Mr. Maver

U.S. History

8th grade

Contact Information: Rmaver@westfieldnjk12.org

  • I have been a teacher in the Westfield public school district for 19 years. I have taught 6th and 8th grade. I have a bachelors degree in history and a masters degree in social studies education from Rutgers. I served in the Army for 3 years and was stationed in Missouri, Korea, Bosnia, and Louisiana.

  • 8th/6th grade Back to School Night Presentation


Course Description:

  • United States History starts with an introduction of personal rights and freedoms. While the content is primarily driven by the study of history and geography of the United States between the American Revolutionary War and the Cold War, social studies skills and economics are integrated throughout. Current events are integrated into the curriculum to ensure students have a meaningful understanding of the world around them, and real-world applications are infused to demonstrate the relationship between the social studies and students' lives. Social studies skills and study skills are utilized throughout the curriculum as students learn to interact with a variety of text, analyze primary and secondary sources and read and write both fiction and non-fiction texts. United States History begins with a course essential question that emphasizes citizenship, the unifying theme of the course. Each section of the curriculum begins with a thematic question whose exploration demonstrates the significance of the content, and is followed by the core concepts and understandings that students master through gathering and evaluating sources and developing claims by using the evidence. Students are prepared to communicate their beliefs of historical events accurately through the use of evidence. Further, they are prepared to be informed citizens with the understanding of their civil responsibilities as democratic citizens.

*Course Essential Question: How do citizens (both individually and collectively) fight for and preserve natural rights?