8th Grade Curriculum Map
Unit Topics
What is history?
Where in the world is NC?
Colonial NC and Native Americans
The American Revolution
The Constitution
The Development of NC and the US
(1790 – 1836)
The Causes of the Conflict
The Civil War
Reconstruction
The New South and Industrialization
The Progressive Era
World War I
The 1920’s
The Great Depression
World War II
The Cold War
The Civil Rights Movement
Vietnam and the 1960s
Essential Standards
Pacing
Modern America 1972 - Present
Unit Topic / Essential
Standard
Concept / Pacing
Essential Questions / Essay
Essential Information
Project Ideas
What is history?
Patterns and Interpretation
A theme throughout NC and US history:
Interpretation and perspective – students
need to understand that historians and
the general public’s views on history are
constantly changing as we get more
information and as our culture changes.
Viewpoints on events such as
Wilmington 1898 and the founding of
America by Europeans have dramatically
changed over the last 25 years
Why do we study the past?
Can the past truly be known?
What skills best help us uncover the past?
What role do the five strands play in social
studies?
What is the difference between history and social
studies?
Why is the study of interpretation of political
cartoons important to the understanding of social
studies?
What part do images play in social studies?
5 Themes of Geography
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Oral History
Perspective and Bias
5 Strands (Culture, Geography and
Environmental Literacy, Civics and
Governance, History, Economics and
Financial Literacy)
Is it true that those who do not learn from
history are doomed to repeat it?
Is history the story told by the "winners" or
“losers”?
Students will create a PowerPoint or a collage
distinguishing between primary and secondary
sources.
Where in the world is
NC?
Geography
Common Theme:
Geography is involved in the shaping of
individuals and communities and has
affected almost every major event.
For example, clearly the environment
affected the development of Andrew
Why do people migrate to other regions within NC and
the US?
How are NC’s weather patterns interrelated?
Why do people migrate to other within NC and the US?
How is NC’s climate comparable with other regions in
the US?
Basic Geography of NC and US
NC borders
NC Counties to know: New Hanover,
Brunswick, Pender, Mecklenburg, Wake,
Guilford, Dare, Columbus, Buncombe, Onslow
Jackson and the hilly terrain greatly affected
the outcome in several battles i.e.
Gettysburg.
Climate and Weather (hurricanes and
tornadoes)
General climate in the major regions of the US
Rivers: Cape Fear, Pee Dee, New River, Neuse
River, French Broad River
Sounds: Pamlico and Albemarle
Barrier Islands – “graveyard of the Atlantic”
Population of NC Cities
Wilmington
Raleigh
Charlotte,
Greensboro,
Winston-Salem
Fayetteville,
Jacksonville
Ashville
Boone
High Point
US Geography
Mississippi River
Appalachian Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Pacific Oceans
Cities: New York, Chicago, Washington, DC,
Philadelphia, Los Angles, Dallas, Denver
Colonial NC and Native
Americans
Settlement and Colonialism
Common themes throughout NC and US
history:
Movement and Settlement – how does this
past age of movement compare with other
periods in NC and US history?
Immigration causes major changes in a
If the Exploration Period could be done over, could
Native Americans and Europeans peacefully coexist?
What were the prevailing attitudes and behaviors
exhibited by the European settlers toward the Native
American population?
How did governmental corruption and rugged
environment affect the governmental development of
North Carolina during the colonial period?
Lost Colony
Native Americans
Major tribes (Cherokee, Tuscarora, Catawba,
Lumbee, Hatteras)
Columbian Exchange (gifts and diseases)
Native American concept of land ownership v.
Europeans
Pirates / Blackbeard
Culpeper’s Rebellion
Cary’s Rebellion
society. How does immigration in the
colonial period compare with immigration
gains in other periods? Who came and what
was their impact?
Why did North Carolina have such a terrible reputation
in the 1700’s?
Tuscarora War (1711)
French and Indian War
Origins of Slavery
Create a comic book for the unit rebellions
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroomresources/student-interactives/comic-creator30021.html
The American
Revolution
Common Themes that appear in this unit
that can also be found throughout NC and
US History:
Conflict and War. How is this war similar
and different to other wars fought in US?
How did the Rev. War and other wars
progress or hinder American development?
