District 11 Educational Support Services
Social Studies


Grade 8, Quarter 4: The Civil War 
Duration @ 20 days

Overview                                                                         
View the Video Introduction. The Civil War divided this nation as no other ever has. What were the causes of the war? Every event throughout history has a cause/effect relationship. The Civil War is no different. What cause/effect relationships occurred in the actual battles? Why were certain battles fought in certain places? How did geography influence this? What new technologies came about during the Civil War? What were the major outcomes and the changes that followed the North's victory and the South's defeat? Also, how did we go about putting the nation back together after the War? In this unit you will conclude the year by analyzing these questions and others that will help you understand the growth of the United States.
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Standards

Enduring Understandings - important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.

  • People and events are organized chronologically to increase understanding of historical relationships.
  • Resources impact interactions between humans and their environment.
  • Technological developments have impacted individuals and societies throughout history.
  • Societies are diverse and change over time.

Essential Questions - most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.

  • Why were major battles fought in certain places at certain times? What cause/effect relationships are apparent?
  • How did places and environments influence the battles of the war?
  • Which change in science, technology, or economic activity had the greatest impact on the war?
  • How did cultural elements in North, South and West change from pre-war to post Civil War?

Standards
History 1: Organize events and people in chronological order and use this data to determine cause/effect relationships.
Geography 5: Explain how humans modify the environment and how the environment influences human activity.
History 4: Identify and explain changes in technology and evaluate their impact on historical events.
History 3: Describe basic cultural elements (traditions, customs, religion, language, government), compare and contrast societies, and explain how they changed over time.

Lessons

Lesson 1: The Causes of War 
 
Duration: 2 class periods

Standard: Standard H1 Students understand the chronological organization of history and know how to organize events and people into major ears to identify and explain historical relationships.

District Indicator: Organize events and people in chronological order and use this data to determine cause/effect relationships.

Enduring Understanding: People and events are organized chronologically to increase understanding of historical relationships.
Essential Questions: Why did Americans choose to go to war? What issues impacted the decision?
Assessment: Respond to questions based on the battle chart, e.g. which battles were fought in the North? Why? Which battles caused the most casualties and what difference did this make? What cause/effect relationships can you identify?

Activities

  1. Determine how media of the time (printed publications) influenced the conflict.
     Uncle Tom's Cabin: Politics and the Pen (3:02) Discuss the different forms of media today and how those media impact public opinion.

  2. Compare and contrast the African American's involvement in the war, both Northern and Southern
     Video: Life on Southern Plantations (3:17) 

  3. Determine how people tried to resolve the conflict without going to war.
     Video: Riding the Underground Railroad (3:46) Explore the Scholastic Interactive site on The Underground Railroad: Escape From Slavery. Review the Rand McNally Map of Underground Railroad.
    Literacy Connection: Write a Realistic Fiction account of the experience of a typical slave escaping by way of the underground railroad. Respond to the writing prompts in     Tell the Story and print your final copy.

  4. How did Americans differing views of right and wrong impact the war? Listen to the Authentic History Center's Song: Battle Hymn of the Republic, published in 1863 by the Supervisory Committee for Recruiting Colored Regiments in Philadelphia. See how religion played a major part in defining the purpose of the war; to stamp out evil and liberate all men.

  5. Analyze the different perspectives people brought to the issue of slavery by participating in the Understanding Slavery Simulation.

  6. Narratives of Ex-slaves - listen to the audio narratives of primary source documentation

  7. List events from the previous activities in chronological order and describe cause and effect relationships among them.

Resources
History Alive! Chapter 21,Creating America Chapter 16 and 17; The American Republic
Chapter 16 

Differentiation
Support:  Provide a list of events for students to place in correct chronological order.
Extension: Compare and contrast the issues that led to Civil War with current differences of opinion in current times.

Lesson 2: The Battles
 
Duration: 3 class periods

Standard: Standard H1 Students understand the chronological organization of history and know how to organize events and people into major ears to identify and explain historical relationships.

District Indicator: Organize events and people in chronological order and use this data to determine cause/effect relationships.

Enduring Understanding: People and events are organized chronologically to increase understanding of historical relationships.
Essential Questions: Why were major battles fought in certain places at certain times? What cause/effect relationships are apparent?
Assessment: Respond to questions based on the battle chart, e.g. which battles were fought in the North? Why? Which battles caused the most casualties and what difference did this make? What cause/effect relationships can you identify?

Activities

  1. View the Rand McNally Secession Map to become familiar with how the states divided.

  2. View the Sherman's March Interactive Map and discover how the Union Army's Supreme Commander, Ulysses S. Grant, and General William T. Sherman marched across the South trying to end the rebellion and bring the South back into the Union. Have students identify 5 important events that occurred during the March and explain why they were important.

