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Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
General Notes
M/J U.S. History - The eighth grade social studies curriculum consists of the following content area strands: American History, Geography, Economics and Civics. Primary content emphasis for this course pertains to the study of American history from the Exploration and Colonization period to the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War. Students will be exposed to the historical, geographic, political, economic, and sociological events which influenced the development of the United States and the resulting impact on world history. So that students can clearly see the relationship between cause and effect in historical events, students should have the opportunity to explore those fundamental ideas and events which occurred after Reconstruction.
M/J Civics - The primary content for this portion of the course pertains to the principles, functions, and organization of government; the origins of the American political system; the roles, rights, responsibilities of United States citizens; and methods of active participation in our political system.
Mathematics Benchmark Guidance - Instruction of U.S. History should include opportunities for students to interpret and create representations of historical events using mathematical tables, charts, and graphs.
Special Notes: This course is meant as a means of combining the required M/J United States History content with remediation of the required M/J Civics content.
Additional content that may be contained in the NAEP Grade 8 United States History assessment includes material from all time periods on the following topics:
- Change and Continuity in American Democracy: Ideas, Institutions, Events, Key Figures, and Controversies
- The Gathering and Interactions of Peoples, Cultures, and Ideas
- Economic and Technological Changes and Their Relationship to Society, Ideas, and the Environment
- The Changing Role of America in the World
The NAEP frameworks for United States History may be accessed at http://www.nagb.org/content/nagb/assets/documents/publications/frameworks/historyframework.pdf
Additional content that may be included in the Grade 8 NAEP Civics assessment includes:
- Distinctive characteristics of American society
- Unity/diversity in American society
- Civil society: nongovernmental associations, groups
- Nation-states
- Interaction among nation-states
- Major governmental, nongovernmental international organizations
The NAEP frameworks for Civics may be accessed at http://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/civicsframework.pdf
Instructional Practices
Teaching from well-written, grade-level instructional materials enhances students' content area knowledge and also strengthens their ability to comprehend longer, complex reading passages on any topic for any reason. Using the following instructional practices also helps student learning:
- Reading assignments from longer text passages as well as shorter ones when text is extremely complex.
- Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
- Asking high-level, text-specific questions and requiring high-level, complex tasks and assignments.
- Requiring students to support answers with evidence from the text.
- Providing extensive text-based research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
Literacy Standards in Social Studies
Secondary social studies courses include reading standards for literacy in history/social studies 6-12, and writing standards for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects 6-12. This course also includes speaking and listening standards. For a complete list of standards required for this course click on the blue tile labeled course standards. You may also download the complete course including all required standards and notes sections using the export function located at the top of this page.
English Language Development ELD Standards Special Notes Section:
Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate information, ideas and concepts for academic success in the content area of Social Studies. For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: https://cpalmsmediaprod.blob.core.windows.net/uploads/docs/standards/eld/ss.pdf
General Information
- Class Size Core Required
Educator Certifications
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
In this interactive 2-part tutorial series, you'll learn ALL about the Electoral College, the often-confusing mechanism used for picking the President of the United States.
This is part 2 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this 2-part interactive tutorial series, you'll learn ALL about the Electoral College, the often-confusing mechanism used for picking the President of the United States.
This is part 1 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Part 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the impeachment process detailed in the U.S. Constitution, including what it is, who can be impeached, why someone would be impeached, and some famous examples of impeachment in action.
This is Part 2 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Part 1 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the impeachment process detailed in the U.S. Constitution, including what it is, who can be impeached, why someone would be impeached, and a bit about the process.
This is Part 1 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the forms governments take, including monarchy, democracy, autocracy, and oligarchy. You'll also learn about the advantages of a constitutional republic, the chosen form of government of the United States.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about three economic ideologies--capitalism, socialism, and communism--as well as economic systems.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, unlock the language of propaganda and learn about bias and symbolism in political propaganda.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to interpret histograms to analyze data, and help an inventor predict the range of a catapult in part 2 of this interactive tutorial series. More specifically, you'll learn to describe the shape and spread of data distributions.
Click HERE to open part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to create a histogram to display continuous data from projectiles launched by a catapult in this interactive tutorial.
This is part 1 in a 2-part series. Click HERE to open part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to calculate and interpret the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) of data sets in this travel-themed, interactive statistics tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the famous Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, which established the principle of judicial review. You'll examine the details of the case and its important legacy in American history.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore several landmark cases of the Supreme Court to see how the Court's decisions have impacted the rights of individuals and society throughout American history.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial hosted by "Bill" O. Rights, learn in great detail about the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this tutorial, learn about two different types of democracies. You'll compare and contrast presidential and parliamentary systems of government using the examples of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about three systems of government: federal, unitary, and confederal (a confederation).