How has governmental propaganda and the
media affected the public’s desire to go to
war? (for example, Paul Revere’s portrait of
the Boston Massacre and the portrayal of
German soldiers during World War I).
Does every revolution have to be violent?
Should the Revolutionary War be called a
revolution and why or why not?
Create an illustrated tree map with the following
categories:
Major Tribes in NC, Major tribes in US, European Gifts,
Native American Gifts, consequences.
Why was winning the French and Indian War the
beginning of conflict for the British and the colonists?
How did the Age of Enlightenment play a role in
independence?
How were the colonists able to defeat the British, a
much stronger adversary?
Create a rhyming, Revolutionary Rap using 20 key terms
from the Revolutionary War Era. Students can choose
to act out and or sing.
NC Information
NC’s reaction to the Stamp Act (William
Houston in Wilmington)
The NC Edenton Tea Party (led by women)
Halifax Resolves
Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge
Battle of Guilford Courthouse
Nathaniel Greene
Declaration of Independence
Taxes (taxation without representation,
Proclamation Act, Sugar, Stamp, Townsend,
Intolerable Acts)
Boston Massacre / Crispus Attucks
Committees of Correspondence
Boston Tea Party
The Loyalists
Parliament
Major Leaders:
George Washington
Charles Cornwallis
Thomas Paine
Patrick Henry
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
Benedict Arnold
Johnny Burgoyne
Major Battles:
Lexington and Concord
Battle of Saratoga / French Alliance
Battle of Yorktown
Southern Campaign (King’s Mountain,
Cowpens)
Valley Forge (training)
The Constitution
Political Systems and Individual Rights
Common theme throughout NC and US
history:
The expansion of rights and freedoms. How
has the creation and update of the
Constitution brought additional rights to
various people and groups?
To what extent is the American government a product
of the Enlightenment?
What were the weaknesses in the Articles of
confederation? What were the strengths?
Analyze how the three branches of government provide
balance and allow for democracy in the United States.
How does a bill become a law?
The US Branches of Government Project
Students will choose or be assigned one of the three
branches of government. They are to take that branch
and create from construction paper, scissors, glue, and
markers/crayons/colored pencils an artistic
representation of their branch. The only criteria is that
there must be accurate information regarding that
branch taken from their notes.
Symbolize through illustration the Bill of Rights. You
can have students make a collage, use Microsoft
Publisher, or Animoto.
The Development of NC
and the US (1790 – 1836)
Trade and Development
Common These throughout NC and US
history:
Development and expansion of
How did the development of railroads and canals
impact economic growth of NC and the US?
How did the development and expansion of NC and the
US negatively affect Native Americans?
Modern Day Examples: The Middle East (Egypt)
Industrial Revolution
Technological Revolution
French Revolution
Mexican Revolution
Communist Revolution in Russia
The Enlightenment Period’s influence on our
Founders (John Locke)
Articles of Confederation (weak national
government, couldn’t tax, Hard to change)
Shays’ Rebellion
Constitutional Convention
Great Compromise
3/5’s Compromise
Ratification Process / Federalist and
Antifederalists)
Bill of Rights
3 Branches of Government (checks and
balances)
Groups that could not politically participate
(women, African Americans, native Americans)
Hugh Williamson and his two proposals at the
Convention (both accepted)
NC’s first vote at the state Ratification
Convention?
Modern Day Connections
Iraq
Egypt/Libya / Afghanistan
Raleigh as Capital
The Great Awakenings
Rip Van Winkle State – Internal Improvements
Railroad development in NC (WilmingtonWeldon,
NC Gold Rush (1799)
transportation dramatically changes a
society. How does the expansion of
railroads compare with other transportation
developments?
Students create a storybook for children describing and
illustrating at least 12 events from this unit. Students
should put this in language that children could
understand. It can be illustrated.
President Washington (Hamilton and Jefferson
division – first political parties)
Whiskey Rebellion / Washington’s Farewell
Address
John Adams (Alien and Sedition Acts - 1798)
Nat Turner Revolt (1831) and Cotton Gin (1793)
Trail of Tears (1838)
Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark (1803)
Andrew Jackson / Nullification Crisis
War of 1812 / Dolly Madison
Other Connections
Exporting and Importing today
Development of India, China, Vietnam, Brazil
The Causes of the great
conflict
Conflict and Compromise
To what extent was slavery a “cause” of the Civil War?
