8th Grade Social Studies

4/28/10 Describe the rise of Hitler. Educational Video: Confessions of a Hitler Youth. HW: Notes

4/27/10 Describe the rise of Hitler. Educational Video: Tiger at the Gate. HW: Notes

4/12/10 Explain the events leading up to WWI. NOTE: The information from the lectures is not in the book.

3/27/10 Once again, an unusual week. Monday 3/29, test review. Tuesday 3/30, Test on Court System. Find the review questions here. Wednesday, 3/31, Mass & Stations of the Cross. Thursday 4/1, Prayer Service & Career Day.

3/22/10 Describe the process of jury selection in Texas & federal courts. HW: Notes

3/10/10 Discuss the events and outcomes of the Mexican War. SR 17. 2 p 526 (1-3)

3/9/10 Discuss the pioneer movements to Oregon country. SR 16.4, p. 507 (1-4). Discuss the pioneer movements to California. SR 16.5, p. 511 (1-3)

3/1/10 This is an unusual week, as Standardized Testing is redefining our normal schedule (find a copy of the schedule here). On some days, classes will not meet. The assignments for the week are:

SR 15.3 p. 468, (1-4), SR 15.4 p. 474 (1-4), SR 15.5 p. 479, (1-3), SR 16.4, p. 507 (1-4). We will skip Sections 16.1-16.3.

2/25/10 Analyze how reformers improved prisons in the early and mid-1800s. Examine why reformers started the temperance movement. Determine how Americans’ educational opportunities changed during the early and mid-1800s.
HW: SR 15.3 p. 468, (1-4)

2/24/10 Explain why so many Irish and German immigrants came to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s. Discuss some Americans’ reactions to immigrants. Describe what caused U.S. cities to grow, and analyze the benefits and problems this growth created. Educational Video on Irish Potato Famine. If you cannot see the video, you may need to download Quicktime.
HW: SR 15.2 p. 461, (1-4), Geography Activity 15

2/23/10 Examine how religion affected Americans during the Second Great Awakening. Describe the transcendentalists’ views of American society. Identify some ideas of the romantic movement.
HW: SR 14.3 p. 443 (1-4), SR 15.1 p. 456 (1-4)

2/22/10 Describe what life was like for southern planters and owners of small farms.
Analyze what the urban South was like. Examine the challenges free African Americans faced in the South. Educational Video on Slave Memorial . If you cannot see the video, you may need to download Quicktime.
HW: SR 14.3 p. 437 (1-4), Geography Activity 14

2/19/10 Obj: Describe what life was like for southern planters and owners of small farms. Analyze what the urban South was like. Examine the challenges free African Americans faced in the South.
HW: SR 14.3 p. 437 (1-4)

2/18/10 Describe how trade affected the southern economy. Determine why crops other than cotton were important to the southern economy. Identify the kinds of factories that were located in the South.
HW: SR 14.2 p. 432, (1-4), Geography Activity 14

2/17/10 Explain what happened to agriculture and slavery in the South immediately after the American Revolution. Analyze the effect of the cotton gin on the South and slavery. Investigate the effects of the cotton boom on the South’s economy.
HW: SR 14.1 p. 427, (1-4)

2/16/10 Obj: Describe the ideas Samuel Morse drew upon in order to invent the telegraph. Explain how new developments benefited factory and farm work. Identify the new inventions Cyrus McCormick and Isaac Singer developed.
HW: SR 13.4 p. 419 (1-4), Geography Activity 13

2/10/10 Describe how the Transportation Revolution changed life in the United States. Discuss the effect of the Supreme Court case Gibbons v. Ogden. Analyze how the growth of railroads benefited the nation. We will do some weight lifting in class.
HW: SR 13.3 p. 414, (1-3), Geography Activity 13. Both due Tuesday, 2/16/10.

