Human Geography at our school is a semester-long course designed to meet or exceed the experience of an introductory one-semester college human geography course. The purpose of the course is to utilize geographic processes to systematically study and understand spatial patterns that are evident in the world in which we live.

Course Materials:

-The Cultural Landscape An Introduction to Human Geography 12ed. (2017) by James Rubentstein.

-Revenge of Geography

There will also be supplemental readings throughout the semester that will be provided or requested as needed.

Organization of Course:

This class will meet every day on a 90-minute block, A day B day schedule. The class will consist primarily of reading at home followed by application in class. It is imperative that you be sure to keep up with the material as we move through the course. The course will be set up in Topics, and each topic will use “Key Issues” to explain the topics. There will be tests that will mirror the AP Exam on each topic, and the possibility of assessments, both “Pop” and “Scheduled” at any time throughout the semester. Also, there will be a vocab requirement for each chapter that will be due the day of the Topic Assessment. Other assignments that will be assigned throughout the semester include classwork, papers, and projects. Every assignment should be turned in on time, any late assignment will automatically be docked 40% of the grade before the grading process begins.

Classroom Procedures:

With the challenges inherent to the upcoming school year, my procedures and expectations have evolved to adapt to these changes. Your time in this class will be split between in-person and remote learning. Even with this challenge, we will strive to achieve as much of a routine as is possible.

In-Person Expectations Remote Learning Expectations
  • Students should arrive on time and prepare for class.
  • Students should remain quiet and attentive during the lesson.
  • Students should remain on-task until the work for that day is completed.
  • The remainder of class should be used to to conference with me or recieve any direct help that is needed.
  • Students will arrive to the class feed via Microsoft Teams on time.
  • Cameras should be on and microphone muted until recognized
    • If you have a question, use the raise hand function on teams, or type your question into the chat.
  • Students should remain attentive, and engaged throughout the guided instruction.
  • Students are expected to complete any work assigned once released

Failure to meet these expectations:

  1. Verbal Warning
  2. Parent Contact
  3. Write up
  4. Office referral

*Most disruptions will follow this progression of correction. However, as the teacher I do reserve the right to skip steps based on the severity of the disruption.*

Assignments and Assessments:

Assignments this year will look a little different, but only on the surface. These will include daily assignments like warmups and exit tickets, vocabulary assignments, document breakdowns via CommonLit, as well as various projects. Assessments will mostly take place on Fridays, to be completed during the remote learning days. They will be short answer and essay tests.

Grading Scale:

Each type of assignment or assessment will be assigned a certain amount of points that will reflect the impact of the assignment:

  • Daily Assignments (Between 1 and 20 points)
  • Projects (Between 25 and 50 points)
  • Assessments (Between 25 and 50 points)

*When checking Powerschool, it will show the points possible and the points earned for each assignment*

*Final grade of each six-weeks will be the percentage of points earned divided by points possible*

*Progress reports/report cards go out every 3 weeks, but grades can be accessed any time through PowerSchool*

Make-up/Late Work

Make-up work must be completed within 3 days of the missed class, as per the PRHS rule.

Late work must be completed before the end of the six-weeks to which the assignment was due. All late assignments will only recieve a maximum of 60% of the points possible for that task. (Ex. If an assignment is worth 10 points, the maximum possible score if it is late would be 6/10)

Office Hours

I will be available on Microsoft Teams for the first 30 minutes of each scheduled block. If you need extra help, or a conference, please email me and we can meet virtually on our Microsoft Teams feed. I will also be available, by appointment, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:00.

Supplies/Resources

Students will need their Chromebooks, pen/pencils, and paper. Resources needed will be accessible through Canvas.

Canvas

The majority of assignments not completed on paper must be submitted on our learning platform, Canvas. Assignments can be submitted a variety of ways including, uploading files, typing into text boxes, and sharing Google documents/presentations. Students will be shown how to submit assignments on Canvas as needed. Individual assignments will indicate which method of submission on Canvas is expected. If students need a refresher or have questions, they can access the Canvas Student Guide Links to an external site.for specific instructions. It is the student's responsibility to ensure assignments are submitted on time and to contact the instructor if there is a problem. Please note that student activity is logged while in Canvas so instructors will be able to see if the student opened the assignment, if there was any activity including a log of student activities during on-line tests and quizzes. Students are not allowed to leave the testing window during assessments. Doing so is considered cheating and will be handled as set forth in the Porter Ridge HS handbook.

NOTICE: Although many assignments are submitted and graded in our learning platform, Canvas, the "final" grades shown may not be properly weighted and do not contain assignments that were not graded in Canvas. For the student's official grades, please continue to access the parent portal through Powerschool. Login information should be the same as last year. If you need assistance accessing the parent portal, please contact the school.”

Honor Code:

Being an AP student comes with many pressures. However, dishonesty will not be accepted regarding the work done for my class. Cheating and Plagiarism are very serious offenses, and will be handled as such. Consequences include but are not limited to: A zero on whatever the assignment is (for both the copier and the supplier), an office referral, and a phone call home. The following behaviors should be avoided.

  1. Using, receiving, or providing unauthorized information during quizzes or exams.
  2. Changing the answers on assignments after the work has been graded.
  3. Using unauthorized electronic devices, such as cell phones, PDA’s, electronic dictionaries, etc.
  4. Plagiarizing or presenting someone else’s work as your own.

Course Planner:

 

Topic

Multiple-Choice Coverage on the AP Exam

 

Textual Readings

 

Time

(Approximate)

I. Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives

5-10%

Rubenstein, Chapter 1

6 Days

II. Population

13-17%

 

Rubenstein, Chapters 2, 3

10 Days

III. Cultural Patterns and Processes

13-17%

 

Rubenstein, Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7

9 Days

IV. Political Organization of Space

13-17%

 

Rubenstein, Chapter 8

8 Days

V. Agricultural and Rural Land Use

13-17%

 

Rubenstein, Chapter 9

8 Days

VI. Industrialization and Economic Development

13-17%

 

Rubenstein, Chapters 10, 11

7 Days

VII. Cities and Urban Land Use

13-17%

 

Rubenstein, Chapters 12, 13

7 Days

AP EXAM REVIEW

 

 

 

10 Days

AP EXAM

 

 

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

                 Noon

 

Tips for Being Successful in AP Human Geography

  • Attend class regularly.
  • Take notes in class and follow along in your textbook.
  • Partner up with another student in the class.
  • Read the assigned readings. For every one hour of class you should spend two hours outside of the class reading the textbook and reviewing your notes.
  • Review your notes on a daily basis. Research indicates that you forget 80 percent of what you read after two weeks time.
  • Grading mistakes can happen. It is your responsibility to save all graded quizzes and exams until the end of the semester when grades are completed.
  • Speak to me if you have any language difficulties or disabilities.
  • Communicate with me if you need help in class or if you have any issues or concerns. I will be more than happy to help you.

I am excited for the upcoming semester and I hope you are too. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me and I will respond as soon as possible.

Email: Justin.leath@ucps.k12.nc.us

Phone: 704-292-7662 ext. 7080

Course Summary:

Date Details Due