Lesson Plans
The Civil War
A Five Day Unit Plan for a 98 Minute Block Class
Barbara Beemer
Introduction
This is a unit plan of five lessons for a high school class
on a 98-minute block schedule. This unit on the Civil War
would follow a unit on the causes of the war. It does not
allow time for a detailed military history of the war but
could be expanded to include more information on significant
battles. A unit on the period of Reconstruction should follow
this unit. The study of the Civil War would be enhanced
by a project such as requiring students to produce a Civil
War newspaper. This plan does not allocate the necessary
time for a long-term project, but it offers ideas and information
that would contribute to such a project that would be due
at a later date.
These lessons take a thematic and student-centered approach
that can be adapted to different ability levels and are
intended to meet the needs of students with different learning
styles. Students are evaluated in a variety of ways in an
attempt to promote student success. The necessary materials
for multi-media activities are listed at the end of this
plan.
Course of Study Correlation: 10 th grade, 9 & 10
AHSGE IV-1
National Standards for United States History – Era
5, Standards 1&2
Table of Contents
Day 1: Action and Reaction
Day 2: Strategy and Politics
Day 3: Soldiers and Freedom
Day 4: Home front and Alabama
Day 5: Victory and Defeat
Unit Test
Evaluation Rubric
List of resources
DAY 1
Topic: Action and Reaction – The events of secession
and the attack on Ft. Sumter
Objectives: Students will give reasons for secession and
analyze the order of secession and the response of the U.S.
government. Students will evaluate the South’s readiness
for war. Students will analyze the causes and effects of
the attack on Ft. Sumter.
Initiating Activity: Question on board – Why was the
South anxiously awaiting the results of the Presidential
election of 1860? 5 minutes
Procedures:
- Lecture/Discussion - The election of 1860. 15 minutes
- Video clip from Schlesinger series. 5 minutes
- Document activity with Declaration of Secession from
South Carolina
and Mississippi. Divide class into four groups. Two groups
will read
one declaration and two will read the other. Students will
be instructed
to use the 5 Ws procedure. Each group will report their
findings to the
class with reasons for secession, and the class will compare
and contrast
the two documents. 20 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion – The response by Buchanan and
Lincoln and the
formation of the Confederate government under Davis. Students
will
read Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley (written later
in 1862), and they
will briefly compare the Constitution of the Confederacy
with the U.S.
Constitution. 10 minutes
- Video clip from Gone with the Wind showing the men debating
the
South’s readiness for war and their eagerness to fight.
Viewing the
video clip will be followed by discussion. 15 minutes
- Music activity with “The Bonnie Blue Flag”
from the Civil War Songs
CD set and a handout with introduction, words, and music
from the
Civil War Songbook. Students will use Map 15-A for the dates
of
Secession. Students will discuss the order and the rationale.
10 minutes
- Video clip from Schlesinger series showing the attack
on Ft. Sumter. 5 minutes
- Students will write a brief essay on the significance
of the attack. 13 minutes
Evaluation: Analysis of two Declarations
of Secession
Essay
Materials: Video from Schlesinger series
Declarations of Secession from South Carolina and Mississippi
Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley (1862)
Constitution of the Confederate States of America
Video of Gone with the Wind
Civil War Songs CD and Songbook handout
Map 15-A
DAY 2
Topic: Strategy and Politics – The
war strategies of the Union and Confederacy, political issues,
and diplomatic efforts.
Objectives: Students will analyze the effectiveness
of Union and Confederate war strategies including military
plans and civilian issues. Students will discuss and analyze
political issues such as the draft, paper money, and the Copperheads,
and diplomatic efforts with European powers.
Initiating Activity: Assignment on board
- List strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederacy
at the beginning of the war. 5 minutes
Procedures:
- Lecture/Discussion – War strategies of the North
and South including
the Anaconda Plan. Students will view maps from Atlas pages
42-44. 10 minutes
- Music activity with “God Save the South,”
“The Virginia Marseillaise,”
and “Ellsworth Avengers” from the Civil War
Songs CD and handouts
from the Songbook with introductions, words, and music.
Students will
make a list of patriotic words and phrases appealing to
the emotions of
Northerners and Southerners. 15 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion – Battles of Bull Run, Fts.Henry
& Donelson, and
Shiloh. 10 minutes
- Video clip from Schlesinger series on the battle of Shiloh.