Common theme in NC and US history:
What led to the secession of the 11 southern states?
How do the causes of the Civil War compare
with the causes of other US wars? What are
the similarities and what are the
differences?
In what ways did the different factions of our
nation attempt to reach a compromise?
What were the short-term and long-term
effects of slavery upon the development
of the United States, its founding
principles,
How was NC a reluctant participant in the
Confederacy at the beginning and throughout the
Civil War?
People
Quakers / Levi Coffin /
Underground Railroad (Harriet Tubman)
David Walker’s An Appeal To The Colored
Citizens of the World
Hinton Rowan Helper – The Impending
Benjamin Hedrick
John Brown
Events
NC v Mann
Missouri Compromise
Mexican War
Kansas / Nebraska (popular sovereignty)
Dred Scott Case
NC’s original vote against the CSA
CSA / secession
Election of 1860
Fort Sumter
Terms
Abolitionist
State’s Rights
Tariff
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
The Civil War
Conflict and War.
How is the Civil War similar and different to
other wars fought in US?
How did the Civil War and other wars
progress or hinder American development
(cultural and governmental changes)?
Compare and contrast Sherman March’s to
the Sea with the dropping of the Atomic
Bomb.
How did the Civil War have both benefits and cost for
the United States?
How was the United States able to defeat the
Confederacy?
Was Sherman’s March to the Sea a just method to win
the war?
NC Information
The battle along the Outer Banks and east coast
of NC
Governor Zebulon Vance and his fights with
Jefferson Davis
William Holden and his Peace Movement
Fort Fisher
Battle of Bentonville
What impact did African Americans and the institution
of slavery have upon the Civil War?
People
Create a Facebook Profile of five major people in the
Civil War and five major events. Make sure you have
students complete friends and likes for the people and
messages that might be on their wall.
http://classtools.net/fb/home/page
Abraham Lincoln
Jefferson Davis
US Grant
Robert E. Lee
William T. Sherman
54th Massachusetts / Black Soldiers
Events
Bull Run / Manassas
Antietam
Vicksburg
Gettysburg / Gettysburg Address / Turning
Point
Appomattox
Terms
Advantages, strategies, and goals
Richmond
Women as spies
Connections:
Compare and contrast American Revolution
Other Civil Wars (England)
Civil Wars in Africa
Spanish Civil War (1933 – 1936)
Yugoslavia
Russian Revolution
India
Reconstruction
Reconstruction
What social, economic, and political problems did
African Americans face during Reconstruction?
Common theme found in NC and US history:
The expansion of freedom and civil rights.
How do the gains African Americans made
after the Civil War compare and contrast
with gains during other periods of American
history?
How does this reconstruction period
compare with reconstruction periods of
other wars the US has been involved with?
For example, the US helped Japan, Germany,
and Iraq in their reconstruction efforts
What were the successes and failures of
Reconstruction?
Describe how the political environment in 1898 led to
the Coup d’état in Wilmington.
NC Information
Governor of NC – William Holden
Kirk/Holden War
Wilmington 1898
Alexander Manly
Coup d’etaat / race riot
The Fusion Movement
Daniel L. Russell – Fusion governor
The White Supremacy
Campaign(political cartoons) / Furnifold M.
Simmons
Alfred Moore Waddell
Josephus Daniels – Raleigh News and Observer
Red Shirts
Committee of Colored Citizens
Long-term Effects
People
US Grant
Events
Lincoln’s Plans / Assassination
Andrew Johnson / Impeachment
Radical Republicans
Process for states to reenter the US
African American Gains during the period
(elected to Congress and jobs)
KKK and Redemption
Election of 1876
Terms
Sharecropping
Black Codes
Carpetbaggers / Scalawags
Freedmen’s Bureau / Education of Freedmen
40 Acres and a Mule
13th / 14th / 15th Amendments
Modern Connection:
Reconstruction efforts into Afghanistan, Iraq,
and Libya
The New South and
Industrialization
Rebirth and Industrialization
Common themes throughout NC and US
history:
Technological Advancement in business.
