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Social Studies> 8th Grade early American history
Title:
Early American History (Eighth Grade)
Textbook:
Davidson, James West. The American Nation: Beginnings through 1877. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
Course Description:
Social Studies is concerned with the chronological history of the United States,
from beginning to present. This required core-curriculum course will concentrate
on the time period from Pre-Colonial times through the Civil War. We will study
the multicultural identity, democratic institutions, economy, environment, and
how they are involved in the global perspective. Through the course material, we
will strive to understand these relationships involved in our country’s early
history.
Course Objectives:
1. To examine the larger patterns in the history of our country.
2. To explore the multicultural background of our country’s citizens.
3. To develop an understanding of the foundation of our political system.
4. To understand the basic principles of the national economic system.
5. To examine the environment’s role in history and how it has shaped our
present (i.e. environmental determinism).
6. To acquire a global perspective of the United States of America--both past
and present.
Course Outline: (corresponding state standards)
1. Students will demonstrate skills for historical research, analysis, and
geographical analysis (8.4.2, 8.4.6).
2. Students will analyze early Native American cultures and civilization, and
how they were affected by European exploration and colonization (8.1.1, 8.1.2,
8.2.1).
3. Students will examine the acquisition of New World colonies by Spain, France
and England. They will be able to identify the areas of European influence
through map analysis and labeling. (8.1.2, 8.4.3, 8.4.6)
4. Students will analyze the cultural groups, their motives for settlement in
the new world, and the subsequent creation of the original thirteen colonies
(8.1.3, 8.4.2, 8.4.6).
5. Students will outline and examine the events leading up to the Revolutionary
War, including the war itself- focusing on people, places and events (8.1.3,
8.4.1, 8.4.2, 8.4.3, 8.4.4, 8.4.5).
6. Students will discover the origins of the Constitution through an examination
of the fundamental principles involved in its creation, comparing and
contrasting previous forms of government-such as Burgess, Articles of
Confederation, et al. (8.1.4, 8.3.1, 8.3.3, 8.3.4, 8.3.8, 8.4.2, 8.4.3, 8.4.4,
8.4.5).
7. Students will describe the rights and responsibilities of United States
citizenship, as well as the ideas present in the Bill of Rights and other
Amendments to the Constitution (8.1.4, 8.3.1, 8.3.2, 8.3.3, 8.3.4, 8.3.7,
8.3.9).
8. Students will trace the expansion of the United States, including the
Louisiana Purchase, Oregon Country, Spanish Territories, Texas and the various
events that led to their acquisition (8.1.2, 8.1.4, 8.1.5, 8.4.2, 8.4.4, 8.4.6).
9. Students will examine and describe the various aspects of the Industrial
Revolution, including new inventions and technologies in agriculture,
communications, and transportation (8.1.6, 8.1.5).
10. Students will analyze the social and political differences between the North
and South which influenced events and led to the Civil War (8.1.5, 8.1.6, 8.3.5,
8.4.2, 8.4.3, 8.4.5, 8.4.6).
11. Students will identify influential figures and examine the major events
occurring during the Civil War, as well as the changes brought about as a result
of the conflict (8.1.6, 8.3.8, 8.4.1, 8.4.2, 8.4.4, 8.4.6).
12. Students will examine current events, and whenever possible, relate them to
historical topics. (8.4.2)
Writing Activities:
Students will:
1. Write reports and/or give presentations on a variety of topics throughout the
year.
2. Be required to take notes over the reading material and class discussions.
3. Complete essays and short answer summaries on tests and quizzes.
4. Formulate opinion-based responses regarding historical scenarios.
Multicultural Activities:
Students will:
1. Analyze and depict early Native American cultures.
2. Create a visual representation of the arrival of slaves from Africa in the
Triangular Trade, as well as describing their lives on southern plantations.
3. Analyze and describe slave life on the southern plantations.
4. Consider the contributions of African-Americans during the Civil War by the
viewing the movie “Glory,” 1997.
5. Examine the changing cultural landscape of the United States and how
immigration influenced history by participating in an industrial factory
simulation.