5 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion of issues including the draft, paper
money, and
Copperheads using Document 11.8 (sheet music for “How
are you,
Conscript”) 10 minutes
- Students will do a written analysis of a political cartoon
showing
Copperheads. Students will use the National Archives Cartoon
Analysis
Worksheet and work in groups. 5 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion – The battles of Antietam and
Fredericksburg and
the Emancipation Proclamation. 10 minutes
- Students will re-read Lincoln’s letter to H. Greeley
and discuss the
Emancipation Proclamation as a political decision. 10 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion – Diplomatic efforts to gain
or prevent British and
French aid for the Confederacy. 5 minutes
- Students make a chart showing what helped each side
during the war. 13 minutes
Evaluation: Music activity
Analysis of political cartoon
Chart
Materials: Maps, pages 42, 43, and 44
Civil War Songs CD and Songbook handouts
Video from Schlesinger series
Document 11.8, song, “How Are You, Conscript”
Political cartoon
Document 11.2, Lincoln’s letter to H. Greeley
U.S. National Archives & Records Administration Cartoon
Analysis Worksheet
DAY 3
Topic: Soldiers and Freedom – Realities
of war, motives and experiences of soldiers, and the effects
of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Objectives: Students will compare the realities and
the romanticism of the war and analyze the motives and experiences
of the soldiers. Students will evaluate the effects of the
Emancipation Proclamation on slaves and on the war.
Initiating Activity: Question on board – Who
did the Emancipation Proclamation free?
Procedures:
- Video of Gone with the Wind showing scene at the train
station with
wounded and dying soldiers. 5 minutes
- Students discuss this scene and compare it with the GWTW
clip viewed
on Day 1. 5 minutes
- Students work in groups to read and analyze Document
11.3a (Letter
from Guy C. Ward) using the 5 Ws. Students make a list of
his complaints
and things that please him. 15 minutes
- Read and discuss document of medical case reports. 5
minutes
- Music activity with “Just Before the Battle, Mother”
from the Civil War
Songs CD and handout from the Songbook. 5 minutes
- Video clip from Schlesinger series on the battle of Gettysburg.
5 minutes
- In groups, students will do a written analysis of two
paintings with
Documents 11.9a and 11.9b using the 5Ws and identifying
attitudes,
loyalties, emotions, and the intent of the artists. 10 minutes
- Music activity with “Goober Peas” from the
Civil War Songs CD and
handout from the Songbook. (This song illustrates the food
shortages
experienced by the soldiers in a lighthearted way.) 5 minutes
- Students compare soldiers’ letters and list motives
for fighting with
documents from Far, Far from Home, pages 71-73, a letter
from a
Confederate soldier, and “Peter Walsh, 1863 Letters,”
a letter from a
Union soldier. 15 minutes
- Teacher reads Document 11.5b, a slave narrative about
events
following the Emancipation Proclamation. Warn students about
an
offensive word and consider replacing it with a less offensive
term
when reading aloud. Class will discuss the document. 10
minutes
- Lecture/Discussion – Issues and attitudes involving
African-
American soldiers using documents, The Negro’s Civil
War, pages
16 and 17, and Document 11.5b, H. Ford Douglas’s letter.
10 minutes
- Video clip from Glory. 8 minutes
Evaluation: Analysis of Document 11.3a
Analysis of paintings in Documents 11.9a and 11.9b
List of soldiers’ motives
Materials: Video of
Gone with the Wind
Document 11.3a
Document “Medical Reports”
Civil War Songs CD and Songbook handouts
Video from Schlesinger series
Documents 11.9a and 11.9b
Document from Far, Far from Home
Document from “Peter Welsh, 1863 Letters”
Document 11.5b
Document from The Negro’s Civil War
Document 11.4b
Video of
Glory
Day 4
Topic: Home Front and Alabama – The
impact of war at home and state and local history.
Objectives: Students will identify the impact of
war on the home front. Students will analyze events in Alabama
and Tuscaloosa.
Initiating Activity: Activity on board – Write
a list of choices that a freed slave had.
Procedures:
-
Discuss options for freed slaves and the impact on the
Union effort. 10 minutes
- Music activity with “Free at Last” from the
Civil War Songs CD and
a handout from the Songbook. Discuss use of the song again
during
Civil Rights Movement of the 20 th Century. 5 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion to review the impact of the battle
of Gettysburg,
and discuss the battle of Vicksburg using Maps pages 43
and 44. 10 minutes
- Video clip from Gone with the Wind showing families waiting
for
casualty reports. 5 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion – Hardships and dangers on the
home front and
Sherman’s March to the Sea. 10 minutes
- Lecture/Discussion of Alabama’s role including
the first capital of the
Confederacy, the Free State of Winston, “Gallant Pelham,”
Emma
Sansom, Selma, the battle of Mobile Bay, and the C.S.S.
Alabama.
Students will explore the Alabama Moments in American History
Website. 25 minutes
- Music activity with “The Alabama” from Civil
War Songs and
Songbook handout. 5 minutes
- Video on CD made of the University of Alabama in HY 500.
View
video and discuss slavery at the University and the Union
raid on
Tuscaloosa. 10 minutes
- Students write an imaginary interview with a citizen
of Tuscaloosa
April 1865. 18 minutes
Evaluation: Imaginary interview
Materials: Civil War CD and Songbook
handouts
Maps, pages 43 and 44
Video of
Gone with the Wind
“Alabama Moments in American History” Website
HY 500 CD
Day 5
Topic: Victory and Defeat – The end
of the Civil War.
Objectives: Students will identify events leading
to the end of the war and evaluate the victory and the defeat.
