Throughout the school year the 8th grade students will be studying the following topics:
1. Geography of North America- This is a
review of the basic physical and political geography of the North American
continent.
2. Native-American Cultures- This unit
deals with the first inhabitants of North America. We will study the individual
tribal cultures, including original lands and influences on American society
throughout history.
3. Exploration- This unit covers the major
European expeditions to the "New World".
4. Colonization- This unit will cover the
European colonization of North America. This will include a study of the
original colonies and whom they were settled by. This unit will stress the
beginning of a "Multi-Cultural" society, and reasons for the French
& Indian War.
5. American Revolution- After studying the
original 13 colonies, we will look into major causes for our struggle for
Independence. The unit will also include an in depth study of the battles and
tactics of the war. (My personal favorite!)
6. U.S. Government- This unit focuses on
the Constitution of the United States. We study the individual parts of the
Constitution and how they work. This will of course focus on the Bill of Rights
and Amendments added since 1791. This unit will cover both the U.S. Government
"Then & Now".
7. Westward Expansion- This unit will deal
with U.S. movement from the Appalachian Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. We will
cover everything from the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Mexican War.
8. Slavery- Although we will be discussing
slavery throughout the school year, we will not cover the entire unit until
after "Westward Expansion". This unit will focus on the institution of
slavery as well as reasons for it. Individual topics will include The Amistad
Slave Revolt, The Dred Scott Decision and The Underground Railroad.
9. Civil War & Reconstruction- After
covering the Slavery unit we will be moving into the Civil War. This unit will
not only cover the battles and tactics, but also the reasons for the war. We
will end the academic year by studying the consequences of the Civil War, both
"Then & Now".