LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Social Studies — Grade 8

Goal 8: The learner will evaluate the impact of demographic, economic, technological, social, and political developments in North Carolina since the 1970's.

Objective 8.01. Describe the changing demographics in North Carolina and analyze their significance for North Carolina's society and economy.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

Urban renewal and the displacement of communities
In Recent North Carolina, page 2.6
Oral history interview about the impact of urban renewal in Charlotte, North Carolina. Includes historical background and information about urban renewal.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
Urban renewal and Durham's Hayti community
In Recent North Carolina, page 2.7
Oral history interview about the impact of the construction of NC 147 through Durham, North Carolina, which destroyed much of the city's historically African American Hayti community. Includes historical commentary.
Format: interview/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
The Montagnards
In Recent North Carolina, page 6.6
Background and history of the Montagnard people of Vietnam and the story of their immigration to North Carolina.
Format: book
Mapping a changing North Carolina
In Recent North Carolina, page 6.1
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 6.7
In this activity, students analyze a series of maps drawn from U.S. Census data to study how various aspects of the state's population varies geographically and has changed since 1970.
Format: activity
By David Walbert.
Latino immigration
In Recent North Carolina, page 6.3
North Carolina has the fastest growing Latino population in the country. This article offers a snapshot of North Carolina's Latino community.
Format: article
Languages and nationalities
In Recent North Carolina, page 6.2
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 9.11
Data on languages spoken and nationality of origin shows the rapidly-growing diversity of North Carolina residents.
Format: data set
Immigration from Africa
In Recent North Carolina, page 6.7
North Carolina today is home to people from well over a hundred nations. This article summarizes the various communities of African immigrants living in Guilford County who are listed by the U.S. Census as being simply African American.
Format: article
A Hindu temple in Cary
In Recent North Carolina, page 6.5
Newspaper article about the opening of the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Cary, North Carolina, in 2009. Includes cultural background.
Format: article
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.
Five Faiths
In Recent North Carolina, page 6.4
The Five Faiths Project, developed by the Ackland Art Museum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, combines original works of art, photographs, storytelling and community events to introduce information about the world religions of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.
Format: article

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Using percent of change to measure NC growth
Students will work in small groups to use the internet to gather data on the population growth for each of the 100 counties in NC from 1992 to 1995. From this data students will find the percent of increase/decrease for the counties they have been assigned. As a follow-up, the students will enter their data into a computer spreadsheet and from that spreadsheet, produce graphs of the information.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 Computer/Technology Skills, Mathematics, and Social Studies)
By Wanda Washburn.
Spanish and Hispanic English in North Carolina
In this lesson, students will listen to audio recordings and view a video clip in order to gain an understanding of the Hispanic English dialect.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)
By Hannah Askin.
Analyzing historical maps of North Carolina
In this lesson students will analyze historical maps and will use their knowledge of history, observation skills, and inference to draw conclusions about the events that affected the geographic development of North Carolina over time.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)
By Loretta Wilson.