R.

Holguin, World Geography

1
World Geography Syllabus
2011-2012

Welcome to World Geography!

Course Title: World Geography
Course Description:
In the study of world geography, students utilize physical and cultural perspectives to
examine people, places, and environments at local, regional, national, and international
levels. Students describe the influence of geography on the events of the past and present
with emphasis on contemporary issues. A significant portion of the course centers around
the physical processes that shape patterns in the physical environment; the characteristics
of major landforms, climates, and ecosystems and interrelationships; the political,
economic, and social processes that shape cultural patterns of regions; types and patterns
of settlement; the distribution of movement of world population; relationships among
people, places, and environments; and the concept of religion. Students analyze how
location affects economic activities in different economic systems. Students identify the
processes that influence the worlds political divisions and they analyze how different
points of view affect the development of public policies. Students compare how
components of culture shape the regional characteristics and analyze the impact of
technology and human modifications on the physical environment. Students use problemsolving and decision-making skills to ask and answer geographic questions.
The use of a variety of rich primary and secondary source materials such as contemporary
and historic maps of various types, satellite-produced images, photographs, graphs,
diagrams, and power point presentations will all be utilized throughout the year.
In short, the study of world geography uses an examination of past and modern societies
as the basis for learning and mastering specific concepts of culture, government,
economics, religion, and language.
Course Goal: To gain a working knowledge of our physical environment and its impact
on our history and lifestyles, thus allowing us to better understand the
nature of the world and the events that take place in it.
Course Objectives:
Students will:
Demonstrate a knowledge of location, physical geography, and cultural
geography of different regions around the world
Analyze the importance of human environmental interaction and its
impact on current events
Demonstrate knowledge of varied concepts within geography and how
each are interrelated
Develop skills in the use of primary and secondary sources to acquire
and process geographic information

R. Holguin, World Geography

Course Materials:
5 Subject Spiral Notebook
Pen and Pencil
Glue
The desire to learn!
PLEASE NOTE!
Supplies must be brought with you everyday to class. As a student at
Socorro HS you must act like a student and come to class prepared.
You MAY NOT borrow materials from your classmates nor the teacher.
The majority of the assignments will take place in the spiral notebook.
Therefore, it is essential to bring your notebook to every single class
session.
Grading Policy:
Homework: 15%
Daily Grades: 35%
Tests and Major Projects: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Grades may be viewed online at all times. Therefore, it is the
responsibility of the student to be aware of their grade and should they
have any concerns address the issue as soon as possible.
Grade Scale:
100 90%
89 80%
79-75%
74-70%
69-0%

A
B
C
D
F

Unit Plans:
At the beginning of each Unit, the student will receive a copy of a Unit
Plan Outline. All outlines contain essential concepts and vocabulary that
the student will be responsible for mastering at the end of the Unit. These
concepts and vocabulary will all be quizzed and tested.
Assignments and Homework:
Homework must be turned in at the start of the class. In-Class
assignments must be turned in at the end of class period. All assignments
will be graded and returned to students. Students MUST keep all
assignments returned to them in their spiral notebook.

R. Holguin, World Geography

Late Assignments:
Student will have 5 days after an assignment is due to make arrangements
with the teacher to complete missing assignment or improve his/her grade.
After the 5 days the student will lose opportunity and the assignment will
remain a zero.
Should the student accumulate two zeros within a grading period the
student will be referred to No Zero Zone. No Zero Zone is an SHS
initiative to ensure the success of our students. NZZ takes place every
Friday from 4-6pm. If a student is referred they will not be able to leave
school until their assignments are complete and the NZZ assigned teacher
releases students. NZZ may also be utilized upon teacher discretion on
individual performance.
Quizzes:
Students will not be given advance notice for quizzes. Expect to receive
quizzes on a regular basis. Student will be allowed to use notes on all
quizzes. Quizzes will be comprised of map work, matching, multiple
choice, fill-in-the blank, interpretive exercises, short answer and essay
questions. If a student misses a quiz due to being absent, he/she must
make-up that quiz the following class. If it is not made up the following
class or when scheduled by me, students will receive a zero for that quiz.
Cheating:
Cheating is not accepted. Zeros will be given to all students participating
in cheating, copying and/or plagiarizing. If a student is caught giving
answers they too will receive zeros.
(These zeros may not be made up in any way shape or form)
Attendance and Tardiness:
Attendance is crucial to the success in this course. Should a student be
absent they have until the next class session to make arrangements with
the teacher to make-up work. It is the responsibility of the student to make
arrangements.
Socorro High School has a strict tardiness policy. Any student tardy will
not be allowed into class and be required to obtain a lock-out slip from
either a Security officer or an Administrator. You must immediately return
to class once lock-out slip has been filled out. Accumulation of lock-out
slips will result in after school detention until 6pm.
Electronic Devices:
Cell phones, IPods, MP3s, and any other electronic device will not be
allowed in my class. Student will only receive one warning. If student
does not store electronic device teacher will confiscate device.

R. Holguin, World Geography

Having an electronic device out in class puts you at risk to losing your
personal property. Once an item has been stolen it is difficult to find and
the school is not responsible for lost property.
Most importantly it interferes with classroom instruction!!
Tutoring:
Should you need any additional help with assignments or tutoring please
make arrangements with me so that you may not fall behind on content.
After school tutoring is available as long as arrangements are made in
advance.
Freshmen Center:
Homework will be given everyday. At times homework assignments may
require the use of a computer, internet and textbook. All of these resources
can be found on campus at the SHS Freshmen Center. The center is open
Monday through Friday from 7am to 6pm. The lab is open periodically on
Saturdays. Please make the necessary arrangements so that you may
complete your assignments on time.
Please note, activity buses are available as well and depart from campus at
6pm. Please contact front office for more information.
I encourage you to be the best student that you can be. You will reap
the rewards of all your hard work. Social Studies is an amazing topic
that will help you develop yourself not only as a student but as an
individual. I look forward to a great year!

Student Name:__________________________________ ID# ____________________

Student Signature:_______________________________
Parent/Guardian Name: __________________________________
Parent/Guardian Phone Number:___________________________________
Parent/Guardian Email: ________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: _____________________________
Signature indicates syllabus has been read and understood by both the student and
parent. At the end of the day it is the students responsibility to adhere to the syllabus.
Teacher reserves the right to modify syllabus throughout the year.
** Syllabus must be placed in Spiral Notebook**