Social Studies — Grade 8

Language families

In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.7

Students will identify and locate the three language families of contact period North Carolina and calculate the physical area covered by each language family.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 Mathematics and Social Studies)

Early North Carolina exploration (warm-up activity)

This lesson is intended to be used at the beginning of a unit that examines the early exploration of the North Carolina coast and its inhabitants.
Through drawings published in Thomas Hariot's "A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia" teachers can raise student's interest in this unit.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Joe Hooten.

De Soto in America

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 3.4

In this lesson for grade 8, students will evaluate the effectiveness of the De Soto expedition through the interior of the southeastern United States in the years 1539-1543. They will examine the impact of that trip on the Native Americans. Students will engage in historical empathy as they put themselves in the place of the Native Americans and the Spanish soldiers who encountered them on the expedition.

Format: lesson plan

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Culture everywhere

In Intrigue of the Past, page 1.3

In their study of culture, students will use a chart to show the different ways that cultures meet basic human needs and recognize that archaeologists study how people from past cultures met basic needs by analyzing and interpreting the artifacts and sites that they left behind.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Coastal Plain cultures graphic organizer

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 2.5

As students read the article "Peoples of the Coastal Plain," this graphic organizer will help them develop an understanding of the cultures that existed in North Carolina's Coastal Plain hundreds of years ago.

Format: /lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

The Carolina colony: Comparing three perspectives

In this lesson, students compare three different primary sources written by early colonists, and consider the reasons the colonists had for moving to Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Anticipation guide: The importance of one simple plant

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 2.9

This activity is designed to be used with the article "The Importance of One Simple Plant." A series of true/false statements will enable students to compare what they previously knew about maize with what they've learned by reading the article.

Format: /lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

America's first people

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 2.2

These activities, designed to accompany "First Peoples" and "The Mystery of the First Americans," will enable students to explore the origins of human populations in North America.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Resources on the web

Native Americans in North Carolina

In this lesson, students create a PowerPoint presentation describing the history and impact of one of the six major Native American tribes of North Carolina. The lesson requires them to demonstrate understanding of population movement, different perspectives,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

Provided by: UNC Libraries

Myth and Truth: "The First Thanksgiving"

By exploring myths surrounding the Wampanoag, the pilgrims, and the first Thanksgiving, this lesson asks students to think critically about commonly believed myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in colonial America. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Discovering North Carolina: A colonial map webquest

Using historical maps of North Carolina and other primary sources now published online, students complete a webquest in which they describe the colony of North Carolina for the King of England and imagine they are explorers in his employ. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

Provided by: UNC Libraries

American prehistory: 8000 years of forest management

Students study the evidence of 8000 years of Native American prehistoric land use practices. By analyzing images of Native American material culture, students will understand how artifacts and architecture reveal environmental attitudes of the culture. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: Forest History Society