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Eighth Grade - Social Studies
Activities
All Kinds of Entrepreneurs
Financial and Economic Concept: Entrepreneurism
Eighth Grade – United States History I
Standard 1: Students will interpret the role of geography in shaping United States history.
Standard 2: Students will investigate the relationship between events of different time periods
Standard 7: Students will explore the territorial growth of the United States before the Civil War.
Objective 3: Analyze how new inventions and transportation methods stimulated western expansion.
Time: 20 minutes
Materials: Projector for PPT, handout
This activity encourages students to appreciate the range of entrepreneurial activity in the economy and understand the important role that entrepreneurs play in introducing change into the marketplace. First, show students the PPT (ONLY SLIDES 2, 4, 7, and 8) to clarify the different types of entrepreneurs. At the conclusion, allow them to complete the worksheet either alone or in pairs. For extension activity, see lesson called Resume of a Famous Entrepreneur.
Types of Entrepreneurs PowerPoint - Be sure to notice the discussion tips in the NOTES area of the PPT!
Types of Entrepreneurs Student Worksheet (pdf)
Past and Present Entrepreneurs
Financial and Economic Concept: EntrepreneurismEighth Grade – United States History I
Standard 2: Students will investigate the relationship between events of different time periods
Objective 2: Analyze how contemporary concerns and events affect and are affected by history
- Teen Business Link - Explain the laws in place that entrepreneurs have to follow when establishing a business.
Possible Activities/Assignments:
- Recent & Popular Famous-Entrepreneurs Articles - Have students research current and historical entrepreneurs
- Assign students to create a business plan and include laws they would have to keep in mind
We're In the Money
Financial and Economic Concept: Monetary and fiscal policy Eighth Grade – United States History I
Standard 4: Students will analyze European colonization and settlement of North America.
Objective 3: Examine the economic, political, and social patterns in the development of the 13 English colonies.
Time: 45 minutes
Materials: Once Upon a Dime Comic (can be viewed on computers as a PDF to save paper, or print handouts), copies of student worksheet
In this lesson students study money and its place in the economy. They participate in a barter activity to understand the need for money, and then they use the comic book: Once Upon a Dime to learn about how money works in a society. Finally they explore both our modern money and money in our history.
Once Upon a Dime Comic Book (pdf)
Complete Lesson Plan (pdf) Note: Worksheets for the comic book are on pages 11-12 of lesson plan.
Understanding Taxes
Financial and Economic Concept: Federal, State, and Local Taxes Eighth Grade – United States History I
Standard 6: Students will understand the structure and function of the United States government established by the Constitution.
Objective 2: Analyze the compromises that led to the ratification of the Constitution.
Before the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, the federal government lacked the power to raise revenue directly. Even after the Constitution was ratified, federal revenues came mostly from tariffs and excise taxes. These taxes tend to be regressive, because people with lower incomes had to pay a higher percentage of their income than did people with higher incomes.
During the Civil War, the federal government required much more revenue than the tariffs and excise taxes could provide. A tax on income was established in 1862 but was abolished after the war. The ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913 gave Congress the right to levy and collect income taxes. Income taxes tend to be progressive because they tax a larger percentage of income from high-income groups than from low-income groups.
The goal of American lawmakers has always been to balance the need to raise revenue, the desire to be fair to taxpayers, and the desire to influence the way taxpayers save and spend their money.
Information Sheet – History of Taxation (pdf)
Worksheet/Activity (pdf)
PowerPoint (pdf)
What is Taxed and Why
Financial and Economic Concept: Federal, State, and Local Taxes Eighth Grade – United States History I
Standard 6: Students will understand the structure and function of the United States government established by the Constitution.
Objective 4: Analyze the rights, liberties, and responsibilities of citizens.
This lesson will help students understand that federal, state, and local governments need revenues to provide goods and services for their residents.
PowerPoint (pdf)
State and Local Revenue and Expenditures
Sample from Online Activity:
"Imagine that you are the town manager of a city named Springville. This year Springville received a $60,000 grant from the federal government to help support certain public services. Congress has recently voted to reduce this funding to $45,000 next year. One of your primary goals as town manager is to avoid cutting services. Together, you and several city council members have proposed various ways to raise additional revenue. Some have proposed increasing property taxes. Others want to increase the local sales tax from 1 percent to 2 percent. Another proposal is to charge individual income taxes at a flat rate of 2 percent. How will each proposal affect the taxpayers of Springville? Calculate the following…"
Power to Tax
Financial and Economic Concept: Federal, State, and Local Taxes Eighth Grade – United States History I
Standard 5: Students will understand the significance of the American Revolution in the development of the United States.
Objective 4: Examine the effects of the Revolution on the United States
Time: 60 minutes
Materials: Student handouts, writing supplies
Copy and distribute Information Sheet 2—Excerpts from Federalist Paper No. 30 by Alexander Hamilton and Information Sheet 3—Excerpts from Anti-Federalist Letter by Richard Henry Lee.
Have students read and compare the reasons for and against granting the federal government the power to tax as argued by Federalist Alexander Hamilton and Anti-Federalist Richard Lee. Challenge students to identify each writer’s main points. Invite students to act out a mock debate between Hamilton and Lee.
Students should identify the following points: Hamilton believed that giving the federal government the power to raise and collect taxes would provide revenue to the nation and promote stability, efficiency, and trust within the nation and among nations in the international community. Lee objected to the federal power to tax because he believed that federal laws would cancel state laws. He also thought that the national government lacked the means to collect taxes efficiently and that corruption was a possibility.
Information Sheet 2 (pdf)
Information Sheet 3 (pdf)
Complete Lesson Plan (pdf)
