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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Homer's Civil War Veteran: Battlefield to Wheat Field

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine Civil War-themed artwork. In this visual arts lesson plan, students compare and contrast paintings by Winslow Homer and Timothy O'Sullivan. Middle schoolers analyze the symbolism in the artwork...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When Johnny Went Marching Off...

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore Civil War campaigns. In this Civil War instructional activity, 8th graders collaborate and conduct research to create presentations that focus on specific Union or Confederate generals and battles. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Play Lesson Plan

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students act out the Civil War through reader's theater. In this performing arts lesson, students research the Civil War and find costumes, props and scenery appropriate to the time period. They become characters from the Civil War time...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black American Soldiers in the Civil War

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the actions needed to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.  In this US History activity, 8th graders analyze documents pertinent to the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Students examine the process of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Reader's Theater Lesson Plan

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students participate in a reader's theater about the Civil War. In this performing arts lesson, students review the Civil War through a reader's theater. They practice reading their parts to work on expression and fluidity before...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interpreting History With Artifacts: Mid to Late 1800s

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study history though the exploration of artifacts. In this Civil War lesson, 4th graders examine artifacts such as sweet grass basket, spinning top, photos on tin, cast iron kettle, china"bone plate," bonnet, wooden carved...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The 1808 Slave Trade Abolition Deadline

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students study the trans-Atlantic Slave trade. In this slave trade lesson, students study the Constitutional Convention Notes and the impact on United States slavery. Students research the slave trade database and other primary sources...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Technologies of the Civil War

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover new and interesting technologies of the Civil War. In this Civil War portfolio of lessons, 5th graders analyze primary resources, develop new vocabulary, investigate websites, and create a time line of new...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War: Learning from Our Peers

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover the Civil War as taught by their peers. In this Civil War lesson, 5th graders create their own lesson plans to teach the class about the Civil War. The students are monitored by the teacher but are given lectures...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Quilting Through the Civil War and Underground Railroad

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students design a quilt. In this Civil War and Underground Railroad lesson, students discuss the Civil War and Underground Railroad. Students look at quilts from the Civil War and discover how they were used to help slaves escape....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Scavenger Hunts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the impact of historical events. In this historical scavenger hunt lesson, students examine photographs of a local monument that zoom in on details. Students record their impressions regarding the photos. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad- People Get Ready...There's a Train a Comin'

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students learn about the Underground Railroad. In this Civil War and slavery instructional activity, students discuss how successful slaves would be moving around at night, learn the secret vocabulary used for escape routes and review...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Reconstruction: A Time of Turbulence

For Teachers 5th
Students utilize knowledge and understandings of the Civil War to look at the reconstructive era that followed. In this reconstructive era lesson, Students gain understanding of the definition of reconstruction by building, taking apart...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Freedom to Fight

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars study the African American troop experiences in the Civil War. In this American history lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources regarding the experiences and contributions of African American soldiers who...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Events of the Civil War

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research the Civil War through the use of primary documents. In this historical events of the Civil War lesson, 5th graders write about the information gotten from the primary document. Students answer critical thinking...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Speeches on the Not-So-Big Screen

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine American speeches. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students explore the emotional context of historical periods as they analyze "The Gettysburg Address" and "I Will Fight No More Forever" speeches.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Post-Civil War American History

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine significant events in Post-Civil War America. In this Post-Civil War lesson, 5th graders investigate the important events after the war in 19th century America. They read primary source documents about six topics...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gettysburg Address (1863): Defining the American Union

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students explore the Gettysburg Address. In this U. S. history lesson, students examine Abraham Lincoln's speech and it's themes of freedom, equality, and emancipation.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Detectives

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate aspects of the Civil War. In this history lesson, 5th graders complete several tasks involving the economy, culture, and geography of the Civil War. First, students are divided into groups to study primary...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trains, Telegraphs, and Steamships: War’s New Weapons

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine the technological weapons of the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson plan, students research the use of trains, telegraphs, and steamships in the war. Young scholars write newspaper articles pertaining to the new...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Nation Divided

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders participate in various activities related to the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson students understand the events and feelings of people during the Civil War by studying primary sources, journal writing, readings, viewing...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abraham Lincoln: The Face of War

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students compare life masks and photos of Abraham Lincoln that were made before and at the end of the Civil War. In this "Faces of War" lesson, students analyze images of Lincoln in a historical context and create a timeline of event.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Economics during the Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students synthesize the concepts of scarcity, supply, and demand, pertaining to the Civil War time period. In this economics lesson, students gain understanding of economic terms through read-alouds, Venn diagrams, (comparing lifestyles...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Emancipation Proclamation

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students analyze key components of a portrait and relate the elements to the historical context. In this lesson students evaluate the "Emancipation Proclamation" and it's significance.