This inquiry-led lesson guides students through writing a newspaper article about a mining accident in Trimdon Grange, discussing its causes, its consequences, and the impact on life in the town and elsewhere.

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.

In this curriculum unit, students will explore the question: What was life, particularly the writing life, like for an American woman before, during, and after the founding of our nation? Using Abigail Adams's correspondence and diaries, students will explore primary source documents to learn about the historical, cultural, and ethical role of women in early America. Students will analyze the works of Mrs. Adams and other women, create a diary as if they lived during the time period, write essays comparing their lives to that of an 18th century New Englander, and produce a historical film containing scenes from the life of Mrs. Adams. The unit includes transcribed primary sources, numerous worksheets, and detailed homework assignments.

In this lesson, students will: 1. Review and understand multiple perspectives of slavery (the slaves' point of view, the abolitionist point of view and the view of the slave holder). 2. Learn three abolitionist leaders and their contribution to the movement against slavery. 3. Read and interpret primary documents having to do with the abolitionist movement. 4. Demonstrate understanding of primary documents through written assessment.

In this activity, students will complete a close reading of the Gettysburg address by using the strategy called SOAPSTONE.

In this activity, students examine a journal excerpt and answer a series of questions. The questions are designed to guide students into a deeper analysis of the source and sharpen associated cognitive skills.

Containing more than 50 articles from the award-winning Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine and over 40 lesson plans, this multidisciplinary Educator Notebook will enrich your exploration of North Carolina and American history with diverse perspectives. This resource's link takes you to a very short form that gives you free downloadable access to the complete PDF book.

A website resource that provides facts and data that documents the forced removal of enslaved persons from Africa and their arrival to North Carolina.

Students will read and analyze historical documents and answer a series of questions based on their analysis.

In this lesson, students will compare/contrast the information in their textbook about Andrew Jackson to political cartoons of the era. Students will identify symbols, allusions and stereotypes used in these cartoons and infer the intended message and tone of the Jackson era cartoons. Students will also identify any biases in the cartoons and check for historical accuracy, and then formulate their own opinion about the Jackson Administration. As a culminating activity, students will write an opinion essay that articulates their personal stance on Andrew Jackson’s character, using proper writing conventions.

Students compare their state's constitution to the U.S. Constitution, explain how the two documents illustrate federalism, and evaluate the need for state constitutions.

This lesson links to United States maps with different kinds of data. Students learn strategies to help them carefully observe and analyze the maps to learn more about American society, history, and geography.

In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of the events and outcome of the Battle of Cowpens. They will also understand how the geographic features of the land played into the decision to stand and fight, as well as how those features helped the Patriots win the battle. Students will furthermore better understand the role of Daniel Morgan and how his leadership style further cemented a victory. Students will practice reading and speaking skills as well.

In this lesson, students will examine documents, narratives and maps to gain understanding of the significance of the battle of Trenton. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to write a BCR (single paragraph essay) explaining why the battle of Trenton was a turning point in the American Revolution, citing evidence from an eyewitness account of the battle and Thomas Paine's American Crisis.

In this lesson, students will consider the strategies Ida B. Wells deployed to raise awareness of social problems and weigh the effectiveness of nonconformity to address a specific audience. Students will use Wells' story to write about a personal experience of conformity or non-conformity.

In this lesson, students will understand excerpts from an autobiographical work and retell scenes from the book. They will also collaborate to convert segments of the text into dialogue, creating a brief play about Susie King Taylor's involvement in the Civil War.

In this interactive online activity, students will review and analyze the founding documents of the United States and understand Benjamin Franklin's contributions and connections to these founding documents. For the conclusion, students will choose the three most important documents that Franklin helped to shape, and reflect on the impact of the founding documents.

Students will determine the best way to govern by analyzing the writings of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists and apply their ideas during a Socratic Seminar.