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to make and interpret boxplots in this pet-themed, interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll examine the powers and workings of the three branches of our federal government. You'll learn what Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court really do. Enjoy!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the impact of federal, state, and local governments on your daily life.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about 5 international conflicts involving the United States from 1961 to the present, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Iraq War in this interactive tutorial. For each, you'll learn how the conflict began and how the U.S. responded.
Click HERE to open the companion tutorial, "International Conflicts: 1914 to 1975."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the state government of Florida and learn how its three branches are modeled after those in the federal government.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll identify the impacts of individuals, interest groups, and the media on monitoring and influencing the government of the United States.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about six important amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These amendments ended slavery, ensured equal rights for all citizens, and guaranteed voting rights to women, African Americans, and other minority groups.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about one of the most important principles in American democracy: rule of law. You'll explore this important concept and learn about its application to a famous Supreme Court decision: United States v. Nixon.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the election process, register to vote, and participate in a mock election to pick the mayor of Tutorial Town in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn how to evaluate candidates running for political office. You'll play the role of a voter choosing between two candidates running for mayor of your town!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of American citizenship.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the three branches of the U.S. federal government with a special emphasis on the checks and balances that allow our government to achieve a proper separation of powers in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Simulate the experience of serving on a jury and deciding a case in this interactive tutorial. Learn all about trial by jury and why it's such an important part of our society, as well as an obligation of citizenship.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll compare the viewpoints of the two groups on opposite sides of the great debate over ratifying the U.S. Constitution: Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, analyze all 10 Amendments that make up the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. You'll learn not only about the rights and freedoms guaranteed by each, but also the limits of those rights.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
This interactive tutorial will help you answer the questions: What can individuals do on their own to make change? When can your government help you? To which government can you turn? Learn about responsible citizenship and how you might make positive changes in your own community.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the sources and types of laws in the American legal system.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to analyze and evaluate arguments for their soundness and relevancy. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read several short passages about raising the legal driving age. You'll practice examining the evidence presented to determine whether it's sound and relevant to the argument at hand.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Investigate the limiting factors of a Florida ecosystem and describe how these limiting factors affect one native population-the Florida Scrub-Jay-with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the similarities and differences between the federal Constitution of the United States and the state Constitution of Florida. You'll also learn about our system of federalism and how it is expressed in these Constitutions.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about 4 international conflicts in which the United States was involved between 1914 and 1975: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. For each conflict, you'll learn how and why the U.S. became involved and what the outcome was.
Click HERE to open the companion tutorial, "International Conflicts: 1961 to Present."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn what genetic engineering is and some of the applications of this technology. In this interactive tutorial, you’ll gain an understanding of some of the benefits and potential drawbacks of genetic engineering. Ultimately, you’ll be able to think critically about genetic engineering and write an argument describing your own perspective on its impacts.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn why Great Britain and her 13 American colonies split between 1763 and 1776. At the end of this time span, Britain and America were at war, and the Declaration of Independence had announced the United States of America as a brand new nation, no longer colonies of Britain.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn all about citizenship in the United States of America: what citizenship is, why some Americans have citizenship from birth, and how others became U.S. citizens through a process called naturalization with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
This interactive tutorial teaches you all about the process of amending (changing) the United States Constitution.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the United States' foreign and domestic policy in this interactive tutorial. You'll also take an "international flight" to see how the U.S. conducts foreign policy abroad with the help of the State Department.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how to analyze the ideas, grievances (complaints), and language found in the Declaration of Independence, one of the most important documents in the history of the United States.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Analyze the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution -- line by line, word by word -- in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the international organizations with which the United States government and its citizens are involved. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn all about political parties in the U.S., including what they are and how they function in our political system. You'll learn lots about the two major parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, and also about third parties and what it means to be a political "Independent."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the different levels of our federal judicial system, from federal district courts all the way up to the one and only Supreme Court. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also learn about the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, which set an important precedent for students' right to free speech in schools.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn how the decisions of the United States Supreme Court have affected the equal rights of Americans. You'll learn the outcomes and impacts of two famous cases: Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the Articles of Confederation, our nation’s first written constitution, in this interactive tutorial. You'll identify its major weaknesses and their consequences and explain the reasons why America's Founders replaced the Articles of Confederation with the government we still use today, the U.S. Constitution.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to identify the three branches of the federal government as established by the Constitution of the United States. In this interactive tutorial, you will also learn to identify the structure and function of each branch of government.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, compare and contrast different forms of government, including democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy, oligarchy, and autocracy.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how Enlightenment ideas like separation of powers, natural law, and the social contract influenced the Founders and their design of the United States government in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how and why American citizens are governed by TWO governments which share power: the federal government of the United States and the government of the state in which they live.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how several famous documents influenced the views of American colonists when they sought their independence from Great Britain and formed their own government. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn how a bill becomes a law. You will see how bills (ideas for laws) are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, and you'll learn how all three branches of government play a role in determining the laws of our land.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Problem-Solving Tasks
Students are given a context and a dotplot and are asked a number of questions regarding shape, center, and spread of the data.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
Using the information provided, create an appropriate graphical display and answer the questions regarding shape, center and variability.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
Student Center Activity
Students can practice answering mathematics questions on a variety of topics. With an account, students can save their work and send it to their teacher when complete.
