Unit Title: the First Americans

Eighth Grade

Rationale: The mission of social studies is to prepare young people for informed responsible citizenship now and in the future. This will be accomplished through the study of economics, civic/political, social/cultural, historical and geographical perspectives.

Description: The eighth grade social studies program will focus on United States history from the Columbian Exchange through Reconstruction.

Unit 1

Unit Title: The First Americans

Essential Question: What is culture?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aA, 2aB
2aA
2aA / 1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3 / Thousands of years ago small groups of hunters crossed a bridge of land that connected Siberia and Alaska. Eventually, they spread throughout North and South America. These first people, called Native Americans, influenced later cultures. Native Americans are part of the modern world, yet many of them also preserve the ways of life, customs and traditions developed by their ancestors centuries ago.
Students will:
1.  Early Peoples
·  Understand how the first people arrived in the Americas
·  Cite the discovery that changed the lives of the early Native Americans
-  class discussion and daily assignments
-  writing – students will write a newspaper article describing the migration across the Americas (utilizing – who, what, where, when, why and how)
2.  Cities and Empires
·  Describe why powerful empires arose in the Americas
·  Investigate how the people of each empire adapted to their environment
-  class discussion and daily assignments
3.  North American Peoples
·  Explore what early people lived in North America
·  Examine how different native American groups adapted to their environments
-  class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 2

Unit Title: Exploring the Americas

Essential Question: How can one culture impact and influence another culture?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aB
2aB
2aB
2aB / 3, 8
3, 8
3, 8
3, 8 / Although the English have been the major influence on United States history, they are only part of the story. Beginning with Native Americans and continuing through time, people from many cultures came to the Americas. The Americas today consist of people from cultures around the globe. Native Americans, Spanish, Africans and others have all played key roles in shaping the culture we now call American.
Students will:
1.  A Changing World
·  Examine how technology made long sea voyages possible
·  Explore the factors that allowed great civilizations in Africa to flourish
-  class discussion and daily assignments
2.  Early Exploration
·  Explain Portugal’s leadership roles in exploration
·  Understand Columbus’s plan for sailing to Asia
-  class discussion and daily assignments
3.  Spain in America
·  Evaluate the decline of the Aztec and Inca Empires in the Americas
·  Explore how Spain governed its empire in the Americas
-  class discussion and daily assignments
4.  Exploring North America
·  Explain how the Protestant Reformation affected North America
·  Evaluate why the activities of early traders encouraged exploration
-  class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 3

Unit Title: Colonial America

Essential Question: What might the consequences be for establishing English colonies in North America?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aB
2aB
2aB
2aB / 1, 3, 4
1, 3, 4
1, 3, 4
1, 3, 4 / A new culture took root in North America. The value and beliefs of this new culture developed as people from several parts of the world migrated to the continent.
Students will:
1.  Early English Settlements
·  Identify the crop that saved the people of Jamestown
·  Explain how the colonists received political rights
-  class discussion and daily assignments
2.  New England Colonies
·  Explain why the Pilgrims and the Puritans came to America
·  Describe how the Connecticut, Rhode Island and the New Hampshire colonies began
-  class discussion and daily assignments
3.  Middle Colonies
·  Explain why the Middle Colonies had the most diverse populations in colonial America
·  Identify America’s first town planner
-  class discussion and daily assignments
4.  Southern Colonies
·  Understand why the Southern Colonies were established
·  Compare and contrast France’s colony in North America with the English colonies
-  class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 4

Unit Title: The Colonies Grow

Essential Question: What does it mean to be independent?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aB
2aB
2aB
2aB / 2, 3, 4, 6
2, 3, 4, 6
2, 3, 4, 6
2, 3, 4, 6 / Independence was a spirit that became evident early in the history of the American people. The spirit of independence contributed to the birth of a new nation, on with a new government and a culture that was distinct from those of other countries.
Students will:
1. Life in the Colonies
·  Define the triangular trade and explain how it affected American society
·  Understand how the regions in the colonies differed from one another
·  Understand why the use of enslaved workers increased in the colonies
-  class discussion and daily assignments
2. Government, Religion and Culture
·  Understand why the Navigation Acts angered the colonists
·  Identify the people who had the right to vote in colonial legislatures
-  class discussion and daily assignments
3. France and Britain Clash
·  Explain how wars in Europe spread to the American colonies
·  Understand the purpose of the Albany Plan of Union
-  class discussion and daily assignments
4. The French and Indian War
·  Explain how British fortunes improved after William Pitt took over direction of the war
·  Describe how Chief Pontiac united his people to fight for their land
-  class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 5

Unit Title: Road to Independence

Essential Question: Why would you want to separate or leave your country of origin?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aC
2aC
2aC
2aC / 3, 6
3, 6
3, 6
3, 6 / A spirit of independence became evident early in the history of the American people. Far from established rules and restrictions they had faced in their home countries, the new settlers began to make their own laws and develop their own way of doing things.
Students will:
1. Taxation without Representation
·  Describe why the British had problems in North America after the French and Indian War
·  Explain how the colonists responded to unpopular British laws
-  class discussion and daily assignments
2. Building Colonial Unity
·  Identify the causes of the Boston Massacre
·  Explain how Britain tried to maintain its control over the colonies
-  class discussion and daily assignments
3. A Call to Arms
·  Identify events that took place a the Continental Congress
·  Describe the early skirmishes of the American Revolution
-  class discussion and daily assignments
4.  Moving Toward Independence
·  Understand what happened at the Second Continental Congress
·  Explore why the Declaration of Independence was drafted
-  class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 6

