Lesson Plan
Civil War Trust

The Common Civil War Soldier

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Imagine you are a soldier in the Civil War. What are you wearing? What do you need to carry with you? Examine the life of a person during the Civil War, from drummer boys to powder monkeys to musket-toting soldiers. Elementary...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War on Sunday

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read "Cvil War on Sunday" together and discuss characters, setting, problem and resolution. They determine facts from fiction used in the story and research drummer boys in the Civil War or Clara Barton using the Internet....
Lesson Plan
Small Planet Communications

Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discuss political, social, and personal issues relating to the Civil War from various perspectives using internet sources. Students write various selections from Civil War characters' point of view.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Lincoln: A Photobiography

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the life of Abraham Lincoln, including, but not limited to, the Civil War. Included are reading, art, math,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Red Legs: A Drummer Boy of the Civil War

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students identify and interpret the life of a drummer boy during the Civil War as well as about a reenactment. Students listen to a fictionalized story or a Civil War reenactor and compare ot with the life of the drummer boy the story...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children at War

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine human rights by taking a closer look at children in combat. In this human rights instructional activity, students discuss the reasons that children have been used to fight wars throughout history and today. Students...
Lesson Plan
Civil War Trust

Genealogy

For Teachers 6th - 9th
The Civil War is undoubtedly a part of America's history, but could it be part of your pupils' history as well? Middle schoolers conduct research to discover a connection between their ancestors and the American Civil War. Whether...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drumbeats and Heartbeats

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore some of the battles of the Civil War through music, literature, and art. The use of the drum on the battlefield and the reflections and emotions of the drummer boys are examined.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children at War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct Internet research to investigate the use of children in combat throughout the world. Students read personal testimonies and analyze media coverage of children in combat.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Feel the Beat of the Drums

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
These percussion instruments have a rich history and a variety of uses.
Activity
Other

Historical Scene Investigation: Children of the Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
Students analyze engaging documents written by children of the Civil War. After studying the documents, they are to complete various tasks as if they were there.
Lesson Plan
Success Link

Success Link: Civil War 1861 1865

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An eight-lesson unit on the Civil War using Patricia Beatty's young adult novel, Charley Skedaddle, as the unifying text. Geared mainly for middle school, but certainly has good information for high school learners as well.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Civil War Through a Child's Eye

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Historical fiction and primary texts provide students with new perspectives on the Civil War era, specifically through the eyes of a child who lived during this time.
Handout
American Battlefield Trust

American Battlefield Trust: Civil War Biography: John Clem: Drummer Boy of Chickamauga

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical profile of a boy soldier of the Civil War, John Clem, who went on to have a lifelong career in the U.S. military.