For this online interactive Civil War worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions about John Brown's Raid. Students may check their answers immediately.

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...

What sunk the Sultana? Scholars become investigators to uncover the facts behind the 1865 sinking just after the end of the Civil War. Through group work, videos, and primary documents, they research and analyze why 1,800 men died....

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...

Fifth graders become familiar with the events of Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. In this reconstruction instructional activity, 5th graders work in pairs where each student  creates a building with blocks and...

Students view various primary sources and complete a worksheet about the sources. They choose at least three sources: a print, a letter and a newspaper article and record relevant information. They write a journal response about life as...

Students, in groups, half representing the Confederacy, half the Union, conduct research to find out about important Civil War era citizens from each side. They explore the effect these people had on the war and what effect the war had...

Pupils, in groups, half representing the Confederacy, half the Union, conduct research to find out about important Civil War military leaders from each side. They find the answers to a variety of questions regarding their military...

Students explore public sentiment regarding Reconstruction. In this Reconstruction instructional activity, students analyze primary sources for evidence of the political, social and economic stability of the U.S. following the Civil...

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...

Harriet Tubman developed a rich extended metaphor for slavery and the imperative for Lincoln to abolish it in this dictated letter from 1862. Young historians read the original document and interpret Tubman's allegory with a pair of...

Learners research the factors that are important in winning a battle in the Civil War. In a second activity they are assigned the role of a specific type of person during the Civil War and asked to describe what it's like being that person.

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...

Fifth graders explore leaders of the Civil War. In this history instructional activity, 5th graders use picture puzzles, vocabulary, worksheets, WebQuest, a Venn Diagram and role play activities in order to learn who the Civil War...

High schoolers study the financing of the Civil War. They work in small groups taking on various roles including a Southern planter, yeoman, skilled wage earner, unskilled wage earner, and merchant. They analyze primary documents to...

Students examine how various segments of the American population viewed the Emancipation Proclamation. They read the Emancipation Proclamation, analyze key terms and statements in the document, and participate in a debate.

Eighth graders, in groups, describe the activities of Arkansas women during the Civil War.

Students discover the Battle of Antietam is the bloodiest war in American history. They realize that over 20,000 men lost their lives in a single day. Students will write newspaper articles to cover the front page.

Students investigate how Mobile, Alabama was significant to the Confederacy during the Civil War. They analyze maps, read primary source documents, write a research paper on Civil War military technology, and explore the Fort Morgan...

Students explain why General Robert E. Lee decided to invade Maryland in September 1862; review the major events of the Maryland Campaign of 1862; describe the major events of the three phases of the Battle of Antietam; and assess the...

Eighth graders examine the amount of destruction in the South following the Civil War. They explore the reasons why Reconstruction was needed.

Eighth graders examine the impact of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation through the eyes of Indiana soldiers. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders read the proclamation and then students write essays that included letters...

Young scholars examine primary sources as related to Nevada and the Civil War. In this United States history instructional activity, students gather and analyze various primary sources in small groups and interpret unknown vocabulary...

Students explore the American Civil War. For this Civil War lesson, students examine a slave auction advertisement and an Abraham Lincoln quote. Students also read Pink and Say, create a foldable regarding naval warfare, and design a...