NYCDOE: Passport to Social Studies - grade 8, unit 1 - ADA version

This is the WCAG 2.0 accessible version.

This is the first unit of the Grade 8 Scope and Sequence, titled: Reconstruction. The unit was developed by a team of DOE staff and teachers, in collaboration with social scientists and cultural partners. The unit contains a brief review of the Civil War and Reconstruction and contains lessons that allow students to explore documents and resources to discover the challenges facing the nation at this time. Representative lessons from this unit include:

• Lesson 2 - students analyze primary source documents to understand and evaluate the various types of slave resistance.
• Lesson 4 - students focus on how the Civil War changed American social life, by gathering and interpreting statistical evidence relating to the physical and financial cost of the war.
• Lesson 9 - students examine a variety of images and documents to understand the lasting effects of reconstruction on African Americans.

Included in this unit is a Performance Based Assessment, where students take on the role of a museum curator and select five objects relating to the Civil War for their exhibit. Students also decide on an overall theme for the exhibit, such as changing social relationships, power dynamics, slavery and racism, and citizenship.

Please note: the complete set of NYCDOE K-8: Passport to Social Studies Core Curriculum materials include a variety of documents, trade books, and primary sources, in addition to this unit of study. To support rigorous social studies instruction and student inquiry, it is recommended that you utilize this unit of study in conjunction with these resources.