Grade 8 Units

A collection of 108 posts

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 11 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Writing the Constitution

Explore how competing state interests and ideological tensions at the Constitutional Convention produced key compromises over representation, slavery and commerce, and executive selection—shaping the Constitution’s structure and influencing ratification.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 10 (Grade 8 Social Studies): From Articles to Constitution

Identify the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and explain how debates over power led to the Constitution’s structured government—branches, checks and balances, and federalism—to create a stronger, more effective union.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 9 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Midyear Project—Creating an Independence Exhibit

Research and curate a public-facing “Independence Exhibit” that explains causes, effects, and global impacts of the American Revolution—using diverse primary/secondary sources, evidence-based claims, balanced perspectives, and clear citations.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 8 (Grade 8 Social Studies): The American Revolution—War and Strategy

Study how geography, logistics, blockades, and alliances shaped Revolutionary War strategy—from Saratoga to Yorktown—and argue which factors most decisively led to American victory.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 7 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Patriots, Loyalists, and Perspectives

Compare Patriot, Loyalist, and neutral perspectives across diverse colonial groups, evaluate source bias and credibility, and practice civic discourse through a town-hall style debate and evidence-based written/oral claims.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 6 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Ideas of Liberty and Natural Rights

Explore how Enlightenment ideals—natural rights, consent, rule of law, equality, and separation of powers—shaped colonial critiques of empire and inspired arguments for American independence.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 5 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Causes of the American Revolution

Trace how British war debt, new taxes, and escalating protests from 1763–1775 fueled colonial resistance; evaluate diverse perspectives and detect source bias on the road to revolution.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 4 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Roots of Self-Government

Compare early democratic institutions—town meetings, colonial assemblies, jury trials, and free press—to founding ideals like natural rights and consent of the governed, while examining who was included, excluded, and how these practices set the stage for the American Revolution.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 3 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Colonial Life and Regional Economies

Compare New England, Middle, and Southern colonies through geography, economy, religion, and culture—examining specialization, credit and taxation, and cause-and-effect relationships that shaped regional development in early America.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 2 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Indigenous Nations and European Encounters

Explore how Indigenous nations and early European settlers interacted through trade, cooperation, conflict, and changing relationships with land—analyzing diverse perspectives, environmental impacts, and emerging interdependence in early North America.

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Grade 8 Social Studies Units

Unit Plan 1 (Grade 8 Social Studies): The Geography of Early America

Geography and climate shaped how the thirteen colonies settled, worked, and governed. In this Grade 8 social studies unit, students compare New England, Middle, and Southern colonies using maps, climate data, and primary sources.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 36 (Grade 8 Math): Cumulative Synthesis & Exhibition

8th graders demonstrate mastery through integrated performance tasks combining algebra, functions, geometry, and statistics. They model real situations, choose efficient methods, justify solutions with units and precision, and present evidence-based arguments with confidence and clarity.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 35 (Grade 8 Math): Number System & Exponents Spiral—Fluency & Sense-Making

8th graders strengthen number sense by classifying rational and irrational numbers, applying exponent rules, and mastering scientific notation. They approximate square roots, simplify powers, and interpret real-world quantities with precise scale and unit reasoning.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 34 (Grade 8 Math): Geometry Power-Up—Right Triangles & Volume Spiral

8th graders strengthen geometry mastery through targeted Pythagorean Theorem, distance, and volume word problems. They identify right triangles, apply formulas with correct units, and verify answers through conversions, rounding, and real-world reasonableness checks.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 33 (Grade 8 Math): Algebra Power-Up—Equations, Functions, & Systems Spiral

8th graders review and apply key algebra and function skills—solving multi-step equations, comparing functions, and solving systems by graphing or algebraic methods. They model real situations, choose efficient strategies, and justify their reasoning with precision and clarity.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 32 (Grade 8 Math): Linear Modeling Project—From Data to Decision

8th graders design and carry out a complete data investigation—posing a question, collecting or curating data, building a scatter plot, fitting a line of best fit, and interpreting slope and intercept. They make predictions, evaluate model limits, and present clear, evidence-based findings.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 31 (Grade 8 Math): Two-Way Tables & Associations

8th graders construct and interpret two-way relative frequency tables to explore relationships between categorical variables. They compare conditional percentages, identify possible associations, and write evidence-based conclusions using precise, responsible statistical language.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 30 (Grade 8 Math): Using Slope & Intercept for Prediction

8th graders interpret slope and intercept in real-world contexts, using linear models to predict and compare data. They decide when proportional or non-proportional models fit best, explain units and meaning clearly, and assess prediction reasonableness with evidence.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 29 (Grade 8 Math): Informal Lines of Best Fit

8th graders extend scatter plot analysis by drawing informal lines of best fit, writing equations from two line points, and using them to predict values. They evaluate fit visually, interpret slope and intercept in context, and explain interpolation vs. extrapolation with caution and precision.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 28 (Grade 8 Math): Patterns in Bivariate Data—Scatter Plots

8th graders construct and interpret scatter plots to explore relationships between two variables. They identify direction, form, strength, clusters, and outliers, and compare patterns across data sets using precise, evidence-based descriptions.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 27 (Grade 8 Math): Geometry Mixed Review—Transform, Compare, Solve

8th graders integrate geometry’s big ideas—transformations, similarity, angle reasoning, and Pythagorean applications—through real-world, multi-step problems. They choose strategies, justify methods, and model with precision across diagrams and coordinates.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 26 (Grade 8 Math): Similarity in Right Triangles (Extension/Spiral)

8th graders connect similarity and modeling by using AA similarity to solve right-triangle problems, create scale drawings, and perform indirect measurements. They apply proportions, justify scale factors, and verify results using the Pythagorean Theorem and real-world reasoning.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 25 (Grade 8 Math): Volume of Cylinders, Cones, and Spheres

8th graders explore and apply volume formulas for cylinders, cones, and spheres through hands-on modeling and real-world problems. They justify why formulas work, solve composite and missing-dimension tasks, and check units, conversions, and reasonableness.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 24 (Grade 8 Math): Pythagorean Applications & Distance

8th graders apply the Pythagorean Theorem to solve real-world and coordinate problems—finding unknown sides, diagonals, and distances. They derive the distance formula, use it in 2D and 3D contexts, and justify answers with units and reasoning.

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Grade 8 Math Units

Unit Plan 23 (Grade 8 Math): Pythagorean Theorem—Why It Works

8th graders explore why the Pythagorean Theorem works through visual and similarity-based proofs. They construct right triangles, justify a² + b² = c² with area and triangle reasoning, and prove its converse using clear, labeled diagrams.