Social Studies

8th Grade Social Studies

Curriculum

Course Title: Social Studies

Department: Social Studies

Primary Resources:

· History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism (Teacher’s Curriculum Institute)

Units of Study:

1. Develop an understanding of the concepts of CITIZENSHIP, EQUALITY, LIBERTY and CONFLICT.

2. The Revolutionary Period

3. The Early Republic

4. The Constitutional Convention

5. The New Republic

6. Westward Expansion

7. The Growing Tensions and Sectionalism

8. The Civil War

Curriculum-Based Assessments: N/A

Standardized Assessments: N/A

Description of Course: This course continues the content from the fifth-grade social studies course. Students focus on the ideals of equality, liberty, rights, opportunity, and democracy as they evolved throughout this time period. Students analyze the expanded role of the American government to meet domestic and global challenges as it struggles from the birth pangs of the nation to the tribulations of civil war. Students analyze historical sources and interpretations of events to increase critical thinking skills. The other themes of social studies (economics, geography and civics) are woven throughout the study of the history of this time period.