Units of Study:

Unit 1 Geography of Africa

Unit 2 Classical Egypt

Unit 3 Kingdoms of Nubia, Axum, Zimbabwe & the Swahili City States

Unit 4 Ghana, Mali, & Songhay

Unit 5 Slavery & Colonization

Unit 6 African Independence Movements

Unit 7 South Africa & Apartheid

Unit 8 Africa Today

Students always receive a detailed study guide for each Unit.  The Study guide gives them everything that will be covered in the unit by day.   It lists when tests and quizzes will be given.  Parents who would like to receive the current study guide should request a copy by e-mailing me.

Check out my on-line Africa Glossary!

Good Attendance: You can’t succeed if you are not here.
Be On Time: It’s the polite thing to do and prevents class disruptions.
Be Prepared:  Come with your book, notebook, writing utensil, and finished homework,
                                     be ready to learn.
Positive Attitude: You won’t succeed if you don’t care. If you look for the negative,
                                             you will surely find it.
Do Your Best: Don’t shortchange your education.
Respect...Yourself, Other Students, Your Teacher, and School Property.

Be a person of character:             Trustworthy                        FairBe a person of character:             Trustworthy                        Fair

Caring                Good Citizen          Respectful            Responsible

Classroom Procedures:
1.  You should be seated in your assigned seat when the bell rings.
2.  You should remain in your seat till the bell ending class rings.
3.  Homework assignments are due at the start of class.
4.  Students who were absent or tardy need to bring a pass from the office with them to class.
5.  Make-up work can be picked up before school, during seminar, after school, or at the end
     of the class period.
6.  Pick up after yourself, and don’t leave things under your desk.
7.  Don’t talk when the teacher is talking, during tests, and other instructional activities.
8.  Disruptive students will be given time after school or a referral.

Grades will be posted every 6 weeks. The 6 week grading periods will accumulate into two semester grades. Grades will be based on the following grading scale:

90 - 100% = A

80 - 89% = B

70 - 79% = C

60 - 69% = D

59% & below = F

The following activities will determine what grade a student earns:

Tests & Quizzes = 40%

Papers & Projects = 20%

Homework, notebook, and Class Participation = 40%

There will be a 1-2 tests every six weeks. The tests will be objective and essay. If a student wishes to retake a test they may do so during seminar, or before and after school. Tests must be retaken within the six school days following the return of the test. Retake tests can raise a test score a maximum of 20 percentage points or to the total of 75%, whichever is higher.

Quizzes will be given almost every week, alternating with tests. All quizzes will be objective. Quizzes may not be retaken.

Students will be expected to keep a notebook for the entire school year. The notebook should contain lecture notes, notes in preparation of class discussions, group work, terms and their definitions. Notebook material will be picked up, checked and graded on a random basis without prior notice.

There will be a daily grade for work done during class. This grade will be based on the accuracy and completeness of written material done during class time, student participation within individual and group learning activities, and time spent on task. Class work will include:

-reading the textbook and other source material.
-note taking and information gathering.
-making maps, charts, and graphs.
-work on individual projects.
-research in the library.
-class discussions

When class work involves an assessment of student participation, points will be awarded in multiples of 5 on the following scale:

5 points = satisfactory

4 points = needs improvement

1-3 pts. = inattentive, off-task, disruptive, disrespectful of other students and  themselves.

0 points = absent

There will be a homework assignment given each class period. The majority of assignments will be reading assignments which will take take 20 - 30 minutes to complete. Students will usually receive these assignments a week in advance of the due date. It is important that students do their reading assignments. No late assignments will be accepted.

A student is responsible for any work they missed. Make-up work must be completed promptly according to the following guidelines:A student is responsible for any work they missed. Make-up work must be completed promptly according to the following guidelines:

1. Students who are absent for a class should bring a stamped Admittance slip with them to the class the next time it meets. Students who are absent are responsible for all material learned in class that day or assigned by the teacher in place of activities done in class. Students may get their make-up work by looking at their Unit Study Guide. Any handouts given out when they were gone will be in the folder on the wall with their name on them Students should pick up the work they missed on the day they return to school, even if this class is not scheduled for that day.

2. Tests and quizzes can be made up before or after school, or during seminar period.. Students should make an appointment ahead of time to make-up tests and quizzes before or after school. All tests and quizzes must be made up within 6 school days. One of the major reasons students fail this class is failure to make-up tests.

3. Daily make-up work is due no later than 4 school days after the date the student was absent.

4. Because essay papers and projects are long term assignments, single day absences should not have a big effect on them. Therefore they will be due when the student returns to class. Students who missed several consecutive days should check with the teacher as to when their work is due.

5. Class participation points will be made up in the following ways:

1--completion of written work involved in the activity.
2--a paper on the topic that was discussed.
3--assigned worksheets from the chapters in the textbook.

Students who are tardy disrupt the learning activity and cause the teacher to waste instructional time on paper work. Late students are expected to report to the office and return to class with an office pass. They should enter the room as quickly and quietly as possible. The following policies apply to all tardy students for each 6 weeks:

For the 1st and 2nd tardy in a six week period, no penalties.

For the 3rd and all subsequent tardies, the student will have to serve 10 minutes of detention on the next Wednesday after school or Thursday before school. If a student does not show up for their time, their parents will be called or they will be referred to an administrator. Since you will cause me to lose 10 minutes of my time, you will then owe me 20 minutes of your time.

Students who are more than 10 minutes late to class (or 15 minutes late to 1st hour) will be counted as absent (unexcused). They will loose points off their participation grade. These points may be earned back by coming in to serve 20 minutes of time before or after school on detention day and by completing the work they missed. Twenty minutes of detention will be assigned on the 3rd and all additional incidents. No shows will result in a phone call home or a referral. You will then owe 30 minutes of time.

4. Tardy students who are noisy and rude when entering the classroom, will be referred to an administrator.