Social Studies Curriculum

Grade 8 - United States History
List of Adopted Materials

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May 9, 2005

Download printable version of List of Adopted Materials or view it below:

Core Instructional Materials for 8th Grade

Primary Textbook

The committee recommends that this textbook be issued to each student. The package includes ancillary materials for teachers and students, including online resources.

Creating America: A History of the United States, Beginning through Reconstruction; (McDougal Littell), ©2005

The ESL committee recommends that this textbook and attendant materials be issued to each ESL student in ESL Social Studies (beginning/intermediate)

Access American History (Great Source), ©2005

For non-English speakers / low-beginning ESL students, the ESL committee recommends the following text and attendant materials.

Explore America Series (Ballard and Tighe), 3rd Edition

Civics

The committee recommends that teachers select the level(s) of We the People appropriate for their students. It is expected that some schools will prefer one or both of the two books listed below.

We the People (all 3 levels); (Center for Civic Education), ©2003
Foundations of Democracy; (Center for Civic Education), ©2003

The ESL committee recommends the following material to supplement the civics curriculum for ESL beginning/intermediate:

Voices of Freedom: English and Civics (Pearson & Longman), ©2002

Historiography

The committee recommends one or more of the following products. The first three are programs in a binder that offer document based units on specific topics in U.S. history. The last is an annotated book of documents from U.S. history.

“History Unfolding U.S. History: 1600-1865 for grades 5-8”; (MindSparks), ©2002
“History Unfolding U.S. History: 1600-1865 for grades 8-12”; (MindSparks), ©2002
“Document Based Questions in American History”; (The DBQ Project), ©2002
A History of US: Sourcebook and Index; (Oxford University Press), 3rd Edition, ©2002

The committee recognizes the availability of primary source documents from reliable websites, and encourages utilization of such resources.

Historical Maps

The committee recommends one set of the following “pull-down” maps for each classroom.

"Exploration to Civil War (1865) Set"; 19 maps; (Cram) pg. 55, ©2004

Atlases

The committee recommends either one of the following historical atlases.

"Atlas of United States History"; (Nystrom), pg. 85, ©2003
"United States History Atlas"; (Cram), pg. 59, ©2004

Supplemental Instructional Materials for 8th Grade

Supplemental Textbooks

The committee recommends this narrative approach to history as a supplemental text. A teacher’s guide and student materials for each of these five books from the series are also available.

A History of US: The First Americans; (Oxford University Press), 3rd edition,©2003
A History of US: Making Thirteen Colonies; (Oxford University Press), 3rd edition, ©2003
A History of US: From Colonies to Country; (Oxford University Press), 3rd edition, ©2003
A History of US: The New Nation; (Oxford University Press), 3rd edition, ©2003
A History of US: Liberty for All; (Oxford University Press), 3rd edition, ©2003

Supplemental Geography Support

The committee recognizes that there are numerous products available supporting U.S. history and geography beyond those listed above. The following are recommended where such additional resources are desired.

"GeoKits"; National Geographic, ©2001
American History: Native Americans (useful for 7th grade as well)
Colonial America
American Revolution
Lewis and Clark

The following three National Geographic “GeoKits” have a majority of their content devoted to the eras studied in U.S. History 8. They are available through the ASD AV Center; individual school purchases could still be made if desired.

Westward Movement
Immigration
African Americans
"Flags Over Time and Our Country's Government"; Nystrom; pulldown map, pg.65 / desk mats, pg. 74 ©2005
"Exploring the History of Our Country"; Cram, pg.46, ©2000