8th Grade Civics students learn about United States History, the Constitution, and freedom. Students also learn about current events, citizenship, civic participation, and how to write five paragraph essays about major historical events. 

1. Curriculum: Units align with Washington State Social Studies Standards.

2. Attendance and Seating: Attend class daily to gain knowledge through classroom participation, discussions, and activities. Choose a seat that helps you learn best.

3. Citizenship: Respect yourself, others, and the classroom. Leave the classroom better than when you found it. Be familiar with the school Rights and Responsibility Handbook and School Code of Conduct.

4. Student Binder: Bring an organized binder to class each day. Use a daily planner to stay organized. Utilize a clean piece of paper with no rips or missing holes to take notes for each assignment. Keep all of your notes and handouts until the end of the semester.

5. Technology: Utilize a Chromebook to complete daily work. A Google Chrome browser can also be utilized on a desktop, tablet, phone, or laptop computer. All units can be completed through Google Classroom.

6. Writing: Utilize each week's handout to complete your essay. 

7. Grading: View Skyward Online for grades and missing assignments. Complete units 1–10 first quarter and units 11-19 second quarter. Each assignment is worth 100 points. Final grades are recorded in Skyward. Late assignments can earn up to 75 points.

8. Homework: Each week's assignment is posted in Google Classroom Friday at 3:00 PM. Essays are due the following Friday at 3:00 PM.

9. Parents: This program prepares eighth grade students for high school and beyond. The curriculum sets high expectations that include writing, researching, organizing, utilizing technology, communicating, presenting, participating, and attending class. Students who work hard succeed in class. Missing class makes it difficult to complete assignments. It often takes students a few weeks to figure out the class routine, so a little struggle is normal in the beginning. If your student feels behind, please contact me and we can make adjustments. redwards@portangelesschools.org

10. Class Website: bit.ly/8thgradecivics.

Unit 01: Citizenship
Unit 02: Exploration
Unit 03: Colonization
Unit 04: Revolutionary War
Unit 05: Democracy
Unit 06: Constitution
Unit 07: Bill of Rights
Unit 08:  Western Expansion
Unit 09:  Tribal Sovereignty
Unit 10: Slavery
Unit 11: Civil War
Unit 12:  Reconstruction
Unit 13:  Industrialization
Unit 14: The Great Depression
Unit 15:  WWII
Unit 16:  Civil Rights
Unit 17:  Media Money Politics
Unit 18:  State Assessment
Unit 19: High School Plan