8th Grade US History students learn about events which take place in North America from the Age of Exploration until the Immigration of the turn of the Century (1492-1900) and include the following topics for 2015-16:
- Early Contact
- Slave Trade
- American Revolution
- Establishing a Government
- War of 1812
- Expansion and Change
- Slavery in America
- Causes of the Civil War
- The Civil War
- Reconstruction
- Native Americans after the Civil War
- Immigration, Industrialization & Urbanization
Close Reading Habits of Mind lessons are used throughout the year in order to develop the following critical thinking skills: multiple perspectives, sourcing, contextualization and corroboration.
In addition, students will also develop the following skills:
- Critical Thinking
- cause/effect, compare/contrast, drawing inferences, supporting a point of view and problem solving
- Primary/Secondary Sources
- Summarize, categorize, identify bias, main idea and key details
- Subject Specific Vocabulary
- Comprehend and use appropriately
- Maps, Charts, Timelines, Graphs
- Read, label and interpret
A more detailed list of what is being studied in each unit can be found here.