Examine how the Rhode Island and Lowell systems differed. List the ways in which the introduction of factories influenced the daily life of workers in the northeastern United States. Describe how Sarah G. Bagley and other reformers contributed to the early labor-union movement.
HW: SR 13.2 p. 409 (1-4)

2/8/10 Discuss how Samuel Slater contributed to the growth of the textile industry in the Northeast. Explain how Eli Whitney’s ideas benefited manufacturing. Describe how events before and during the War of 1812 aided the growth of
manufacturing in the United States.
HW: SR 13.1 p. 403 (1-4)

2/5/10 Examine the favorite writers of the early 1800s and what they wrote about. Describe the focus of the Hudson River school.
HW: SR 12.5 p. 384 (1-3)

2/4/10 Explain why the federal and state governments began an American Indian removal policy.
Examine how American Indians such as the Cherokee resisted removal. Describe how American Indians were affected by the removal from their lands.
HW: SR 12.4 p. 384 (1-3). Geography worksheet 12.

2/3/10 Obj: Examine how Jacksonian Democracy was a sign of change in American politics. Explore how tariff disputes led to the nullification crisis, and how President Jackson responded. Describe why President Jackson was against a national bank and how his resistance affected the economy.
HW: SR 12.3 p. 379, (1-4), Political Cartoon 6.

2/2/10 Discuss the issues that the Missouri Compromise was supposed to address. Analyze how improvements in transportation affected the United States. Explain why the 1824 presidential election was controversial.
HW: SR 12.2 p. 349 (1-3)

2/1/10 Examine how the United States settled its land disputes with Great Britain and Spain. Analyze President Monroe’s reasons for issuing the Monroe Doctrine and describe its most important points.
HW: SR 12.1 p. 367 (1-3)

1/29/10 Obj: Discuss the impact of French territorial losses in North America.
HW: Geography Activity 11

Students were informed of their grades on the Constitution test. The test itself will be handed back tomorrow. Students are released from their oath of silence regarding the Constituion test.

1/27/10 - Students: You have been placed under oath not to even think about discussing this test with those who have not taken it yet. This includes, but is not limited to, conversations, phone calls, emails, Tweets, texting, or postings to social networking sites such as Facebook. If anyone breaks this oath, Mr. Johnson will throw out the test and give another Constitution test. The second test will not be open book or open notes. You will be released from your oath when Mr. Johnson tells you.

Consitution test. This test covers the entire Constitution and the Supreme Court cases we studied. It is an open-notes, open-book test, but students must prepare! Read and re-read the Constitution. Read and re-read your notes. Organize your notes. Re-copy your notes. Do as much as possible to really know the information, because if you are relying on the fact it is open-book, IT WILL NOT BE ENOUGH. STUDY!!!
HW: none

1/25/10 Discuss the achievements of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
HW: SR 11.3 p. 349 (1-4)

The Constitution test will be on Wednesday, 1/27/10. This test covers the entire Constitution and the Supreme Court cases we studied. It is an open-notes, open-book test, but students must prepare! Read and re-read the Constitution. Read and re-read your notes. Organize your notes. Re-copy your notes. Do as much as possible to really know the information, because if you are relying on the fact it is open-book, IT WILL NOT BE ENOUGH. STUDY!!!

1/22/10 Discuss the impact of Supreme Court cases Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District , New Jersey v. TLO , Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. HW: Review notes

1/21/10 Discuss the impact of Supreme Court cases Miranda v. Arizona, Dred Scott vs. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson. HW: Review notes

1/20/10 Discuss the impact of Supreme Court cases Gideon v. Wainwright, Betts v. Brady, Argersinger v. Hamlin. HW: Review notes

1/19/10 Discuss the impact of Supreme Court cases McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden. HW: Review notes

1/15/10 Discuss the impact of Supreme Court cases Marbury v. Madison, Fletcher v. Peck,Dartmouth College v. Woodward. Review notes

1/14/10 Discuss the structure of the US Constitution -Amendment 14-27. Review notes

1/13/10 Discuss the structure of the US Constitution -Amendment 11-13. Review notes

1/12/10 Discuss the structure of the US Constitution -Amendment 7-10. Review notes

1/11/10 Discuss the structure of the US Constitution -Amendment 6. Review notes

1/5/10 The Louisiana Purchase: SR 11.1 p. 337 (1-4). Events leading to the War of 1812: SR 11.2 p. 343 (1-3).

