Teachers Discovering History As Historians

Civil War: Lesson Plans & Activities

Thinkfinity:  Internet Content For the Classroom  is a comprehensive educational site from Verizon dedicated to providing the highest quality Internet content and professional development to teachers and students.  http://www.thinkfinity.org/

• Seven content Web sites (soon to be eight)  with lesson plans, student interactive content, downloadable worksheets, links to panel-reviewed Web sites and additional resources created by the nation’s leading education organizations.

The sites specifically related to the study of United States History include:

EconEdLink
National Council on Economic Education   Developed by the National Council on Economic Education, EconEdLink provides teachers and students with lessons and classroom learning activities based on economics topics in the news and real-time economics data. EconEdLink content is designed to help integrate economic concepts across the curriculum as outlined in the Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics.

EDSITEment
National Endowment for the Humanities  Presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities, EDSITEment features lesson plans and additional classroom resources in art and culture, literature and language arts, foreign language, and history and social studies. It also serves as a gateway to the best humanities sites on the Web, and it features a monthly theme-based teaching resource calendar.

Xpeditions
National Geographic Society   Developed by the National Geographic Society, Xpeditions brings rich, standards-based geography content to teachers and students. This site includes materials for K-12 teachers and students and their families, including an interactive atlas with over 1,600 printable maps and Xpedition Hall, a virtual learning museum with exhibits aligned to the U.S. National Geography Standards.

Smithsonian
National Museum of American History   The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United States. This Partner site is currently under development.

 

 

 

ThinkfinityNY

http://www.nyiteez.org/MarcoPoloNY/

ThinkfinityNY, a Web-based resource that offers 2,500-plus lessons for teachers, each lesson aligned with the New York State Standards. This program, available to all N.Y. State educators at no cost, was developed jointly with the New York State Education Department (NYSED), New York State Teacher Centers, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), Thinkfinity and MCI. ~

The lessons are organized and can be accessed according to the state’s Learning Standards, key ideas, performance indicators, grade levels and content areas. A simple click of the mouse navigates the user through the lessons.

You may  visit the program at http://www.nyiteez.org/MarcoPoloNY/ or at Virtual Learning System http://eservices.nysed.gov/vls .

 

Pro Teacher Lessons Plans about the Civil War

Access to over FIFTY lesson plans/activities, for various grade levels, related to Civil War topics.  Many are exceptional and include embedded links to documents, photographs, maps and other materials.  use as complete lessons or for source materials. A sample: 

          Andersonville: Prisoner of War Camp

http://www.proteacher.com/090053.shtml

ProTeacher Home Page for all US History Lessons

Links to hundreds of lesson plans related to United States History from a variety of sources. Search functions allow for internal and external links to topical lesson plans.

http://www.proteacher.com/090019.shtml

 

PBS:  Teacher Source

Over 4000 lesson plans and activities for all grade levels. Most a directly related to the hundreds of PBS video presentations (most available through BOCES)  

http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/

        PBS:  Social Studies Home Page  Highly recommended--please visit.

 

National History Education Clearinghouse

Welcome to the National History Education Clearinghouse, the central online location for accessing high-quality resources in K-12 U.S. history education. This site began in 2008 and is rapidly becoming one of the best sources for United State History Educators including access to History Content, Teaching Materials, Best Practices, Issues and Research, Professional Development, and TAH Grants.

http://teachinghistory.org/

       

SELECTED LESSON PLANS

These lesson plans have been reviewed and designated as exceptional by educators participating in our Teach American History Program.

Historical Time Period:     Civil War       

Title of the Lesson Plan:  The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady

Grade Level:                        Middle or High School

General Description:         This lesson uses over 15 photographs for analysis of the life of the Civil War soldier.  The activities are a little limited, but the collection of photographs is excellent for discussion and extension.

URL:    www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/
brady_photographs/brady_photographs.html

Historical Time Period:     Civil War or Slavery                                                    

Title of the Lesson Plan:  White Southerners’ Defense of Slaveholding

Grade Level:                        High School (Grade 11)

General Description:         Students read and analyze three southern articles in defense of slavery.  This lesson is designed for off-line use and includes excellent articles complete with accompanying question sheets.  It is well-organized and ready to teach.

URL:    www.vcdh.virginia.edu/teaching/vclassroom/proslaveinst.html          

Historical Time Period:     Civil War or Slavery

Title of the Lesson Plan:  Attitudes About Slavery in Franklin County, PA

Grade Level:                        High School (Grade 11)

General Description:         This lesson focuses on several articles reflecting Northern attitudes on slavery.  It includes pre-formatted student worksheets and is ready to teach off-line.

URL:                                      www.vcdh.virginia.edu/
teaching/vclassroom/Northernatt.html           

Historical Time Period:     Civil War or Slavery

Title of the Lesson Plan:  Slavery

Grade Level:                        High School (Grade 11)

General Description:         This lesson provides a collection of narratives for research followed by debate between slave owners and abolitionists and could be done on- or off-line.

URL:            http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
historyonline/lesson_plans_display.cfm?lessonID=25

Historical Time Period:     Civil War

Title of the Lesson Plan:  The Fight For Equal Rights:  Black Soldiers in the Civil War

Grade Level:                        Middle or High School

General Description:         This lesson features a recruiting poster directed at black men during the Civil War.  It opens up a discussion of equal pay and equal protection and treatment of black troops.

URL: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/blacks_in_civil_war/blacks_in_civil_war.html         

Historical Time Period:     Civil War

Title of the Lesson Plan:  Letters, Telegrams, and Photographs Illustrating Factors That Affected the Civil War

Grade Level:                        High School (Grade 11)

General Description:         A nice collection of documents (letters, telegrams, photographs, and sound recordings) helps students to understand how the resources, social conditions, leadership and strategies on both sides of the war helped determine the outcome.

URL: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/civil_war_documents/civil_war_documents.html

 

 

 

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