How does this industrial period compare and
contrast with major technological changes in
business during other periods of US history?
How have those changes both helped and
hurt American society?
What is the difference between the “old south” and the
“new south?”
How did industrialization change the United States and
the typical American family?
How did the government respond to the issues
created by the Industrial Revolution?
What were the consequences of Jim Crow
laws and Plessy v. Ferguson?
NC Information
Sharecropping
Defining New South – Henry Grady
Tobacco / Textiles / Furniture
Railroad Expansion
Factory Conditions and low wages / Children
Mill Villages
James B. Duke – American Tobacco Company
R.J. Reynolds – Winston-Salem
Biltmore Estate
Pepsi
Terms
Capitalism
Strikes, boycotts, sabotage, and lock outs
Unions
Social Darwinism
Gospel of Wealth
Melting Pot
Great Migration
Slums
US Information
John D Rockefeller- Oil
Andrew Carnegie-US steel
J P Morgan- Banking
Thomas Edison-electricity
Alexander Graham Bell-Telephone
Henry Ford—Model T and assemble line
Labor vs Management
Knights of Labor
American Federation of Labor
Subways
Bridges
Immigration
Leisure and sports
Ellis Island
Wounded Knee / Native Americans
Plessy v. Ferguson / Jim Crow
Modern Parallel
Apple in China
The Progressive Era
Progressivism
Common themes in American and US
history:
How did this reform period look similar and
different to other reforms movements in US
history?
To what extent did women play a significant role in the
societal and political changes that characterized this
time period?
NC Information
What responsibility does the government have to the
poor?
Charles B. Aycock (“Education governor” but
part of White Supremacy Campaign)
Why is this period called the Progressive Era and is that
title accurate?
First Flight – Wright Brothers
Poll Taxes / Literacy Tests/ Grandfather Clause
Reformers
Muckrakers = Upton Sinclair - The Jungle, Ida
Tarbell, Ida B. Wells, Thomas Nast
What responsibility does the government
have to the poor?
What are the positive and negative
effects of government intervention into
business and labor?
Social Reformers = Jane Addams, W.E.B.
Dubois/NCAAP, Booker T. Washington /
Margret Sanger
How has government involvement in the
protection of civil liberties and civil rights
of the people changed American history?
Women’s Movement (Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony
Should an individual be allowed to
accumulate as much wealth as possible?
Government Reforms
Prohibition / Carry Nation
16th income tax) 17th, (direct election of US senators) 18th
(prohibition)
, and 19th (women voting) Amendments
Secret Ballot / Imitative / Referendum and
Recall
Pure Food and Drag Act
Progressive Presidents (Roosevelt, Taft, and
Wilson)
World War I
Common Themes that appear in this unit
that can also be found throughout NC and
US History:
Conflict and War. How is this war similar
and different to other wars fought in US?
How did World War I and other wars
progress or regress American development?
How did the United States move from neutrality to
war in 1917?
Should the United States fight wars to make the world
safe for democracy?
Was the Treaty of Versailles a fair and effective
settlement for lasting world peace?
What caused the United States to enter World War
I in 1917?
NC
Ships built in Wilmington
Training camps: Greene, Bragg, Polk
Key Terms
Alliances
Militarism
Nationalism
Trench warfare
Examine how in times of crisis individual
liberties and natural rights are
challenged by government and society.
How has governmental propaganda and the
media affected the public’s desire to go to
war? (for example, Paul Revere’s portrait of
the Boston Massacre and the portrayal of
German soldiers during World War I).
How do the causes of World War I compare
with the causes of other US wars? What are
the similarities and what are the
differences?
Should a democratic government
tolerate dissent during times of war and
other crises?
Why have many historians argued that the end of
World War I was the beginning of World War II?
How did the United States’ entry into the war
affect the nations already involved in the
conflict?
How did the war impact America’s social,
economic, political, and cultural institutions?
Why was President Wilson unable to persuade
Congress and America on the Treaty of
Versailles and entry into the League of
Nations?
Neutrality and Isolationism
Espionage and Sedition Acts
Zeppelins
Liberty bonds
Lusitania (sinking)
Sedition Acts
14 points
League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles
Key People
Archduke Ferdinand (assassination)
Woodrow Wilson
Churchill
How did Washington’s encouragement of
limited foreign entanglement impact
future development of American foreign
policy?
