Grade 8 Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 8 social studies in the New Brunswick Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Geography: Human Systems and Interactions. Describe, using primary and secondary sources, the living conditions for peoples living in British North America.
- History: Sources and Methods. Analyze the causes and consequences of Confederation.
- History: Events and Peoples. Research the lives of early Black inhabitants in the Atlantic region.
- Civics: Power and Governance. Develop a concept of empowerment.
- Civics: Rights and Responsibilities. Research the development of rights and social reform movements in Canada.
- Civics: Civic Engagement. Take age-appropriate action to demonstrate understanding of social, political, or cultural issues facing youth today.
- Wabanaki: Reconciliation. Describe the impact of contact and colonization on Wabanaki empowerment.
- Economics: Sustainability. Assess practices and commodities that lead to economic empowerment.
Easy ways to practise social studies at home
- Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently.
- Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying.
- Use an atlas or online map to trace a trade or travel route.
- Ask “Whose voice is missing from this story?” when reading about the past.
What each unit covers
New Brunswick & Confederation
Practises the causes and consequences of Confederation from a New Brunswick view, including the 1865 and 1866 elections. It follows the Grade 8 social studies skill descriptors on historical sources and methods in the New Brunswick curriculum.
Early Black Communities
Practises the lives of early Black inhabitants in the Atlantic region, including Black Loyalists and Black refugees, and ideas about empowerment. It follows the Grade 8 social studies skill descriptors on history and empowerment in the New Brunswick curriculum.
Wabanaki Governance & Empowerment
Practises how Wabanaki governance empowered Wabanaki Peoples and the effects of contact and colonization on that empowerment. The content is light, in the present tense, and needs review by Wabanaki partners. It follows the Grade 8 social studies skill descriptors on power and governance and on reconciliation in the New Brunswick curriculum.
Rights, Reform & Taking Action
Practises the idea of empowerment, the development of rights and social reform movements in Canada, and how young people can take age-appropriate action. It follows the Grade 8 social studies skill descriptors on empowerment, rights and civic engagement in the New Brunswick curriculum.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Working below
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Excelling
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the New Brunswick report card guide.
Common questions
Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently. Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The New Brunswick Curriculum Grade 8 social studies units include new brunswick & confederation, early black communities, wabanaki governance & empowerment, rights, reform & taking action.
Free printable Grade 8 social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.