In eighth grade, students focus on the history of the United States through Reconstruction. This includes the American founding and establishment of democratic principles. Students begin by exploring the complexity of the founding communities and the importance of a variety of groups to the founding of America. They then study who should be held up as heroes in the Revolutionary period of United States' history. Students learn to question the narrative of early US History and those it leaves out. Students will then analyze landmark cases to understand the origins, functions, and structure of the U.S. government. Moving into the middle of the 19th century they learn about Westward Migration through multiple perspectives and investigate events leading up to the Civil War. The final unit allows students to investigate the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction on various groups of people.
Students will examine the ideas that shaped, and continue to shape the United States with particular emphasis on examining stories and perspectives that historically have been untold. Students develop skills in problem solving, logic, critical thinking, primary source document interpretation and analysis, information gathering, presentations and simulations.
The course guide linked below provides teachers with the following:
Students will examine the ideas that shaped, and continue to shape the United States with particular emphasis on examining stories and perspectives that historically have been untold. Students develop skills in problem solving, logic, critical thinking, primary source document interpretation and analysis, information gathering, presentations and simulations.
The course guide linked below provides teachers with the following:
- Unit Pacing
- Learning Targets and Success Criteria
- Target Based Inquiries
- These inquiries were developed from the Inquiry Design Model and include Compelling and Supporting Questions, aligned sources, formative and summative tasks, target based rubrics, and supporting student materials. Each inquiry is linked below the unit scales.
Curriculum Guide
