Common Planner
K–12 Standards

8th Grade

HistoryHIS-1

  • 12

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America byHS-H 12 

    1. a

      explaining the reasons for English colonization; HS-H 12a

    2. e

      identifying the importance of the arrival of Africans and English women to the Jamestown settlement;HS-H 12e

    3. f

      describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival;HS-H 12f

    4. g

      describing the interactions between the English settlers and the native peoples, including the contributions of Powhatan to the survival of the settlers.HS-H 12g

  • 13

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony byHS-H 13

    1. b

      describing how the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians.HS-H 13b

  • 14

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by HS-H 14

    1. b

      identifying the various roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans, free African Americans, and American Indians in the Revolutionary War era, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and James Lafayette;HS-H 14

    2. c

      identifying the importance of the Battle of Great Bridge, the ride of Jack Jouett, and the American victory at Yorktown.HS-H 14

  • 15

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the establishment of the new American nation byHS-H 15

    1. a

      explaining why George Washington is called the “Father of our Country” and James Madison is called the “Father of the Constitution.”HS-H 15a

  • 16

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War byHS-H 16 

    1. a

      identifying the events and differences between northern and southern states that divided Virginians and led to secession, war, and the creation of West Virginia; HS-H 16a 

    2. b

      describing Virginia’s role in the war, including identifying major battles that took place in Virginia;HS-H 16b 

    3. c

      describing the roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans, free African Americans, and American Indians.HS-H 16c 

  • 17

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Virginia byHS-H 17 

    1. b

      identifying the impact of Virginians, such as Woodrow Wilson and George C. Marshall, on international events;HS-H 17b 

    2. c

      identifying the political, social, and/or economic contributions made by Maggie L. Walker; Harry F. Byrd, Sr.; Oliver W. Hill; Arthur R. Ashe, Jr.; A. Linwood Holton, Jr.: and L. Douglas Wilder.HS-H 17c 

  • 18

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of how early cultures developed in North America by HS-H 18 

    1. a

      describing how archaeologists have recovered material evidence of ancient settlements, including Cactus Hill in Virginia.HS-H 18a 

  • 19

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of European exploration in North Americaand West Africa byHS-H 19 

    1. a

      describing the motivations for, obstacles to, and accomplishments of the Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English explorations;HS-H 19a 

    2. b

      describing cultural and economic interactions between Europeans and American Indians that led to cooperation and conflict, with emphasis on the American Indian concept of land.HS-H 19b 

  • 20

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the factors that shaped colonial America byHS-H 20

    1. a

      describing the religious and economic events and conditions that led to the colonization of America;HS-H 20a

    2. c

      describing colonial life in America from the perspectives of large landowners, farmers, artisans, women, free African Americans, indentured servants, and enslaved African Americans;HS-H 20c

    3. d

      identifying the political and economic relationships between the colonies and Great Britain.HS-H 20d

  • 21

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American Revolution byHS-H 21

    1. a

      identifying the issues of dissatisfaction that led to the American Revolution; HS-H 21a

    2. c

      describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution, with emphasis on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry;HS-H 21c

    3. d

      explaining reasons why the colonies were able to defeat Great Britain. HS-H 21d

  • 2

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the challenges faced by the new nation byHS-H 22

    1. b

      describing the historical development of the Constitution of the United States; HS-H 22b

    2. c

      describing the major accomplishments of the first five presidents of the United States.HS-H 22c

  • 23

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of westward expansion and reform in America from 1801 to 1861 byHS-H 23

    1. a

      describing territorial expansion and how it affected the political map of the United States, with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of Florida, Texas, Oregon, and California;HS-H 23a

    2. c

      describing the impact of inventions, including the cotton gin, the reaper, the steamboat, and the steam locomotive, on life in America;HS-H 23c

    3. d

      identifying the main ideas of the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. HS-H 23d

  • 24

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes, major events, and effects of the Civil War byHS-H 24

    1. a

      describing the cultural, economic, and constitutional issues that divided the nation; HS-H 24a

    2. b

      explaining how the issues of states’ rights and slavery increased sectional tensions; HS-H 24b

    3. d

      describing the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Frederick Douglass in events leading to and during the war; HS-H 24

    4. f

      describing the effects of war from the perspectives of Union and Confederate soldiers (including African American soldiers), women, and enslaved African Americans.HS-H 24

  • 25

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of Reconstruction on American life byHS-H 25

    1. b

      describing the impact of Reconstruction policies on the South and North; HS-H 25b

    2. HS-H 25c.

      describing the legacies of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Frederick Douglass.HS-H 25c

  • 26

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life changed after the Civil War byHS-H 26

    1. b

      explaining the reasons for the increase in immigration, growth of cities, and challenges arising from this expansion;HS-H 26b

    2. c

      describing racial segregation, the rise of “Jim Crow,” and other constraints faced by African Americans and other groups in the post-Reconstruction South;HS-H 26c

    3. d

      explaining the impact of new inventions, the rise of big business, the growth of industry, and life on American farms;HS-H 26d

    4. HS-H 26.

      describing the impact of the Progressive Movement on child labor, working conditions, the rise of organized labor, women’s suffrage, and the temperance movement.HS-H 26

  • 27

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the changing role of the United States from the late nineteenth century through World War I byHS-H 27

    1. a

      explaining the reasons for and results of the Spanish American War; HS-H 27a

    2. b

      describing Theodore Roosevelt’s impact on the foreign policy of the United States;  HS-H 27b

    3. c

      explaining the reasons for the United States’ involvement in World War I and its international leadership role at the conclusion of the war.HS-H 27c

