Social Studies — Grade 8

Resources aligned to this objective

Records 1–6 of 6 displayed.

Experimental archaeology: Making cordage

Students will make cordage and use an activity sheet to experience a technique and skill that ancient Native Americans in North Carolina needed for everyday life. They will also compute the amount of time and materials that might have been required to make cordage and construct a scientific inquiry to study the contents of an archaeological site.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8)

Facial Studies Through Creation of a Face Jug

Students study the anatomy of a face and use what they have learned about rendering faces and three dimensional objects to create thumbnail sketches of expressive faces on jugs.

They learn to blend values to create the illusion of volume in both facial features and clay jugs. Three dimensional understanding is reinforced by adding expressive facial features to coiled clay jugs. Earth Science is integrated through the study of clay. Social Studies in integrated through the study of face jugs found as far back in history as Pre-Columbian times. Artistic meaning is explored through facial expression and the psychological implications of color.

They look at examples of face jugs. They learn about types of clay. They learn to roll clay coils and create a jug using coil construction. They score, slip and blend facial features to the jug. They choose either underglaze decoration followed by a clear glaze coating or colored glaze decoration applied after bisque firing as a finish.

Author: Lori Shepley, Melissa Thibault and Nelle Hayes

Format: lesson plan (grades 8–12)

Language families

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 (grades 4, 8)

Rock art

Students will use art materials, drawings, and rock art examples to differentiate between symbol, petroglyph, pictograph, and rock art. They will also interpret rock art to illustrate its importance in the cultural heritage of a people and as a tool for learning about the past.

Format: lesson plan (grades 4, 8)

Mapping the past

Students gain experience in working with historical maps as cultural artifacts that reflect the views of particular times and places.

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

Format: lesson plan (grades 7–8)

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.

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Format: lesson plan (grade 8)