Geography Syllabus

Geography helps us think more intelligently about ourselves, how to live and the futures that we may need to face. It succeeds in doing this because as a subject it holds things together, in place, across the physical and human domains. It helps us understand the significance of scale and connectedness.

- David Lambert

9^th Grade Geography

Tara Hoffman

Tara.Hoffman@anoka.k12.mn.us

763-506-6251

SS114

Course Description The goal of any social studies class is to help students to be college, career, and citizenship ready. This course seeks to accomplish this task by offering a rigorous and relevant look at the world, its physical geography, people, cities, interactions, and more. In this course, students will examine the world around them, locally, nationally, and globally.

Required Materials On a daily basis, students should approach this classroom with a “Think like a geographer” mindset. In addition to this, students should have their textbook, a notebook and binder/folder for this class only, flashcards, and a writing utensil.

Learning Materials Students will be given a copy of the textbook (Rubinstein, 2014) to be brought to class on a daily basis. Additionally, in class students will have access to their own Chromebook. The teacher will provide students with supplemental readings, articles, chapters, video clips, and more.

Grading As promoters of lifelong learning, the teachers of this course would rather not assign grades to work. We would rather place an emphasis on student learning. That said, we are required to give grades, so here’s how we plan on doing this:

Formative Assessments Formative Assessments are the things that help prepare students for academic success. This is where the learning is formed and opportunities to practice. Another way of looking at what formative assessments is to compare them to a physical where a doctor will see how healthy you are and if any changes need to be made to maintain or raise your health. After a physical, you may be told to work out more or eat your vegetables. In our case, this is where you see if you get it or not. If you do get it, you can move on. If you don’t get it, this is where we fix the issue to help you be successful; we also do promote eating of vegetables.

Summative Assessments Summative Assessments are the things that measure how well you learned material before moving on to new items of study. This is where you prove you can do it or you know it. Summative Assessments are compared to an autopsy. They can explain cause of death but it is too late to go back and fix anything. In our case, these will usually occur at the end of a unit and after the learning has been completed to measure how much was learned.

Trimester Grades:

Grading modifications may be made for students with IEP or 504 plans.

Late Work Because the work we do in the class is preparation for the summative assessments, students should get their work done on time. If a student has a concern about getting work done on time, they should speak with the teacher BEFORE the due date. Items not turned in on the due date may receive a 10% deduction. Items not turned in by the deadline (usually day of the test) will not be given credit.

Absent? If a student has an excused absence, she/he has two-days to make up the work per class missed. If the student knows about an absence ahead of time, arrangements should be made with the teacher to get the work that will be missed. Students should consult their study groups, learning target sheets, weekly emails, class website, and/or the teacher for missing work.

Grades will be posted ASAP. Teachers will do their best to make the gradebook as up-to-date as possible. Students and parents are encouraged to check their grades regularly. If a student has a question about the overall grade or grade on an individual assignment, she/he should see the teacher before or after class.

Communication Students are encouraged and welcomed to address issues or concerns with their instructor. Self-advocacy is an explicit skill that will be worked on in this class. While we do understand a need for teachers and parents/guardians to talk, in most instances, conversations should begin between teacher and student.

Course Outline

Each unit will last around 12-15 days

Unit 1 Basic Themes of Geography Where is the place? What is it like? How have people changed it by their interaction with the environment? How has the place been affected by the movement of people goods and ideas? How is this place similar to and different from other places? Students will also master such skills as using and reading different types of maps. What the differences in amps and their purposes? What are the different types of map projections and where is each of them distorted?

Unit 2 Industry and Economic Development How does industrialization affect a country or region? What is needed politically, socially, and environmentally for industry to be successful. Weber’s Least Cost Theory and Core Periphery or World Systems Theory will be discussed.

Unit 3 Agriculture and Rural Land Use What is agriculture? Why is agriculture so prevalent in the world today? What are the different types of agriculture? What are the effects of agriculture on the environment? We will analyze Von Thunen’s agricultural land use model.

Unit 4 Population and Migration Why is population currently a problem in some areas and not in others? What are population pyramids and how are they used? We will discuss migration and immigration, differences in migration patterns and refugees. What are the three reasons why people move?

Unit 5 Urbanization We will analyze the structure and function of cities in the modern world. Are cities dying? Are cities changing for the better or worse? We will assess models for urbanization and development. What is the role of the modern city? How has this role changed over the past centuries?

Unit 6 Cultural Geography What makes a place distinct from or similar to other places? How does physical geography affect ethnic groups and traditions? Students will analyze how language and religion affect social customs. Food and music will also be used to assess differences among populations in the United States.

Unit 7 Political Geography What is a boundary? Why do we have them? What are the difficulties and means of establishing boundaries? What are the effects of geography on wars in the world? Students will know the differences between nation, states and nation-states.

Unit 8 Environmental Unit What adaptations have taken place by humans in our environment? The environment influences human actions and humans adapt to that environment. What is your consumption and use to makes a carbon footprint on the earth?