Welcome to 8th Grade American History
Welcome to 8th grade American History! I am excited about starting a new school year and working with your student. In eighth grade my goal is to help students become independent thinkers, historians who question why things happened the way they did, and learners who feel challenged to work harder and succeed.
Students will be examining historical documents and artifacts, reading books, completing research projects, and participating in activities which give them opportunities to use basic skills such as reading, writing, and math as well as thinking skills such as decision making, problem solving, and creativity.
NOTEBOOKS
Students need to stay organized and keep all of their American Studies papers together. We will be working in class every day, so they must bring their social studies notebook with them. Assignments and notes for class are glued or taped inside.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
The following supplies are helpful to have at home, but not required: colored pencils, markers, tape and/or glue.
HOMEWORK
Students will have homework several times during the week. Most homework time will range from 10 minutes to 15 minutes.
UNITS COVERED
The LPS 8th Grade Social Studies Standards are used when planning lessons. Emphasis is placed on events in American history, multicultural relations, multi-perspective investigations, economic and geographic aspects of American history, and current events. Call to Freedom, by Holt, Rinehart and Winston is our textbook. Each student will be given his/her own copy to use throughout the school year. The textbook must be covered with either a cloth cover (the extra large sizes cover the books) or a paper book cover. The entire text (complete with chapter reviews and links to additional information) can be accessed online at www.hrw.com. Your student will be given a username and password. The following Units and Standards are covered:
| Unit 1 | Life in North America Prior to the 17th Century |
| Unit 2 | The Building of a New Nation |
| Unit 3 | Growth and Change in the United States from 1801 to 1861 |
| Unit 4 | The Civil War and Reconstruction |
| Unit 5 | The United States from 1877 to 1914 |
This website is designed to provide information about class expectations, class activities, upcoming assignments, links to current events and history sites and photos of class activities. Please check the website often to see what we are up to.
If you have questions or concerns, you can reach me through email at bboswell@lps.org or by phone at 436-1215.
