Subscribe

8th grade · Social Studies · Unit 7 of 7

The World Since 1945

Independence, human rights and a connected world

What your child practices

Practices the world since World War II: the United Nations and human rights, independence movements and the challenges of new nations, the end of apartheid, the Cold War and its end, alliances, and how media and technology connect cultures.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 8.4.18.1; 8.4.18.3; 8.1.3.1; 8.1.5.1; 8.4.19.1; 8.4.22.1 · newly independent countries, revolutions and independence movements, human rights, alliances, and media and culture

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. After 1945, many colonies won independence, such as India from Britain in 1947.
  2. People fought for human rights, including against apartheid, legal racial segregation in South Africa.
  3. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and the Cold War ended soon after; today the world is closely connected by trade and technology.

Example: In what year did India become independent from Britain? India was a British colony. It won independence soon after World War II. That was in 1947. Answer: 1947

The World Since 1945 in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 7 of 7 in 8th grade Social Studies, after Population & Migration.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    The internet and smartphones have changed cultures by…

    • spreading ideas and news around the world quickly
    • making maps useless
    • ending all travel
    • stopping communication

  2. Question 2

    Many people around the world practice religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and…

    • the Cold War
    • Judaism
    • the UN
    • NATO

  3. Question 3

    The Berlin Wall fell in…

    • 1961
    • 1945
    • 2001
    • 1989

  4. Question 4

    A human right that the Universal Declaration names is…

    • a pet for everyone
    • free video games
    • freedom of thought and expression
    • owning a car

  5. Question 5

    A non-governmental organization (NGO) is…

    • a group that works on issues but is not part of a government
    • a type of army
    • a national bank
    • a political party

  6. Question 6

    Ghana was the first country south of the Sahara to win independence from colonial rule, in…

    • 1914
    • 2000
    • 1957
    • 1776

More 8th grade