8th Grade Jump Start - Social Studies: Week 4

Social Studies

Week 4 - Day 1

(Manifest Destiny) Essential Question: 

How do new ideas change the way people live?

• Watch Manifest Destiny - Khan Academy and think about how economic opportunities and government support brought people to the western United States.
• Read the first two pages of the PDF about Manifest Destiny. Complete the questions on the other pages of the PDF on a separate paper if you want further enrichment.

Social Studies

Week 4 - Day 2

(North and South) Essential Questions: 

How do people adapt to their environment? Why do people make economic choices?

• Check out this text set called Sectionalism and Slavery- Newsela and choose an article or two that interest you to refresh your memory about what life was like in the Antebellum period.
• Read this nonfiction story called Spying on the South. Think about what motivated Mary Richards to take risks and help the Union during the Civil War. Would you have taken these risks if you were in her position?
• IXL- Comparing the North and South

Social Studies

Week 4 - Day 3

(The Spirit of Reform) Essential Question: 

What motivates people to act?

• Read Abolitionists background information to learn about some of the prominent figures of the abolitionist movement.
• Learn about abolitionist Harriet Tubman by watching The Courage of Harriet Tubman- TED Ed. To learn more about Tubman, click “Dig Deeper”. 

• Learn about the life of another abolitionist by reading Frederick Douglass Biography- NEWSELA. Consider how his life was similar to and different from Harriet Tubman’s.
• Watch the clip The Story of Women's Rights in Early America to learn about another movement that was taking place at the time, the fight for women’s suffrage. 

Social Studies

Week 4 - Day 4

(The Civil War) Essential Question: 

Why does conflict develop?

• Select a few articles from the Civil War Text Set- Newsela to find out about significant causes, events, and impacts of the war.

Quiz yourself after reading to test your comprehension. 

• Watch the Civil War Overview Video to visualize how the war played out for both the Union and the Confederacy.

Social Studies

Week 4 - Day 5

(Reconstruction) Essential Question: 

How do new ideas change the way people live?

• Read about Reconstruction in the South- Newsela to understand the impacts the war had on the economy and on African Americans living in the South.
• Learn about how new research is helping to connect families of former slaves by reading the nonfiction article Enslaved Families Lost and Found. How can primary sources help people piece together the truth and better understand history?
• IXL- Radical Reconstruction
• IXL- The End of Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow