4. Textbooks
• GEOS Prentice Hall Custom
Laboratory Program for the
Earth Sciences
• Goode's World Atlas (or another
recent World Atlas)
• Recommended: A Physical
Geography textbook
6. SLO’s
• Physical Geography laboratory provides the
student with experience in investigation and
interpretation of the physical environment. Upon
completion of this course you will be able to:
• 1. Analyze earth-sun relationships and describe
how they affect daylight, seasons, and time for
various place on earth.
• 2. Define weather data, interpret a weather map
and use weather instruments to collect and
record data about local temperature, humidity,
pressure and wind conditions.
7. SLO’s
• 3. Analyze the characteristics of different
climate categories and describe the unique flora
and fauna of each.
• 4. Identify the characteristics of landforms and
rocks that relate to specific tectonic and
magmatic processes.
• 5. Find location using the global grid of latitude
and longitude and be able to utilize GPS
technology.
• 6. Identify landforms created by the erosion of
water, wind and ice and describe the
characteristics of each.
8. What to expect
1. Each class will consist of a short explanation of the lab exercise for
the day and time in class to complete each assignment.
2. All labs, except LAB SIX, will come from the GEOS Workbook.
You must bring the GEOS workbook to class.
3. Students will be required to complete the worksheets in the lab
book, and then submit the answers on Blackboard.
4. Some labs may have drawings or graphs you will need to show me,
participation points will be given for these.
5. Labs must be completed on Blackboard by 9:15 AM one week after
they are assigned.
6. Exams will consist of problems like lab worksheets and will also be
given using Blackboard.
7. Mastery exercises will consist of short problems related to each lab
for the student to demonstrate that the skills learned in each lab
have been mastered and can be applied to the real world.
9. Course Objectives
Physical Geography laboratory provides the student with experience in
investigation and interpretation of the physical environment. Upon completion of
this course the student will be able to understand the global grid of latitude and
longitude, our system of time, be able to analyze topographic maps, understand
earth-sun relationships as they affect daylight, seasons, and time, understand
the seasonal movement of angle and duration of solar insolation and how it
affects temperatures on earth, understand how temperature is affected by
specific variables relating to a region, understand how heat energy is transferred
through various processes, understand how moisture is transferred as water
changes phases, understand how differences in pressure occur and result in
wind, understand the driving forces in the atmosphere, understand many
interrelationships within the earth's weather patterns, climate, vegetation and soil
distributions, tectonic and gradational forces.
10. Professor Schmidt’s Objectives
1. Students will become aware of tools available
to help learn about the environment they live
in.
2. Students will become more geographically
literate and capable of applying skills learned
in lecture to understand and solve problems
relating to geography.
3. Students will become capable of using
personal technology to help understand and
solve problems.
4. Students will become aware of geographical
issues and careers.
11. Grading
• 10 Labs @ 50 points each = 500 points
• 2 Exams @ 100 points each = 200
• 6 Participation Points @ 5 points each = 30
• 10 Mastery Exercises @ 25 points each = 250
• Total possible points = 980
• A 100-90% 980-882
• B 89-80% 881-784
• C 79-70% 783-686
• D 69-60% 685-588
• F 59-0% 587-0
NOTE: You must earn at least 60% of the
points possible in order to pass this class.
I reserve the right to drop you from the
class at any time your grade drops below
60% of the total points possible.
12. Late Work and Missed Exams
• No late labs, exams, or
mastery exercises unless
you have a well
documented excuse.
13. Absences and Tardiness
• I reserve the right to drop students who miss
class twice.
• If you have to miss class, you should stay in
contact with me.
• You may be dropped for excessive
tardiness.
• If you are going to be late, come in quietly
and take a seat WITHOUT interrupting
lecture.
– Excessive tardiness is being more than five
minutes late three times.
• Directions for completing lab worksheets will
be given at the beginning of class and WILL
NOT be repeated.
14. Extra Credit
• There may be some extra credit
opportunities. These will be given in class
and your attendance is required to take
advantage of them.
