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Washington: Social Studies

Woodbury Grade 8 Team Site

Washington Team Social Studies

About the Teacher

Mrs. Morris is the social studies teacher on the Washington Team. This is her thirty-first year teaching at Woodbury School. She has previously taught sixth and seventh grade language arts and social studies. Mrs. Morris grew up in Salem, NH, attended Salem schools and Castleton University. She earned her Master's Degree in Integrating Arts into the Curriculum from Lesley University. Mrs. Morris still makes Salem her home with her husband, Andre, their cats and a 29-year-old turtle named Jezebel.

 

 

Our Course of Study

What We Study

Grade 8 - United States History

 

This year, students will investigate guiding questions such as “How have past events shaped our national identity?” Students begin the year exploring colonialism and its effect on people and the environment of North America. They examine how the American government was created and investigate the basics of our economy. Next, students discover Americans’ different perspectives regarding Manifest Destiny. Students investigate how the Civil Rights movement has direct connections to the American Civil War and the Jim Crow era. Students will also explore guiding questions such as “What are some examples of change and continuity throughout American history?” Students compare how immigration policies affect everyday lives of Americans both in the past and present. Using their prior basic knowledge of the economy, students will apply these concepts to the study of the Gilded Age and the Great Depression. They will analyze cause and effect relationships throughout the development of the nation.  Additional supporting questions appear under each topic (see column to the right.) The questions are included to stimulate teachers’ and students’ own questions for discussion and research.

Grade 8 History and Social Science Topics

Grade 8  History and Social Science Topics           

Topic 1: Colonialism

Topic 2: Formation of American Government 

Topic 3: Economics

Topic 4: Westward Expansion/Manifest Destiny

Topic 5: Civil War/Reconstruction/Civil Rights

Topic 6: World War I and the Gilded Age

Topic 7: Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression 

Topic 8: WWII/Japanese Internment

Topic 9: Modern Times

Topic 10: Student Choice Research Project

Documents

Please check Google Classroom for social studies assignments and documents.

Google Classroom Codes

Content Literacy (Q3 & Q4)  vhgxwi

Core 2  5o93eka

Core 3  iksld06

Core 4  6g447o

Core 5  58604b

Quarter 2 Topics

Supporting Question: How has the outcome of the Civil War affected Americans' lives?

 

  1. Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.
  2. Identify the ways state and local governments restricted the rights and freedoms of African -Americans.
  3. Explain the effect of the Jim Crow laws on the post-Civil War African-American population.