Westward Movement

We are currently studying the Westward Movement. We have studied: the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, Westward Trails, the Alamo, the Mexican American War, and the Gold Rush. One highlight of this unit is our "Panning for Gold" simulation. 

Forming a New Government

Happy 2013!! 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

Thanksgiving is the 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!

Colonial America

We have just completed the Explorer unit and are ready to begin studying Colonial America. During the month of October the students will: Identify the the 13 colonies and determine why each was settled; differentiate economic, political, social and geographic aspects of the New England, Middle and Southern colonies; and discover the events that led up to the American Revolution. We will be mapping, creating 3 voice poems, learning about school during the 1600 and 1700's, and more!

The end of the first quarter is October 17th. There is no school October 18th and 19th.

Welcome to 8th Grade U.S. History

This is going to be an exciting year as we study the history of the United States of America! We will start with a mini review of geography. Our first "big" unit will be on Explorers. There is so much to cover this year: Colonial America, Revolutionary War, The Constitution and Founding Fathers, The War of 1812, Westward Movement, The Civil War and MORE!

I will send home email updates about important history information such as tests, projects, and activities. You can also access my website by clicking to the right of this post where it says "Mrs. Gibbons Website". On that website you will find class notes, copies of assignments, etc.

Looking forward to an FANTASTIC 2012-2013 school year! I know you will have fun learning the history of the AWESOME United States of America!

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.

Forming a New Government

Happy 2012!! 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.