Social Studies — Grade 8

Where am I? Mapping a New World

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.2

Early European travelers to the Americas reported bits and pieces of information back to Europe. Over the centuries, mapmakers assembled these reports into maps. As time went by, explorers and mapmakers compiled an increasingly accurate understanding of the Americas and of the world. To do so, they had to invent new tools for mapmaking, embrace radical new ideas about the shape of the world, and discard cherished beliefs.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Spanish had many reasons for Pardo expedition

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.5

What spurred the Spanish to set up a territorial capital on the South Carolina coast in the 1560s and launch Juan Pardo’s expedition into the Southeastern interior? The reasons range from the self-serving (protecting an enormously profitable silver mine) to the spiritual (converting the Indians to Christianity) to the anxious (reducing the capital’s population to lower the demand for food).

Format: article

Spanish empire failed to conquer Southeast

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.6

Juan Pardo’s expedition erected six forts in the Southeastern interior, including one at Guatari. Most of them seem to have fallen in short order. That result wasn’t surprising. The forts were isolated, lightly garrisoned in most cases, dependent on the Indians for food, and prone to trigger Indian resentment.

Format: article

Spain and America: From Reconquest to Conquest

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.1

In 1491, no European knew that North and South America existed. By 1550, Spain -- a small kingdom that had not even existed a century earlier -- controlled the better part of two continents and had become the most powerful nation in Europe. In half a century of brave exploration and brutal conquest, both Europe and America were changed forever.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

The search for the Lost Colony

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 4.4

No one knows what happened to the “Lost Colonists” of Roanoke Island -- but that has only made their story more interesting. Over the past 400 years, historians, archaeologists, storytellers, and outright liars have developed a number of theories about the vanished settlers.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Merrie olde England?

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 4.2

Many residents of Elizabethan England did not enjoy the abundance that accompanied Queen Elizabeth’s reign. The dawn of the age of exploration gripped people’s imaginations and caused many to dream of travel, and the New World offered the promise of a fresh start without the problems of the old country.

Format: article

By Charles Carlton.

Fort Raleigh and the Lost Colony

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 4.3

England's first two settlements in the New World differed in character and purpose: The first short-lived colony, inhabited entirely by men, was set up as a stake in the newly discovered Americas and a base of privateering against French and Spanish shipping. The second was intended as a permanent colony and was settled by men, women and children. Their disappearance is a mystery that remains unsolved nearly 400 years later.

Format: article

England's flowering

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 4.1

The reign of England's Queen Elizabeth (1558–1603) was marked by a proliferation of the arts, an expansion of private markets, and a dedication to world exploration and privateering.

Format: article

The De Soto expedition

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.3

Hernando De Soto’s expedition through the southeastern United States in 1539–43 was one of the earliest of the early contacts between Europeans and native peoples. While historical documents tell the story of do Soto's journey, advances in both history and archaeology have enabled researchers to reconstruct the de Soto route.

Format: article/primary source

Amadas and Barlowe explore the Outer Banks

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 4.5

In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 3.1

On April 27, 1584, Captains Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe left the west coast of England in two ships to explore the North American coast for Sir Walter Raleigh. The party of explorers landed on July 13, 1584, on the North Carolina coast just north of Roanoke Island, and claimed the land in the name of Queen Elizabeth. Captain Barlowe's report describes the land and the people he encountered.

Format: journal/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by David Walbert.

Writing activities: William Hilton explores the Cape Fear River

Writing activities suggested to accompany students' reading of a primary source document — a 1663 report by the English explorer William Hilton about the geography and native peoples of the Cape Fear region.

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

By Pauline S. Johnson.

"Where Am I?" Reading guide and activities

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 3.3

This lesson for grade 8 will help students to understand the article "Where Am I? Mapping a New World" through the use of a graphic organizer and a reading guide.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

A visit to colonial North Carolina

This lesson plan extends student learning about the colonial period in North Carolina history by incorporating primary sources from the Documenting the American South collection. After reading first-hand accounts of travelers to colonial America, students will create their own travel brochure advertising North Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Meghan Mcglinn.

Take action, save the past

In Intrigue of the Past, page 5.8

In their study of archaeological resource conservation, students will use a problem-solving model to identify a problem and solve it creatively.

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

Reading guide: Spain and America

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 3.2

These terms and questions will guide students as they read "Spain and America: From Reconquest to Conquest." Filling in the chronological list of dates will enable students to understand the order in which events unfolded in Spain and in America, and answering the questions will encourage students to think critically about the readings in the chapter.

Format: /lesson plan (grade 8–12 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

A proprietary colony: Exploring the Charter of Carolina

In this lesson for grade 8, students will examine the 1663 Charter of Carolina and complete a graphic organizer exploring the elements of the Charter. Students will then write a letter to the King of England from the perspective of one of the Lords Proprietors.

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

By Pauline S. Johnson.

"The present state of North Carolina": Making decisions

In this lesson, students read an excerpt from John Lawson's 1709 book A New Voyage to Carolina and use a graphic organizer to decide whether they would have emigrated to Carolina as a result of reading Lawson's book.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

"Land and Work in Carolina" teaching strategies

A variety of suggested activities for use with an article that explains the key elements of feudalism, with a focus on how those elements evolved into the systems of labor and land ownership seen in colonial North Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Educator's guide: Spain and America

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 3.1

The article "Spain and America: From Reconquest to Conquest" introduces a lot of information and a number of issues that may be new to students. These suggestions will help you use the article in a way that best fits the needs of your class.

Format: /lesson plan (grade 8–12 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Comparing creation stories

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 1.5

In this activity, students compare creation stories from three peoples -- Cherokee, European, and West African -- that met in colonial North Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts and 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 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

British migration to Roanoke: Push and pull factors

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 4.1

In this lesson, students will examine the push/pull factors that led settlers to attempt to settle Roanoke Island in the 1580s.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Resources on the web

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

In this lesson from the Forest History Society in Durham, North Carolina, 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... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–6 and 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: Forest History Society