Week of 12/13/09 Midterm Exams. Chapter 7 Sections Reviews will be collected.

12/3/09 Discuss Articles IV & V of the Constitution. HW: SR 8.4 p. 247 (1-4)

11/30/09 Discuss Article II of the U.S. Constitution. HW: SR 8.1 p. 227 (1-4)

11/18/09 Continue with Aricle I of the Constitution. Be prepared to turn in ALL of Chapter 7 Section Reviews in a packet.

11/17/09 Progress Reports. Continue with Aricle I of the Constitution. Be prepared to turn in ALL of Chapter 6 Section Reviews in a packet.

11/12/09 Test on American Revolution. MOVED TO MONDAY, 11/16/09. The study guide for the test is required. Did you lose your study guide? GET YOUR STUDY GUIDE HERE.

11/10/09 We begin our study of the U.S. Constitution. There will a lot of note-taking. Students will be receiving periodic grades on the notes they take. The test will be open book, open notes. This gives students a false sense of security. The test is difficult because students who have not studied their notes will run out of time on the test. Students must be familiar with the structure and ideas in the Constitution in order to do well. STUDY EVERY DAY!

11/9/09 Chapter 7 Review p. 214-215 (IPI, UMI, YBtH, TAKS, IC, APS). Due Wednesday.

If you are having trouble viewing the video, you may need to download Quicktime Player here

10/19/09 SR 5.5 p. 144 (1-4), SR 6.1 p. 162 (1-4)

1st Quarter Assignments:

10/16/09 SR 5.4 p. 139 (1-4). The students were given all class period to work on this.

10/15/09 Visit to St. Pius X and Pope John XXIII high schools. No class

10/14/09 SR 5.3, p. 135 (1-4)

10/13/09 Test Chapter 4

10/12/09 SR 5.1 p. 125 (1-4) & SR 5.2, p. 130 (1-4). Begun in class, Due Wednesday, 10/14/09.

10/7/09 SR 4.4 p. 115 (1-4)

10/6/09 SR 4.3 p. 108 (1-4)

10/5/09 Discussed the John Winthrop, the Puritans and the Great Migration. SR 4.2 , p. 102 (1-4), SR 4.3 p. 108 (1-4).

10/1/09 Lecture on the movie Pocahontas and why although it may be good entertainment, it is poor history. Also discussed the Pilgrims. SR 4.1 p. 97 (1-4). Due Tuesday

9/30/09 Test Chapter 3

9/28/09 We took time for silent reading to ensure the students read the chapter for the test on Wednesday.

9/23/09 Cortes Map. Color map per class instructions, with map pencils only, no crayon or marker. Answer questions on back (do not do Activity).

9/22/09 No HW

9/21/09 No HW

9/17/09 Progress reports were sent out today

9/4/09 Test Chapter 1. Please make sure you are reading the textbook, as there will be questions on the test that are not from the notes or Section Reviews.

8/31/09 SR 2.3 p. 49 (1-4). Due Tuesday 9/1/09. Maps Worksheets: Chapter 1- Use MAP PENCILS ONLY to color the zones. Use blue to color the water areas. Answer the questions in complete sentences. Do not do the Activity at the end of the worksheet. Chapter 2- Use MAP PENCILS ONLY to color the water aea blue, and color the different countries/continents each a different color. Answer the questions in complete sentences. Do not do the Activity at the end of the worksheet. Maps due Wednesday, 9/2/09.

8/20/09 SR 1.1 (1-4) , SR 1.2 (1-4) , SR 1.3 (1-4), SR 1.4 (1-3). SR 2.1(1-4), SR 2.2 (1-4). Due Monday 8/24/09.