Dear eighth grade students,

      I hope you are enjoying the summer and are excited to begin a new school year. My name is Mrs. Ward, and I will be your American History teacher next year.

      I am looking forward to working with you as we journey through time together to learn about America's heritage. During the course of the year, you will learn about colonial settlements, the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, the three branches of government, the Civil War, and much more! I have high expectations, and I am confident each of you can meet them. We are going to have a wonderful year!

--Mrs. Ward

Supplies:

•  A three ring binder (1 ½ inches) and loose leaf paper

•  Five dividers

•  A box of colored pencils

•  Plenty of pens and pencils

•  A cheap calculator for figuring out your average

Great websites:

Did you see the movie National Treasure ? Is there really something written on the back of the Declaration of Independence? Visit the National Archives website and find out!

http://www.archives.gov/

Are you interested in learning about the White House? Do you want to find out more about President Obama's stance on an issue in the news? Would you like to watch video footage of a recent speech? Check out the White House website!

http://www.whitehouse.gov

Read articles and watch CNN's Student News video by visiting the following site. You can even download the news to your iPod! http://www.cnn.com/EDUCATION/

See below to do more catching up on the latest news stories.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/news

Are you interested in the Supreme Court? Search this site for interesting facts.

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/index.html