Lesson Plan
Tennessee State Museum

Deciphering the Document: Unlocking the Meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Help your learners truly understand the Emancipation Proclamation by asking them the put it into their own words. After reading the document out loud to the class, and briefly discussing the legal language, split your class into small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Recipes

For Teachers K - 12th
Pupils make foods that would have been staples during the Civil War era and may have been eaten by a soldiers. They follow a recipe to make hardtack and are exposed to other recipes at the included websites.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Slang

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the language of the Civil War time period. In this Civil War lesson, students work in groups to research the meanings of Civil War slang.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can you Prove it?

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine how primary source documents help authors and museum curators interpret historic events.  In this social studies lesson, 10th graders research primary source documents.  Students create a powerpoint to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan - The Barbara Frietchie Story – Fact or Fiction?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students differentiate between fact and legend. In this Barbara Freitchie lesson plan, students read poetry and non-fiction accounts regarding the story of Freitchie. Students analyze the story of the American patriot to determine how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln and the "Writ of Liberty"

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students debate and explore the rationale and ethics behind Lincoln's 19th century suspension of habeas corpus - the 'writ of liberty' and answer related questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Flag Divided

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore the flags of the Union and Confederacy, explore the symbolism of those flags, and create flags of their own.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cost of War

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Learners study a chart showing Civil War deaths and answer questions about the information.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Research Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Give your WWI study collaborative energy using a group research project. Groups are assigned one of the six main themes (included). Each group has an outline to guide research but will need an assignment guide. Consider supplementing the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photojournalism: A Record of War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore who has photographed war and why. They examine Mathew Brady's process for photgraphing the Civil War. Students investigate how photographic equipment has changed and improved through time. They analyze primary source war...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Timeline

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders identify the major events before, during and after the Civil War. In groups, they use the events to create a timeline and research the figures and places involved in their specific event. They present their information to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Similes and Metaphors

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Use the Civil War and important figures from that period to help your class write poetry. You'll need to create a list of similes and metaphors, but you could also consider having your learners create this the day prior. They will use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Essay Writing

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students, in groups of three, research a topic about the Civil War. They present thier research to the class in an orally.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Role Playing the Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students role play the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students break into two groups: North and South. They complete activities that show which states belonged to each side, the reasons for the war on both sides, and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Acquaintance with Darkness, a Civil War

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the Civil War, and people and events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and his funeral procession.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In The Words of Abraham Lincoln...

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the words of Abraham Lincoln. In this Abraham Lincoln instructional activity, students analyze segments of "The Gettysburg Address," his annual address to Congress in 1862, and his letter to Mrs. Bixby. Students conduct...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The age of majority: How old is old enough?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research on the Web and in books the "age of majority" in general and how it applies in their particular states. Explore, too, "emancipation" and whether this is another way for teens to earn additional rights. Students write a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman Vocabulary Matching

For Students 6th - 8th
This matching exercise features 14 words and their definitions, including "Emancipation Proclamation," "dysentery," "rheumatism," and other vocabulary associated with Harriet Tubman and the Civil War. The worksheet most likely...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Do You Know Gone With the Wind?

For Students 11th - 12th
A story that captured the entire nation's imagination, Gone With the Wind portrays the struggle of the Civil War from the perspective of the South. Do you remember some of the details? Test your understanding and that of your pupils with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Led the South?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the role of Jefferson Davis and his leadership of the Confederacy during the Civil War. They examine the command system used in the Confederacy and analyze the effectiveness of the command system.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Battle Flags: Michigan and the Civil War Lesson 5 Letters from the War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the letters written my Michigan soldiers during the Civil War. They examine the letters for clues about the life and attitudes of these soldiers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Civil War Lesson

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research information about the US Civil War using the Internet in order to complete a worksheet. They complete the worksheet using accurate research information after studying background information from their textbooks.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln Goes to War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the secession crisis of 1861 and the significance of the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. They read and analyze Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, conduct research, and write an executive memorandum.
Worksheet
Curated OER

U.S. History Worksheet #72

For Students 5th - 8th
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...