  3. Develop a Battle Chart - battle, date fought, location, leaders, casualties, and outcome/results.

  4. Construct a model of a battle site; Role play battle simulations.

  5. Analyze events in journals and diaries that describe the major battles.

Resources
History Alive! Chapter 21,Creating America Chapter 16 and 17; The American Republic Chapter 16;
Video: Episode 5: Universe of Battle 1863 (1990) 95 minutes; item# 26063
Video: Glory (1989) 122 minutes, item# 26693
http://www.americancivilwar.com/  includes information on battles and leaders 
USA in Civil War Website
Gettysburg: the Deadliest Battle of the Civil War Video (3:04) by Safari Montage

Differentiation
Support: provide students with a worksheet and word list and/or a partially completed chart.
Extension: research weapon and/or medical systems that supported the soldiers in these battles. Make battlefield models.

Lesson 3: The Influence of Geography on the Civil War

Duration: 5 class periods

Standard information 5:  Students understand the effects of interactions between human and physical systems and changes in meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.

District Indicator: Explain how humans modify the environment and how the environment influences human activity.

Enduring Understanding: Resources impact interactions between humans and their environment.
Essential Questions: How did places and environments influence the battles of the war? 
Assessment: Draw a Venn Diagram to show the effects of geography on two selected battles of the American Civil War.

Activities

  1. Choose two or more battles and describe the effects of geography on the battles.

  2. Use the Civil War Projects Website and have students click on a battle, then the “scientist” role.

Resources
History Alive chapter 21; Creating America Chapter 16 and 17; The American Republic Chapter 16
Video: Episode 5: Universe of battle 1863 (1990) 95 minutes; item# 26063
Civil War Projects Website

Differentiation
Support: provide students with a worksheet and word list to complete questions on geography of areas in which battles were fought.
Extension: Make battlefield models that include geographic features.

Lesson 4: Technology and the Civil War

Duration: 5 class periods

Standard information #:  Standard H4 Students understand how science, technology, and economic activity have developed, changed, and affected societies throughout history.

District Indicator: Identify and explain changes in technology and evaluate their impact on historical events.

Enduring Understanding: Technological developments have impacted individuals and societies throughout history.
Essential Questions: Which change in science, technology, or economic activity had the greatest impact on the war? How?
Assessment: Respond to the essential question.

Activities
Describe and evaluate the impact of the changes in technology that occurred during the Civil War era: muskets to rifles, introduction of ironclads, rifled cannon, trench warfare, medical advances, telegraph, railroads, and observation balloons.

Resources
History Alive chapter 21;Creating America Chapter 16 and 17; The American Republic Chapter 16
Civil War Weapons: Weapons and Artillery   Navy, Ironclad Ships, and Blockade Runners   Civil War Railroads  War on Horseback 
Other War Technology:
Engineering and the Civil War
The Civil War Military Telegraph Service
The Balloons With The Army Of The Potomac

Differentiation
Support: provide a list of all advances and categorize as scientific, technological or economical.
Extension: Which activity had the least impact on the war? Why?

Lesson 5: Reconstruction

Duration: 5 class periods

Standard information H3:  Students understand how that societies are diverse and change over time.
 
District Indicator: Describe basic cultural elements (traditions, customs, religion, language, government), compare and contrast societies, and explain how they changed over time.

Enduring Understanding: Societies are diverse and change over time.
Essential Questions: How did cultural elements in North, South and West change from pre-war to post Civil War?
Assessment: Develop a "T" chart of Northern and Southern changes in society. Decide which were the most important changes in the North? The South? Provide reasons for the responses.

Activities

  1. Explain changes in Northern/Southern traditions and customs including the end of slave economy, religion (role of the church in Reconstruction), language (new terminology, carpetbagger, scalawag), role of government in Reconstruction, and the KKK.

  2. Literacy Connection: Choose a person involved in Reconstruction and write a persuasive letter from that person's point of view to a member of the KKK to persuade that person to change his vies.  Choices include an educated freedman, carpetbagger, former Confederate soldier, former Union soldier, Northern factory worker, Southern sharecropper, member of Congress. Use the Grade 8 Writing Rubric as a guide when composing your letter.

Resources
History Alive! chapter 21; Creating America Chapter 18; The American Republic Chapter 17; Video: A Nation In Conflict (1998) 18 minutes, item# 91035;Video: Reconstruction and Segregation (1996) 35 minutes, item# 93040; Video: Found Voices: The Slave Narratives (1999) 22 minutes, item# 92338
Letters, Telegrams, and Photographs Illustrating Factors that Affected the Civil War
Civil War Primary Source Documents, Artifacts and Photographs
1930 Recording of the Written Copy of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Differentiation
Support: provide a partially completed T chart along with word list for students to use.
Extension: research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation for class on either changes to the West

 

 

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