1920’s
The 1920’s went through a major cultural
shift – things that had once been deemed
improper were now starting to gain
acceptance – especially among women.
How does the 1920’s compare and contrast
with the 1960’s or with modern times?
How do cultural conflicts change
American lifestyles and perceptions?
How can new ideas cause social and
political backlashes?
NC Information
Why are the '20s known as the "roaring '20s"?
In what ways did American life change during the
1920s?
What was the importance of the Harlem
Renaissance?
What were the new roles for American women in
the 1920s?
What were the effects of growing urbanization in
the United States in the 1920s?
In what ways did the 1920s reveal a national
conflict over basic values?
What was Prohibition, and how did it affect the
nation?
Populations in towns (rural to urban – growth
of cities in NC)
Industries: cannon towels, largest aluminum
factory, and largest underwear plant
NC as the "good road state"
Scopes Monkey Trial / NC and Evolution
Loray Mill Strike
Appalachian National Trail
People
Marcus Garvey
Charles Lindbergh
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Harding and Coolidge
Terms
“A return to Normalcy”
Isolationism (Non-intervention)
Prohibition
Flappers
Jazz
The Harlem Renaissance
Nativism
Events
The Red Scare
Teapot Dome Scandal
Affordable Automobiles
Radio and Movies
The Great Migration
Industrial Growth / Stock Market
Farmers Suffer / Labor Unrest
The Great Depression
How does the Great Depression of the
1930s compare and contrast with the
Great Recession of 2008?
What are the responsibilities of
government during an economic crisis?
How much debt should the government
take on in order to provide assistance
and create jobs?
What are the possible benefits and
consequences of governmental
economic assistance?
How has the role of government in the
daily lives of Americans changed
throughout history?
Did New Deal policies expedite or delay the end
the Great Depression?
What achievements came from the Depression
and what setbacks?
Did minorities receive a New Deal in the 1930s?
What were the main causes of the Great
Depression?
How did the Great Depression affect the lives of
those living in the United States?
What long term effects did the New Deal have on
the United States?
Why did citizens allow the federal government to
increase its power during the Great Depression?
NC Information:
The Depression and NC farmers
1933 NC Government regulated the use of child
labor
Rural Electrification
Eugenics in NC
Blue Ridge Parkway – CCC
Terms
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
“rugged individualism”
Dust Bowl
Shantytowns
Hoovervilles
Bonus Army
Buying on the margin / Stock Market
Banking Crisis / Bank Holiday
Court Packing
AAA
CCC
NRA
Deficit Spending
Social Security Act
Fair Labor Standards Act
People
FDR / New Deal / Fireside Chats
Eleanor Roosevelt
Herbert Hoover
Events
Black Tuesday
Movies and Entertainment
World War II
Conflict and War. How is this war similar
and different to other wars fought in US?
How did the rise of fascism affect world events
following WW I?
How did World War II and other wars
progress or regress American development?
How did American policy toward events in Europe
and Asia change over time?
How has governmental propaganda and the
media affected the public’s desire to go to
war? For example, Paul Revere’s portrait of
the Boston Massacre and the portrayal of
Japanese and German soldiers.
What were the major events and turning points of
WWII?
How do the causes of World War II compare
with the causes of other US wars? What are
the similarities and what are the
differences?
What was the Holocaust?
How does the Holocaust compare with
modern day genocides (Rwanda, Native
Americans in US, enslavement of Africans,
Yugoslavia)?
Did WW II cause the United States to abandon its
non-interventionist policies and if so, was this a
good decision?
What responsibility should/does America
have in maintaining or securing human
rights for inhabitants of other countries?
Do the ends justify means when fighting
a war (atomic bomb)?
Examine how in times of crisis individual
liberties and natural rights are
challenged by government and society.
What military strategies did the United States and
its allies pursue to defeat the Axis powers in World
War II?
How did Americans at home support the war
effort?
What effect did the war have on race relations in
America?
Should the United States have dropped the atomic
bomb on Japan?
How were America and the world different
because of the events of World War II?
