This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with the 8th grade Social Studies content.

This resource accompanies our Rethink 8th Grade Social Studies course. It includes ideas for use, ways to support exceptional children, ways to extend learning, digital resources and tools, tips for supporting English Language Learners and students with visual and hearing impairments. There are also ideas for offline learning. 

This online textbook is designed for grade 8 and up and covers all of North Carolina history, from the arrival of the first people some 12,000 years ago to the present. There are eleven parts, organized chronologically, a collection of primary sources, readings, and multimedia that can be rearranged to meet the needs of the classroom. Special web-based tools aid reading and model historical inquiry, helping students build critical thinking and literacy skills.

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. The accompanying teacher guides provide lesson activity ideas, vocabulary, and additional reading resources to compliment each act's theme. The 5 act themes are: First on the Land, The Road to Zacatecas, The Roanoke Voyages, A New Voyage to North Carolina, and , The Tuscarora War.

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. Act II of Birth of a Colony focuses on the Spanish exploration and exploitation of the New World and the attempt to find a new route to Zacatecas. Vast wealth from silver enabled Spain to finance more exploration and expand its empire. In an effort to defend Spanish trade and protect Spain?s investment in the mines, King Philip II launched an attempt to establish a colony in North America. This teacher's guide contains 2 SS lessons plans: Finding a Lost Spanish Fort; Mapping Juan Pardo. Additional suggested resources are also included. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/ The referenced article can be accessed at the following link: http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/collateral/articles/F07.lost.spanish.fort.pdf

Birth of a Colony explores the history of North Carolina from the time of European exploration through the Tuscarora War. Presented in five acts, the video combines primary sources and expert commentary to bring this period of our history to life. Act IV of Birth of a Colony is divided into three parts. The first part explores the development of permanent English settlements in North Carolina. The second part of this segment focuses on the establishment of a proprietary colony in Carolina. The The third part of this segment focuses on the journey of John Lawson from Charleston, through the interior sections of the Piedmont, to the Pamlico Sound. This teacher's guide includes 2 SS lessons: John Lawson, Surveyor; Teaching the Carolina Charter. Additional suggested resources and optional extension activities are also included. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/

Take a trip to the Cherokee Indian Reservation to see and hear how the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has regained and maintained its heritage despite losing its homeland to oppressive government action.

This resource provides an overview of the NC Coastal Plain. Links to other resources are included, as well as maps.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the effects of cultural diffusion that is found from country to country, and using the Internet as a research tool, find concrete examples of cultural diffusion.

This virtual field trip from Historic Bath State Site is a fun way to learn more about a kid's life in the 18th century. The field trip packet contains ,links to YouTube videos of costumed interpreters demonstrating historic activities, pre- and post-watch content for educators that provide context and engagement, and follow-up activities (games, crafts, and coloring pages). Live Q&A can be booked as part of the field trip as well.

Fort Dobbs has created a series of short videos designed to teach students about the settlement of the Northwest Carolina backcountry, the lives of the Native Americans living in and near the region of Fort Dobbs, the life of a North Carolina Provincial Soldier, and North Carolina's role during the French and Indian War. The videos are designed for teachers to use them separately to fit into their own lessons or can be grouped together by theme.

Students learn about the general history and culture of American Indians from a present-day perspective. This activity has students discovering the names and locations of the eight state-recognized tribes in North Carolina.

This resource provides an overview of the NC Mountains. Links to other resources are included, as well as maps.

NCpedia is an online encyclopedia that covers a broad spectrum of topics and resources about North Carolina, including: historical time periods, subjects, and events; biographies; geography and environment; business and economy; historical places and monuments; natural resources and natural heritage; and many others. NCpedia also includes thousands of images. NCpedia's articles are all written by trusted contributors that include professional and independent historians, librarians and archivists, museum professionals and many subject specialists.

In this lesson, students explore the different regions of North Carolina and how the topography of the region affected economic, social, and political development by completing one of the projects options included.

Students will learn about America's first gold rush, which took place in North Carolina in the early 1800s. They will then utilize their understanding of the gold rush and its affect on North Carolina by completing a creative writing assignment.

On the coast of North Carolina, on a one mile stretch of Topsail Island, sits the community of Ocean City. This short video explores how this was a special place where Black families could vacation, own property, and enjoy the beach in peace during a time where few places were open to them.

This assessment is to be used in conjunction with the lesson "Port to Port." In this lesson, students participate in a role-playing game in which they trade estuary goods with a ship's captain who travels around North America. A second game examines the value of estuaries and how human activities and decisions affect the estuaries and change their value.