  • 28

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the social, economic, and technological changes of the early twentieth century byHS-H 28

    1. b

      b) describing the social and economic changes that took place, including prohibition and the Great Migration north and west;HS-H 28b

    2. c

      c) examining art, literature, and music from the 1920s and 1930s, with emphasis on Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Georgia O’Keeffe, and the Harlem Renaissance.HS-H 28c

  • 29

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the major causes and effects of American involvement in World War II byHS-H 29

    1. a

      identifying the causes and events that led to American involvement in the war, including the attack on Pearl Harbor;HS-H 29a

    2. c

      locating and describing the major events and turning points of the war in Europe and the Pacific; HS-H 29

    3. c

      describing the impact of the war on the home front. HS-H 29

Geography HIS-2

  • 10

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony byHS-G 10 

    1. c

      explaining the reasons for the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg to Richmond.HS-G 10c

  • 11

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the establishment of the new American nation byHS-G 11

    1. c

      explaining the influence of geography on the migration of Virginians into western territories.HS-G 11c

  • 12

    The student will use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, or tables toHS-G 12 

    1. a

      locate the seven continents and five oceans;HS-G 12a 

    2. b

      locate and describe the location of the geographic regions of North America: Coastal Plain, Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Basin and Range, and Coastal Range;HS-G 12b 

    3. c

      locate and identify the water features important to the early history of the United States: Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Ohio River, Columbia River, Colorado River, Rio Grande, St. Lawrence River, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico;HS-G 12c 

    4. d

      recognize key geographic features on maps, diagrams, and/or photographs. HS-G 12d 

  • 13

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of how early cultures developed in North America byHS-G 13

    1. c

      explaining the influence of geography on the migration of Virginians into western territoriesHS-G 13c

  • 14

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes, major events, and effects of the Civil War byHS-G 14 

    1. c

      identifying on a map the states that seceded from the Union and those that remained in the Union.HS-G 14c 

  • 15

    The student will use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, or tables forHS-G 15 

    1. c

      locating the 50 states and the cities most significant to the historical development of the United StatesHS-G 15c

EconomicsHIS-3

  • 12

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Virginia by HS-E 12 

    1. a

      describing the economic and social transition from a rural, agricultural society to a more urban, industrialized society, including the reasons people came to Virginia from other states and countriesHS-E 12a 

  • 13

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of government, geography, and economics byHS-E 13 

    1. b

      describing the major products and industries of Virginia’s five geographic regions; HS-E 13b

    2. c

      explaining how advances in transportation, communications, and technology have contributed to Virginia’s prosperity and role in the global economyHS-E 13c 

  • 14

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of European exploration in North America and West Africa byHS-E 14

    1. c

      identifying the location and describing the characteristics of West African societies (Ghana, Mali, and Songhai) and their interactions with traders.HS-E 14c

  • 15

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of westward expansion and reform in America from 1801 to 1861 byHS-E 15 

    1. b

      identifying the geographic and economic factors that influenced the westward movement of settlers.HS-E 15b 

  • 16

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of Reconstruction on American life by HS-E 16 

    1. a

      analyzing the impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.HS-E 16a 

  • 17

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the social, economic, and technological changes of the early twentieth century byHS-E 17 

    1. a

      explaining how developments in factory and labor productivity, transportation (including the use of the automobile), communication, and rural electrification changed American life and standard of living;HS-E 17a 

    2. d

      identifying the causes of the Great Depression, its impact on Americans, and the major features of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.HS-E 17d 

  • 18

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the economic, social, and politicatransformation of the United States and the world between the end of World War II and the present byHS-E 18 

    1. b

      describing the conversion from a wartime to a peacetime economy; HS-E 18b 

    2. e

      describing how international trade and globalization have impacted American life. HS-E 18e 

  • 19

    The student will identify types of natural, human, and capital resources and explaintheir significance byHS-E 19

    1. a

      showing their influence on patterns of economic activity and land use. HS-E 19a

  • 20

    The student will distinguish between developed and developing countries and relatethe level of economic development to the standard of living and quality of lifeHS-E 20

CivicsHIS-4

  • 12

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the reconstruction of Virginia followingthe Civil War byHS-C 12 

    1. b

      identifying the effects of segregation and “Jim Crow” on life in Virginia for whites, African Americans, and American Indians.HS-C 12b 

  • 13

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Virginia byHS-C 13

    1. c

      identifying the social and political events in Virginia linked to desegregation and Massive Resistance and their relationship to national history.HS-C 13c

  • 14

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of government, geography, and economics by HS-C 14

    1. a

      identifying the three branches of Virginia government and the function of each. HS-C 14a

  • 15

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of how early cultures developed in North America byHS-C 15 

    1. c

      describing how the American Indians used the resources in their environment. HS-C 15c 

  • 16

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the factors that shaped colonial America byHS-C 16

    1. b

      describing life in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies, with emphasis on how people interacted with their environment to produce goods and services, including examples of specialization and interdependence.HS-C 16b

  • 17

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American Revolution by HS-C 17 

    1. b

      identifying how political ideas shaped the revolutionary movement in America and led to the Declaration of Independence.HS-C 17b 

  • 18

    The student will demonstrate knowledge of the challenges faced by the new nation by HS-C 18 

    1. a

      identifying the weaknesses of the government established by the Articles of Confederation.HS-C 18a 

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 8
Where can I read the official document?
VAAP Aligned Standards of Learning 2020-2021

Keep exploring

Keep exploring History & Social Studies - VAAP standards

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