2022-2023
    ​Disclosure Document Survey
    Mrs. Ness AP Human Geography
    Classroom Policies & Procedures    

    Contact Information and Period

    Please read the following procedures, rules and guidelines and identify the answer that best applies to your understanding and/or acceptance of each policy.  Submit your responses once you have completed the entire survey.

    Course Description & Objectives

    ​Students will develop a “geographic” perspective that will help them see meaning in the arrangement of things and apply a “global” perspective to life situations.  Students will develop geographical skills to employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine socioeconomic organizations and its environmental consequences. They will learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications. Students will use two textbooks.  The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography (J. Rubenstein),  and AMSCO Advanced Placement Human Geography, 2nd Edition by David Palmer, as well as internet research, films, documentaries and current news sources. Students will register on AP Classroom, which requires personally identifiable information that is used to register for the AP exam

    The course will follow the topic outline of the Advanced Placement Human Geography Examination:
    • 1. Thinking Geographically
    • 2. Population and Migration Patterns and Processes
    • 3. Cultural Patterns and Processes
    • 4. Political Patterns and Processes
    • 5. Agriculture & Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes
    • 6. Cities and Urban Land-Use Patterns and Processes
    • 7. Industrial and Economic Development Patterns and Processes
    • 8. Global States
    The course work will be equivalent to an introductory
    college level geography course and will prepare you to take the Advanced Placement Human Geography test on May 4th of 2023.

    Attendance, Tardy & Discipline Policies

    Attendance, Tardy & Discipline Policy:  Attendance:  This is a college course, regular attendance is expected. Many projects are completed in class, including daily reading exams. Students are expected to attend and actively participate in order to succeed. If a student misses class, it will be his or her responsibility to check objectives and assignments on Canvas, and complete & upload their assignments prior to the unit exam. Some work cannot be completed out of class.  Students are expected to use their Pridetime (flextime) to make up missed work. Willowcreek Jr. High attendance policy will be applied. 
    On the A/B schedule, missing one day of class is like missing two periods of instruction. Tardies and lack of attendance not only effect the ability of students to learn, but will also be reflected in participation points as some work by it's nature cannot be made up outside of class.
     
    This is an AP course discipline issues will not be tolerated.
    Discipline policy:      This course will support the school’s R³ policy, i.e., respect yourself, respect others, respect the school. If disruptive or negative behavior occurs, the following steps will be followed:  
    • * Verbal warning and/or name on the board. 
    • ** Sent to a different seat in the classroom or staying after class. 
    • *** Sent to another classroom for the period with assignment. 
    • If a student has been sent to another classroom a second time, he/she will need to complete a behavior contract with the teacher, parents will be contacted 
    When a student has been sent out of the classroom three times, the student will be reassigned to a different class period. 

    Fighting, harassment, challenging teacher authority, or using profane language will result in immediate removal from class and will be dealt with according to district policy and may result in reassignment to a different class. 

    Tardy Policy:   The school’s tardy policy will be followed.  Warm-ups, quizzes or self-starters cannot be made up due to unexcused tardies. Citizenship grades will be dropped after the third tardy. A student is considered tardy if they are not in their seat when the bell rings, even if they are in the room. 

    Homework & Online Platforms

    Homework & Expectations
    AP Human Geography is a college course, students should expect out of class assignments (homework) for each day of instruction. Out of class will work will be assessend reviewed on the due date, as such. late work, though still valuable will impact instruction and  quality of learning for both students and their peers.  Late work may be turned in for 70% credit of corrected score (3 on a mastery scale). Incomplete late work will not be accepted. Late work must be completed during the unit within which it is studied.  I reserve the right to consider each student's concerns and will allow extra time if I feel the student has legitimate reasons for late work (i.e. long illness, pre-planned family vacations) and arrangements are made in advance of the due date.

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    Use of Canvas, Skyward & AP Classroom
    All work will be posted on CANVAS.  You will note the icons posted reflect the nature of the assignment in CANVAS,.  You may reference the icon to identify the nature of the work assigned in Canvas.  Students will need to bring their computer to class daily.  Canvas is a content platform.  Assignments, readings, lectures and daily activities will be posted daily on Canvas.  Completed work is graded within Canvas and then synced nightly to Skyward.  Some assignments and learning acitivities may take longer to grade that other work; however in general work is graded daily.   Skyward is a grading and communication platform. Grades generated and visible in Skyward reflect the most current student grade.   Please note late work will be graded and posted prior to the end of the term.  
    Some work may be posted on the website nesshistory.org.