Unit Title: The American Revolution

Essential Question: Why was winning the war critical for the colonies?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aC
2aC
2aC
2aC / 2, 3, 5, 6, 10
2, 3, 5, 6, 10
2, 3, 5, 6, 10
2, 3, 5, 6, 10 / Although the United States declared its independence in 1776, no country recognized it as an independent nation at that time. It took a war and the efforts of American diplomats to win this recognition.
Students will:
1.  The Early Years
·  Understand why some Americans supported the British
·  Explain how the Battle of Saratoga marked a turning point in the war
-  class discussion and daily assignments
2.  The War Continues
·  Understand why other nations helped the Patriots
·  Describe how Washington’s troops survived the winter at Valley Forge
·  Recognize the challenges of Americans faced at home as a result of the war
-  class discussion and daily assignments
3.  The War Moves West and South
·  Explain how the war involved Native Americans
·  Describe how a new kind of fighting developed in the South
-  class discussion and daily assignments
4.  The War is Won
·  Describe how George Washington changed his military strategy
·  Explain how the Americans won the Revolutionary War despite many disadvantages
-  class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 7

Unit Title: A More Perfect Union

Essential Question: How has the Constitution influenced your life?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aD
2aD
2aD
2aD / 5, 6, 10
5, 6, 10
5, 6, 10
5, 6, 10 / When the American colonies broke their political ties with Great Britain, they faced the task of forming independent governments at both the state and national levels. In 1788 the Constitution became the official plan of American government. Created to meet the needs of a changing nation, the Constitution has been the fundamental law of the United States for more than 200 years. It has served as a model for many constitutions all over the world.
Students will:
1. The Articles of Confederation
·  Examine how the weaknesses of the Articles led to instability
·  Explain how the Confederation Congress dealt with the western lands
-  class discussion and daily assignments
2. Convention and Compromise
·  Describe how the Constitutional Convention broke the deadlock over the form the new government would take
·  Understand how the delegates answered the question of representation
-  class discussion and daily assignments
3. A New Plan of Government
·  Understand the roots of the Constitution
·  Explain ho the Constitution limits the power of government
-  class discussion and daily assignments
4. A Citizenship Handbook
·  Analyze why the Constitution is the nation’s most important document
·  Analyze important principles in the Constitution
·  Apply important principles of the Bill of Rights
·  Compare and contrast the goals and powers of the three branches of government
·  Explain the rights and responsibilities of United States citizens
- class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 8

Unit Title: The New Nation

Essential Question: How do the affairs of foreign countries impact the policies of the Unites States government?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aE
2aE
2aE / 2, 4, 5, 6
2, 4, 5, 6
2, 4, 5, 6 / Students will be introduced to the challenges faced by the new American government and how this new government functioned in foreign affairs.
Students will:
1. A New Nation
·  List highlights of the new government
·  Understand how the federal government asserted its power in the West
·  Describe how political parties got started and what positions they supported
- class discussion and daily assignments
2.  The Jeffersonian Era
·  Identify and discuss the importance of various aspects of the Jeffersonian era
·  Discuss how the United States expanded in the early 1800s
·  Review the expeditions of explorers such as Lewis and Clark
- class discussion and daily assignments
3.  Growth and Expansion
·  Discuss the Industrial Revolution and its effects
·  Explain how sectionalism developed
·  Summarize the Monroe Doctrine
- class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 9

Unit Title: The Growing Nation

Essential Question: What impact has technology had on the growth of the United States?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aF, 2aG
2aF, 2aG
2aF, 2aG
2aF, 2aG / 2, 3, 4, 5
2, 3, 4, 5
2, 3, 4, 5
2, 3, 4, 5 / The young nation was struggling to define what democracy was and how it would be established within the United States.
Students will:
1.  The Jackson Era
·  Describe key political and social events of the Jackson era
- class discussion and daily assignments
2.  Manifest Destiny
·  Explain the concept of Manifest Destiny
- class discussion and daily assignments
3.  North and South
·  Compare and contrast the economy of the North with those of the South
·  Compare and contrast the people of the North with those of the South
- class discussion and daily assignments
4.  The Age of Reform
·  Discuss the social history of the early and mid-1800s
- class discussion and daily assignments
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES / RESOURCES
Text: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003
Computer/Smartboard
CORRECTIVE ACTION / SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS

Unit 10

Unit Title: Civil War and Reconstruction

Essential Question: How do you define civil war?

GLEs/
Objective / National
Standards
(NCSS) / Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment) / Assessment
2aH
2aH
2aH / 4, 5, 6, 10
4, 5, 6, 10
4, 5, 6, 10 / In 1861 the country erupted in a civil war. It became a bloody conflict that pitted family against family. It would test the new nation like nothing else had.