The Allies
Franklin Roosevelt
Winston Churchill
Joseph Stalin
NC and WWII
The USS North Carolina
German Submarines sink hundreds of ships off
Cape Hatteras
The 82 Airborne
Camp Lejeune / Cherry Point / Camp Butner
Wilmington Shipyards
German Prisoners of War in Fort Bragg
Dictators
Appeasement at Munich
The Lend-Lease Act
The Axis Powers
Adolph Hitler
Emperor Hirohito
Benito Mussolini
The European Theater
The Battle of Britain
The Holocaust
North Africa
D-Day
The Battle of the Bulge
The Fall of Berlin
The Pacific Theater
Pearl Harbor
Island Hopping
The Bataan Death March
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Okinawa
The Manhattan Project
Hiroshima
Nagasaki
VJ Day
Gen Eisenhower
Gen MacArthur
Gen Patton
War on the Home front
Japanese-American Internment
Women and African Americans
The Cold War
How does the military buildup and societal
fear during the Cold War compare and
contrast with the War on Terror in the
2000’s?
How has the status of being a
superpower affected the relations
between the U.S. and other nations?
Examine how in times of crisis individual
liberties and natural rights are
challenged by government and society.
Was containment an effective policy to thwart
communist expansion?
In what ways did the domino theory affect American
foreign policy during this period?
Should the United States have feared internal and
external communism?
How did the United States and the Soviet Union
become Cold War adversaries?
Did the Cold War ultimately have a positive or
negative impact on the United States?
What was the reaction on the homefront?
Terms
Communism
Iron Curtain
Containment / Domino Theory
The Marshall Plan
NATO / Warsaw Pact
People
Harry Truman
Douglas MacAuthor
Joseph McCarthy
John F. Kennedy
Events
Yalta Conference
Soviet Expansion into Europe
Berlin Blockade
Sputnik
The Arms Race
The Korean War
The Red Scare
Bay of Pigs / Cuban Missile Crisis
The Civil Rights
Movement
How does the Black Power Movement
compare and contrast with the Red Power
Movement?
How do the struggles of African Americans
compare and contrast with the struggles of
Native Americans and women?
Is violence or non-violence the most
effective means to achieve social
change?
How does the Civil Rights Movement
compare with the Occupy Movement of
2011 and 2012 or with other movements in
American history?
Vietnam and the 1960s
What were the origins of the Civil Rights
Movement?
How did the Civil Rights Movement change
America?
Who were the key leaders and organizations of
the Civil Rights movement?
How does the Civil Rights Movement for African
Americans compare and contrast with the push for
black equality today?
How did the philosophical shift toward more militant
tactics impact the outcome of the Civil Rights
Movement?
To what degree has equality been
achieved in America?
Has Martin Luther King’s dream been realized in
today’s society?
How does the Vietnam war compare and
contrast with the American Revolution and
the war in Iraq / Afghanistan?
Under what circumstances should the president or
Congress declare war?
How did Vietnam and other wars progress or
regress American development?
How has governmental propaganda and the
media affected the public’s desire to go to
war? For example, Paul Revere’s portrait of
the Boston Massacre and the Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution and America’s fear of
Communism.
How do the causes of Vietnam compare with
the causes of other US wars? What are the
similarities and what are the differences?
To what extent is it democratic to protest your
government during war?
Was the Vietnam War winnable? If so, how? If
not, why not?
NC Information:
SNCC / The Greensboro sit-ins
The Lumbees Face the Klan
Terms
Jim Crow
Segregation
Black Power
People
Thurgood Marshall
Martin Luther King / Nonviolence
Rosa Parks
Malcolm X
Events
Plessy v. Ferguson / Separate but equal
Brown v. Board of Education
The Little Rock 9
Freedom Rides
Birmingham
March on Washington
Assassination of MLK
Civil Rights Act of 1964 & 1965
NC
Fort Bragg / Camp Lejune
Key Figures
Ho Chi Minh
Ngo Dinh Diem
What lessons did the US learn or not learn from the
Vietnam War?
What was the counterculture, and what impact
did it have on American society?
Should the United States torture in order to try
and get information that might protect our
nation?
