Curated OER
Similarities and Differences Between the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War
Fifth graders describe three similarities and three differences between the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. They play a game comparing the two wars.
Curated OER
Civil War Photos Tell a Story
Students explore the work of a Civil War photographer. For this Civil War lesson, students access the photographs by Matthew Brady through the web link and examine the photographs he took in order to better understand the Civil War.
Curated OER
Civil War Narratives found in a Trunk
Students consider how the American Civil War affected Northerners and Southerners. For this primary source analysis lesson, students read the provided narratives of the war and respond to questions about both of the narratives.
Curated OER
Civil War on Sunday
Third graders read "Cvil War on Sunday" together and discuss characters, setting, problem and resolution. They determine facts from fiction used in the story and research drummer boys in the Civil War or Clara Barton using the Internet....
Curated OER
Civil War General Comparison
Eighth graders compare Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. In this Civil War lesson plan, 8th graders research both generals and write a comparative essay. They include a paragraph about Lee, another about Grant, and one showing the...
Curated OER
The Cycles in the Civil War
Young scholars 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.
National First Ladies' Library
The Civil War Revisited
Students move beyond the generals and battles approach to the Civil War and explore, instead, the issues, ideals, and outcomes of the great conflict that left a president dead, a region destitute, and a nation in shambles.
Curated OER
Civil War Letter
Students put themselves in the shoes of American Civil War soldiers. In this Civil War lesson, students compose letters to their families from the the perspective of soldiers in the war.
Curated OER
Mapping the Civil War
Students identify the locations of pivotal American Civil War battles. In this map skills lesson, students label Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and the Battle for Atlanta on an outline map. The map is not included.
Curated OER
The Civil War--The Battle of Corydon
Eighth graders investigate the Battle of Corydon. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders discover details about the Battle of Corydon and the leaders of the battle. Students also identify how the Corydon commemorates the battle...
Curated OER
Civil War: Generals at the Battle of Stones River
Learners explore U.S. history by creating a computer presentation in class. In this Civil War battle instructional activity, students read assigned text about the Battle of Stones River and research individual generals from the battles....
Curated OER
Roswell and the Civil War
Students consider the impact of the American Civil War on Georgia. In this Georgia history lesson, students discover Roswell's contributions to the Confederate effort and then create children's books that illustrate the destruction of...
Curated OER
Chapter 7 – The Civil War
In this U.S. history worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages about the Civil War and respond to 48 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Causes of the Civil War: Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850 and Kansas Nebraska Act
How did the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act contribute to the growing tensions that led to the Civil war? To better understand the events that led to the Civil War, young historians engage in a...
Curated OER
U.S. History Worksheet #72
Why did the North win the war? In this United States history worksheet, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions pertaining to the Civil War. A short answer question is included as...
Curated OER
Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan
Students explore Lincoln's Reconstruction plan. In this Reconstruction lesson, students examine Lincoln's speeches and writings on bringing the country back together following the war.
Washington University in St. Louis
Teaching Jazz as American Culture
Jazz and the City, Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement, Jazz and Gender, Jazz and Literature, Jazz and the Arts, Jazz and Film. Here's a packet of unit plans organized around themes that reflect American culture. Each unit examines how...
Pacific University Oregon
Civil Rights: US History
To gain an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, class members investigate the Jim Crow Laws, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution, and the 1898 Supreme Court case,...
US National Archives
Documented Rights Educational Lesson Plan
How have groups struggled to have their unalienable rights recognized in the United States? Acting as a research team for the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, your young historians will break into groups to research how people...
Center for History and New Media
A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction, 1865-1877
The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...
American Battlefield Trust
The Home Front
Women and children played key roles during the Civil War, even if their voices are often lost in history. By studying letters and personal testimony from them, budding historians get a glimpse into the day-to-day life of civilians during...
Curated OER
1863: Shifting Tides
The victory at Gettysburg is forever immortalized in the famous speech given by Present Abraham Lincoln. Designed for secondary pupils, an interesting lesson plan explains how 1863 was a pivotal year for the Union. Academics explore the...
American Battlefield Trust
Fredericksburg 360
Urban combat long preceded today's video games. Pupils today experience the battle of Fredericksburg—a major Civil War engagement in an American city—using a 360-degree interactive app. Users explore the battlefield online, using a...
School Improvement in Maryland
Court Proceedings Civil Cases
What's the difference between civil and criminal law? How do the court proceedings differ in these two types of trials? How do the standards of proof differ? Why do these differences exist? As part of their examination of the US court...