Grade 8
Overarching
Theme
Social
Studies
Theme:
Social
Studies
Theme
U.S. History
Unit 1:
The Color Line Colonies and the
Origin of Racism in
America
Civil Rights, Race,
Social, Culture
Unit 2:
The American Revolution –
The Rich Man’s
Movement, Fought by the
Poor
War, Government, Social
Unit 4:
The Industrial
Revolution – At What
Cost?
Environmental, Social,
Cultural
Unit 5:
Progressive Era – Reform
by the People, For the
People
Social, Culture, Reform
Unit 3:
Andrew Jackson and
Native American Removal
Culture, Environmental,
Privacy
Unit 6:
Prosperity and
Depression
Economics, Government,
Social
Unit 1 Outline
Unit Name
The Color Line – Colonies and the Origin of Racism in America
Overview
In this unit, students will explore the origins of racism in America and its effect on
our society. Students will explore the question: To what extent has race been a
barrier in our society?
Students will start by analyzing the racial tensions in the Trayvon Martin case.
From there, students will travel backwards in time and evaluate a variety of
events/laws/people. Students will end their journey by investigating the
relationship between indentured whites, black slaves, and Native Americans
during the colonial era. In addition, students will analyze the impact of colonial
laws on these groups and discover why these laws were created.
With this knowledge, students will hold an art exhibition to showcase their
learning. Students will produce artwork based on something within the unit that
made an impact on them. Some examples might include: a painting based on ads
for runaways slaves, a poem on race in today’s society, a collage of newspaper
ads for slaves. In addition, students will write a commentary describing their
work and thought process.
Unit 2 Outline
Unit Name
The American Revolution – The Rich Man’s Movement, Fought by the
Poor
Overview
In this unit, students will analyze war and their causes/effects. Students will
explore the questions:
What are the causes and effects of war?
How does war affect the common person?
To what extent does the government fight wars for the good of the common
people?
How was the United States government constructed?
Students will start by looking at the Afghanistan and Iraq war. From there, they
will travel backwards through time to evaluate the causes, effects, and role of
the common person in war. Students will explore America’s wars through many
different perspectives including: soldier, general, president, women, nurses,
enemy combatants, civilians, children, and the home front. Students will
decide whether or not these events helped or hurt these groups. Students will
end this journey by evaluating the American Revolution, its goals, and its
outcomes. Students will evaluate this event by looking at various social
movements and documents.
With this knowledge, students will create a comparison between the American
Revolutionary War and the current war in Afghanistan. Students will analyze
who the soldiers are in these wars, what they are actually fighting for, and
what they gain from it. Students will create political cartoons that incorporate
their knowledge. These cartoons will be sent to local papers to be published.
Finally, students will write letters to the newspaper explaining the project and
their ideas.
Unit 3 Outline
Unit Name
Andrew Jackson and Native American Removal
Overview
In this unit, students will explore the dichotomy of culture throughout various
time periods in U.S. history. Students will explore the following questions:
To what extent does America have ‘one’ culture?
How does ones perspective on various issues and events change their culture?
Students will start by conducting a simulation involving the NSA’s surveillance
program. From there, students will travel backwards through time to evaluate
various cultural dichotomies. Students will end their journey by exploring the
clashes between westerners and Native Americans during America’s early
years. Students will evaluate the cultural differences between Americans and
Native Americans and how these led to conflict.
In order to do so, students will analyze a speech given by Jackson that explains
his views on Native Americans. Students will identify truths and falsehoods in
the speech and seek to understand why the ‘official’ story about a culture may
be different than the real culture of a group.
With this knowledge, students will complete a project where they compare
this issue with the current issues surrounding the NSA and personal privacy.
Students will compare the way that Jackson and Obama/Bush handled the
issues and their reasoning for doing so. Students will write an op-ed piece, in
the form of an argument essay, to a local newspaper to explain their opinions
on this issue.
Unit 4 Outline
Unit Name
The Industrial Revolution – At What Cost?
Overview
In this unit, students will explore environmental consequences of
industrialization. Students will seek to answer the following question: to what
extent did the industrial revolution positively or negatively affect the
environment and the working class?
Students will start by watching a documentary about climate change. From
there, students will travel backwards through time, exploring various
environmental issues. Students will evaluate the connections between
industrialization, big business, and environmental issues. Students will end
their journey with the industrial revolution of the late 1800s. Students will
analyze the leaders of the revolution and how their successes were owed to
the working classes. In addition, students will examine the lives of the working
classes during this time to understand their struggles. Finally, students will
evaluate how these changes to business, resulted in changes to the
environment.
With this knowledge, students will complete a project where they will
investigate the environmental consequences of the industrial revolution.
Students will create a documentary that displays a negative environmental
consequence of the industrial revolution that can be seen in their lives today.
Unit 5 Outline
Unit Name
Progressive Era – Reform by the People, For the People
Overview
In this unit, students will explore reform movements and their grass roots
leaders. Students will seek to answer the following questions:
To what extent are reform movements started by the common people?
How do ‘grass roots’ reform movements get started?
Students will start by having a debate about gun laws in the United States.
From there, students will travel backwards through time, exploring various
reform movements. Students will seek to understand these movements’ goals,
founders, strategies, and results. Students will end their journey with
progressive era reform movements started by common people. Students will
make links and comparisons to modern reform movements.
With this knowledge, students will choose a current day reform movement
and trace its history back to the progressive era. Students will hold a
fundraiser to help educate people about the issue and raise money for the
cause.
Unit 6 Outline
Unit Name
Prosperity and Depression
Overview
In this unit, students will explore economics and its impact on the common
person and the environment. Students will seek to answer the following
questions:
To what extent are economic reforms directed at helping the common people?
To what extent do economic reforms positively or negatively impact the
environment?
Students will start by participating in a simulation about the financial crisis and
bailout of 2008. From there, students will travel backwards through time,
exploring various economic issues. Students will evaluate economic reform, its
goals, and its outcomes. Students will end their journey with the roaring 20s
and the great depression. As opposed to the traditional take on the eras,
students will analyze the struggles of certain groups during the 20s. In
addition, students will evaluate the dust bowl as a contributing factor to the
great depression. Students will investigate whether the issue was caused by
man or not by looking at historical farming practices and their failures. Finally,
students will evaluate the New Deal and its impact on corporations and unions
as opposed to its impact on the common person.
With this knowledge, students will complete a stock market simulation where
they actively choose stocks and follow their successes/failures. At the end of
the simulation, students will write a report on stocks, and why theirs
succeeded/failed.