8th Grade U.S. History Syllabus                                                                          

Welcome to 8th grade and U.S. History! This will be a very exciting year for you, and we are grateful to have you in our classes. This document includes the content we will be covering in this course, course policies, conduct, grading, and the specific standards you will learn from the Tennessee Department of Education. If you ever have questions about anything in this course, please reach out to us.

Course Content

The course content for U.S. History is divided into the following units:

1. Colonization (1607-1750)
2. The American Revolution (1700-1783)
3. The New Nation (1775-1800)
4. Growth of a Young Nation (1800-1820) & The Jacksonian Era (1824-1840)**
5. Sectionalism & Reform (1790s-1850s)
6. Expansion and Division of the Nation (1820s-1860s)
7. The Civil War (1860-1865)
8. Reconstruction (1865-1877)

**This unit is a combination of 2 short content strands included in the state standards.

Course Sequencing and Major Assignments

We will progress through these units chronologically as they are listed. Each unit will have at least 1 assessment in the form of a unit test. These tests will contain 10-20% review items from previous units. In addition to tests, each 9 weeks students will complete a cumulative exam including test items covering all content learned that 9 weeks.

Quizzes will be given periodically to assess student learning of individual standards within Units. Quizzes may be announced or unannounced.

Broken down by 9 week terms, the following units will be covered*:

*The units covered in each 9 weeks may change. Check Canvas for specific dates.

Specific dates for unit assessments and common assessments will be communicated if/when dates are decided. Any additional major assignments, projects, or assessments will have specific information and dates on Canvas.

Assignments

Assignments will be distributed in Canvas through Modules. Each lesson will have a Module. Most lessons are a single day, but occasionally lessons will take 2-3 days to complete. Each module contains instructional content and activities for that standard or cluster of standards and will have a header with the date for that module. Multi-day modules will have the headers dividing it into daily assignments. The assignments within each module are assigned a due date, which is almost always the day it assigns. Almost all assignments are able to be completed in class, so in most cases there are no assignments for homework if students are in attendance and work as directed in class.

History Journal and Notes

All students need a composition book to be used as a History Journal. This journal will be used daily for starters, notes, or other activities. Students are expected to maintain their History Journal. This means both using it for all required activities and being responsible to keep up with it whether at home or at school. 

Participation in class including taking notes in their History Journals will be a part of students’ grade. Notetaking is an essential skill we expect all of our students to improve over the course of the year. This especially means identifying important concepts and summarizing the information in students’ own words. All of our content is available online so there is no reason or need to copy all presented information in class, but students must use the opportunity to practice their analyzing and summarizing skills during notes. Many lessons will incorporate a graphic organizer or a guided notes “foldable” that is printed and provided for that day’s lesson in class. PDF versions of any foldables are available on Canvas for students who lose theirs, miss class, or otherwise need to access a foldable outside of class, and teachers can provide replacement copies upon request.

Grading Scale

90%-100%- A

80%-89%- B

70%-79%- C

60%-69%- D

  0%-59%- F

Grading Category Weights

Assessments = 60%

Classwork = 40%

Accessing Canvas

Parents can access Canvas by going to k12k.com and using the drop down menu underneath the Student tab.  Choose the Canvas link and sign in.

*Specific Dates for Assessments Can Be Viewed on Canvas Calendars or Weekly Agenda.  Directions are as follows:

• Parents can view the course calendar through the Parent App.

• Download the app, create an account, locate Kingsport City Schools, enter student’s login information.

• Click on the course

• View the course calendar by tapping the calendar icon that says “week” OR click on “Weekly Agenda” on the course homepage.

8th Grade Social Studies Tennessee State Standards
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/standards/ss/Social_Studies_Standards.pdf

Essential Questions for Standards
These questions will serve as your “study guide” throughout the year. If you are able to answer each of the questions for the standards we have covered, you should perform proficiently on each unit test.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vgZIEv7qYgflwW7FDjSuRK14oIiQbAeb0WeRrt5YLlg/edit?usp=sharing