United States History: Beginnings to 1914
Semester Plan Overview:
8th grade social studies will focus on students knowledge and understanding of the history, geography, and culture of the United States of America. Unit 1 will focus on our colonial heritage, beginning with our native populations, moving into colonization and through the revolutionary War. Unit 2 is dedicated to our new nation's formation of a government, citizenship and the constitution, and the start of our nation. Unit 3 outlines the new republic, our national identity, and the westward expansion. Unit 4 highlights the United States various regions of the time, talking about the various industries the north and south engaged in, and what challenges these regions endured. Unit 5 focuses on the Civil war and reconstruction. Additionally students will routinely engage in, discuss, and write about current world events and develop a comprehensive modern world view. The three primary goals of this course are to allow students the opportunity to explore their nation and to have students apply new-found knowledge in various useful ways, as well as build a lifelong curiosity about the social sciences. Woven throughout the 8th grade grade curriculum is the integration of higher level skills as outlined by Bloom's taxonomy and the social impact humans and their activities have on our world.
Note: The textbook is available on line for viewing. Proceed to https://my.hrw.com, and select the chapter and topic. Students have been given password located on the inside cover of their student notebook.