Geo Teacher's Geography Classroom

I. Materials 
 

A. Students are expected to bring the following materials to class every day:
 

1. 3 ring binder:  1 1/2 inch with pockets     Your notebook must have 5 section dividers in it. 2. standard sized loose-leaf paper   (no paper torn from spiral notebook, legal pad paper, etc.) 3. pencil or pen (blue or black ink only) 4. a highlighter 5. coloring pencils  (12 count is fine) 6. unlined, 8 1/2 x 11 white paper  (about 10 sheets) 7. a ruler 8. textbook 9. planner (provided by school district).

B. I will not:

1. loan or provide materials
2. allow students to return to their lockers or other places to collect materials
3. allow students to harass other students for materials
4. allow students to share textbooks.

C. If your textbook is lost or stolen, you must pay for it before you are issued another textbook, and you are still responsible for all class assignments.  Replacement Cost:  $45.97.   If your textbook is missing, notify me immediately.

D. If your notebook is lost or stolen, you are responsible for replacing it and all required content.
 
 

II. Grading Policy 
 

A. 9 Weeks Grade
 

1. Assignments will be weighted as follows to determine the 9 weeks grade:
 

2. The city-wide grading scale for determining letter grades on individual assignments is as follows:

A = 92-100,  B = 83-91,  C = 74-82,  D = 65-73,  F = below  65.
 

3. Letter grades will be recorded in the grade book and will have the following values:

 A = 4 points,  B = 3 points,  C = 2 points,  D = 1 point,  F = 0 points,  0 = -2 points.
 

4. When averaging these grades in order to determine the 9 week grade, I will use the following scale:

A = 3.6 — 4.0,  B = 2.6 — 3.5,  C = 1.6 — 2.5,   D = 1.0 — 1.5,  F = below 1.0.
 

5. Assignments not completed or turned in on time will be counted as "0".

6. Grades will be averaged by computer and students will be informed of their averages as often as possible.

7. Students will have opportunities each week to earn extra credit points to improve their daily average, and usually will be able to complete an extra credit project each 9 weeks to raise their test average.
 

B. Semester Grade

1. As required by the school system, the semester grade will be determined as follows:

1st 9 weeks = 40%, 2nd 9 weeks = 40%, and Exam = 20%.

2. As required by the school system, the semester ORT will count 75% of the exam grade and student essays the remaining 25%.  Students who pass the World Geography SOL test given in May will be exempt from the second semester exam
 

C. Homework 
 

1. Homework will be assigned each day the class meets and is usually due the next class period.  Students will also be given short and long-term project assignments.

2. Students are expected to do homework independently—do not collaborate or share with other students.  Do not copy the work of other students.  Doing so is cheating and will be dealt with as such.

3. Homework may be reading, study, and/or written assignments.

4. Late homework will not be accepted.  Late homework is that which is not turned in at the time it is collected.

5. Students will not be allowed to return to their lockers or other places to collect homework.

6. Students will not be allowed to finish homework in class on the day that it is due.  It must be completed   before coming to class.

7. All homework assignments not turned in on time, or which are not 50% complete, will be given a   grade of zero.  Zeros count -2 points.

8. Students should write down the homework assignment in their planner and make sure that they understand it before leaving class.

9. Every written assignment will not be graded, however students are expected to do all assignments.  Assignments not graded should be kept in their binder and will be a part of the notebook grade.

10. Students will conduct an ongoing, yearlong study of a chosen country.  A project will be assigned related to this country each 9 weeks.
 
 

D. Notebook 

1. Put the following information (in the order listed) on the inside front pocket of your notebook (binder):

2. Divide your notebook into the following 5 sections and label each section:
 

Organize papers in each section according to date—put a date on everything in your notebook—from  oldest to most recent.
 

3. Keep all graded and ungraded assignments, notes, handouts, and dittos in your binder.

4. Notebooks will be graded several times during the year.
 
 

III. Make-Up Work 

1. All students must make up work missed due to an excused absence within 5 days of return to school unless the teacher allows additional time.

2. Make-up tests/quizzes will not be given during class time.

3. Tests, and other assignments that must be completed at school,  must be made up after school in room 243.

Students should schedule an appointment to make up work as soon as possible after the work is missed.  (Appointments can also be made to receive extra help with course work.)
 

4. It is the student's responsibility to do the following:
 

5. Make-up work and tests not completed within 5 days will be given a grade of zero unless otherwise excused by the teacher.
 
 

IV. Parent Contact 

1. I do not call parents about every assignment that is not turned in on time.  However, since students are required to keep all assignments in their notebook, I encourage parents to check that notebook regularly for graded papers.

If your child is regularly telling you that he/she doesn't have homework, this means he/she is not completing assigned homework.

2. A written notice will be sent home when I assign a student after-school detention for misbehavior.  Any student who does not attend will be referred to the office.

3. I will contact parents concerning repeated misbehavior and classroom disruptions.

4. I encourage parents to call me if they have any questions about their child's progress, or to make an appointment for a conference.

Geography Classroom