Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Deconstructing Reconstruction: The Reconstruction Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers examine the Reconstruction programs instituted following the American Civil War, the potential for change these efforts offered, and the realities that occurred. Guided by a PowerPoint presentation, class members read a...
Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

The Political Struggle, 1865-1866

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Healing versus justice. The central source of tension following the United States Civil War was between the demands for healing and the demands for justice, the battle between President Andrew Johnson and Congress. A video introduces the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Artsgenesis: Civil War Tapestry

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the Civil War and the many emotions that emerged during this era. The teacher arranges students in groups of families and prepares them to simulate typical responses during this era. The Civil War and Gettysburg is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gettysburg: The Civil War's Costliest Battle

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners research the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. In this Gettysburg instructional activity, students analyze journals and letters written by the Gettysburg soldiers. Learners define Civil War soldier vocabulary words....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Lincoln: A Photobiography

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the life of Abraham Lincoln, including, but not limited to, the Civil War. Included are reading, art, math,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Vernors Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students fill out "Effects of the Civil War" question and answer sheet and discover that Vernors was created as a direct result of the Civil War.
Lesson Plan7:11
Teach With Movies

Learning Guide for: Glory

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Invite your class to learn about the first regular US army unit composed of black soldiers during the Civil War with the film Glory. This website reviews the historical accuracy of the movie, offers pre- and post-viewing handouts, and...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Decision Making: Who Was Right?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
Help your class explore the question "Is it ever right to disobey a law?" With a strong base of knowledge about the Civil War, anti-slavery movement, and Underground Railroad, your class explores civil disobedience in Marshall, Michigan...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lessons in Looking: Contraband in Paintings

For Teachers 10th
Using the paintings On to Liberty and A Ride for Liberty, 10th graders analyze historical perspectives on life after the Civil War. They attempt to determine what the Civil War meant for free slaves, then read a paragraph highlighting...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remembering the Fallen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A thought-provoking lesson showcases Civil War battlefield monuments to demonstrate how fallen soldiers are remembered. High school scholars compare Union and Confederate monuments to learn how each group commemorated the battles. They...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Continuity or Change? African Americans in World War II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While World War II was a pivotal moment in history, historians debate its importance to the civil rights movement. Class members consider the implications of segregation and the war using a series of documents and a jigsaw activity....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"In Defense of My Race and Country": African-American Soldiers on Why They Are Fighting

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Why would an African-American slave fight in the Civil War? Read and analyze primary source documents to understand the ex-slave perspective on fighting in the Union Army. Everything to complete this lesson is included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Of Human Bondage

For Teachers 6th - 12th
How does the particular point of view in a situation affect the way it is presented? Focusing on perspectives on slavery during the Civil War, middle schoolers use research to write narratives from the points of view of their historical...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Contrasting the North and South Before the War

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Fundamental differences between the North and South led to the South adopting a system of enslaved labor. These abstract ideas become concrete when class members create a standing cube using information provided in the resource. Young...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invetories Slave owner or not?

For Teachers 7th
Primary source analysis is a great way to bring history to life. Learners examine a series of personal inventories taken from Southern white males who died during the Civil War era. They analyze the documents to determine the social and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Was There an Industrial Revolution? Americans at Work Before the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the First U.S. Industrial Revolution. They identify positive and negative effects of early industrialization, read first-hand accounts, role-play and interview individuals, and participate in a debate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War Experience

For Teachers 8th
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.  
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Homer's Civil War Veteran: Battlefield to Wheat Field

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine Civil War-themed artwork. For this visual arts lesson, students compare and contrast paintings by Winslow Homer and Timothy O'Sullivan. Young scholars analyze the symbolism in the artwork representing...
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Reconstruction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
When slavery ended, what did the government do to help African American during Reconstruction? An interesting instructional activity uses primary sources such as newspaper articles to help scholars analyze Reconstruction policies and how...
Lesson Plan
Social Studies School Service

“Duck and Cover” (Civil Defense)

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Bert the Turtle models for viewers the 1950s Civil Defense Duck and Cover strategy that was supposed to protect citizens from a nuclear blast. After viewing the video, watchers are asked to consider the motivations of the producers of...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama Tenant Farmers and Sharecroppers, 1865 to Present

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
The tenant farming and sharecropping systems that developed in the South after the Civil War, the reasons for their development, and the eventual decline of these systems are the focus of this two-day plan.
Lesson Plan
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US House of Representatives

“‘The Negroes’ Temporary Farewell,” Jim Crow and the Exclusion of African Americans from Congress, 1887–1929

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Despite some advances made during the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, the period from 1887 through 1929, African Americans serving in Congress suffered severe setbacks due to Jim Crow Laws and voter suppression. Class members...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War: Through the Eyes of Hoosier Women-

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explain and analyze changes and interactions of Hoosier women in major social and work roles during the Civil War. They recognize and compare the contributions of both women on the home and war fronts.
Lesson Plan
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PBS

Muhammad Ali: Boxer and Civil Rights Activist

For Students 3rd - 7th Standards
Many young people today know Muhammad Ali as the aging boxer who lit the torch at the 1996 Olympics. Introduce young historians to Ali the boxer, the Civil Rights activist, the war protestor, and the humanitarian with a powerful lesson...

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