World Geography Syllabus—Grade 7
Edison Middle School--School of Choice
Mr. Blamires (pronounced “Blay-myers”) – B. A. in Russian Studies, OU.
**Best way to contact me is via email (blamich@tulsaschools.org).
World Geography consists of Physical Science and Life Science all tied together in the roots of World History. World Geography often explains why something is there or why an event happened. Knowledge of Geography is necessary to be well educated and successful in our world. Students will learn how to read and use maps, globes and other graphic tools to process and report information in an intelligent and correct manner. Students will learn and understand physical and human characteristics of a location. Students will learn and understand the physical processes that shape the patterns of the earth’s surface as well as people and cultures. All curriculum will be in compliance with Oklahoma P.A.S.S. Forward/Tulsa Way objectives for World Geography. Students are expected to work well on an individual basis as well as in a group. Reading will be emphasized and required both in class and as homework. Students are to cooperate in our learning process and participate as good citizens. Regular attendance is required to pass this class. Excessive absences may result in no credit for this course.
Discussions, group activities and individual learning times will be supplemented with almanacs, maps, videos, games, literature and the text book.
Each unit taught in World Geography contains vocabulary students must learn to acquire the most out of their education. Students will study these each night as vocabulary quizzes are a large part of the grade. Vocabulary will be checked periodically and points will be awarded by effort and completion.
Creating maps will be a frequent assignment. If not completed in class, worldatlas.com is a great resource to use at home.
Students are to have a spiral notebook of 120+ (70-80 pages are okay if students write front & back) pages for use as a daily journal. The journal will stay in the classroom and will only be used for geography class. Every day, all students must answer the question on the board in complete sentences in their journal. Each day’s answer must be around 100 words total or it receives no credit. Such questions include what we are studying, current events, social issues and tapping their imaginations as well as planning for their futures. The journal is vital to their daily grade. Ignoring the Journal or other daily work, the Current Events Assignment and other homework is very detrimental to a student’s grade. It is vital that these assignments are done and done well.
Geography Current Events Assignment: A series of 4 assignments due periodically through the 1st semester:
1. 1st: In September (date will be announced in class and codes given), all students will receive a grade for signing in to Google Classrooms. 2nd: In October, the assignment will be the Americas (directions follow). 3rd: November, Europe and Asia. 4th: December, Africa and Australia.
2. Find a current event happening in the relevant area for that month. Read the article and create a link to it in your Google document (VERY important!).
3. List the 5 themes of Geography and how they apply to the location in the article (Location, Place, Movement, Human-Environment Interaction and Region). Research will be necessary (No Wiki allowed!) as these are basically condensed reports. Refer to the notes on the 5 Themes.
4. Using an atlas (or worldatlas.com), locate the city of the story with latitude and longitude and list include it on the document.
5. Write the 2 hemispheres the story is located in (Northern or Southern, Eastern or Western).
Quizzes will be given for every vocabulary unit and are entirely verbal. Please study your vocabulary each evening for 15-20 minutes.
A special assignment will be given as the 2nd Semester’s homework: reading (most of the reading and writing will be done at home on Canvas or Google Classroom) “The Walking Drum” by Louis L’amour. More detailed instructions will be given upon assignment.
Grading Policy
All work is due on the date assigned, when requested in class. Late work is accepted for half credit but will not be accepted beyond one day late. The only exception is if the student was absent on the date due. Then homework will be due upon the return of the student. If a student was absent when homework was assigned, they have the same number of days to make up the assignment. If a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to ask for any assignments he or she may have missed and turn them in completed. These may be found online by clicking on my name at edison.tulsaschools.org.
If the missed work is a test or quiz, the student must schedule a time with the teacher before school to make it up (meet me in the gym by 8:10—I have early morning duty). No walk-ins will be allowed (please make an appointment the day before the desired date).
All students involved with cheating (which includes copying another person’s work) will receive a “0” and will not have the option of making it up.
Scale: A=100%-90%, B=89%-80%, C=79%-70%, D=69%-60%, F=59% and below.
Sample Vocabulary Terms:
Perspective, geography, urban, rural, themes, absolute location, diffusion, human geography, physical geography, cartography, meteorology, solar system, orbit, axis, rotation, revolution, Arctic Circle, solstice, Tropic of Cancer, atmosphere, water cycle, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, landforms, plain, plateau, isthmus, peninsula, core, mantle, crust, continents, weathering, erosion, deltas, glaciers, weather, climate, front, currents, steppe, desert, tundra, taiga, permafrost, ecology, culture, ethnic groups, demography, democracy, communism, Ural Mountains, Alps, Pacific Ocean, Renaissance, medieval times, World War I, World War II, Civil War, Pearl Harbor, blitzkrieg, siege, chivalry, prime minister, chancellor, tsar, emperor, monarchy, constitutional monarchy.