6-8 Middle School Unit Overview Playlist
Colonial World (1607-1763) Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 1 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to explore the challenges faced by early settlers, the development of colonial societies, and growing tensions with Britain. The unit emphasizes the establishment and practice of self-government in the American colonies.
American Revolution (1763-1783) Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 2 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to examine the growing tensions between colonists and the British Crown, consider the decisions that led to the American Revolution, and evaluate the Declaration of Independence as a response to these challenges. The unit emphasizes how British and colonial perspectives on taxation, representation, and self-governance compared in the decades leading up to the American Revolution.
Constitution and Ratification (1787-1791) Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 3 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to analyze the problems faced by the new nation under the Articles of Confederation and the creation of the Constitution as a solution. The unit emphasizes the principles of the Constitution, and how those principles shaped the debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification debate.
Civic and Constitutional Life Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 4 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to explore the principles and structure of the U.S. Constitution for the practice of self-government. The unit emphasizes the principles of the Constitution and how these principles can help citizens participate effectively in a democratic society.
Early Republic (1789-1815) Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 5 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to explore the challenges of establishing a new government and examine the challenges faced by the new nation. The unit emphasizes how the Constitution influenced decisions in the Early Republic. c
America in Transition, Antebellum Era Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 6 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to analyze the rapid changes of the 19th century and explore how groups such as women, immigrants, and religious communities responded. The unit emphasizes the ways in which Americans and democratic institutions responded to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century.
American and Western Expansion Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 7 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to analyze the challenges of westward expansion, like land acquisition, Native American relations and slavery and how it led to sectional divisions. The unit emphasizes how the drive for territorial expansion shaped the nation’s identity and created new challenges for the United States.
Civil War (1860-1865) Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 8 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to examine the causes of the Civil War, consider the challenges faced by the nation during the conflict, and evaluate the meaning of the war for American democracy. The unit emphasizes how fundamental disagreements over slavery and its expansion lead to a devastating civil war that transformed the United States.
Reconstruction (1865-1877) Middle School Teacher Unit Overview
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Unit 9 of Building a Self-Governing People BRI’s Civics and U.S. History Curriculum for Middle School, invites students to examine the challenges of rebuilding the nation after the Civil War, including the issue of race relations and the struggle to create a new social order. The unit emphasizes the success and failures of Reconstruction in addressing the challenges of rebuilding the nation and ensuring equal rights for African Americans.