Initiating Activity: Questions on board – In
which war did the most Americans die?
What caused most of these deaths?
Procedures:
- Discuss initiating activity questions. 3 minutes
- Read and discuss Document 11.10a ( Lincoln’s Gettysburg
Address).
Question – Is it likely that it was written on a train?
10 minutes
3. Read and discuss Document 11.10b ( Lincoln’s Second
Inaugural
Address). 10 minutes
- Lecture/discussion – The last battles and the surrender
at Appomattox.
Discuss Lee and Grant. 10 minutes
- Video clip from Schlesinger series showing the events
at Appomattox. 5 minutes
- Group activity:
The class will be divided into five groups. Each group will
be assigned
to play the role of “The Country,” “The
South,” “The North,” “A Freed
Slave,” or “A Woman.” Each group will
brainstorm to make a list to
identify and analyze the victories and defeats that have
been experienced
by the group’s role. After making the list, the group
will write a paragraph
to be presented to the class by the member selected to play
the role. One
member of the group will produce creative visuals to be
used in the
presentation. Depending upon class size, these are the duties:
1 student serves as leader and shows visuals during the
presentation.
1 student presents to the class.
1 student produces the visuals.
1 student serves as the recorder to make a written copy
of the
paragraph composed by the group. 35 minutes
- Students view “The Civil War Name Game” site
on the “ Alabama
Moments in American History” website to discuss viewpoints.
5 minutes
- Civil War Unit test. Students will show what they have
learned,
and celebrate the end of the war with cookies or cupcakes
decorated
in red, white, and blue. The Cookie Company can make a class-size
cookie. 20 minutes
Evaluation: Group Project
Unit Test
Materials: Document 11.10a
Document 11.10b
Video from the Schlesinger series
Paper, markers, scissors, stapler, glue, etc.
“Alabama Moments in American History” Website
Cookies or cupcakes
Civil War Unit Test
Directions: Answer each question briefly. Each question
is worth 5 points.
- Which state was the first to secede from the Union?
- How many states seceded?
- How did the Civil War begin?
- What reasons did the South give for secession?
- Briefly explain Union and Confederate strategies for
the war.
- Who were the Copperheads?
- What was the first land battle of the Civil War?
- What did both sides realize after the battle of Shiloh?
- What was Lincoln’s main goal in going to war?
- Who did the Emancipation Proclamation free? Be precise.
- Which countries did the South hope would officially
recognize the Confederacy?
- What caused most of the deaths during the Civil War?
- Explain how both Union and Confederate soldiers said
that they were fighting for liberty.
- What is the subject of the movie Glory?
- . What was the purpose of Sherman’s “March
to the Sea”?
- Why is the C.S.S. Alabama famous?
- Where was the first capital of the Confederacy, where
Davis took office?
- Briefly describe the Union raid on Tuscaloosa.
- On what battlefield did Lincoln make his most famous
speech?
- Who met at Appomattox Court House to end the war?
Evaluation Rubric for Civil War Unit
Unit Test 20%
Essay, Day 1 15%
Imaginary Interview, Day 4 15%
Group Project, Day 5 15%
7 Written Daily Activities (Participation) 35%
Materials
Maps: Rand McNally Atlas of American History
Page 42, Session
Page 43, Military map showing battle sites and areas of
control
Page 44, Military maps with major battles
Map 15-A: Secession by Scott, Foresman and Company
Videos: Schlesinger video series, Civil War video
CD-ROM of University of Alabama (HY 500)
Gone with the Wind
Glory
Music: Civil War Songs, by Keith and Rusty McNeil, CD set
Civil War Songbook by Keith and Rusty McNeil
Documents: Step into the Past, American History in a Box,
Volume 1
Document 11.1 Constitution of the Confederate States of
America
Document 11.2 Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley
Document 11.3a Letter from Guy C. Ward to Joseph B. Boyd
Document 11.4 Letter from H. Ford Douglas to Frederick Douglass’s
Monthly
Document 11.5b Slave Narrative of Annie L. Burton, “Memories
of Childhood’s Slavery Days”
Document 11.8 Sheet music for the song “How Are You
Conscript”
Document 11.9a Painting of “The Burial of Latane”
by William D. Washington
Document 11.9b Painting of “Prisoners form the Front”
by Winslow Homer
Document 11.10a Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
“First Draft”
Document 11.10b Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural
Address
“A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce
and Justify the
Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union”
“ South Carolina Declaration of Causes of Secession”
from F. Moore, editor, The rebellion Record, Volume I, page
3 ff.
The Negro’s Civil War, pages 16 and 17
“Peter Welsh, 1863 Letters,” pages 64-67
Far, Far from Home [a collection of letters], pages 70-73
Medical case reports [source unknown]
Political Cartoon of Lincoln and Copperheads
Worksheet: U.S. National Archives & Records Administration,
Cartoon Analysis
Unit test
Evaluation Rubric
Website for “ Alabama Moments in American History”:
http://www.alabamamoments.state.al.us/Contents.html
(Also found through University of Alabama libraries sites.)
