Curated OER
Civil War Letters
Young scholars put themselves in the shoes of American Civil War soldiers. In this Civil War lesson, students examine letters from the time period written by soldiers, edit the letters for grammatical errors, and then present the letters...
Curated OER
What's Civil About War?
Students study about the Civil War through primary sources used in the PBS production of "Freedom: A History of US" based on Joy Hakim's books, "A History of US", and the companion PBS Web site.
Curated OER
Civil War
Fifth graders discuss the causes of the Civil War and write a paragraph summarizing each identified event. In the computer lab, 5th graders create a PowerPoint presentation explaining events leading up to the Civil War. They use the...
American Battlefield Trust
Pre-1861: Disunion
Nat Turner, John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln all played a key role in the run-up to the bloody American Civil War. Using a PowerPoint, timeline activity, and essay prompt, young historians consider the roles of these men and more to...
Curated OER
Images at War
High schoolers examine American attitudes toward war as revealed in Civil War photographs and WWII homefront posters. They analyze and discuss photos, explore the National Archives website, and organize a statement of their findings.
Center for History and New Media
Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies lesson. Learners of all ages explore...
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
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.
Curated OER
Political and Social Origins of the Civil War
Middle schoolers examine the difference in politics in the North and South during the Civil War. Using that information, they discuss how politics and ideologies led to the war. They explain the causes and effects of the war and evaluate...
Curated OER
The Civil War/ A Unit Overview
Eleventh graders will look at the causes of the Civil War in detail. A brief unit on the war itself will follow. Battles, historical figures, and daily life will be studied. The webpage is a link to many different related lessons.
Curated OER
Experiencing the Civil War
Eleventh graders examine the Civil War. In this American History lesson, 11th graders investigate the causes, effects, and the lives of people during the Civil War. Students develop a research paper using various...
Curated OER
Hallowed Ground: Preserving Arkansas's Civil War Battlefields
Students examine Civil War battlefields in Arkansas. They read primary source documents written by Arkansans. They discover what life was like during the Civil War as well.
Curated OER
Looking Back at Pre-Civil War Slavery
Eighth graders explain the nature of slavery, the impact of slavery on African-Americans, and how slavery intensified the conflict between the North and South that eventually led to a major cause of the Civil War.
Curated OER
Women in the Civil War
Students study the Civil War era in the US with a concentration on women during this time through literature and biographies. They create a timeline or multimedia presentation as one product of this series of lessons.
Curated OER
Could the Civil War Been Avoided Through Compromise?
Students determine whether the American Civil War could have been avoided. In this Civil War lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources to prepare to participate in a classroom debate that requires them to compromise to avoid...
Curated OER
American Civil War
Eighth graders read a collection of stories about the Civil War. Based upon their readings, they perform various activities to reinforce facts about the Civil War. Students create time lines, maps and reports about the war. They...
Curated OER
Medical War Ball/ Civil War
Eighth graders play Medical War Ball. In this Civil War activity, 8th graders research the role of women in the Civil War as nurses. They play dodge ball with slightly different rules to incorporate a nurse on each team.
Curated OER
A State Divided - Maryland in the Civil War Era
Students use primary sources to see how Maryland was a divided state during the time leading up to the Civil War. For this Civil War lesson plan, students go over vocabulary, and look at maps that show the division of opinions of people...
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
Civil War Research
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.
Curated OER
Roswell and the Civil War
Students consider the impact of the American Civil War on Georgia. In this Georgia history instructional activity, students discover Roswell's contributions to the Confederate effort and then create children's books that illustrate the...
West Virginia Department of Education
A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia
Ever wondered why there is a West Virginia but not an East Virginia? The resource answers questions like this one and more as it takes an in-depth and detailed look at the history of West Virginia and how it became a state. Several...
Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Curated OER
The Civil War Experience
Eighth graders study the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, 8th graders read and analyze primary sources. Students complete handouts in relation to the primary sources.