Women's lifestyles before the Civil War made a huge impact as a point of causation. Give middle schoolers the opportunity to view firsthand the lives of women before the Civil War. They analyze primary source documents, view photographs,...

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.

Fourth graders complete a two-week unit on the U.S. Civil War and the Underground Railroad. They read the books "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Pink and Say," complete story maps, and dramatize a scene from "Follow the Drinking Gourd."...

Anti-democratic violence is not new in the United States. Learners watch videos and then compare and contrast the 1873 Colfax and the 1898 Wilmington massacres. They then watch a video about the Capitol Hill insurrection of 2021 and...

North is to factory as South is to plantation—the perfect analogy for the economy that set up the Civil War! The first instructional activity in a series of five helps teach beginners why the economy creates a driving force for conflict....

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...

Students examine the clash between the North and the South. In this Civil War lesson plan, students watch segments of the Discovery video "The Civil War: A Nation Divided". Students conduct further research pertaining to the...

Class members investigate The Indian Removal Act of 1830, U.S. Theft of Mexican Territory Timeline, and President Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, 1862, and then conduct a mock trial of each of these documents to determine...

PBS provides educators with this "Utilization Guide," a four segment program that covers the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. The 42-page packet includes lessons, background...

Middle schoolers explore how people viewed George Washington in the 19th Century.  In this U.S. History lesson, students create a timeline of events during the Civil War, including government and court decisions.  Following...

Eighth graders research different aspects of the Civil War using various multi-media techniques. Students create a report based on their research that includes views of the war from the point of view of the North, South and slaves.

Eighth graders compare/contrast population, railroad mileage, manufacturing plants, and industrial workers between the Union and Confederate States in 1860; students analyze effects of the resources of the Union and Confederate Forces on...

Students examine Lincoln's life. In this U.S. history instructional activity, students examine facts about Abraham Lincoln and then complete 6 extension activities that require them to complete research regarding the Civil War.

Fourth graders examine both perspectives of the Civil War as related to the differing economies. For this nation divided lesson, 4th graders view primary sources, examine paper money and a political chart, and review recruitment...

Students examine Abraham Lincoln's political views about slavery. In this American Civil War lesson, students determine how Lincoln's beliefs led to the restriction of slavery in American territories. Student also analyze the party...

Eighth graders engage in a lesson that is concerned with the Civil War and they conduct research using a variety of resources. The research is used to create the context for class discussion and a possible project as an extension to the...

Students explain how the Civil War and Reconstruction both solved and created problems for our nation. They study how Reconstruction caused a further decline in relations between the North & South and how racism has been and is...

Consider the causes and effects that led to the internment and relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII. Learners read the story "Baseball Saved Us" and selected chapters from Farewell to Manzanar. Then, they view a slide-show, and...

Fifth graders investigate the Underground Railroad by creating a quilt.  In this U.S. History lesson, 5th graders discuss the history of slavery through a class "word splash" and by reading an Underground Railroad map online....

Students use maps, readings, illustrations and photos to analyze the Civil War Rivers Bridge battlefield and describe how geography affected the outcome of the battle. They explore and explain the causes for the battle's heavy human...

Students explore the causes and effects of the Civil War.  In this U.S. History instructional activity, students research the Civil War and the events that happened around it, then share their findings in a paper.

Students reflect on Abraham Lincoln's views of slavery.  In this United States History instructional activity, students analyze how things have changed in the United States over the course of their lifetime, then use this...

Sixth graders brainstorm what they believe are the causes of the Civil War. They copy the blank circle graph into their Social Studies journals twice once for their prediction and once for the actual. Students list the following...

Students study the image of Andrew Jackson. In this presidential history lesson plan students investigate the political image that was groomed by Jackson as they examine advertisements. Students compose essays regarding the topic.