Mt.

SAC Summer Program- San Dimas High School

Summer 2018
Geography CRN:11811/11814
Instructor: Ms. Smith
k.smith@bonita.k12.ca.us
www.ladysmithsclass.weebly.com
June 11-July 13
Monday-Friday 7:30-10:10/10:30-1:00
Room 0-6
Textbook: World Geography Glencoe 2005
Author: Richard G. Boehm Ph.D.

“Geography is for life in every sense of that expression: lifelong, life-

sustaining, and life-enhancing.” —Geography For Life: National Geography Standards,
Second Edition

Course Description and Objective

This course is an introduction to fundamental place-name geography. It offers a descriptive survey
of the world's cultures, emphasizing the principal geographic, demographic, linguistic, political, and
economic features of contemporary sovereign states and their possessions.

The fundamental objective of the course is to enable you to acquire a mental map of the world that
will allow you to identify and describe all of the principal geographic features of the earth, including
each and every one of the world's independent countries as well as the earth's prominent land
forms, major bodies of water, and notable colonial possessions.

Student Learning Objectives

● Pass a cumulative course exam (midterm, final)
● Analyze various regions of the earth and locate both physical and political representations
on a map.
● Analyze, the human bearing on the earth including the diversity of cultural mosaics,
patterns of settlement, and the use of resources.
National Geography Standards Index

● “The world facing the high school graduates of 2025 will be even more crowded than the
world of today. The physical environment will be even more threatened. The global economy
will be even more competitive and interconnected.
● Understanding and responding to the challenges and opportunities of the world in the
twenty-first century will require many skills; the capacities to think and communicate
mathematically and scientifically will remain at a premium. Geographic literacy will also be
necessary for reasons of enhancing economic competitiveness, preserving quality of life,
sustaining the environment, and ensuring national security. As individuals and as members of
society, humans face decisions on where to live, what to build where, how and where to
travel, how to conserve energy, how to wisely manage scarce resources, and how to
cooperate or compete with others.
● Making all of these decisions, personal and collective, requires a geographically informed
person—someone who sees meaning in the arrangement of things on Earth’s surface, who
sees relations between people, places, and environments, who uses geographic skills, and who
applies spatial and ecological perspectives to life situations. Geographic skills enable a
person to understand the connections between patterns of rivers and the physical
processes that create them, between patterns of cities and the human processes that
create them, and between what happens in the places in which we live and what happens in
places throughout the world, near and far.
● The goal of the National Geography Standards is to enable students to become
geographically informed through knowledge and mastery of three things: (1) factual
knowledge; (2) mental maps and tools; (3) and ways of thinking.”

"National Geography Standard Index." - National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June
2015.
Class Expectations

Elements of Study
1. The World in Spatial Terms
2. Places and Regions
3. Human Systems
4. Environment and Society
5. The Uses of Geography

Classroom Policies:
In addition to the rules and policies of San Dimas High School, the following classroom rules will be
in effect starting the first day of school:
Every day all students will
1. Respect all people (yourself, staff, peers, etc.), their belongings and opinions.
2. Be in seat and ready to work when the tardy bell rings & stay seated until the teacher (not
the bell) dismisses the class.
3. Follow all directions the FIRST time.
4. Come to class prepared with all materials (book, paper, pen/pencil).
5. Participate by raising your hand and waiting to be called on before speaking.
6. Model digital citizenship

Other classroom policies

1. No food, drink or gum allowed (water is OK)
2. Positive language only
3. Speak only when appropriate
4. No grooming in class
5. Turn work in electronically using google classroom
6. Ask for help when they need in (especially in regard to technology issues)
7. Produce authentic work both in formative and summative assessments.

Consequences
1. 1st Violation: Warning by teacher and/or peers (verbal or visual)
2. 2nd Violation: After school conference with teacher
3. 3rd Violation: detention
4. 4th Violation: Office referral and parent contact

Students who seriously violate school codes of conduct will be subject to special consequences
1. Any student who engages in behavior that causes or has the potential to cause injury to
him/herself or others will be immediately referred to a counselor.
2. Any student who engages in cheating will be immediately referred to a counselor. (See
Policy section on cheating.)
3. Any student who violates the school’s sexual harassment policy will be immediately referred
to a counselor.

