SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.CG.01 Understand the purposes of government as stated in the Constitution and the
specific provisions that limit the power of government in order to protect the rights of
individuals.
Blooms Level
Skills
Analyzing
Distinguish the purpose of governments.
Understanding
Understand that the power of government is
limited.
Recognize the provisions of the Bill of Rights
that protect individual liberties.
Big Ideas
The purpose of government is to protect people’s basic rights.
The power of the United States government is limited so that it does not violate people’s rights.
The first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights, which describe the
individual rights of Americans.
Essential Questions
Why do we need government? What would it be like without government?
What limits does the Constitution place on the power of the government? Why must
government power be limited?
What individual rights are protected by the Bill of Rights? Why is it necessary to have a Bill of
Rights?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.CG.02 Identify and distinguish how powers and responsibilities are distributed and
balanced among the federal, state, and local levels.
Blooms Level
Skills
Remembering
Identify the power or responsibility of each
level of government.
Analyzing
Understand how laws are made and enforced
at each level of government.
Big Ideas
The federal system of government divides and shares power between the national and state
governments.
Some powers are enumerated to the national government.
The powers not given to the national government are reserved to the states.
There are powers which the national and state governments share.
The power of the federal government is supreme to that of the states.
Both the national and state governments have legislative branches which make laws.
Both the national and state governments have executive branches which enforce laws.
Essential Questions
What is the federal system of government?
What powers does our national government have?
What powers do our state and local governments have?
Are there any powers held by both the national and states governments?
Which level of government is most powerful?
How are laws made?
Who is responsible for enforcing laws?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.CG.03 Understand the powers of each branch of government as stated in the
Constitution.
Blooms Level
Skills
Remembering
Understand the basic idea of checks and
balances.
Identify the legislative, executive, and judicial
institutions at each level of government.
Understand the powers and responsibilities of
the executive branch.
Understand how courts are organized by level
and jurisdiction.
Understand how law is divided into
Constitutional law, criminal law, and civil law.
Understanding
Big Ideas
The power of government is balanced between the three branches and each branch checks the
power of the others.
The powers given to the executive branch are to - carry out and enforce laws, make treaties,
appoint government officials, command the armed forces, and veto laws.
There are local, state, and federal courts which have jurisdiction over the laws for their level of
government.
Laws are divided into three categories; Constitutional, criminal, and civil.
Each branch of government has its’ own unique structure and institutions.
Essential Questions
How are the powers of government divided between the three branches?
How is the abuse of power prevented by the branches government?
How much power does the president of the United States have?
How does the court system in America work?
What different kinds of laws are there?
How exactly is each branch of government organized?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.CG.04 Understand citizens’ rights and how the Constitution protects those rights.
Blooms Level
Skills
Understanding
Understand how the Constitution protects
citizens’ rights
Remembering
Identify the rights guaranteed to all US citizens
under the Bill Of Rights
Big Ideas
Citizens of the United States have rights.
The Bill of Rights protects the rights of all United States citizens.
Essential Questions
What are the guaranteed rights of United States citizens?
How are these rights protected?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.GE.01 Understand fundamental geography vocabulary such as concepts of distance,
latitude, longitude, interdependence, accessibility, and connections.
Blooms Level
Skills
Understanding
Understand geography vocabulary.
Applying
Understand patterns of movement over time.
Use maps, charts, and graphs.
Big Ideas
Maps can be used to determine location, distance, and direction.
Maps, charts, and graphs can enhance our understanding of concepts like interdependence,
accessibility, and connections.
Maps, charts, and graphs can illustrate the patterns of movements of people throughout the
world over time.
Essential Questions
What skills do I need to use a map?
What different uses are there for maps, charts, and graphs?
Are there any patterns to how people have moved around the world over time?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.GE.03 Locate and identify on maps and globes the regions of the world and their
prominent physical features.
Blooms Level
Skills
Remembering
Locate major physical and political geographic
features of the United States.
Identify the regions, mountain ranges, deserts,
rivers, cultural regions, and surrounding
countries of the United States.
Big Ideas
The United States has many fascinating physical features, like mountains, deserts, and rivers.
People have divided the United States into various cultural regions, states and cities.
It is important to know where things are in the United States.
Essential Questions
What are the major physical features of the U.S. and where are they?
What are the different regions of the U.S.? What makes them unique?
Where are the states and major cities of the U.S.?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.GE.05 Identify and understand worldwide patterns of population distribution,
migration, and cultural diffusion and interactions.
Blooms Level
Skills
Remembering
Identify population distribution patterns.
Understanding
Infer the causes of patterns of population
distribution.
Recognize patterns of migration in United
States history.
Understand how migration streams affect the
spread of cultural traits.
Big Ideas
Population patterns are affected by a variety of factors, such as the physical features of the
land, climate, economics, and so forth.
Human migration in the United States has been impacted by such things as war, immigration,
land purchases, politics, and social change.
As people have moved into the various regions of the U.S. unique cultural traits have developed
based on the environment, historical events, cultural baggage, and political climate.
Essential Questions
How is it that people come to live where they do?
What events brought about the United States as it is today in regards to size, shape, and
population?
What are the regional similarities and differences of the United States and the people living
there?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.O8.GE.O6 Identify economic, cultural, and environmental factors that influence that affect
population, and predict how population would change as a result.
Blooms Level
Skills
Analyze
Identify examples of factors that affect
population.
Understand
Predict the effect of economic, cultural, or
environmental factors on population.
Big Ideas
Population is influenced by environmental, cultural, and economic changes.
It is possible to predict changes in populations using economic, cultural, and environmental
data.
Essential Questions
What causes changes in population?
What might happen to the population if there are changes to the environment, and/or the
culture, and/or the environment?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.GE.07 Understand how human modification of the physical environment in a place
affects both that place and other places.
Blooms Level
Skills
Understand
Understand how urbanization and clearing
vegetation affects a place.
Understand how physical environmental
changes affect human activity.
Predict how changes in the environment might
change human activity.
Big Ideas
Human activity affects the immediate environment and the environment at large.
Essential Questions
What types of human activity affect the environment?
What environmental changes can be attributed to human activity?
How might changes in the ecosystem influence human activity?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.HS.01 Represent and interpret data and chronological relationships from history, using
timelines and narratives.
Blooms Level
Skills
Understand
Identify chronologies of events.
Remembering
Create chronologies of events.
Compare and contrast historical
interpretations.
Big Ideas
Knowing the order of smaller events is critical in understanding the larger event.
Historical events are described differently depending upon the perspective of the observer.
Essential Questions
What is the sequence of the major events of U.S. history? (What happened first?)
What was the series of small events which make up a significant event of U.S. history?
What are the different interpretations of an event in U.S. history?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.HS.02 Distinguish between cause and effect relationships and events that happen or
occur concurrently or sequentially.
Blooms Level
Skills
Analyzing
Determine cause and effect between historical
events.
Big Ideas
There is a pattern of cause and effect in most of the major events of American history.
Essential Questions
What were the causes of a significant event in U.S. history?
What was the immediate and long term effects of an important event in U.S. history?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.HS.04 Evaluate data within the context it was created, testing its reliability, credibility,
and bias.
Blooms Level
Skills
Evaluating
Identify diverse perspectives on historical
issues and events.
Analyze information critically.
Big Ideas
Not all information is credible or reliable.
Understanding the particular bias of information can help us to better understand it.
Essential Questions
How do you determine whether or not information is accurate?
How do you recognize biased information?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standard
SS.08.HS.06 Understand how individuals, issues, and events changed or significantly
influenced the course of U.S. history post-American Revolution through 1900.
Blooms Level
Skills
Remembering
Identify and understand the issues and events
surrounding the Constitutional Convention.
Understanding
Understand the significance of the Lewis and
Clark Expedition.
Understand the effects of 19th century
westward expansion, immigration, and
urbanization.
Understand the effects of Jacksonian
Democracy on political practices.
Recognize and understand the conditions of
African Americans in the United States.
Understand the political, economic, and social
causes, course, and impact of the Civil War.
Understand how Reconstruction affected the
country.
Understand the effects of Indian Wars and the
opening of the West on Native Americans.
Understand the causes and effects of
immigration on 19th century America.
Big Ideas
The course of U.S. History was affected by the significant individuals, events, and issues that
arose in America between the American Revolution and 1900.
Essential Questions
Who were the most significant figures of American history between the Revolutionary War and 1900?
What were the key events in American history from 1784 to 1900?
What important issues faced the United States in the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century?
SMS STANDARDS
Grade Level __8__
Subject: Social Studies
Standards
SS.08.SA.O1 Clarify key aspects of an event, issue, or problem through inquiry and research.
SS.08.SA.02 Gather, interpret, use, and document information from multiple sources,
distinguishing facts from opinions and recognizing points of view.
SS.08.SA.03 Examine a controversial event, issue, or problem from more than one
perspective.
SS.08.SA.04 Examine the various characteristics, causes, and effects of an event, issue, or
problem.
Blooms Level
Skills
Understanding
Use research and inquiry to clarify an issue.
Applying
Recognize different perspectives on an issue.
Analyzing
Separate facts from opinions.
Big Ideas
Events, issues, and problems can be viewed from multiple perspectives and correspondingly
can have a variety of interpretations.
Essential Questions
What are the various viewpoints on a controversial issue or problem?
What is your opinion on a topic of dissention?