Civil war lesson plan

Social Studies Lesson Plan – Civil War Introduction Louise Searle Time allotted: 60 minutes Objectives: -Students will be able to identify key causes of the American Civil War (standard VS.7a) -Students will be able to compare the economies and cultures of the Northern and Southern States before the War (standard VS.7a).

- Students will be able to compare the Revolutionary War and American Civil War. Materials: Small slips of paper or post-its, Smartboard, Brainpop access, Social Studies notebooks or loose-leaf paper, “Comparing Cultures and Economies” chart handouts for each student, paper and colored pencils for drawing.

Intro: Pass out slips of paper and ask students to write down what their very favorite thing to do is – the thing that makes them most happy. Collect these and read a few aloud. Now ask students to imagine that someone wanted to take that thing away from them. Ask how might it feel if they could never have the opportunity to do that favorite thing again. Ask a few to share (or collect and read them aloud) and record on Smartboard.

Explain: The Civil War was a time when many felt that they were losing their entire way of life, while others were fighting for opportunities that they never had.

Ask: Why did we fight the Civil War? Tell them to watch for this question in the video.

Watch Brainpop’s “Causes of the Civil War” video and ask students to answer the above question in SS notebook (or on loose-leaf paper) as they watch.

Discuss: Ask students, “What was the main cause of the Civil War?” Take a few answers and ask for a show of hands for who agrees with the two likely answers (“states’ rights” and “slavery”). Re-iterate the video’s point that historians still do not agree on one cause, and it may have been both. Remind them that we will meet several historians on our field trip and it may be interesting to find out what they think!

Activities: -Pass out “Comparing Economies” chart to each student, ask them to cut at place in their SS journal.

- Read over the information on the chart. Ask for key differences and suggestions as to how you might illustrate the information. Record on Smartboard.

- Discuss: How might the issues of states’ rights and slavery be related?

- Assign partners, then assign each pair to Northern or Southern States. Instruct partners to illustrate the pre-war states, making sure that the illustration includes representations from all four categories on the chart. Encourage pairs to brainstorm (using words or sketches) before beginning their final product.

- Allow 15-20 minutes, then ask a few partners to share, time allowing.

Read aloud: “…If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War,” pages 25-29.

Tell students we will get a glimpse of this (everyday life in wartime) tomorrow on the field trip, as well as part of soldiers’ wartime experiences.

Closure/Connection to Prior Learning: Comparing and Contrasting with Revolutionary War: -View “Civil War” video on Brainpop (5 minutes), asking students to take notes on their whiteboards while they watch of similarities and differences between this war and the Revolutionary War. - Share notes and take class notes (on Smartboard), which students record in SS notebook. Remind them that column notes or Venn diagrams are both great ways to record this type of information.

(Key points to include are causes of war, outcome of war, technology, time period, length of war, location, and parties involved)