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The American Civil War. 7th Grade Instructional Block Plan By: Austin Dinges. Umbrella Highlights. Big Understanding: The events of the Civil War affect the way we live today. Big Question: What can we learn from the mistakes of society in the past so that they are not repeated?
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The American Civil War 7th Grade Instructional Block Plan By: Austin Dinges
Umbrella Highlights • Big Understanding: The events of the Civil War affect the way we live today. • Big Question: What can we learn from the mistakes of society in the past so that they are not repeated? • Big Skills: Recognize - Relate - Demonstrate
Culturally Responsive Teaching • Ironically war can be the great unifier when it comes to teaching multiple learners of different cultures. • Integrating other civil conflicts of the various backgrounds of my students into each lesson is an easy way to boost engagement of these learners. • A happy truth students of any culture can be hip to: War is universal and never-ending.
Social Studies • The discipline where the groundwork is being laid for the entire unit • Focus on three important areas: - Influential Figures (Abraham Lincoln) - Influential Battles (Gettysburg) - Influential Events (Southern Secession)
Formative Assessment • Performed on Friday, the students will create a newspaper article chronicling a major event or battle.
Language Arts • Reading - Frederick Douglass’ biography An American Slave and Lee and Grant at Appomattox • Differentiation - ELL students will instead be given an excerpt from a biography of another revolutionary figure of their own countries biography to read. • Speaking - Students will perform a reader’s theatre selection from “Appomattox,” which discusses the surrender of the Confederate Army.
Language Arts • Writing - The students will complete a list composed of ten items of positive and negative traits of influential figures of the Civil War and discuss in groups. • Differentiation - Low ability learners will only need to compile a list of six traits. • Reflection - Students will decide in class, which traits they would like to possess and why. • Writing - Students will read and react to diary entries written by confederate and union soldiers, slaves, and army wives utilizing the following website: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/glossary/glossary.html
Science and The Civil War? Can it be done? “Didn’t they just shoot things?” -George W. Bush
YES IT CAN! • Step 1: Hook Them • Start the week with an experiment where students create synthetic “gun powder” and combine it with a substance the teacher keeps, which produces a loud bang when combined. • Students graded on the “bang” the experiment produces.
Science • Step 2: Educate Them • The week discusses weather that had a large impact on the outcome, as well as a comparison of medical techniques of the time, to today’s methods. • Students also end the week by planting a flower in memory of those who lost their lives during Sherman’s March to Sea. • Differentiation - Students with physical impairments will work together with another student dictating instructions on how to plant the flower.
Math! Eh. • Analyzing Data: Students will compare casualties of the Civil War to other conflicts, and utilizing the United States Census website students will note the decline in population during the war. • Geometry: The students will utilize graph paper and rulers to reconstruct the routes taken by the Union and Confederacy railways. The railways were a huge part to the Union’s victory; creating these visuals will reinforce the concept and help the students learn a valuable aspect of the Civil War.
Math! Still not cool. • Story Problems: The students will compose their own story problem involving some aspect of the Civil War.
Art • Students will learn about the Massachusetts 28th, designated the 4th Regiment known as the “Irish Brigade.” Since this brigade also had a super cool flag, the students will create their own “brigade” flag. • Students will also interpret the art of Winslow Homer, whose works were greatly inspired by the conflict. • Differentiation - ELL students will be given examples of an artist who was influenced by a civil conflict in their own country to interpret.
Music • The students will learn and perform songs that African American slaves and soldiers sang during the conflict. • Differentiation - HAL students will have the opportunity to research the origins of these songs further. • Students will create lyrics to a song explaining the role of an influential figure later in the week. Students will have the option to read like a poem or sing the composition.
Physical Education • Students will play capture the flag! • Union vs. Confederacy! • Differentiation - Students with physical impairments may bring “cannon balls” across enemy lines.
Summative Assessment FTW! • The students will create a PowerPoint describing the significance of an influential figure, battle, or event. • The main focus of the presentation is placed on how the topic influenced the Civil War’s end and its relevance today. • Three different rubrics were constructed for each of the three categories of topic.
Fun IBP Acronyms • Ill-Advised Bench Placement • Interesting Bean Platform • I Breathe Pseudoscience • Intricate Body Picnic • Immediately Bad Pun • It Baked People?!?!?!?! • Indoor Baseball Pie • Illinois Breakfast Professionals • Irreplaceable Beat Production
Bibliography Website utilized in LA on Monday: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/glossary/glossary.html Text utilized in SS on Monday: Stampp, Kenneth. America In 1857: A Nation on the Brink. Oxford University Press. 1990. Website used in LA on Tuesday: www.rarebooks.nd.edu/digital/civil_war/diaries Website utilized in SS on Tuesday: http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm Website utilized in SC on Tuesday:http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Weather_During_the_Civil_War Website utilized in SS on Wednesday: http://mrkash.com/activities/civilwar.html Website utilized in SC on Wednesday: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nattrans/ntuseland/essays/amcwar.htm Website utilized in SC on Thursday: http://www.civilwarhome.com/civilwarmedicineintro.htm Website utilized in MA on Thursday: www.uscensus.gov Text utilized in LA on Friday: Kantor, Mackinlay. Lee and Grant at Appomattox. Sterling Publishing. 2007. Website utilized in SS on Friday: http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war