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Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

The Civil War

For Teachers 5th Standards
A unit covers many aspects of the Civil War. Over six weeks, fifth graders delve deep into the history of slavery, the Civil War—before, during, and after—Abraham Lincoln, women's contributions, the Emancipation Proclamation, and...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Women's Role in the War Effort

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Did you know that many women were Confederate spies during the Civil War? The resource focuses particularly on the important role women played for both the Union and Confederacy. It uses exercises such as a discussion, video, analyzing...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

People and Places in the North and South

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
North and South: two opposite directions and two opposite economic and social systems in time of the Civil War. Pupils peruse census websites and primary source photographs to understand what life was like for the everyday person before...
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Lesson Plan9:04
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TED-Ed

A Digital Reimagining of Gettysburg

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Why would Robert E. Lee order Pickett's Charge, an action that changed the course of the Civil War? Geographer and historian Anne Knowles uses digital technology to explain what she thinks is the missing piece in trying to understand...
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PPT
Curated OER

The American Civil War (1861 -1864)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Peek back in time and learn about the North and South of the American Civil War. Discussed in full are the causes, effects, major battles, and agreements that made Civil War history. Period technology, social changes, and the ultimate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Am Freedom Bound!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Upper elementary and middle school learners engage in this awesome lesson plan on the Civil War. In it, they watch streamed video, perform Internet research, engage in hands-on activities, and use their geography skills to locate...
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Lesson Plan
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US House of Representatives

“The Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood,” The Symbolic Generation of Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1887

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The reading of a contextual essay launches a study of Black Americans who served in Congress from 1870 through 1887. Young historians identify the African Americans who served during this period, investigate the ways they won national...
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eBook
Core Knowledge Foundation

The Civil War

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
A student reader shares information about the history of slavery, the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, women's contributions to the war, the Emancipation Proclamation, and reconstruction.
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin has generated controversy since its publication in 1852. Here is a set of 12 primary sources that capture the controversies of the times while adding dimension and depth to any study of the novel.
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Women in the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Vivandieres and cantinieres, nurses and soldiers, loyalists and unionists. A primary source set provides young historians an opportunity to investigate the many roles women played in the United States Civil War. 
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Violence and Backlash

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Revolution and counterrevolution. Protest and counter-protest. Collaborators and bystanders. The focus of the fifth resource in the Reconstruction Era and Fragility of Democracy series is on the political violence that followed Radical...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Civil War Personalities: Individual Examples of Character

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
What is a hero? What is character? Using biographies of figures during the Civil War, both famous and lesser known, scholars consider these questions. After brainstorming what they think makes a hero, they examine the lives of those who...
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Lesson Plan
Ford's Theatre

Not Just Stone and Metal: Memory and Monuments Today

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should we remove historical Confederate monuments? Teach scholars both sides to the story using a resource that includes a class discussion, reading materials from two prominent figures on both sides of the argument, and an assessment...
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Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Battle of Fort Sumter

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Fort Sumter, the site of the Civil War's first battle, taught the Union and the Confederacy an important lesson: they would both need to take stronger steps than anticipated if they wanted to win the war. History pupils read about the...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Comparing Confederate and Union Soldiers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The Civil War, a war that divided a nation. Comparing and contrasting the Confederate and Union soldiers is not always an easy task, but the eighth of 15 resources makes it easy to teach the concepts. Exercises include watching videos in...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

A Debate Against Slavery

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Slavery is a serious topic that can be challenging for middle schoolers to study. Young scholars can see firsthand through primary sources what occurred during that time period in the United States. The third of five lessons provides...
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Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction, 1865-1877

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...
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Worksheet
K12 Reader

Two Viewpoints of the Same Event: Lee Surrenders to Grant, 1865

For Students 9th - 11th Standards
How did Union General Ulysses S. Grant view the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1865, which effectively ended the United States Civil War? After reading an excerpt from Grant's autobiography, your young historians will...
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Lesson Plan
Cheryl L. Mason and William G. Thomas

Southern Patriotism

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Patriotism in the South and notions of patriotic sentiments are examined through primary document analysis. Learners read articles and letters written in the pre-war South to determine the role patriotism played in spurring on the war....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Live in Arlington

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students tour Robert E. Lee's house and complete a worksheet on the changes that have happened over time. A discussion follows the tour with the entire class.
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Factory vs. Plantation in the North and South

For Teachers 6th - 8th
North is to factory as South is to plantation—the perfect analogy for the economy that set up the Civil War! The first lesson in a series of five helps teach beginners why the economy creates a driving force for conflict. Analysis of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What This Cruel War Was Over: Slavery and the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Can't travel to Richmond for your Civil War unit? This plan creates an authentic experience, using primary sources and the essential question: Over What Was the Civil War Fought? Historians examine the Appomattox Marker, the site of Gen....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Fought for the Confederacy?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Did the Confederate Army really consist of southern volunteers? Using primary sources, historians examine the story behind the "Twenty Negro Law" and realities of conscription during the Civil War. A letter and a lithograph (included as...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Mystery State #10

For Students 4th - 6th
In this mystery state worksheet, students answer five clues to identify the state in question. They then locate that state on a map.