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A Review of the American Civil War


Michelle Nation


The American Civil War_Nation


This lesson is intended to be used as a review at the end of a unit on the Civil War. Teachers can customize it to incorporate facts which they want for students to retain.  Activities include reading passages from primary and secondary sources, designing a regimental flag, and playing Frisbee golf.


Materials required will vary according to options chosen by the teacher:


90-180 Minutes depending on options chosen by teac


5


How did various evens, issues and individuals impact the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War?


 

Have students pretend they are a solider fighting in the Civil War and tell them to write a paragraph home to a loved one.


  1. Ask students what types of things they included in their notes home.  You may want a couple of volunteers to share their paragraphs aloud with the class.
  2. Ask for a show of hands as to how many students have ever sent a text message on a cell phone.  (This will probably be a majority of the class.)  Ask them what kinds of things they text and to whom they send text messages.  Ask if what they chose to text and to whom they wrote would be any different if they knew they were far away from home and that it could take a long time for the message to get sent or for a response to be received.
  3. Tell students that letters were often the only form of communication for families during the Civil War and soldiers might go weeks before receiving a letter from home.  Also, add that many soldiers had limited reading and writing skills.
  4. Give students all or a portion of the McElheney letter located at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/civwarlett-browse?id=F0904.  Share with students that this is a letter that a soldier wrote home to his wife in 1865.
    • Option 1:  Divide the letter into portions and have different students or groups of students decipher one of the portions.
    • Option 2:  Give students (either individually or in groups) the entire letter to decipher.
  5. Read students the modern-spelling version of the McElheney letter located at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/civwarlett-browsemod?id=F0904. Ask for opinions about the soldier and the letter.
Tell students that the Civil War not only left a profound mark on our country but it also deeply affected the daily lives of the people living during that time.  It made heroes and villains.  It made some rich and some poor.  It split families apart.  Over 620,000 Americans lost their lives.  Think about how many people that is.  To compare, here are recent population counts of some American cities with fewer citizens that than amount, as well as their rankings among other U.S. cities:  Fort Worth—603,000 (19th); Seattle—571,000 (23rd); Washington, D.C.—554,000 (27th); Atlanta—419,000 (42nd);  Miami—380,000 (46th); St. Louis—343,000 (52nd).  Also for a comparison, the entire state of Wyoming has a population of 509,000.  Those numbers seem even larger when you consider that back in 1860, the census showed 14 of 36 states and territories had populations smaller than 620,000:  Nevada (territory), Nebraska (territory), Oregon, Kansas (territory), Delaware, Florida, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, California, Arkansas, Connecticut, and Texas.


  1. Ask students if they were fighting in a Civil War battle, how they could tell where their unit was.  Students may possibly say uniforms or flags.  Remind students that some soldiers did not have uniforms, wearing only the clothes they had.  Tell students that one of the most important jobs in a battle was that of color bearer.  A flag is a symbol that many look at with loyalty and pride; this is often especially true during times of war.  The flag was carried at all costs; many soldiers lost their lives holding it in the midst of battle.  Flags were also a rallying point for troops.  Many regiments designed their own flags in addition to carrying the flag of their country.
  2. Show students examples of flags from the Civil War.  Two sources to consider are http://www.nps.gov/vick/visctr/sitebltn/bnnrglry.htm and http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/flags/overview.htm.
  3. Divide students into six groups.  These groups will design their own flags and will compete against each other.  Decide whether this should be decided by the students or if they should be assigned groups by the teacher. 
  4. Assign each of the groups to a military unit.  Choose from the ones included in the link.  Note:  Women sometimes served in the war while disguised as men. 
  5. Choose what information to provide to the groups of students—whether it is just the information on their specific regiment or military unit, or if it is the information on all of them.  Distribute the information to the groups and ask them to read it. 
  6. Check for comprehension of the material read.  This may be done in a variety of ways.
    • Option 1:  Ahead of time, write down some questions for each group to answer on paper.
    • Option 2:  On the board, write down some questions for each group to answer on paper.
    • Option 3:  Ask questions aloud to the class or to specific groups while leading a class discussion on what was read.
    • Option 4:  Any combination of the above options.
  7. Tell students to design their own flag that they will carry in battle (Frisbee Golf).  The flag should include some representation of the information they learned about their unit. 
  8. Distribute flag-making materials.  If limited on time and supplies, the simple version is to give students some blank paper/card-stock/poster board and markers/crayons/colored pencils.  Canvas and dowels is another option.
  9. After flags are completed, have students share them and tell the reasons for their designs.
  10. Take students with their flags to the Frisbee Golf course.  The golf course can be simple or elaborate; the main consideration is room to play away from things that could get damaged (like cars!).  If trees are available, make signs with hole numbers to tack to the trees.  If trees are not available, other targets such as poster board at a certain spot could be used.  Also, give each hole a starting point from which to tee off.  This can be as simple as a line scratched in the dirt by a shoe. 
  11. How to play: 

Give each group a Frisbee and ask them to assign a color bearer.  The color bearer must hold the flag above their heads at all times.  If at anytime another unit sees that a color bearer is not holding the flag over his/her head, that color bearer is considered mortally wounded and must sit out the rest of the game.  Students may take turns being color bearers during the game as often as they choose.  The only requirement is that the flag should be preserved and displayed at all times, even during the switch.  (Make sure each Frisbee is different in some way to keep up with which group has which Frisbee.)   

Give each group a way of showing the letters A, B, C, and D.  This can be a covered shoebox with one letter on each side or pieces of paper/index cards with one letter written on each.

A teacher or assigned reader should read questions to the students.  The questions should be printed on colored paper or card-stock so students cannot see through to the answers.  Select the cards from the linked questions and mix them up ahead of time.  The correct answers are underlined.

Groups should pick someone to answer a question.  Ask the students who are up a question.  Students should show their answers all at an appointed time.  If a student answers incorrectly, that student’s group does not get a shot on the golf course for that question.  If a student answers correctly, he/she gets a chance on the course.  Students stand at the tee and shoot for the tree.  Each student with a correct answer gets two chances from the tee to hit the target.  If a target is not hit within those two chances, the Frisbee for the group should be placed at the tee for that same hole.  If a target is hit, the Frisbee is placed at the tee for the next hole. 

After everyone has taken their turns for the first question, each group selects a different student to answer the second question.  Play continues in the same manner as above for this question and for other questions until a group is the first to finish a course or until the teacher must call the game for the sake of time.


As a class, answer the essential question and ask students for their opinions on favorite things learned during the unit.


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