In this interdisciplinary curriculum unit, students work in groups to examine, role play, and report on how the United States should have responded to England in the War of 1812. Students take on the roles of news reporters to explain and evaluate U.S. policy and are provided with background information, detailed instructions, on-line resources,…

This booklet was designed to be used as a supplemental social studies unit and is divided into four sections. Section 1 profiles famous women of West Virginia including Aracoma, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Mary Harris Jones, Susan Matilda Dew Hoff, Frances Benjamin Johnston, and Nancy Hart Douglas. Section 2, profiles contemporary women in West Virginia…

This eighth grade lesson plan asks students to work in groups of four. They must: (1) decide whether to join the Union Army or the Confederate Army; (2) decide under which General they will serve and in which battles they will fight; and (3) once this decision has been made, assign the following roles for team or group members: photographer,…

This eighth grade lesson plan asks students to research and analyze primary source documents about early factory labor (mill workers during the period between 1840-1860) showing their hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. The lesson plan asks students to read a historical novel about the time,…

Developed for eighth grade students reading on or above grade level, this self-correcting unit covers the background of the Constitution, the Preamble, the seven articles, and the amendments. Material is divided into two sections. The teacher section outlines activities, materials, evaluation options, and follow-up activities. A crossword puzzle…

In this lesson, students role-play supporting members of the original Lewis and Clark expedition of the Louisiana Territory. Students research the expedition and create journals of their journey. The journals are meant to be historically accurate, and students will include items such as maps, personal written entries, illustrations, and…

These lessons are part of a project to make the study of law and legal concepts an integral part of the North Carolina state social studies state curriculum, and the materials are correlated to this curriculum. Six lesson goals and numerous activities focus on the legal concepts of authority, justice, and responsibility. This packet for grade…

This eighth-grade lesson teaches about military battles and the lives of women during the U.S. Civil War. Students work both individually and in groups, assuming the perspective of a young woman who has left home to join the war effort. The lesson progresses along the following steps: (1) "Getting Started" (Focus on a particular woman's role); (2)…

This educational packet for grades 7 and 8 is organized to help students study about and/or plan a visit to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, the site of a struggle between the Union and Confederate forces in August 1861 for the control of Missouri. The packet contains the following materials: (1) Educational Group Reservation Form; (2)…

Presented in this curriculum guide are materials for eighth grade United States history instruction suitable for students of English as a second language. The guide contains three sections on early American history covering the period of discovery and exploration, the colonies in North America, and the American Revolution. Each section contains…

In this social studies and language arts interdisciplinary unit for 8th or 11th grade, students are required to take on the persona of a Populist or a Progressive. The unit is designed to create a dialogue between two similar movements in late 19th and early 20th century U.S. history. Students work in small groups to research and present their…

This unit is one of a series that presents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying a crucial turning-point in history, students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set in motion a series…

Designed for inclusion in an eighth grade course on U.S. history or civics, this unit introduces local students to the history of Alexandria (Virginia) through a study of its buildings and urban growth. By examining factors which have changed the community (technology, transportation, economic influences) as well as the relationship between…