CONTENT
PARTNERS
Civil War Anniversary
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
2011 marks the sesquicentennial or 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The years of the Civil War were a time of great conflict for our nation. Using primary sources, lessons and interactives from Thinkfinity.org, immerse your students in the Civil War, and help them understand how its outcome continues to impact their lives to this day.
Recommended Civil War Resources:
- Take students on an interactive adventure through the Civil War with Who Am I? A History Mystery as they try to identify a character from the Civil War based on video footage, oral history reenactments and primary source objects. (5-8)
- Hear how a high school student helped find an explanation for a Civil War legend about soldiers with glow-in-the-dark wounds. See if your students agree with the information presented in the podcast. (6-12)
- Show students artifacts from the Civil War such as uniforms, mess kits, medals of honor and battle flags. Can students identify the proper use of the item during the time of the Civil War? (5-12)
Visit the Thinkfinity Community
Join the group History Explorers and discuss: How do you teach secession?
Civil War Webinar for Teachers
Join us for the Civil War Stories from the Smithsonian's History Explorer webinar on April 20th at 4pm or April 23 at 1pm. Learn from an educator at the National Museum of American History, a Thinkfinity.org partner, and explore the museum's interactives, videos, artifacts and lesson plans on the Civil War. Sign up for the 30-minute webinar.
LESSON PLANS
The American Civil War
EDSITEment | Resource Collection | 6-12
A collection of lesson plans, student interactives, multimedia presentations and reviewed websites covering the Civil War.
Civil War Resources
EDSITEment | Resource Collection | 6-12
The events of 1861-1865 were the most traumatic in the nation's history. These lessons will help your students come to grips with primary sources such as speeches, letters, photographs, cartoons, diaries extracts, and works of art that document and illuminate the momentous events of the Civil War.
Comparing Confederate and Union Soldiers in the Civil War
History Explorer | Lesson plan | 6-9
Use primary sources as the inspiration for comparing and contrasting the soldiers on either side of the Civil War. After examining uniforms and viewing two short video clips, students will develop questions and perform short research projects to uncover the motivations behind the Civil War and the conditions for the soldiers who fought.
Comparing Electronic and Print Texts About the Civil War Soldier
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 6-8
Which side will win as students investigate both sides of the battle of using print versus online text for research as they learn about the lives of Civil War soldiers?
Critical Perspectives: Reading and Writing About Slavery
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 3-5
Students critically explore the moral issue of slavery through reading fiction and nonfiction children's literature about the Underground Railroad, and they extend their understanding through creative writing projects.
John Brown’s Legacy
History Explorer | Lesson plan | 9-12
In this lesson, students will examine primary sources to understand John Brown’s actions in Harpers Ferry and will develop a creative project on his legacy.
Strategic Reading and Writing: Summarizing Antislavery Biographies
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 3-7
Antislavery heroes are the focus of this lesson. Students research a historical figure who played a key role in the abolition of slavery, and then create a three-dimensional biographical mobile.
Using Historical Fiction to Learn About the Civil War
ReadWriteThink | Lesson Plan | 3-5
Students discuss inferential comprehension and visualization as they use a think-aloud questioning strategy to develop a deeper understanding of a historical novel.
Voices of Bull Run
History Explorer | Lesson plan | 5-8
This unit will introduce the first major clash in the Civil War--the Battle of Bull Run--and encourage students to consider the perspectives of ordinary citizens of the North and the South and the impact of this battle on their lives. The activities are based on the award-winning, young adult novel Bull Run by Paul Fleischman.
Women’s Role in the Civil War
History Explorer | Lesson plan | 5-9
Women served in the Civil War as nurses, spies, and vivandieres. Explore these stories with students through a video clip and close examination of two dresses and a woman's uniform.
Civil War Artifacts
History Explorer | Artifacts | 5-12
Explore 74 objects from the National Museum of American History’s rich collection of artifacts from the Civil War era, including uniforms and mess kits representing soldiers’ daily lives, fused minie balls, a stump from Spotsylvania and a surgical kit representing the horrors of war, medals of honor, battle flags from both sides, and more.
