Living Democracy

8th Grade

The United states

1600 to 1877

Welcome to 8th Grade Social Studies!

Start Here... Video Tutorials! 

Instructions: Our tutorial videos provide a "big picture" overview of the Living Democracy Curriculum. For new teachers, this is a great place to start. For veteran teachers, this is a good reminder. 

1. What is inquiry based learning?

Video | Slides

2. How do I deconstruct and bundle standards?

Video | Slides

3. How are inquiry units structured?

Video | Slides

4. How are inquiry lessons structured?

Video | Slides

8th Grade: Teacher Resources

A curriculum framework is a snapshot of the year aligned to priority standards. It serves as an outward-facing guidebook for teachers, parents, and students to check to know what is coming in the course. 

Yearly Planning Tool

A yearly planning tool is used to map out the year with units and inquiry lessons. It serves as a place to account for every school day's instruction. 

8th Grade: Living Democracy CUrriculum Units

Living Democracy Curriculum 

A curriculum is a comprehensive academic content that progresses through a series of learning goals connected to grade-level standards. 

Instructions: Teachers and students choose one or more compelling questions for each unit to create the yearly plan. Note: The curriculum resources may be modified by teachers.

Unit 0: Building Democratic Classrooms

Unit 1: British Colonial America (1600-1750)

Unit 2: Road toward Revolution (1750-1776)

Teacher Ready (w/Slides)

CQ: What causes conflict?

Unit 3: The American Revolution (1776-1783)

Unit 4: The U.S. Constitution (1783-1787)

Unit 5: The New Republic (1787-1800)

Unit 6: Antebellum America (1800-1840)

Unit 7: American Expansion (1820-1850)

Unit 8: Road to the Civil War (1850-1860)

Unit 9: The Civil War (1860-1865)

Unit 10: Reconstruction (1865-1877)