Welcome to 8th Grade U.S. History

Welcome to Mrs. Gibbons' U.S. History class. It is going to be an exciting year as we study the history of the United States from the beginnings to 1877. We will begin the year with a review of Native Americans and U.S. Geography. Both of these topics will continue throughout our studies this year. Our first big unit is on Explorers. Other units to look forward to are: Colonies, The Revolutionary War, the Constitution/Government, The War of 1812, Westward Movement, and the Civil War. There is so much to learn in only one year!

I look forward to getting to know each of my students as we learn about the roots of our awesome country!

THE CIVIL WAR

We have finally made it to one of the most exciting units of the year... The Civil War! We will be spending the remainder of the year discussing different aspects of the Civil War. The students will be learning what caused the conflicts between the north and south prior to 1860, studying the factors which affected the course of the war, and learning how the war affected the people in the United States.

Mini History Fair

Happy Spring! During the first half of April, the students will be working in partners to create a Mini History Fair project which will be displayed and presented to their peers during class time on April 15 and 16th at DHMS. Family members are invited to come to the history fair. I will be sending home an email with specific times. The topic of the history fair is "Notable People during the 1800's" and will include people involved in the Industrial Revolution, Transportation Revolution, Slaves, and Abolitionists". Students will have time during class to work on the projects, but may need some out of class time to finish.
Attached to my web page (click on link at right) you will find the directions for the projects and an April calendar.

Westward Movement

Congratulations students for all of your hard work during our unit on the United States Government! Our next unit is on the the first presidencies and the westward movement. We will be studying: The Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, the Monroe Doctrine, the Gold Rush, Pioneers, the Trail of Tears, the Mexian American War, and the Alamo. One highlight of this unit is our "Panning for Gold" simulation.

A New Nation

Happy 2010!! We ended the last quarter with the American victory of the Revolutionary War. The colonies are officially an independent country. Now what? We will discuss the beginnings of a government in the United States. What worked? What didn't? How did we end up with the Constitution of the United States of America? What are the Bill of Rights? And finally, what are the rights and responsibilites of being a citizen? This quarter we will answer all those questions.

One requirement this quarter is to pass a modified version of the U.S. citizenship test. I encourage you to discuss the questions with your family!! We should all know this information about our great country!

Click on my web site to the right of this post for a copy of the January calendar.

Revolutionary War TEST

A HUGE reminder that the Revolutionary War TEST will be on Wednesday, December 9th for A day and Thursday, December 10th for B day. Click on my website to the right to find a study guide and copy of class notes.

Happy Holidays to everyone! Looking forward to a fantastic 2010!

Revolutionary War

It is getting close to Thanksgiving and what a perfect time for us to study the beginnings of our great nation and give thanks for those who fought for and founded the United States of America! During November and December we will be identifying the causes of the Revolutionary War, studying what factors affected the course of the war, learning about the people who contributed to the war, and understanding the reasons for the American victory.

Don't forget to click on my other website link to find copies of important assignments, notes, and the monthly calendar. A great idea is to print off the calendar and keep it posted where you can refer to it for quiz, test and project due dates.

This year I will definitely give thanks for such a great group of students!