The+Civil+War+Lesson+Plans

The Civil War: Lesson Objectives As a result of completing this unit, students will be able to...
 * discuss some of the social, political, and personal issues that Americans confronted during the Civil War era.
 * use the Internet to locate resources related to the Civil War and incorporate information from these resources into their own writing.
 * define //historical fiction// and identify some of the techniques writers use to create good historical fiction.
 * discuss the central issues of the Civil War from a variety of different perspectives, including music and technology.

 Lesson 1: Building Background  At the start of the unit, you might wish to guide students in creating a KWL chart to tap into their prior knowledge and discover what they want to know more about. For an overview of Civil War chronology, you can direct them to the Civil War timeline provided online by the Library of Congress. You might also encourage them to research relevant topics, perhaps assigning pairs or small groups to become "resident experts" in specific areas. A few of the topics they might explore are: Two excellent sources for a wide range of materials are the American Civil War Homepage and www.CivilWar.com. For a comprehensive outline of the war with links to many other on-line sources of information, check out Great American History's Outline of the Civil War.
 * the Harpers Ferry raid
 * Abraham Lincoln
 * the Battle of Bull Run
 * the Battle of Gettysburg
 * the Battle of Shiloh
 * General Robert E. Lee
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">General William Sherman
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">the Underground Railroad

Lesson 2: Historical Fiction

Many of the books in the list of recommended titles are historical fiction. Ask students what they know about this genre, and have them list examples of historical fiction that they have read in the past. Make sure they understand that historical fiction is based on events that actually happened -- such as the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the assassination of President Lincoln -- but the main characters and the specific events in those characters' lives are made up by the author. A writer of historical fiction researches the time and place that will be the setting of a story before he or she begins writing. Besides reading history books, the writer may study personal journals and letters, newspaper articles, photographs, art, and literature from the period. All of these primary sources provide the "flavor" of the historical period so that the writer can make the setting and events come alive for readers. Students can use the Internet to view examples of the types of primary source materials that writers use to create historical fiction. Richard W. Burt of the 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote poetry, letters, and newspaper articles during his service to the Union cause. A catalog of some of his writings is available online. Other letters and diary entries are available in the Civil War Diaries collection at Augustana College Library, Duke University's Civl War Women, and the University of North Carolina's Documenting the American South: Slave Narratives. The Library of Congress provides access to a selection of Civil War photographs that students can explore on the Internet.

You can use the following activities to help students integrate their own writing with the reading they are doing in the unit.
 * Select one of the minor characters in a book you have read, and write a series of journal entries using the voice of that character. Before you begin writing, think about the following questions: What experiences has the character had? How do you think he or she might feel about these experiences? What hopes or dreams might the character have? How does the character feel toward other characters in the book, and why?


 * Write a speech in which you express the views of an abolitionist or of someone who wants to preserve the institution of slavery. Before you begin writing, make an outline of the major points you want to make. Decide who your audience will be, and think of ways in which you could appeal to the emotions of this audience. When you have completed a first draft of your speech, practice delivering it to a friend or family member. Ask your practice audience for advice on revising your speech to make it more powerful and persuasive.


 * Imagine that you have been transported through time to the Civil War era. Write a story telling about the adventures you have there. First think about the geographical setting of your story -- did you land in the North or the South? Whom did you meet there? What happened next? How does it feel to be in the middle of a civil war? When you have written a first draft of your story, share it with a classmate and talk about ways you could improve the story in the revision stage.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 10pt 0in 0pt;">Lesson 4: A Matter of Perspective
The people fighting on two sides of a war obviously have some major differences of opinion. But, as Carolyn Reeder's novel **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Shades of Gray ** emphasizes, there can also be a wide range of opinions among people supposedly on the same side of a conflict. Encourage students to discuss and research some of the different perspectives that various groups of Americans had on the Civil War. For example, they might compare Hannalee Reed's impression of General William Sherman in **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Turn Homeward, Hannalee ** to the attitude toward the general expressed in General Sherman and His Boys in Blue, a poem by Union soldier Captain Richard W. Burt. They might also juxtapose the attitudes and experiences of African American soldiers and white soldiers who fought for the Union cause. The film **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Glory ** provides some insight into this topic.

<span style="color: #4f81bd; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 10pt 0in 0pt;">Lesson 5: The Language of History
From the first pages of many historical novels, students will notice that the authors have used authentic language from the Civil War period to make their characters' dialogue sound realistic. Words such as "git" ("get"), "'taters" ("potatoes"), and "furriner" ("foreigner") are examples of regional dialect (here, the dialect of southern Illinois). Expressions such as "hopping the twig" ("getting married") and "bluebellies" ("Union soldiers") are examples of idioms or slang used in that era. On the Internet, students can access a list of Soldier Talk & Civil War Slang with modern definitions. Interested students may write their own Civil War-era stories or journal entries using some of this language.

<span style="color: #002060; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 10pt 0in 0pt;">Lesson 6: Music of the Civil War
As students will learn from their reading, the experiences of soldiers in the Civil War were neither romantic nor fun. When they were not facing the horrors of battle, soldiers had to deal with boredom and homesickness. Music was one way that soldiers could both pass the time and remember home and family. They whistled or sang familiar songs while performing menial duties, and some played instruments such as harmonicas and fiddles during their free time. Ballads composed during the war told moving tales of soldiers' honor, grief, and courage. Students interested in this aspect of the war can research the songs that were popular among Union and Confederate troops. One resource is the Songs of the Civil War web site, which offers midi files of selected songs with background information. Note that the site specifies that all material is used in "fair use" for educational purposes only. Another is the American Memory web site from the Library of Congress, which offers a collection of American sheet music from 1850-1920, including a page on Civil War songs, and a collection of post-Civil War era sheet music , 1870-1885. Students who locate audio tapes or CDs of Civil War music may select songs to enhance dramatic readings of their creative writing from this unit. Students could also study the lyrics of Civil War-era ballads and report on common themes in the songs, perhaps comparing these songs with those written to commemorate other wars.

Lesson 7: Technology of the Civil War As students will learn from research, class discussions, and guest speakers, technology played a major role in the Civil War and actually led to many of the technologies still used today. Students will explore the various technologies and create a PowerPoint presentation about how a weapon or other technology was created and utilized during Civil War Times. The resource page will be utilized in helping students to gain a better understanding of the technology and its significance, as related to this time period as well as advancements that may have stemmed from this technological advancement.