Welcome to AP Human Geography

I'm sure you'll find AP Human Geography one of the most interesting courses you've taken in middle school. It's not just about maps and physical features. It's about learning why stuff happens where it does. Certainly, knowing where countries and major cities are located will help us out as we go. That's why we have this summer assignment to map out the world, and learn some interesting things about each region. You can download the summer homework packet by clicking the green button at the top of the page. 

The Countries of the World Quiz Tournament

The Summer Homework Packet will be one of the first grades in the class. It will also help prepare you for one of our first assessments: The Countries of the World Quiz Tournament. Basically, we'll be using online resources to see who can most quickly identify the location of each country. Your grade will be based on your speed and accuracy. 

PurposeGames

We will be using the website www.purposegames.com for our tournament. You are also welcome to access the site and practice ahead of time (but remember, your scores won't count until the tournament officially begins). 

How to Register for Purpose Games

  • Go to www.PurposeGames.com
  • click on "Register" to create a new account
  • Create a username which I can recognize for grading purposes (like first.last.class period)
  • Once you've created a username, submitted a valid email account, and created a password, purposegames will send you a confirmation email with a link you will need to click to activate your account. You will need to use a personal email account as the district gmail accounts for students do not allow emails from outside organizations.
  • Login and search for "grichins". Click on my username, find the "groups" section and click on my group "Oquirrh Hills Geography". Apply to enter the group and I will accept your invitation as soon as I can. If you're really anxious to get in, shoot me an email to let me know. 
  • Once you've been accepted into the "Oquirrh Hills Geography Group", find your way to the "Tournaments" menu and start the OHMS World Geography Quiz Tournament.
  • Complete all 5 maps: The Countries of Europe (by David), The Countries of Asia (by David), the Countries of South America (by David), World Physical Features (by grichins), and the Countries of Africa (by David).
  • You're welcome to log out of purposegames and use maps to practice all you want anonymously,but when you log in and go to tournament mode, please don't use any help. 
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Click the image above to access the playlist I created with the 5 maps we'll use on for the Quiz Tournament.

How will this affect my grade?

The score on the countries/physical features quiz will be determined by time and accuracy. It will be worth 200 points -- 100 points for accuracy, and 100 points for time. The accuracy is calculated automatically by the program and averaged together among the 5 maps you play. One point will be given for every percentage point of accuracy: 100% accuracy will get 100 points, 85 % accuracy will get 85 points, and so on. Your time score is divided into half-minute increments. To get the full 100 points in the time category, your cumulative time (for all 5 maps) needs to be less than 8 minutes. If your score is above 8 minutes but faster than 8:31, you'll get 95/100 points, and so on. 
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Here is a screen shot of an individual student's progress on the tournament that shows the 5 maps, their accuracy, and the time it took for each map: