Grade 8 Social Studies Minnesota standards Standards

Describe how groups are reviving and maintaining their traditional cultures, identities and distinctiveness in the context of increasing globalization.

Examine the contributions immigrants in the United States have made on political ideas, agricultural developments, technological advancements and cultural traditions.

Examine economic patterns of migration locally and nationally and explore push-and-pull factors that lead to economic investment, divestment and destabilization.

Examine one or more of the major circumstances leading to the arrival of new immigrants and refugee groups to Minnesota since the 1950s.

Examine the cultures and histories of one or more ethnic groups who have immigrated to Minnesota since the 1950s.

Ethnic Studies

Using historical analysis, predict a future global issue and make a hypothesis about its impact.

Describe how movements, political and social conditions, and new technologies have affected the lives of women in different parts of the world since 1950.

Describe the development of at least one diasporic community throughout the world since 1950 due to regional conflicts, changing international labor demands and/or environmental factors.

Use primary and secondary sources to analyze how individuals, groups, and societies around the world have been affected by genocide, the Holocaust, and mass violence, including communities resettled in Minnesota.

Describe varieties of spiritual and religious beliefs and practices in the contemporary world, including, but not limited to, Shamanism/Animism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Indigenous religious traditions in Africa and the Americas, and African diasporic religions.

Assess the influence of television, the Internet, and other media on cultural identity, gender identity, and social and political movements.

Analyze connections between revolutions, independence movements and social transformations since World War II from various perspectives.

Describe causes of economic imbalances and social inequalities among the world’s peoples in the post-colonial world and efforts made to close those gaps.

Describe political challenges and struggles of newly independent countries since World War II.

History

Ask and answer questions about how physical and human characteristics influence one’s sense of place and that of others.

Ask spatial questions to investigate the relationship between the environment and human activities and their impact on climate change.

Describe urbanization patterns. Analyze a regional example from both developing and developed regions.

Explain how cultural characteristics influence changes in population. Analyze a regional example from both developing and developed regions.

Explain how distribution of natural resources influences political systems (societies). Analyze a regional example from both developing and developed regions.

Explain patterns of demographic changes and cultural diffusion from a local to global scale.

Describe regions according to specific criteria and identify the role of power structures in constructing regions.

Explain how physical and human characteristics influence how people live in different places.

Apply multiple perspectives to the geographic inquiry process (ask, acquire, analyze, answer, act) to solve spatial problems.

Use geospatial technologies to create and interpret maps. Evaluate which geographic tools to apply in different situations.

Geography

Explain how global trade helps people and countries obtain goods and services they could not produce (or produce affordably) for themselves.

Identify factors that affect economic growth (percentage changes in real gross domestic product [GDP]) and lead to a different standard of living in different nations and within nations.

Explain how the individual decisions of consumers, producers and government can impact the whole society in both positive and negative ways.

Identify characteristics and goals of traditional, command, mixed and market-based economies.

Evaluate the impact of different economic systems on socioeconomic development.

Economics

Compare the values, principles and rights in tribal constitutions with the U.S. Constitution.

Explain why governments belong to different types of alliances and international organizations, and describe how they influence public policy.

Compare and contrast the structures, foundations, powers, alliances and limitations of the United States government with the United Nations.

Analyze the role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and non-governmental organizations in how human rights have been addressed in different countries.

Identify and evaluate democratic principles in different world constitutions. Compare and contrast various systems of government and their methods of maintaining order and/or control.

Participate in civil discourse on contemporary global issues in the world and evaluate arguments including identifying pros and cons.

Citizenship and Government

Civic Skills: Apply civic reasoning and demonstrate civic skills for the purpose of informed and engaged lifelong civic participation.

Democratic Values and Principles: Explain democratic values and principles that guide governments, societies and communities. Analyze the tensions within the United States constitutional government.

Rights and Responsibilities: Explain and evaluate rights, duties and responsibilities in democratic society.

Governmental Institutions and Political Processes: Explain and evaluate processes, rules and laws of United States governmental institutions at local, state and federal levels and within Tribal Nations.

Public Policy: Analyze how public policy is shaped by governmental and nongovernmental institutions. Analyze how people and communities take action to solve problems and shape public policy.

Tribal Nations: Evaluate the unique political status, trust relationships and governing structures of sovereign Tribal Nations and the United States.

Microeconomics: Explain and evaluate how resources are used and how goods and services are distributed within different economic systems. Analyze how incentives influence the decisions of consumers, producers, and governments. Evaluate the intended and unintended consequences of these decisions from multiple perspectives.

Macroeconomics: Measure and evaluate the well-being of nations and communities using a variety of indicators. Explain the causes of economic ups and downs. Evaluate how government actions affect a nation’s economy and individuals’ well-being within an economy.

Global and International: Explain why people trade and why nations encourage or limit trade. Analyze the costs and benefits of international trade and globalization on communities and the environment.

Economic Inquiry: Use economic models and reasoning and data analysis to construct an argument and propose a solution related to an economic question. Evaluate the impact of the proposed solution on various communities that would be affected.

Fundamental Economic Concepts: Analyze how scarcity and artificial shortages force individuals, organizations, communities, and governments to make choices and incur opportunity costs. Analyze how the decisions of individuals, organizations, communities, and governments affect economic equity and efficiency.

Geospatial Skills and Inquiry: Apply geographic tools, including geospatial technologies, and geographic inquiry to solve spatial problems.

Geospatial Skills and Inquiry: Apply geographic tools, including geospatial technologies, and geographic inquiry to solve spatial problems.

Places and Regions: Describe places and regions, explaining how they are influenced by power structures.

Places and Regions: Describe places and regions, explaining how they are influenced by power structures.

Human Systems: Analyze patterns of movement and interconnectedness within and between cultural, economic and political systems from a local to global scale.

Human Systems: Analyze patterns of movement and interconnectedness within and between cultural, economic and political systems from a local to global scale.

Human Systems: Analyze patterns of movement and interconnectedness within and between cultural, economic and political systems from a local to global scale.

Human Systems: Analyze patterns of movement and interconnectedness within and between cultural, economic and political systems from a local to global scale.

Human-Environment Interaction: Evaluate the relationship between humans and the environment, including climate change.

Culture: Investigate how sense of place is impacted by different cultural perspectives.

Context, Change, and Continuity: Ask historical questions about context, change and continuity in order to identify and analyze dominant and nondominant narratives about the past.

Context, Change, and Continuity: Ask historical questions about context, change and continuity in order to identify and analyze dominant and nondominant narratives about the past.

Context, Change, and Continuity: Ask historical questions about context, change and continuity in order to identify and analyze dominant and nondominant narratives about the past.

Historical Perspectives: Identify diverse points of view, and describe how one’s frame of reference influences historical perspective.

Historical Perspectives: Identify diverse points of view, and describe how one’s frame of reference influences historical perspective.

Historical Sources and Evidence: Investigate a variety of historical sources by: a) analyzing primary and secondary sources; b) identifying perspectives and narratives that are absent from the available sources; and c) interpreting the historical context, intended audience, purpose, and author’s point of view of these sources.

Causation and Argumentation: Integrate evidence from multiple historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument or compelling narrative about the past.

Causation and Argumentation: Integrate evidence from multiple historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument or compelling narrative about the past.

Connecting Past and Present: Use historical methods and sources to identify and analyze the roots of a contemporary issue. Design a plan to address it.

Identity: Analyze the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity, and gender. Apply these understandings to one’s own social identities and other groups living in Minnesota, centering those whose stories and histories have been marginalized, erased, or ignored.

Identity: Analyze the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity, and gender. Apply these understandings to one’s own social identities and other groups living in Minnesota, centering those whose stories and histories have been marginalized, erased, or ignored.

Identity: Analyze the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity, and gender. Apply these understandings to one’s own social identities and other groups living in Minnesota, centering those whose stories and histories have been marginalized, erased, or ignored.

Resistance: Describe how individuals and communities have fought for freedom and liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power locally and globally. Identify strategies or times that have resulted in lasting change. Organize with others to engage in activities that could further the rights and dignity of all.

Ways of Knowing and Methodologies: Use ethnic and Indigenous studies methods and sources in order to understand the roots of contemporary systems of oppression and apply lessons from the past that could eliminate historical and contemporary injustices.