Access for Students with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities are assured equal access to educational institutions and all systems of
communication under Federal and State laws. (Mt.SAC Board Policy Board Policy 5140).

Sexual Harassment Policy

Mt. SAC has adopted Board Policies and procedures designed to prevent sexual crimes, stating
sanctions for offenders and supporting access to treatment and information for victims. Sexual
assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking are crimes that are not tolerated and are
prohibited on the Mt. SAC campus (Board Policy 3430 and 3540). More information about the policy
and Clery Act Reporting can be found at: www.mtsac/edu/safety.
 Mt. SAC Academic Record
Because your summer class is offered through Mt. SAC College, you will receive a grade that will be
recorded on a noncredit academic record through the college's computer system. Your grade will be
recorded as a standard little grade, A-F.. Your school will also enter a grade for this class on your
official home school transcript.

Drop policy
If you drop the class after it has been in session for 42 hours or more, you will be given a grade
that takes into account incomplete work. If you drop the class before this point, your name will be
dropped from the class roster and there will be no grade reported to Mt. SAC.

Academic Integrity and Dishonesty Policy

The practice of academic integrity to ensure the quality of education is the responsibility
of each member.. It is the policy that academic work should represent the independent
thought and activity of the individual student, and work that is borrowed from another
source without attribution or used in an unauthorized way in an academic exercise is
considered to be academic dishonesty that defrauds the work of others and the
educational system.

Engaging in academic dishonesty in fulfillment of the requirements of an academic

program is a serious offense for which a student may be disciplined or dismissed from a
program. Academic dishonesty includes: Cheating, fabrication (intentional invention or
falsification of any information or citation in an academic exercise), facilitating academic
dishonesty (knowingly helping others to commit academic dishonesty), plagiarism, or reuse
of previously submitted work without prior approval or citation.

Course Schedule

Week Areas and Chapters Assignment Quiz and Tests

1: June 11-15 The America’s Ch 5-10 Chapter PPT Notes Quiz on Wednesday
Political Map Test on Friday
Physical maps Project due next
Unit Project Monday

2: June 18-22 Europe and Russia Ch11-16 Chapter PPT Notes Quiz on Wednesday
Political Map Test on Friday
Physical maps Project due next
Unit Project Monday

3: June 26-29 Africa and SW Asia Ch 17-22 Chapter PPT Notes Quiz on Wednesday
 Political Map Test on Friday
Physical maps Project due next
Unit Project Monday

4: July 2-6 Central Asia Ch 23-28 Chapter PPT Notes Quiz on Wednesday
Political Map Test on Friday
*No school on Physical maps Project due next
Wednesday July Unit Project Monday
4th

5: July 9-13 East Asia and Oceanica Ch 29-34 Chapter PPT Notes Quiz on Wednesday
Political Map Final on Friday
Physical maps Project due Friday
Unit Project

Participation is 10% of total grade

Homework is 15% of total grade
Quizzes are 15% of total grade
Tests are 30% of total grade
Course Final is 15% of total grade
Projects are 15% of total grade

Grading Scale Final grades will be based on the following grading scale:

100%= A+ 87-98.99% = B+ 77-78.99% = C+ 67-68.99% = D+ 0-59.99% = F

93-100% = A 83-86.99% = B 73-76.99% = C 63-66.99% = D

89-92.99% - A- 79-82.99% = B- 69-72.99% = C- 60-62.99% = D-

 Student Expectation Acknowledgement Contract

I have read, discussed, and understood the information presented on this syllabus for Ms.
Smith’s Geography Course

● I assume responsibility for my actions, my work, and my grade.

● I understand that the degree of my success is my choice and I accept all of the
results, good and bad, which are the outcome of my choices.
● I will not cut and paste from the Internet rather, I will showcase my synthesis and
application of knowledge by using my own words.
● If I am absent or confused about an assignment, I will check the online calendar
for assignments.
● I will turn assignments in using google classroom and google drive
● I have until the end of each triad to turn in the work that was assigned and/or
question it in the electronic grading system (Q).
● If I am absent on the day of a test an alternate exam may be given and must be
taken within one week of the absence.

Student Name:
_________________________________________________________________

Student Signature:

____________________________________________________ Date: __________

Parent Signature:

____________________________________________________ Date: __________