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. 

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.

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Students will read and analyze historical documents and answer a series of questions based on their analysis.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

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.

In this lesson, students will analyze written documents for position of writer and content. They will then synthesize a historical position based upon document analysis and connect historical struggles for equality with current movements.

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 III of Birth of a Colony presents the story of England?s attempts to settle in the New World. Queen Elizabeth enlisted Sir Walter Raleigh to launch an expedition ?to inhabit and possess? any lands not already claimed by Spain or France. This was part of the global power struggle between Catholic Spain and Protestant England. Queen Elizabeth believed that if England could get a foothold in America, it would be possible to cut off the flow of gold, silver, and sugar that fueled Spain?s domination and threatened England?s security. This teacher's guide contains 2 SS lessons plans: The England of the Roanoke Colonies; The Art of John White. Additional suggested resources are also included. There are optional visual arts extension activities as well. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/

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/

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 final segment of Birth of a Colony discusses the Tuscarora War, the Barnwell Expedition, and the Moore Expedition. ELA extension activities included: writing letters, diary entries, oral histories. The Birth of a Colony video can be accessed at the following link: http://video.unctv.org/video/2149619983/

This collection of primary resources and corresponding activities sheds light on the endurance of peaceful protesters in Montgomery, Ala., who overturned an unjust law.

This inquiry provides students with an opportunity to explore how words affect public opinion through an examination of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Students will investigate historical sources related to the novel and reactions of people in the North and South in order to address the compelling question "Can words lead to war?" The final summative assessment asks the to make an argument about the impact of the words in Uncle Tom's Cabin.