Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abraham Lincoln: The Face of War

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students compare life masks and photos of Abraham Lincoln that were made before and at the end of the Civil War. In this "Faces of War" instructional activity, students analyze images of Lincoln in a historical context and create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Battle Over Reconstruction: The Aftermath of Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the Reconstruction Era. In this American history lesson, students explore the condition of the United States following the Civil War as they read statistical data. Students analyze the Reconstruction policies to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Civil War Soldiers Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War instructional activity, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War Through a Child's Eye

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students use primary and secondary sources to observe a child's view of the Civil war.  In this Civil War lesson, students understand that different people had different perspectives on the war.  Students recognize the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reporting from the Front Lines

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine the battle of Gettysburg as they write news articles. In this Battle of Gettysburg lesson, students become familiar with the job of the news reporter as they report on the events of the Battle of Gettysburg as they...
Lesson Plan
PBS

African American History: Climbing the Wall

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine the challenge of trying to trace your family genealogy if no records were kept of births and deaths. Where would you look for information? What types of documents could provide you with the information you seek? History...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Voices of Bull Run

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Soldier's lives are often a topic when studying the Civil War, but what about the lives of civilians? Scholars use the characters from the novel Bull Run to better understand the lives of those not directly on the Civil War battlefields....
Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

Dred Scott v. Sanford

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Dred Scott v. Sanford was a watershed moment for the country—and a key moment leading up to the Civil War. Using videos and analytical worksheets, scholars consider the facts of the case and then develop their own arguments before the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Emancipation Proclamation Through Different Eyes

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how various segments of the American population viewed the Emancipation Proclamation. They read the Emancipation Proclamation, analyze key terms and statements in the document, and participate in a debate.
Lesson Plan
Crafting Freedom

Thomas Day's Letter to His Daughter, Mary Ann

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Why is a letter a better way to learn about a person than a different primary source? Explore Thomas Day's ideas and advice to his daughter in a letter from 1851, which details the struggles of the American South before the Civil War....
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Slavery and Civil Disobedience: Christiana Riot of 1851

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
When is it a moral obligation to disobey the law or to fight back? Using primary sources that document the "Christiana Riot" of 1851, learners consider these questions. The firsthand accounts tell the story of the riot, which happened...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A House Divided: Photography in the Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study Civil War photography and write captions for each picture based on context. For this Civil War photography lesson, students match photographs with their original captions. Students read included short biographies of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes of the Civil War

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders determine how the American Civil War began. In this American Civil War lesson, 7th graders listen to a SMART Board-supported lecture about the causes of the war and watch a United Streaming video on the causes. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War through a Child's Eye

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils read Paul Fleischman's Bull Run in Readers Theater format. Next, students examine and interpret primary source images of Civil War era pupils and reveal their understanding of a child's perspective in a literary portrait.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Could the Civil War Been Avoided Through Compromise?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roswell and the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 11th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Influence of Union and Confederate Resources in 1860 on the Civil War

For Teachers 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery in America at the Time of the Civil War: Sources

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discover how to use primary and secondary sources in research. In this Civil War lesson, students conduct research on slavery as they distinguish between primary and secondary sources regarding the same events.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery in America at the Time of the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students discover how to create electronic graphic organizers. For this Civil War lesson, students present their thoughts regarding slavery in the United States as the war began. Students use Inspiration software and follow the provided...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War--The Battle of Corydon

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate the Battle of Corydon. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders discover details about the Battle of Corydon and the leaders of the battle. Students also identify how the Corydon commemorates the battle...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Picture: Worth One Thousand Words?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Pupils examine photographs from the Civil War. Using a primary source document, they discover the conditions of a private during the Battle of Chickamauga. In groups, they use the sources to determine the authnecity of the documents.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Was Contraband?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the role of African-Americans in the Civil War. Using primary sources, they analyze the material and formulate their own opinions about the past. They write journal entries to share their opinions on photographs from the...
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...

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