Type: Student Center Activity
Tutorials
Learn about Article II, Section II of the U.S. Constitution and the president's role as the commander in chief in this tutorial video provided by Khan Academy and the National Constitution Center.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the birth of the U.S. Constitution in this tutorial video by Khan Academy and the Aspen Institute. You'll learn why the Constitution was needed and what its famous Preamble means. Referred to as a "bundle of compromises," the Constitution sought to create a government based on separation of powers and checks and balances.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the history of the Democratic Party, the party of Jackson, Wilson, FDR, and LBJ, in this tutorial video by Khan Academy. From its early roots in the era of Thomas Jefferson to the present day, the Democratic Party has played an integral role in shaping the government, policies and history of America.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the history of the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, Hoover, Eisenhower, and Reagan, in this tutorial video by Khan Academy. From its early roots tied to Alexander Hamilton to the present day, the Republican Party has played an integral role in shaping the government, policies and history of America.
Type: Tutorial
Learn more about the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This case was a pivotal moment in the struggle for racial equality in America.
Type: Tutorial
View a documentary about the First Amendment protections of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. You'll review the historic origins of these rights and then go into detail about the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in New York Times v. United States, the Pentagon Papers case. Enjoy!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will view an outstanding video on the meaning and history of habeas corpus: the law that prevents a person being held in jail or prison without being able to hear and contest the charges being brought against them. You'll then learn about 4 recent Supreme Court cases where habeas corpus has been called into question in the context of the global war on terror.
Type: Tutorial
In this video, you will hear from Supreme Court Justices O'Connor, Breyer and Kennedy as they recount the landmark Supreme Court decision on the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. This case was instrumental in the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement and to desegregating public schools in America. The video also include discussion of a key event that followed the Brown v. Board ruling, specifically that of the nine students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, a group known as the Little Rock Nine. Enjoy this conversation on the Constitution!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will play an interactive and educational game that invites you to learn about Abraham Lincoln's leadership and decisions during the Civil War era. As you explore and learn about the political choices he made, you'll get a chance to make the same decisions as Lincoln did and compare your choices to his. Can you think like Lincoln? Good luck!
Type: Tutorial
In this video, you will see two ways to find the Mean Absolute Deviation of a data set.
Type: Tutorial
This video shows how to find the value of a missing piece of data if you know the mean of the data set.
Type: Tutorial
This video demonstrates how to construct a box plot, formerly known as a box and whisker plot.
Type: Tutorial
In this video, we organize data into frequency tables and dot plots (sometimes called line plots).
Type: Tutorial
Learn how to create histograms, which summarize data by sorting it into groups.
Type: Tutorial
Video/Audio/Animations
View a 10-part video on the Battle of Yorktown, the culminating battle of the Revolutionary War. With French aid, George Washington led American troops to a victory that ensured American independence.
In addition to the video, you will find primary source documents and a graphic organizer to help you analyze the Battle of Yorktown in greater detail.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
This 3-part video from Mount Vernon details the struggles that led delegates from the 13 colonies to hold a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. At this convention, under the leadership of George Washington, the delegates rejected the Articles of Confederation in favor of a new, stronger federal government. After the Constitution's ratification, Washington become the new nation's first president.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Virtual Manipulatives
In this activity, students use preset data or enter in their own data to be represented in a box plot. This activity allows students to explore single as well as side-by-side box plots of different data. This activity includes supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the Java applet.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This is an online graphing utility that can be used to create box plots, bubble graphs, scatterplots, histograms, and stem-and-leaf plots.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Users select a data set or enter their own data to generate a box plot.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This virtual manipulative histogram tool can aid in analyzing the distribution of a dataset. It has 6 preset datasets and a function to add your own data for analysis.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
In this activity, students can create and view a histogram using existing data sets or original data entered. Students can adjust the interval size using a slider bar, and they can also adjust the other scales on the graph. This activity allows students to explore histograms as a way to represent data as well as the concepts of mean, standard deviation, and scale. This activity includes supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the java applet.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Congratulations
