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The best free tool for this is Canva or Tiki-Toki (or Google Slides for a simpler version). Here is the Canva method, as it embeds beautifully into Weebly.
Include: Excerpt of Declaration of Independence; Articles of Confederation excerpt; Federalist No. 10 excerpt; Emancipation Proclamation excerpt; 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments; Freedmen’s Bureau letter; a contemporary political cartoon. Primary Source Analysis Template (to embed under each doc):
(Add download link for printable worksheet and Google Docs file.)
Week 1 — Background & Causes
Week 2 — Escalation & War
6. Lesson: Dred Scott decision & political fallout — source-based questions.
7. Lesson: Lincoln’s rise — Lincoln-Douglas debates excerpts and group discussion.
8. Lesson: Secession conventions & Confederate formation — primary sources.
9. Lesson: Key battles overview (Fort Sumter, Antietam, Gettysburg) — map activity.
10. Assessment: Create a 5-event timeline connecting causes to war events.
Week 3 — Reconstruction & Legacy
11. Lesson: Emancipation Proclamation vs. 13th Amendment — compare/contrast.
12. Lesson: Reconstruction policies (Presidential vs. Congressional) and Black Codes.
13. Lesson: Primary sources: Freedmen’s Bureau records & testimony analysis.
14. Lesson: End of Reconstruction; rise of Jim Crow — long-term consequences.
15. Summative Assessment: Argumentative essay—“Was Reconstruction a success?” plus source citations.
This isn’t just about memorizing what happened; it’s about asking why. Here are three questions we will answer together:
8th grade social studies is heavy on DBQs. Create a password-protected page (Weebly allows page passwords) where you house primary sources. Include:
Weebly allows you to embed HTML code. Use this to add:
