Mrs. Chappelear’s Horizon

GA Studies/American Government Class

2014-2015 syllabus

Welcome Heritage Generals!

This year is going to be an exciting year for all of us and I want you to know that it is my primary goal to help you achieve success. This syllabus will give you much of the information you need to succeed in my class this year.

What you will learn this year:

You will study Georgia geography, history, government, and economics. We will look closely at the geography of Georgia and the government of Georgia. U.S. historical events are included, as appropriate, to make sure that you understand Georgia’s role in the history of the United States. We will ALSO be learning American Government this year and if you successfully complete that portion of the course you will receive a high school credit!

How you will be graded:

Tests – 20% of your grade

Quizzes – 10% of your grade

Homework – 10% of your grade

Projects – 20% of your grade

Daily assignments – 40% of your grade

Yes, you will have homework! J

You will have homework assignments to complete during the school year. However, you will never have homework on a Wednesday or Friday night. I do expect you to complete every homework assignment and turn it in when it is due. Missing assignments are simply not an option in this class. Late assignment policies are:

1 day late maximum grade of 90

2 days late maximum grade of 80

3 days late maximum grade of 70

After 3 days no longer acceptable

When you are absent from class: If you have an excused absence you have the number of days absent to make up your work and/or turn in missed assignments. For example, if you miss three days you have three days to make up your work. Work that is turned in after this time will be counted as late work (see above). If you are absent you can check your assignments from home on my webpage OR get them from me when you return to school. It is YOUR responsibility to make up all missing assignments!

How you need to head your papers:

All papers must have the following written at the top of the paper:

°  Name (First & Last)

°  Block

°  Assignment title

**PAPERS WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION WILL BE FILED IN THE NO-NAME FOLDER FOR YOU TO FIND AND RE-SUBMIT FOR A GRADE!!**

To be prepared for class you will need:

  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • 3-ring notebook with 20 dividers. It must have a table of contents and it will be graded at the end of each nine-week period. Your notebook will count as a test grade each nine weeks.

Online textbook

Due to a limited number of textbooks I will only be able to provide you a textbook while you are in class. I will not be able to check them out to you this year. However, there is an online textbook available and you can access it from my website. Simply go to my site, click on 8th grade links, and the link is there for you along with the password you will need to access the page. Please take advantage of this from home when completing assignments!

A final note to the parents…I strongly encourage you to stay involved in your child’s education. One way to do so is to take advantage of parent portal. It offers you the chance to see your child’s performance in my class on a daily basis. The login is available from our school website at www.heritagegenerals.com and if you are not sure of your login/password please contact your child’s homeroom teacher and they can provide it to you. In addition, I want you to know that I am an approachable person. Anytime you have questions, concerns, suggestions, etc. please feel free to contact me. The fastest and easiest way to catch up with me is through e-mail. I check e-mail frequently each day and can usually respond within 24 hours to messages I receive.

Be ready to work hard but also have lots of fun as we learn together this year!!

If you ever have questions or need to contact me, e-mail me at