8th Grade World History
World History
Course Summary
The 8th grade will be studying several ancient civilizations. We will begin with the Mesoamericans, including the Inuit, Hopewell, Iroquois, Anasazi, Olmec, Toltec, Aztec, Inca, and Maya. We will then transition to Africa and study some of that continent’s ancient civilizations to include Kush, Axum, Ghana, Songhai, and Mali. Our next stop will be ancient India where we will learn about Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro to cities in the Indus River valley. We will also learn about the Mauryan Dynasty, the Kushan Kingdom, and the Gupta Kingdom. Moving on we will study ancient China to include the Shang, Zhou , SuiTang, Song, and Mongol dynasties. As time permits, we will also be taking up the history of Japan.
We will be using Glencoe’s World History text. We have an audio cd for this text that students can download onto their computer, and upload to their mp3 player. There are also some online features that can be used to help students study and prepare for tests. They can be found at http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/worldhistory/gwh2003/index.php4
Assessments
There will be a variety of assessments given over the year. They range from the traditional quizzes and tests, to computer based multi-media presentations. We will be working on a variety of literacy and study skills to prepare the students for High School. It is our belief that all students need to be able to read, write, speak, and think at grade level.
Hints for Success
When we are learning history, we are learning about people, places, and events. Whenever we take notes, participate in a classroom discussion, study for a quiz or test, or create a presentation or project, we are stressing the people, places, and events. That being said, it is important that you pay attention to the people, places, and events that crop up throughout the year. In case you haven't guessed...people, places, and events will be very important areas to remember.
When we learn about people, we spend a lot of time trying to understand their civilization. We want to know where they lived, and what their cities were like. We try to understand how they lived and adapted to their geography. Did they hunt and gather for food? Did they trade items? Did they specialize in a specific job? How were they governed? What events happened to make them the way they are? Were there a lot of wars in their history? Did they have a system of writing? How did they try to explain the world around them? What was their technology like? How did they treat and educate their children? Were women treated equally with men? What type of religion did they have? These are the types of questions I hope you will learn to ask and answer.
NOTE: While there may not always be a formal history assignment, we encourage the students to get into the habit of reviewing their notes several times a week. This will help them learn to transfer knowledge from short term to long-term memory.
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