The Civil War

1. The Civil War Teaching LASTING Lessons in History

2. Introduction The Civil War era is one of the most critical and fascinating in our nation's history. The many books about this period written for young audiences provide a rich context in which to learn about the Civil War itself and to explore more basic issues about the nature of human life and society. The following lesson plan for an upper elementary unit on the Civil War contains links to other Internet sites that can provide valuable cross-curricular materials for you and your students. CivilWar@Smithsonian homepage

3. Objectives As a result of completing this unit, students will be able to... discuss some of the social, political, and personal issues that Americans confronted during the Civil War era. use the Internet to locate resources related to the Civil War and incorporate information from these resources into their own writing. define historical fiction and identify some of the techniques writers use to create good historical fiction. discuss the central issues of the Civil War from a variety of different perspectives. share their personal reactions to what they have learned in both small-group and whole-class discussions.

4. Building Background At the start of the unit, guide the students in creating a KWL chart to tap into their prior knowledge and discover what they want to know more about. www.civilwar.com

5. Background and Causes of the War A. Economic developments in the U.S. B. Slavery C. States Rights vs. Strong Federal Government

6. Civil War TimeLine the Harpers Ferry Raid Abraham Lincoln the Battle of Bull Run the Battle of Gettysburg the Battle of Shiloh General Robert E. Lee General William Sherman the Underground Railroad CivilWar@Smithsonian Timeline

7. Genre Study: Historical Fiction Many of the books in the list of recommended titles are historical fiction. Ask students what they know about this genre, and have them list examples of historical fiction that they have read in the past. Make sure they understand that historical fiction is based on events that actually happened -- such as the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the assassination of President Lincoln -- but the main characters and the specific events in those characters' lives are made up by the author. A writer of historical fiction researches the time and place that will be the setting of a story before he or she begins writing. Besides reading history books, the writer may study personal journals and letters, newspaper articles, photographs, art, and literature from the period. All of these primary sources provide the "flavor" of the historical period so that the writer can make the setting and events come alive for readers.

8. Integrating Reading and Writing Select one of the minor characters in a book you have read, and write a series of journal entries using the voice of that character. Before you begin writing, think about the following questions: What experiences has the character had? How do you think he or she might feel about these experiences? What hopes or dreams might the character have? How does the character feel toward other characters in the book, and why?

9. Integrating Reading and Writing Write a speech in which you express the views of an abolitionist or of someone who wants to preserve the institution of slavery. Before you begin writing, make an outline of the major points you want to make. Decide who your audience will be, and think of ways in which you could appeal to the emotions of this audience. When you have completed a first draft of your speech, practice delivering it to a friend or family member. Ask your practice audience for advice on revising your speech to make it more powerful and persuasive. Imagine that you have been transported through time to the Civil War era. Write a story telling about the adventures you have there. First think about the geographical setting of your story -- did you land in the North or the South? Whom did you meet there? What happened next? How does it feel to be in the middle of a civil war? When you have written a first draft of your story, share it with a classmate and talk about ways you could improve the story in the revision stage.

10. Recommended Trade Books Charley Skedaddle by Patricia Beatty (Morrow, 1987). Eben Tyne, Powdermonkey by Patricia Beatty and Phillip Robbins (Morrow, 1990). Jayhawker by Patricia Beatty (Morrow, 1991). Turn Homeward, Hannalee by Patricia Beatty (Morrow, 1984). With Every Drop of Blood by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier (Delacorte Press, 1994) Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Clarion Books, 1987). Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (Follett, 1964). Escape from Slavery: The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words edited by Michael McCurdy (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994) The Story of Booker T. Washington by Patricia and Fred McKissack (Childrens Press, 1991) The Boys' War by Jim Murphy (Clarion Books, 1990). Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder (Macmillan, 1989). Harriet Tubman by M. W. Taylor (Chelsea House Publishers, 1991 Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington (Doubleday, 1963)

11. Enrichment Activities A Matter of Perspective The Language of History Music of the Civil War

12. A Matter of Perspective  The people fighting on two sides of a war obviously have some major differences of opinion. But, as Carolyn Reeder's novel Shades of Gray emphasizes, there can also be a wide range of opinions among people supposedly on the same side of a conflict. Encourage students to discuss and research some of the different perspectives that various groups of Americans had on the Civil War. For example, they might compare Hannalee Reed's impression of General William Sherman in Turn Homeward, Hannalee to the attitude toward the general expressed in General Sherman and His Boys in Blue, a poem by Union soldier Captain Richard W. Burt. They might also juxtapose the attitudes and experiences of African American soldiers and white soldiers who fought for the Union cause. The film Glory provides some insight into this topic.

13. The Language of History From the first pages of many historical novels, students will notice that the authors have used authentic language from the Civil War period to make their characters' dialogue sound realistic. Words such as "git" ("get"), " 'taters" ("potatoes"), and "furriner" ("foreigner") are examples of regional dialect (here, the dialect of southern Illinois). Expressions such as "hopping the twig" ("getting married") and "bluebellies" ("Union soldiers") are examples of idioms or slang used in that era. On the Internet, students can access a list of Civil War slang with modern definitions. Interested students may write their own Civil War-era stories or journal entries using some of this language.

14. Music of the Civil War As students will learn from their reading, the experiences of soldiers in the Civil War were neither romantic nor fun. When they were not facing the horrors of battle, soldiers had to deal with boredom and homesickness. Music was one way that soldiers could both pass the time and remember home and family. They whistled or sang familiar songs while performing menial duties, and some played instruments such as harmonicas and fiddles during their free time. Ballads composed during the war told moving tales of soldiers' honor, grief, and courage. Students interested in this aspect of the war can research the songs that were popular among Union and Confederate troops. One resource is the Songs of the Civil War web site, which offers a cassette tape of selected songs with informative narration. Another is the American Memory web site from the Library of Congress, which offers a collection of American sheet music from 1850-1920, including a page on Civil War songs, and a collection of post-Civil War era sheet music, 1870-1885. Students who locate audio tapes or CDs of Civil War music may select songs to enhance dramatic readings of their creative writing from this unit. Students could also study the lyrics of Civil War-era ballads and report on common themes in the songs, perhaps comparing these songs with those written to commemorate other wars

15. The War Between the States Civil War Battle Summaries by State Civil War Maps Collection

16. Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)Sixteenth President (1861-1865) Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Resources

17. Slavery The Underground Railroad

18. Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation

19. The Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg National Cemetery was dedicated by President Abraham Lincoln a brief four months after the Battle. Lincoln's speech lasted only two minutes, but it went into history as the immortal Gettysburg Address. GCVB Member

20. President Lincoln�s Gettysburg Address Shown here in Lincoln's own hand, the Gettysburg Address was only two minutes long

21. A Nation Divided

22. Unit Wrap-Up Which character in the books you read did you find the most interesting? Why? What ideas and feelings about the Civil War did this character have? How did these ideas and feelings change over the course of the book? What experiences did the character have that caused these changes? After studying the Civil War era, do you think it is obvious which side was right and which was wrong? What issues were at stake in the war besides the continuation of slavery? Did your opinions or feelings about the war change as a result of your work in this unit? If so, how? Did you find the Internet helpful in learning more about the Civil War? Which sites were the most helpful or interesting? Is using the Internet a fun way to find information? What other topics would you like to explore on the Net?