Standing Offers For Extra Credit
1. Donate Blood, show me paperwork or a picture of you
donating and I will give you 10 points extra credit.
2. Get you Ed Plan done, bring it to me and show me, 5
points.
15. E-mailing Assignments
• Assignments will NOT be
accepted by e-mail. If you cannot
make it to class, take your
assignment to my mailbox which
is located in Liberal Arts Building
where the faculty offices are.
16. Dropping
• If you have attended this class once, from
there on out, it is your responsibility to
drop the class if you want to.
• Not dropping the course will likely result in
an F.
17. Participation Points
• Some labs have maps,
charts, or graphs that cannot
be done using Blackboard.
• These are to be completed
in class and will be graded
using participation points.
• Labs 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and10
have participation points
associated with them.
18. Disruptive Behavior
• If you disrupt the class, you may be asked
to leave.
• If disciplinary action is taken, you may be
removed from the following class.
• Disruptive behavior includes talking during
lecture or disrupting students while they
work on their labs.
19. Graded Work
• It is your responsibility to pick up your
graded work. Graded work will be held for
30 days after the last day of class and
then recycled.
• It is highly recommended that you keep
your graded work until final grades are
submitted.
20. Academic Honesty
• Cheating of any sort will be reported to the
dean. Please refer to the college*s policy
on academic honesty.
21. Cell Phones/Texting
• Using a cell phone while in class
is distracting to your classmates
and inappropriate.
• Cell phones should be turned to
silent mode while in class.
• If you absolutely have to use
your phone during class, go
outside.
• ** This means outside of using
your phones as tools**
• I encourage the use of smart
phones for geography!
22. Blackboard
• Blackboard will be used during this
course.
• You must access Blackboard to submit
your labs EACH week and for your exams.
• You can access blackboard at
http://vvc.blackboard.com
• If you have questions, stay when we are
done and I will help make sure you can log
in to Blackboard.
23. Class Web Page
• A web page has been created for your
class.
• You will find all of the class power points,
study guides, and more posted there.
• You may access the web page at:
http://schmidtvvclab.wikispaces.com
24. Disabled Students Programs and
Services
• If you have, or think you have a
disability which may interfere with
your ability to perform in this class,
please speak with me immediately
and please contact the Disabled
Students Programs and Services
Office at (760) 245-4271 ext, 2212,
or stop by their office located in
building 50. There is help available.
26. Note About Schedule and Topics
• All dates, topics, point totals
and assignments are
tentative. I reserve the right
to make changes as they
may become necessary
throughout the semester.
Should you happen to miss
class, it is your responsibility
to obtain information about
and any changes.
27. Class Schedule
• Please see the detailed schedule in the
syllabus-note that it includes:
– Dates
– Topics
– Supplies needed
– What opens on Blackboard
– What closes on Blackboard & Mastery
Exercises Due Dates
• We have July 6th
off for 4th
of July
28. For Your Success
• Library
• Advanced Technology
Center
• Childcare
• Counseling
• More!
29. What is Geography?
• The scientific study of the Earth's surface
and its various climates, countries,
peoples, and natural resources.
30. Fields of Geography
• Human or Cultural
Geography
– Deals with social, economic,
and behavioral processes
• Physical Geography
– Examines the natural
processes occurring at Earth’s
surface that provide the
physical setting for human
activities
32. Branches of Human Geography
• Developmental
Geography
• Economic Geography
• Medical Geography
• Transportation
Geography
• Urban Geography
• Cultural Geography
• Historical Geography
• Political Geography
• Population
Geography
• Demography
33. Tools Geographers Use
• Maps
– Paper representations of space showing
point, line, or area data
• Or more simply put, locations,
connections, and regions
• Remote Sensing
– Aircraft or spacecraft provide images of
earth’s surface
• GIS or Geographic Information Systems
– Powerful computer mapmaking software
connected to data bases
• Mathematical Modeling and Statistics
– Used to understand natural and human
phenomenon
