Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Look Out My Window. What Do You See?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore William D. Huff's experience during Civil War as portrayed in his drawings, express empathy and demonstrate historical knowledge through creating their own artwork, and craft drawings and captions from perspectives of...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

1864-1865: Bringing the War to an End

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
The Civil War—in its breathtaking ferocity—came to a close in 1864. However, turmoil echoed throughout the country's politics, including the presidential context between Lincoln and McClellan. Performing chronology and primary source...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Life At War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A thought-provoking lesson plan explores what life was like for Civil War soldiers. With a presentation, group discussion, and writing activity, academics learn about camp living conditions, what soldiers ate, and how they dressed. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Research Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Give your WWI study collaborative energy using a group research project. Groups are assigned one of the six main themes (included). Each group has an outline to guide research but will need an assignment guide. Consider supplementing the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Battlefield Walks

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students create a picture of a Civil War battle using Google Earth. In this Civil War instructional activity, students pick a battlefield and research it with a partner. They find the location on Google Earth and use colors and overlays...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map the Civil War

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore the Civil War through original maps.  In this mapping lesson, students calculate distance and show it on an original map. Students examine the type of landscape and its landmarks and draw symbols on the map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Journal Mini Lesson

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the battles of the Civil War through journaling exercises. In this American Civil War lesson plan, 8th graders write journals from the perspective of teens accompanying the troops into various battles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students identify the locations of pivotal American Civil War battles. In this map skills lesson plan, students label Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and the Battle for Atlanta on an outline map. The map is not included.
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...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Civil War Part 2 Word Search Puzzle

For Students 7th - 10th
In this Civil War worksheet, students brainstorm and discuss twenty two terms associated with the Civil War and then locate and circle each of the terms in a word search puzzle.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Battles of The Civil War

For Students 9th - 12th
In this social studies learning exercise, students find the words that are studied for vocabulary related to the battles of The Civil War.
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Fredericksburg 360

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Urban combat long preceded today's video games. Pupils today experience the battle of Fredericksburg—a major Civil War engagement in an American city—using a 360-degree interactive app. Users explore the battlefield online, using  a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Communities in the North Before the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine what life was like in free African-American communities before the Civil War. They analyze maps, identify elements of everyday life in these communities, explore various websites, and complete a chart.
Lesson Plan
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1
PBS

The Supreme Court: Early Civil Rights Cases Facing the Supreme Court

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Imagine being an ex-slave after the Civil War and not understanding if you were considered a citizen of the United States. Scholars analyze the early Supreme Court battles in civil rights cases and especially the Fourteenth Amendment....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Diaries

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine excerpts from a diary of a Confederate soldier and his experiences in a Union prison camp. After receiving character cards, they write diary entries from the perspectives of their Civil War identity. As an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Battle Over Reconstruction: The Aftermath of Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the Reconstruction Era. In this American history activity, students explore the condition of the United States following the Civil War as they read statistical data. Students analyze the Reconstruction policies to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Music

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students discover how both the North and South used music extensively during the Civil War to rally troops, as recreation, to march by, and many other reasons. They realize that both sides would borrow each other's tunes or lyrics and it...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War: A Terrible Swift Sword

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore the Civil War. In this American History instructional activity, students use guiding questions and primary resources to better comprehend the events of the Civil War. This instructional activity actually includes 3...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Civil War Soldiers Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...
Organizer
Curated OER

Civil War Matrix

For Students 6th - 8th
In this American Civil War worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer with details regarding 6 of the battles of the war.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1864-1865: Bringing the War to an End

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An interesting lesson plan explains the last battles of the war and the terms of the Articles of Surrender. It also analyzes the election of 1864 with copies of the Baltimore and Chicago platforms. To conclude the instructional activity,...
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
Curated OER

Not Just A Man's War

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners write 2 letters from a woman who may have lived during the Civil War and 2 letters from her relative which include factual information that they have research using the Internet and other resources, along with other activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Care of Prisoners During the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students identify the needs of prisoners through the study of the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students are divided into two groups to represent the two armies. Students simulate a situation where students are captured prisoners...