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Grade 8 Social Studies

Thurston Middle School Grade 8 Social Studies Course Overview Introduction Our course explores human behavior, ethical issues, and social changes through a study of American history and current events. Students examine the causes and effects of the following: inventions, landmark documents, laws, rebellions, wars, political activity, artistic achievements, and advances for women, African Americans, and other groups of people. Emphasis is placed on persuasive writing, public speaking, debating, creative and analytical thinking, research skills, media literacy, and teamwork. Students are introduced to the major events, personalities and themes of American history, and they learn about the continuities and changes in America’s cultural, political, and social landscape. In addition to recognizing historians’ biases, students understand the paradox of the U.S. being a land of democracy, but having a history of discrimination based on race, class, and gender. Ultimately, history is brought to life via interactive simulations, debates, creative activities that involve movement, engaging audio-visuals, theatrical student presentations, and guest speakers. In the end, classes are made relevant and meaningful by connecting history to current events and students’ lives. Unit 1: Classroom Community Topics and skills Course syllabus Student questionnaire Biases Connections between “The Bear That Wasn’t” story and students’ lives Identity circles Editing checklist (e.g., transitions, titles with colons, varied vocabulary, etc.) Major assignments and projects Paragraph about a time students felt like they were labeled like the bear in the story Classmate biography paper Unit 2: Colonization Topics and skills Causes and effects of European exploration and colonization Taking notes from discussions Columbian Exchange Joint-stock company Simulation of American colonies Jamestown and Plymouth Bay Colonies Disney’s Pocahontas vs. the textbook account of the Pocahontas story Salem Witch Trials Main idea/detail notes Colonial Regions Puritan Culture Current events challenges Major assignments and projects Colony brochures Pocahontas paper Unit 3: American Revolution Topics and skills Causes and effects of the French and Indian War Causes and effects of the American Revolution Age of Enlightenment Navigation Acts American Revolution Celebrities Boston Massacre debate Boston Tea Party town meeting Simulation of the American colonies Declaration of Independence British vs. Patriot Advantages Editing Checklist (e.g., integrating quotes, writing concise and precise sentences, etc.) Political Cartoons Bibliography sheet research method Major assignments and projects American Revolution Celebrity Paper and/or Presentations Unit 4: The U.S. Constitution and the American Government Topics and skills Causes and effects of the Articles of Confederation Causes and effects of the creation of the U.S. Constitution The Constitutional Convention Checks and balances among the three branches of government Federalism Democratic vs. authoritarian governments Simulation of how a federal bill becomes a law The Bill of Rights Simulation of how Amendments get added to the Constitution Landmark 1st Amendment cases Government regulation of violent videogames debate The Electoral College Elections Major assignments and projects Overcoming adversity paper 1st Amendment paper Unit 5: The Early Years of the U.S. Topics and skills The U.S. under Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison Political parties The political spectrum (liberals, moderates, and conservatives) Democrats vs. Republicans Loose vs. strict construction of the Constitution Causes and effects of the following: The Whiskey Rebellion The Alien and Sedition Acts The Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark Expedition The War of 1812 Major assignments and projects Social Networking Profile for an Historical Figure assignment Unit 6: Artistic Symbols of Change in America Topics and skills Causes of artistic changes in the U.S. Portraits Paintings Architecture Memorials Advertisements TV shows Films Names Major assignments and projects PowerPoint presentation note-taking shell Classmate portrait assignment Advertisement content analysis Symbols of change paper (and interview of a relative or teacher about cultural changes) Unit 7: Industrialization in the 1800s and Modern Inventions Topics and skills Causes and effects of advances in industrialization The cotton gin Mills New forms of transportation Mass production and assembly lines Inventions in the United States Note card and source card research method Major assignments and projects Invention Contest 1800s reformers and a modern connection paper Unit 8: Expansion Topics and skills Causes and effects of westward and Democratic expansion Monroe Doctrine Manifest Destiny Missouri Compromise Jacksonian Democracy Indian Removal Texas Revolution War With Mexico Oregon Trail California Gold Rush Major assignments and projects Reparations for slavery debate Mudslinging debate Unit 9: Reform Movements in the 1800s and Today Topics and skills Causes and effects of the following: Abolitionism Women’s movement Public school reform Prison and insane asylum reform Utopian societies Bloomerism Temperance Major assignments and projects Vocabulary visuals packet Unit 10: The Civil War Topics and skills Causes and effects of the Civil War Declaration of Independence 3/5 Compromise States’ rights Biases Free vs. slave states in Congress simulation Nat Turner’s Rebellion Fugitive Slave Law Uncle Tom’s Cabin Kansas-Nebraska Act Dred Scott Case Lincoln’s election and Southern secession African Americans Fighting in the war Advantages of the North and South Strategies of the North and the South Major assignments and projects Civil War analysis Vocabulary visuals packet Glory review Unit 11: Reconstruction and Connections With The Civil Rights Movement Topics and skills Causes and effects of Reconstruction 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments Black Codes and sharecropping Freedmen’s Bureau Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, MLK, Jr., and Malcolm X Landmark Civil Rights Movement events (e.g., Montgomery Bus Boycotts) Racial integration Major assignments and projects Reconstruction and Civil Rights Movement illustrated timeline Unit 12: The 1920s and Modern American Culture Topics and skills Causes and effects of WWI Modern Warfare The Treaty of Versailles Dawn of modern American culture Silent films Radio Jazz 1920’s slang Advances for women and African Americans Harlem Renaissance Prohibition Automobiles and Suburbanization Red Scare Scopes Trial Conformity and mass consumption Major assignments and projects 1920s Celebrity Convention Unit 13: WWII/The Holocaust Topics and skills Causes and effects of WWII Treaty of Versailles Appeasement Recorded interview with a Holocaust survivor The Wave The Milgram Experiment Pearl Harbor Japanese internment FDR’s Four Freedoms Speech The Manhattan Project and the A-Bomb Nazi vs. American propaganda United Nations Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union Stereotypes and labels Major assignments and projects Propaganda assignment Unit 14: Current Events Debates Topics and skills The War in Iraq Global warming Steroids in sports Testing on animals TV shows’ impact on kids MCAS test CNN’s coverage Euthanasia Stem cell research Fish bowl debates Major assignments and projects Political satire article and picture Current events debate and paper Musical Acts with Newsical Facts Political cartoon analysis Fantasy Senate Races “42 Minutes” class news show Curriculum Resources History Alive (California: Teachers’ Curriculum Institute) Facing History and Ourselves (Massachusetts: Facing History and Ourselves, Inc.) Course DVD’s (Disney’s Pocahontas, 1776, Glory, Modern Times, etc.) PowerPoint presentations and iMovie films Guest speakers Additional texts: Cartoon History of the U.S. Why We Remember (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Publishing)