Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners gain historical background on the Civil War era from textbooks, encyclopedias, or supplemental material. Assign at least two photographs for each student to analyze using the Photograph Analysis Worksheet which is imbedded in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soldiers' experiences with medicine and hospitals in the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore medicine and hospitals during Civil War using primary sources.
Lesson Plan
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Commemoration of the Gettysburg Battlefield: The Gettysburg Address

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore Civil War and Gettysburg Address using primary sources.
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United States Colored Troops

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the role that African American soldiers had in the Civil War and the impact they had on the US Civil Rights movement after the war. They complete a timeline, read an excerpt and analyze a primary image.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Civil About War?

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students study about the Civil War through primary sources used in the PBS production of "Freedom: A History of US" based on Joy Hakim's books, "A History of US", and the companion PBS Web site.
Lesson Plan
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United We Stand

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students recreate and simulate the secession of the South during the Civil War by having their class secede from the school. They write an essay comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences of everyday life before and after...
Lesson Plan
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The Complexities of Reconstruction

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders critically analyze the social, economic, and political impact of the Federalization of the South. They develop a PowerPoint presentation relative to the Post Civil War South.
Lesson Plan
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Life During the Civil War for Women and Civilians

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students follow an overview of the American Civil War from a film, the text and/or teacher direct instruction. They create a timeline with a large map of the U.S. in the 1860's available for student reference as they do the spider activity.
Lesson Plan
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When Johnny Went Marching Off...

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders decide whether to join the Union or Confederate army. Then decide under which General you serve and in which battles you fight. Finally students create civilwar documents in assigned roles.
Lesson Plan
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I Heard It Through the Grapevine

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students write a first-person narrative from the perspective of a runaway slave, or a historical character of the period, and present their story orally.
Lesson Plan
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Calendar Creations About The Civil War

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders research Civil War events occurring during one month of the year, recording specific events and the dates on which they occurred. They list each event by month, day, and year on a one-month calendar of their own creation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stars and Bars Forever?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate icons, monuments and places that serve as symbols of American history, assessing how and why the meanings of these historic symbols evolve through time to acquire new or different significance.
Lesson Plan
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Treasure in the Trash

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students decode archaeological artifacts in order to recreate an event, using discarded objects as a model for real-life artifacts. They apply this model to reconstructing historical or literary events from artifacts they create.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Before Brother Fought Brother: People and Places in the North and South

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers use census records to research and compare the population and economies in two counties within the same valley (Franklin Country Pennsylvania (North) and Augusta County, Virginia (South) in the pre Civil War era.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Tough Act to Re-enact

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discover the significance of various historical events. Using the information they find, groups re-enact these events, stressing their importance to history and our lives today.
Lesson Plan
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An Internet Activity for The Introduction Of The Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners research, using the Internet, specified Civil War battles in order to prepare an oral presentation for the class. They, in small groups, present using images and maps. They take a quiz on the subject matter and evaluate the web...
Lesson Plan
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Powerful Memories, Powerful Words

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and describe the influence slavery had on Mark Twains writing, and then determine the status of race relations and ethnic differences in contemporary life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Journey: The Civil War

For Teachers 8th
Utilize this worksheet package if you are looking for basic Civil War coverage. Much of the plan is disabled, however the worksheets contain 2 simple texts that pupils can read, mark, and respond to in 2 comprehension questions that...
PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: Girding for War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Though too short to be an adequate presentation, the solitary map in these slides would be a good visual aid to a lecture about Southern secession before and during the Civil War. The color coded states on the map make a good timeline...
PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: The Ordeal of Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 12th
With a map on the military reconstruction in the post-Civil War South, and an interesting graphic comparing the size of Alaska to the continental United States, this presentation could be a good (albeit short) supplement to a class...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War Experience

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students write or design a creative project about the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students share memorable quotes from speeches and discuss documents historians could use to analyze the Civil War. Students read excerpts from...
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
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Visual History of the Civil War III

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, 8th graders analyze various images about the Civil War. Students write an essay in relation to the images of the Civil War.
Lesson Plan
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Free Blacks in the North and in the South

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders research the different lives of free blacks in the South and the North. In this Post Civil War lesson, 11th graders analyze primary sources that illustrate their lives. Students create posters that compare and contrast...