Class Objectives, US History 8

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.