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8th Grade Advanced Research

Course Description:
The advanced research class has been designed to enhance students’ research skills through project learning, service learning, and inquiry-based learning. Students will conduct research, participate in classroom discussions and debates, read novels, and participate in a community service project. Students will discover how the cultural environment in which a person lived or lives shapes his or her perspective of the event. Activities of the unit engage students in critical thinking and discussion about events and issues in United States history, and opportunities are provided for students to share knowledge and ideas through writing, drawing, oral presentation, and graphing. In this course, students will discuss the ideas discovered in class and complete several projects to demonstrate new understanding. Projects will include artwork, research projects, and presentations. More information about these activities will be sent home as we work through the unit.

The core themes or essential questions of this course will be “How does society change?”, “What causes society to change?”, and “How can I impact society?”. To begin, students will study, research, and compare/contrast various decades (1920s, 1930s, and/or 1940s). By studying these decades in-depth, they will begin to understand how cultures develop, grow, and change. Students will then elaborate on the concept of “utopia” by examining literature. In doing so, students will analyze how society’s ideas of the ideal have changed over time. Finally, students will contemplate what they expect for the future of their own community and society. Students will collaborate to organize a community service project to help promote their idea for what will make their classroom, school, and community a better place.