    Students will create an online account with the Advanced Placement College Board, the company that creates AP exams. To register, students will need to enter personally identifiable information that is used to register for the AP Exam. The website and class code  will be shared in class, once available they will be posted online.  Students must remember their password as the instructor will not have access to this information.

    Electronic Devices (School Supported) & Cell phones & Earbuds

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    Willowschool Middle School will provide access to a laptop for all students.  In general student work will be completed online. Student's must bring their laptop to class daily, they are responsible for charging their device prior to attending class. ​
    iPods, cell phones and other similar devices ARE NOT ALLOWED IN CLASS they are  a distraction and make student learning difficult. Parents, if you need to contact your student please do so during their class breaks. ​The use of earbuds/headsets, not associated with student learning, during class is prohibited.  Work not completed because of the use of earbuds during instructional time will NOT be accepted.  Earbuds and cell phones used during class will be collected and will not be returned to the students.  Parents are responsible for collecting ear buds and cell phones from the front office that are used without permission. 

    ​*Students who must have access to a cellular device for medical reasons should notify the teacher in advance.

    Make a Donation: Help purchase materials to ensure best learning

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    The Alpine Foundation is a tax deductible foundation that allows you to help with special projects in your son/daughter’s classroom.  Make a donation by clinking on the "Donate Now!" link on the left.  It will only take a few minutes.  Be sure to keep a copy of your receipt for a tax deduction come tax season AND contact your employer to access matching funds for your child's education

    Assessments: Common Standards Based Assessments

    Students will take numerous exams over the course of the year.  With the exception of memorizing the nation states, all other exams (formative & summative) will reflect the AP exam in both format and content.  Formative exams taken during the course of a unit  will have at least two exams available.  If a students does poorly on the first exam they are expected to reveiw the content and retake the second exam..  This will help the students master the content and format of the AP exam; in addition, it will help improve their course grade.  Formative re-exams must be taken during Pridetime during the course of the unit being assessed. Retakes are not allowed on the final summative unit exams. 
    All students are expected to take the APHUG exam.  The APHUG exam is given on  May 4th  and proctored by the administration.  Scores for the AP exam are generally available in July.  The APHUG exam will be $97.00 dollars and must be paid on my school fees.  An informative email will be sent to parents and students once complete information has been made available from the AP Board. Scores received on the APHUG exam will not impact the grade received by the student in the class. ​ 

    Late Work & Grading Policies

    Late work   
    Work is considered late if the student is present in class and does not hand in the assignment on the due date, or as the teacher collects it.
    • Completion of all late work for students not in attendance on the due date is the responsibility of the student. Students should turn in late work prior to the unit exam corresponding to the assignment. 
    • It is the responsibility of the student to come in after school or during Pridetime to evaluate, grade and post late work.  Late work will not be accepted during instructional time. Students who turn in late work on Canvas are responsible for advising the instructor via Canvas that work has been resubmitted (note not all resubmitted assignments are visible to the instructor in Canvas).
    • Late work will not be accepted the last week of the term or after completion of the unit in which the work was assigned. 
    • Please see "Grades & Homework" for more information on late work. 
    Students will correct the work of other students and have their work corrected and/or recorded by other students/student aides. This practice has an important educational purpose in that it allows students to review information and assess the validity of ideas that may be different than their own.
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    Grading Policies:  Grades* will be assigned and weighted using the following criteria:
    • 20% In class assignments & Activities (Listed in Canvas & Skyward under Assignments)
    • 30% Exams, Daily Quizzes and Unit Assessments (Listed in Canvas & Skyward under Assessment)
    • 20% Participation in inclass discussions/ collaborative activities (listed in Canvas & Skyward under Participation)
    • 30% Reading & Writing, including Cornell notes & in other out of class activities. (Listed in Canvas & Skyward under Homework)

    Grade Scale 
    • 100-90= A    (Mastery)       
    • 89.99-80 = B (Approaching Mastery/ Adequate Understanding)     
    • 79.99-70 = C (Partial Mastery)       
    • 69.99-55= D (Mastery attempted)     

