University of California
The Civil War: Effects of the Civil War
Imagine being on the front line of the Civil War —from the front porch of your own house. Scholars use visual evidence from primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of the Civil War on all Americans. They examine the research...
University of California
The Civil War: Final Assessment
Pupils discover the true nature and purpose of the Civil War in the eighth and final installment of an informative series. Using primary and secondary documents, history buffs merge social study knowledge with English skills to create a...
Curated OER
Who Freed the Slaves During the Civil War?
Pose the question to your historians: who really freed the slaves? They critically assess various arguments, using primary sources as evidence. In small groups, scholars jigsaw 5 primary source documents (linked), and fill out an...
Curated OER
Civil War Essay Writing
Students, in groups of three, research a topic about the Civil War. They present thier research to the class in an orally.
Curated OER
Introduction to the American Civil War
Eleventh graders participate in a drill activity in which they review the political, social and economic causes of the Civil War. Individually, they complete a Civil War pretest in which they test their misconceptions about the war. They...
Curated OER
Will You Pick My Cotton?
Use this cross-curricular history lesson to work on your students' informational writing skills. After listening to songs and stories related to Sultana, they engage in a several activities to boost their understanding of slavery and...
Core Knowledge Foundation
The Civil War
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...
Curated OER
Civil War and Reconstruction
Introduce your class to some of the most important events and people of the Civil War. This American history PowerPoint includes information about the most important battles and gets into the period of Reconstruction after the war ended....
Curated OER
An Acquaintance with Darkness, a Civil War
Eighth graders explore the Civil War, and people and events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and his funeral procession.
Curated OER
Forty Acres? The Question of Land at the War's End
Should land be redistributed to former slaves after the Civil War? This essential question guides a lesson on the Reconstruction Era, as learners analyze primary sources (linked), recording responses on a worksheet (linked). To model the...
City University of New York
Jim Crow and the Fight for Civil Rights
The history of voting rights in America has always been rocky, especially in the time period after the Civil War. Learn about the ways that Jim Crow laws affected the voting rights of African Americans with a lesson featuring primary...
Curated OER
Civil War Weapons and Changes
Students research the weapons of the Civil War era, how they were used and manufactured, and how they have changed over the years since the Civil War.They complete a 3-5 page paper about a weapon that was used in the Civil War.
Curated OER
The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady
Students 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...
Curated OER
The Cold War Era (1945 - 1991)
Provide learners with an excellent resource focused on the Cold War Era. Starting in 1945 and going all the way to 1991, the Cold War Era included major historical events, such as the Berlin Wall, Warsaw Pact, the Korean War, and the...
Curated OER
Civil War and Reconstruction
Students examine the differences between the North and South during the pre-Civil War era. In this Civil War era lesson plan, students spent 7 days looking at things that were different between the Union and Confederate state before the...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
From Alabama Farmer to Civil War Soldier
As part of a study of the Civil War, class members conduct a WebQuest to create a timeline of battles fought by the 10th Alabama Infantry Regimen. They then use Google Earth to pinpoint these battles of the Civil War on a map of Alabama.
Syracuse University
Civil War
What was it like to enlist as a soldier in the Civil War? By using enlistment papers, young scholars consider this question. After they've looked at the primary source and discussed it, they create a short story of a fictional soldier to...
Curated OER
Civil War Slang
Students inquire about slang language used during the Civil War. In this writing lesson, students recieve a handout of slang words used by soldiers. Students view pictures of Civil War to get a visual idea of what it was like to be at...
Curated OER
The Pre-Civil War Era (1815–1850)
In this online interactive U.S. history worksheet, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about 19th century America. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.
Curated OER
Invetories Slave owner or not?
Primary source analysis is a great way to bring history to life. Learners examine a series of personal inventories taken from Southern white males who died during the Civil War era. They analyze the documents to determine the social and...
Curated OER
Facing the Ghosts of Our Past
A reading of a New York Times review of the movie Beloved launches research into how the Civil War affected the lives of people living during this period. Creative thinkers select a person from an included list of historical figures and...
Curated OER
African Americans after the Civil War
Young scholars explore the events of Reconstruction after the Civil War. In this US History lesson, students complete several activities and worksheets that reinforce challenges and social upheaval experienced in the South after the...
DocsTeach
From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875: Eighteen Years of Change
What do a photo of Abraham Lincoln, a map for the Battle of Antietam, and the Dred Scott decision all have in common? Learners consider the broader question as they examine documents related to civil rights during the Civil War and...
Miama-Dade County Public Schools
African Americans and the Civil War
The American Civil War is the theme of this packet of materials prepared for Black History Month. Class members learn about the roles that African Americans played during the Civil War and examine the African-American experience after...