Thank you for signing up to take AP HUG next year. I think that you have made a great choice. This class focuses on the world today. We will look at the way people interact with their environment, and how cultures are shaped by the natural world.
Your summer assignment will be to familiarize yourself with this website, print out some papers, and get a basic knowledge of a few maps of the world. This is a geography class and you will be expected to have a basic knowledge of the world. You will also need a three ring binder for this class. Before we meet again in September please complete the following;
1. Click on the Downloads section on the left side of this screen. Print out all the papers in the Introduction/Notebook (including the syllabus that you need to get signed) section. You can print them out individually on one side of a page, or you can print them out back-to-back.
2. Please study the maps that you print out. You should label each one of the continent maps. You will notice that on each of the continent maps there is a list of twelve countries that you should be able to locate and label. Make sure that you know where those countries are. In addition to knowing the important 12 countries on each map, you should also study the Basic Background Knowledge List (these are the important cities, mountains, and rivers). Label that map in the packet and make sure that you are familiar with it. There will be a test on the maps when we get back to school!
3. Thirdly, get a three ring binder with separators. We will use this to keep all your assignments this year.
Finally, have a great summer, relax, and if you want to get a head start on the class please think about watching the National Geographic documentary, Guns, Germs, and Steel (available at libraries, amazon.com, or youtube). This is an optional assignment, but one I recommend. Also if you want to read a good book, check the list of books in the section labeled Forum.