Curated OER
Civil War Diaries
Fifth graders examine excerpts from a diary of a Confederate soldier and his experiences in a Union prison camp. After receiving character cards, they write diary entries from the perspectives of their Civil War identity. As an...
Curated OER
Red Legs: A Drummer Boy of the Civil War
Students identify and interpret the life of a drummer boy during the Civil War as well as about a reenactment. Students listen to a fictionalized story or a Civil War reenactor and compare ot with the life of the drummer boy the story...
Curated OER
Southern Society during the Civil War: Plantation Society
Students investigate life on Southern plantation during the Civil War era. For this plantation lesson, students research the life of wealthy, white families on Southern plantations and the changes that occured as a result of the Civil...
Curated OER
Slavery Bound or Underground
Examine the role of slaves,, slave owners, and abolitionists during the Civil War with a study of the history of the Underground Railroad. Through the many links learners research the people involved and the heroes of the movement....
Curated OER
Battlefield Walks
Students create a picture of a Civil War battle using Google Earth. For this Civil War lesson, students pick a battlefield and research it with a partner. They find the location on Google Earth and use colors and overlays to show...
Curated OER
Palms and Literature
Students read and analyze the Civil War novel, 'Charley Skedaddle.' They define key vocabulary terms, develop a story map, create a concept web for a character, and take vocabulary tests.
Curated OER
The 1808 Slave Trade Abolition Deadline
Students study the trans-Atlantic Slave trade. In this slave trade lesson, students study the Constitutional Convention Notes and the impact on United States slavery. Students research the slave trade database and other primary sources...
Curated OER
North and South - Impact of the Abolitionist Movement
Students examine history of slavery in United States, discuss abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who worked to end slavery, listen to excerpts from Douglass' autobiography, and visit interactive Underground Railroad web site.
Curated OER
The Emancipation Proclamation
Students explore the historical importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. In this United States History activity, students use the internet to research the specific events that were centered around the Emancipation Proclamation, then...
Curated OER
Reconstruction to Civil Rights
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on the period of time from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. They analyze and interpret political cartoons and editorials, conduct research on famous civil rights places, and complete...
Curated OER
Historical Fiction: A Wealth of Interpretations
How can understanding the genre of historical fiction help your language arts class with literary analysis? Use this lesson to help young readers learn about historical fiction. After reading a selection from the "Dear America" or "My...
American Battlefield Trust
Southern Secession and Abraham Lincoln’s Presidential Election
President Abraham Lincoln: a true humanitarian or a savvy politician? The lesson focuses on Abraham Lincoln's presidency and the secession of the southern states. Academics interpret how Lincoln's presidential platform promoting African...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Homestead Act
To understand how the Homestead Act of 1862 changed the US and the lives of the people during that time, class members examine primary source materials including letters, broadsides, and images. They then assume the voice of a...
Curated OER
These Honored Dead: The Battle of Rivers Bridge and Civil War Combat Casualties (94)
Students write creative accounts of the Battle at Rivers Bridge after studying historic accounts and looking at images in this series of activities.
Curated OER
Civil War Telecollaborative Newspaper
Fifth graders analyze the different points of view in the Civil War. They role-play a Southern citizen, write and publish a newspaper article, e-mail a partner, and create a class newspaper with articles, editorials, ads, and political...
Curated OER
Escape - Civil War
Fourth graders role play the Underground Railroad in this lesson plan. They review the Underground Railroad and how people used it during the Civil War. They then are divided into groups, and role play with each group taking a...
National Park Service
Freedom at Antietam
Explore how the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation affected everyday individuals in the Civil War era. Learners are given the opportunity to read and evaluate primary and secondary source material, and then to compose a writing...
Curated OER
Cover the Music
Students explore U.S. history by listening to musical pieces in class. In this Civil War era lesson, students discuss the types of musical instruments that were available to soldiers during the war and the themes of their songs. Students...
Curated OER
Hoosier Soldiers and the Emancipation Proclamation
Eighth graders examine the impact of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation through the eyes of Indiana soldiers. For this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders read the proclamation and then students write essays that included letters...
Curated OER
The Life of a Hoosier Soldier, based on the letters of Lt. John V. Hadley
Eighth graders take a closer look at the life of Union soldiers. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders read and analyze a series of letters from Lt. John Hadley to his fiancée. Students chart their findings from the letters on...
Curated OER
The Abolitionist Movement: A Fight for Freedom
Sixth graders investigate the Civil War by identifying famous figures of the era. In this slavery abolitionist instructional activity, 6th graders read a text on the history of the Civil War and discuss heroes of the era such as Harriet...
Carolina K-12
Group Project: Freedom Parade
Parades are a great way to celebrate. Get young historians into the festivities by asking them to create an informational float for a Freedom Parade. Picking a topic from the provided list or suggesting one of their own, class members...
Curated OER
Hoosier Soldiers at Vicksburg
Eighth graders examine the role of Indiana soldiers at the Battle of Vicksburg. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders listen to a lecture about the involvement of Indiana soldiers in the battle and then analyze letters written...
Curated OER
Free Blacks in the North and in the South
Eleventh graders research the different lives of free blacks in the South and the North. In this Post Civil War lesson, 11th graders analyze primary sources that illustrate their lives. Students create posters that compare and contrast...