    Class Materials and Internet Use

    Class Materials:   Students will need to bring the following materials to class DAILY
    • 2 inch or 3 inch 3-ring binder (this binder will be used exclusively in this class, students must have the binder with them daily).
    • College Ruled Reinforced Filler Paper
    • 8 Divider tabs for 3 ring binder
    • Format for organizing Unit Flash Cards (Student selected)
      • Card file  (or)
      • Ring (or)
      • Envelope  (or)
    • Hole reinforcment tabs (suggested)​
    • Black or Blue ink pen              
    • 2 Red grading pens                      
    • Two #2 pencil​
    • Colored Pencils
    • AP Texts (provided)

    Internet Use: Parents, please note that students will be required to use the internet for this class. Prior to doing so parents must update their student's information in skyward and ensure their students have the right to use the internet.

    Advanced Placement Exam

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    The AP Human Geography Exam gives students the opportunity to earn college credit (3 semester hours) in Geography while still in high school. The exam tests student's knowledge of the patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. The AP Human Geography Exam is a 2 1/2 hour test that includes a 60-minute, 75-question multiple-choice section and a 75-minute three-question free-response (essay) section. The multiple-choice section accounts for half of the examination grade and the free-response section for the other half. The exam will be given on May 4th and will be proctored locally.  All AP Human Geography students are expected to prepare for and take the AP exam.  There is a $97 fee paid to the AP college board when taking the AP exam. If students are not planning on taking the exam, they should transfer to another section of Geography/World Civilizations, as they will earn the same high school credit by taking the high school level Geography/World History.

    E-mail updates and Text Messages

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    Remind Emails:
    Regular updates will be sent via e-mail to parents and students via skyward.  To ensure you receive these messages be sure to post (and or update) both the parent and student email information in skyward under the "Account info" tab on the upper right hand corner of the skyward family page @ https://skyward.alpinedistrict.org/.  Grades are updated daily and weekly within skyward. To receive weekly skyward email of your student's progress, you may request an email notification within the "Family Access" page under the "General Information" in skyward. Teachers are not given access to the student's skyward account password; however if you have lost the password, the front office secretaries can help you access this information

    Text Messages
    Sign up on Remind to receive text reminders of homework, exams and important information to help you succeed in Spanish.  PLEASE NOTE IF YOU POSTED YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER ABOVE AND INDICATED YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES. THE INSTRUCTOR WILL SIGN YOU UP TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES.

    Text Messages: Parents

    AP Human Geography: Student
    Text @APHG23S  to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting @APHG23S​ to (801) 701-1419.

    AP Human Geography: Parent
    Text @APHG23P  to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting @APHG23Pto (801) 701-1419.

    Publication of Student Work*

    Be advised that students may be asked to complete assignments in the form of oral or digital instructions, and/or student work may be included as part of classroom and school-sponsored websites.  Such websites may be published on the  Web and will therefore be available to a potentially limitless global audience.    

    Parental/Guardian consent is required for the publication of all student work and/or for the publication of student pictures or images when such pictures or images clearly identify individuals.   Parental/Guardian consent is also required for student participation in providing online information for educational related classroom assignments.  (Students and parents are to use caution and good judgment when personally identifiable information appears on a website.) 
    Please check the Technology and Application Permission form to indicate your consent.  If you wish to provide consent only for the publication of your child’s work and not for the publication of his/her picture or image, or vice-versa, you may do so by checking the appropriate statement.  Please note only positive work will be published to highlight excellence in the content area. 

    Additional Information

    It would be greatly appreciated if you are able or willing to donate to the classroom, Students can receive an extra late pass for donations:  
    • Treats (rewards, small penny candies without peanuts individually wrapped)
    • Dry erase markers/ Red Pens
    • Boxes of Kleenex and/or hand sanitizer

    ***Please feel free to email your student’s teacher at the following address cness@alpinedistrict.org, to arrange a meeting before or after school.

    ** Teachers are not available on early out Wednesday due to required attendance at district and school collaborative meetings.

    Feedback & Submission

    Prior to submission please check to ensure you reviewed and checked your response on each portion of the Disclosure Document Survey.   

    A message will appear on the screen when you have submitted the Disclosure Document correctly, and a copy of your responses will be sent to the email you provided (school provided email will be unable to receive this message). If your form does not sumbit it is an indication that one or more of the required responses has not been recorded.  Review the form to ensure all responses were provided.
Why AP?