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Henry Kissinger
Richard M. Nixon
General William Westmoreland
Viet Cong
Key Terms
Saigon
Communism
Domino Theory
Agent Orange
Draft/Draft Deferments
Protest / Peace Movement
Music / Drug Culture
26th Amendment
Key Events
Gulf of Tonkin
The Tet Offensive
Anti-War Movement/Peace Movement
Vietnamization
Kent State
My Lai Massacre
Pentagon Papers/Daniel Ellsberg
Fall of Saigon
Watergate and the
Modern Era
Have government officials always acted
in corrupt manners or has the increase in
media attention brought more exposure
to political misdeeds?
Examine how in times of crisis individual
liberties and natural rights are
challenged by government and society.
How far should the government go to
secure protection for its citizens?
How did the Watergate scandal transform the
public’s opinion of American politics and
politicians?
Was the Watergate scandal a sign of strength or
weakness in the United States system of
government?
How did the Watergate events cause the
American people to view the position of the
presidency differently?
Nixon and Domestic Issues
Topic 1: The Supreme Court
Topic 2: The Nixon Economy
Topic 3: Watergate
Ford, Carter, and Reagan
Topic 1: Gerald Ford
Topic 2: Jimmy Carter
Topic 3: Ronald Reagan
What were the successes and failures of the
Jimmy Carter Administration?
What spurred the rise of conservatism in the late
1970s and early 1980s?
How were Americans impacted by the policies of
Reaganomics?
How did Reagan’s aggressive foreign policy lead to
a shift in American-Soviet relations?
How did the Cold War come to an end?
How has the growing global economy impacted
U.S. business and labor?
How has the War on Terrorism impacted
Americans?
Why was the United States attacked on 9/11?
Did the United States win the Cold War?
How well have U.S. foreign policy decisions met
the challenges of the global age?
What debates have arisen since 9/11 about how to
balance security while preserving American ideals?
Moving into a New Millennium
Topic 1: George Bush
Topic 2: Bill Clinton
Topic 3: 9/11 and George W. Bush
Topic 4: The Changing American Society
Social Studies Project Ideas
ORAL
Announcements
Audiotape
Campaign speech
Comedy act
Debate
Dialog
Discussion
Documentary
Eulogy
Group discussion
Interactive slides
Lecture
Mock interview
Mock trial
Monologue
News broadcast
Oral report
Panel discussion
Rap
Role-play
Seminar
Speech
TV Commentary
KINESTHETIC
Ballet
Characterization
Charades
Collage
Comedy sketch
Dance
Demonstration
Diorama
Display
Dramatization
Experiment
Field trip
Game
Map
Mobile
Model
Pantomime
Performance
Puppet show
Quilt
Relief map
Sculpture
Simulation
Sports event
Storytelling
Suitcase of artifacts
Talent show
VISUAL
WRITTEN
Advertisement
Banner
A Travelog
Bookmark
Brochure
Bulleted chart
Bulletin board
Cartoon
Chart
Collage
Comic strip
A Timeline
Crossword puzzle
Dictionary
Family tree
Flag
Flannel board
Flip chart
Flow chart
Graph
Greeting card
Hidden picture
Hieroglyphic
Storyboard
Jigsaw puzzle
Map
Mosaic
Mural
Painting
Photo album
Photo essay
Political cartoon
Poster
Quote chart
Scrapbook
Scroll
Biography
A Survey
Booklet
Characterization
Classified ad
Comic book
Creative writing
Critique
Database
Dictionary
Editorial
A Resume
Evaluation checklist
Evaluation grid
Fable
Fact file
Fairy tale
Glossary
Guidebook
Job description
Journal
A Recipe
List
Lyrics
Magazine
Manual
Memoir
Metaphor
Musical score
Newscast
Newspaper
Parody
Patent
Play
Poem
Questionnaire
Useful Resource Internet Links
http://teachinghistory.org/ - The following link will take you to a site that was designed by George Mason to help teachers with American history
topics. There is on-line professional development, teaching ideas, and all sorts of historical information. George Mason got a seven-million dollar
grant from the US Government.
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flASH/ (newspaper headlines from across the globe).
All of this teacher’s videos are posted on this YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=historyteachers#g/u - You Tube is an excellent website for raps, documentaries, and history clips.
