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The Civil War in Historical Fiction and Historical Accounts
Eighth graders examine life during the Civil War through various readings. They compare and contrast a novel they read in class to one they chose on the subject. They work together as a class to produce a newspaper displaying the...
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Remembering September 11
Students explore the impact of September 11 on American society through analysis of interviews and class discussions. Students evaluate the historic importance of the Gettysburg Address.
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Hallowed Ground: Preserving Arkansas's Civil War Battlefields
Pupils examine Civil War battlefields in Arkansas. They read primary source documents written by Arkansans. They discover what life was like during the Civil War as well.
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Bridges for All Lesson 1: Fighting Chance (1850-1877)
Students study how a Quaker woman, Laura Smith Haviland, served as a lifeline for fugitive and freedmen during the American Civil War era. They research other philanthropic organizations and the associate vocabulary of this era.
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The Civil War in Art and Literature
Students examine art related to the Civil War. They participate in activities that allow them to write poetry and drawings. They create their own journal and collect their work in a binder.
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The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Courage
Students examine how Stephen Crane treats the process by which a youth matures in his novel the Red Badge of Courage. They study how he exemplifies manly virtues associated with soldiers in war and examine the three endings that were...
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The Cycles in the Civil War
Students investigate the various causes of the U.S. Civil War. They view photos on the Smithsonian website, write about what it would have been like to be in the Civil War, complete a graphic organizer, and analyze a timeline.
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About Abraham Lincoln
Fifth graders complete a unit of lessons on the life of Abraham Lincoln. They read and analyze a poem, create a timeline, write an essay, research The Gettysburg Address and The Emancipation Proclamation, explore websites, and interview...
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Fort Morgan
Pupils investigate how Mobile, Alabama was significant to the Confederacy during the Civil War. They analyze maps, read primary source documents, write a research paper on Civil War military technology, and explore the Fort Morgan website.
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Andersonville National Historic Site
Students describe the conditions of a prisoner of war camp during the Civil War. They analyze ways in whcih the soldiers dealt with prison life. They identify the location of any nearby prisoner of war camps.
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Historical Episodes
Students choose a historical book set in the Civil War. They create a flow chart of the steps involved in producing a film. They select one scene and prepare props, costumes and setting for the scene.
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The Reunion
Learners dramatize a postwar reunion between people who held opposing views during the U.S. Civil War.
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Civil War Through a Child's Eye
Students examine and interpret primary source images of Civil War era Students. Then, students reveal their understanding of a child's perspective in a literary portrait by creating a lieterary portrait of the Civl War era.
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Slavery and the Legal Status of Free Blacks
High schoolers examine the status of free blacks in Illinois and slavery in the U.S. They read and analyze primary source documents, answer and discuss questions, participate in a group discussion, and present the group's findings to the...
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You Ain't Whistling Dixie
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the Civil War. They identify the factors that led to the Civil War, develop and perform a skit, research and write a report, or create a replica of art from Civil War period.
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Cotton Journey
Students use "Cotton Journey-A Field Trip In A Box" kit to relate the significance of cotton to the Civil War period and to study the cotton industry in general.
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Bull Run by Paul Fleischman, a Young Adult Novel
Students read and discuss Bull Run by Paul Fleischman. In groups, they select a character and re-write or act out that character's story and share it with the rest of the class.
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Across Five Aprils/Civil War
Eighth graders study the Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. They review vocabulary and literary elements and write a "Brother Against Brother" essay about coming face to face with a brother in one of the battles of the...
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Women in the Civil War
Students study the Civil War era in the US with a concentration on women during this time through literature and biographies. They create a timeline or multimedia presentation as one product of this series of lessons.
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Underground Railroad Role Play
Students experience what the Underground Railroad was really like by role-playing as escaping slaves. They must travel to the North Star until they cross an imaginary line into Canada.
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History Biographies
Students explore the life and the contributions of five people from U.S. history in the five lessons of this unit. james Madison, Dolly Madison, Sequoyah, Harriet Tubman, and Clara Barton are presented to students for exploration and...
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Need for Reconstruction: Devasation and Liberation in the South
Eighth graders examine the amount of destruction in the South following the Civil War. They explore the reasons why Reconstruction was needed.
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The Literature of Upheaval
In groups, 8th graders read different documents and answer questions on the Civil War period. Students read documents by Thoreau, Stowe and Frederick Douglas.
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Exploring the Eras of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Movement
Eighth graders utilize many sources (books, computer, magazines, etc...) to research the eras of the Emancipation Proclamation and Civil Rights Movement and create a T-Chart comparison.