8th Grade Global Studies Syllabus
Mrs. Wittenberg
wittenbergt@tracy.k12.mn.us
Welcome to 8th grade Global Studies! Global studies is a study of world regions, cultures and global issues that will help students develop research, writing and analytical skills. The areas of study will include geographic issues relating to culture, religion, agriculture, population, urbanization, economy, geographic physical and environmental features, in The United States, Canada, Latin American, Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Students will analyze a variety of geographic information from a variety of sources to investigate places or answer specific geographic questions.
Course Curriculum:
· Introduction (Geography & Globalization)
· Population Geography
· Cultural Geography
· Political Geography
· Resources & Land Use
· Agricultural Geography
· Economic Geography
· Urban Geography
Resources:
There is no textbook for this class. All work will be available on Schoology or in class.
Classroom expectations:
Three R’s: Respect for yourself, respect for others, and Responsibility for your actions.
Be prepared for class! Be in your seat and ready to go when the bell rings and have all necessary materials as listed above in this syllabus.
Materials Needed:
Notebook/paper Colored Pencils
Pen Folder/Binder to keep loose papers for this class only
Pencil
Bathroom Policy:
Excessive requests to leave the room will not be approved. No passes will be granted in the first 10 and last 10 minutes of class. Passes will be granted during individual work time only; no passes will be approved during instructional time.
Grading Policy:
Tests & Quizzes – 40%
Class assignments & Homework – 35%
Map Tests – 15%
Projects & Participation – 10%
A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = 59 & below
Late Work:
Work is due on the assigned due date. Late work submitted 7 calendar days late will incur a 10% penalty. Any late work received after 7 days will receive a 20% penalty. Any assignment that is due and has not been received will be entered as missing until it is received and graded.
If a student needs extra time on an assignment an agreement needs to be reached with the teacher in advance of the due date.
All work assigned in the first half of the semester must be turned in by the midterms. All work assigned in the second half of the semester must be turned in by the last day of that quarter.
Late projects will not be accepted.
Retakes:
A retake will be allowed on one test per quarter, to be granted a retake the student must turn in the original test with mistakes corrected and effort shown to learn the material.
Retakes will be allowed up to 2 weeks from the original testing date. Retake dates must be agreed upon with the teacher before it is taken.
Tests:
At the end of each unit students will take a unit test. Prior to the test they will have notes, worksheets, and a study guide.
Each Test will be out of 100. Excused absences will be expected to make up the test the next class. Unexcused absences will be marked as 0 until a retake is completed, it will be entered as a 0.
Notes, computers, or resources of any kind are not allowed to be used during tests.
Quizzes:
Students will have multiple quizzes throughout the units. No notes, computers, or resources of any kind are allowed, unless otherwise stated by the teacher.
Daily Work:
Students will have a variety of daily work in class. It is homework if not completed in class and due the next day unless told otherwise.
Homework:
Most homework will be classwork that was not completed in class or there was not time to work on in class. When homework is given it is expected to be done by the next day unless noted otherwise.
Map Tests:
Students will take a map test monthly. Each map tests focuses on different countries, or geographic features. Students will have a month to complete their map and use it as a study guide. New map tests will be distributed to students on the same day they take the previous map test.
One map test retake will be allowed per quarter. To be eligible for a retake students must complete their practice map prior to the monthly map test.
Projects:
There will be multiple projects throughout the year. The projects that are group, each group member is expected to contribute equally. Each group member will be expected to submit a “who did what” sheet after the project is completed. Late projects will not be accepted, the due date is final. Please speak with the teacher if you have concerns about your group, or the due date in advance.
Participation:
Each day students are expected to participate. Participation includes, completing bell work, answering questions, taking notes, staying on task, asking questions, etc.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit will not be given on an individual basis. Any extra credit opportunities will be presented to the class. It will be added to the participation category.
Absent policy:
Being in class is vital to your success. If you have an excused absence check the file box at the student center for any missing handouts or classwork and Schoology for anything that you missed. Missing work is expected the next day in class.
Cheating:
Your grade should be a reflection of what you have truly learned, not what you can acquire from others. Today’s technology has made the ability to share and gather information much easier than in the past. Online sites, books, etc. are resources and should be treated as such, they must ALWAYS be cited in any work that you do. Not citing resources you use is considered cheating.
ANY AND ALL instances of cheating will result in a 0 for that assignment and referral to the office. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying other students work of any kind, changing a couple words from a website and submitting it as yours, sneaking notes in to use on a test or quiz, using AI to complete an assignment, any other form of plagiarism.
Cell Phone Policy:
School board policy states all cell phones must remain in student lockers during school hours. If students are seen with a phone it will be sent directly to the office. Please refer to school policy for more information.
Consequences:
1st Warning, verbal reminder about expected behavior.
2nd Discussion with student, possible detention and/or email to parent regarding behavior.
3rd Referral to administration for repeated infractions and/or severe behavior problem(s) and an email to parents regarding behavior.
E-Learning Day:
All assignments will be posted to Schoology by 9:30am. Students will be expected to complete an assignment that should NOT take more than 20 minutes. There will ALWAYS be a task that requires some sort of response from the student that day. Please ensure you read all the instructions. I will be online during normal school hours 8-3:30 on E-Learning days for any questions or concerns.
Other Items of Importance:
· No food in class
· Water or drinks with a cap
· No computer games, videos, or inappropriate web sites – if you are using your computer inappropriately during class time you will receive a 0 for participation that day
Changes to Syllabus
This syllabus should be considered a work in progress. Any changes made to the Syllabus will be given to students in a timely manner.