Submit a lesson plan for money! Or get lesson plan ideas – some are free and some cost a small amount of money.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/5-Dollars-or-Less-Store/?seltype=3&gd=0&gdl=5&sb=42&vw
Excellent US History Lesson Plans that are connected with primary sources:
http://sheg.stanford.edu/?q=node/45
NY Regents - http://www.nysedregents.org/ - Excellent source for US, World, and Civics standardized questions.
The Civics Consortium - http://www.civics.unc.edu/ Great website for lesson plans and resources for civics and history
http://www.gilderlehrman.org – Primary and secondary US history resources and lesson plans.
Primary Sources (a list of the top primary source websites) - http://teachingamericanhistory2011.wordpress.com/
http://www.historyteacher.net/ Great resource for PowerPoints, articles, and other social studies links. Information and resources
for almost every social studies content area.
I-Tunes University – video courses of all kinds of social studies subjects
http://www.procon.org/ - this site promotes critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship. It presents controversial issues in a
straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format.
http://jeopardylabs.com – create a jeopardy game for your students.
http://www.learnnc.org/nchistory/ - A digital history of North Carolina – excellent history text. They are working on one for Civics.
http://life.time.com/history/ (Life Magazine history covers)
http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/2008/09/bookmark-this-f.html - The “100 Best Speeches in US History.” This site allows you to listen to each one.
National Archives - http://www.archives.gov/education
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ - A Digital US History book…
http://www.wga.hu/index.html The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the
Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 21.300 reproductions. Picture
commentaries, artist biographies are available. Guided tours, period music, catalogue, free postcard and other services are provided. Follow the link
below...
SAS Curriculum Pathways - Over 20,000 teachers in over 1,200 traditional schools and 40 charter schools are using SAS Curriculum Pathways - online
educational resources made available at no charge to schools. SAS Curriculum Pathways provides standards-based content for middle and high
schools in core academic disciplines - English, mathematics, social studies, science and Spanish. The product offers more than 1,200 academic
resources, including lessons, engaging activities and interactive teaching tools, plus links to more than 4,000 academically appropriate websites. For
more information, including how to take advantage of this resource, visit http://www.sas.com/govedu/edu/curriculum/index.html
http://www.icivics.org/games/supreme-decision - Excellent website on civics and economics – designed more for elementary students, but it could
be useful at the middle and high school levels. There are games and very good videos on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, the three branches of
government, and financial literacy.
http://www.curriki.org/ - Social Studies Lesson Plans
http://www.besthistorysites.net/ Digital History Map - This might be helpful for you and your students. It is a searchable database:
http://collections.lib.uwm.edu/cdm4/search.php?CISOROOT=/agdm
The Dirksen Congressional Center recently announced the completion of the Editorial Cartoon Collection project:
http://www.congresslink.org/cartoons/index.htm.
The editorial cartoons and related lesson plans from The Dirksen Center will teach
students to identify issues, analyze symbols, acknowledge the need for background knowledge, recognize stereotypes and caricatures,
think critically, and appreciate the role of irony and humor.
http://www.picturehistory.com/misc/about.html - An extensive collection of American History photographs.
http://www.socialstudies.org/
This site has a large collection of primary source documents and it also offers document based questions.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listdocumentpa.html
DonorsChoose.org - This website has made national news this year since the economy has turned sour. It was started by the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation and lots of teachers have received some much needed classroom resources.
This site offers an extensive collection of United States history primary source documents from 1400’s to the present.
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/
Educator’s Reference Desk (maintained by the University of Washington) has Social Studies lesson plans, by subject area including service learning,
folklore, etc. – connected to all subject areas: http://www.eduref.org/cgibin/res.cgi/Subjects/Social_Studies
University of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri Department of Higher Education have
collaborated to produce programs and resources by topic: http://www.emints.org/ethemes/index.shtml
eTHEMES compiles websites as resources for student use – uses graduate students as scouts to evaluate appropriateness
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/by-grade.shtml Listing of student appropriate websites by grade level and by theme/ subject
Free site that allows you and your students to make electronic flash cards
http://quizlet.com/
Here you will find resources to support the implementation of the new K-12 Social Studies Essential Standards, FAQs, and contact information for
the NCDPI K-12 Social Studies staff. This is not a collaborative site; however, you do not have to be a member in order to access the information
here: http://ssnces.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Home