The Project Social Studies Curriculum Center at the University of Minnesota developed this teacher's guide for an eighth grade course on Our Political System. The course, part of an articulated curriculum for grades K-12, draws heavily upon political science while using concepts from other social sciences. The emphasis is on decision-making at the…

This resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, introduces eighth graders to the executive process. The unit uses case studies of presidential decision making such as the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Cuba Bay of Pigs and quarantine decisions, and the Little Rock decision. A case study of…

This curriculum guide presents objectives, learning activities, evaluation suggestions, and resources for 13 areas related to creative thinking: (1) observing, noticing, and memory stretching; (2) comparing; (3) classifying; (4) developing language through the senses; (5) finding cause and effect relationships; (6) summarizing; (7) looking for…

This resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, introduces eighth graders to an overview of the American political system. The unit analyzes political conflict, compromise, and the need for government and law. It examines American political ideals and contrasts them briefly with other political ideologies and…