The Civil War Full Unit Bundle Engaging Student Centered Activities

The Civil War - 7 separate lessons including a simulation that takes students through the full Civil War, a fun escape room, full Unit review, and critical thinking assessment! 

☆☆☆Engaging, student-centered, and make for the middle school mind!☆☆☆

Lessons Included: 

★ Civil War Word Wall - Help your students build and retain key vocabulary terms with a visually appealing word wall. This resource includes 38 word wall terms related to the Civil War and a review puzzle to support your students' learning.

★ Strengths and Weaknesses Stations Activity The Civil War Gallery Walk - This lesson is a creative approach to a simple topic - Strengths and Weaknesses of the North (Union) and South (Confederacy) during the Civil War. It includes a 1-page historical background handout that introduces the Anaconda Plan and the attack on Fort Sumter. Once the students are aware of the background information, they will investigate the Confederacy and the Union by examining five sources. Although some of the sources provide direct information others require the students to use their decoding and inferencing skills. 

★ The Gettysburg Address Close Reading Activity The Civil War - This lesson breaks down the timeless words of the Gettysburg Address into an easy format for students. The students will close read the text, decipher the vocabulary, and then connect Lincoln's words to the past, present, and future of the United States. 

★ Technology During the Civil War - When studying the Civil War, this is one of the most commonly requested topics from my students. They love hearing details about the new technology and weaponry, and how it impacted the course of the war. This lesson has students view a series of videos that discuss various topics relating to new technology - small arms, naval technology, the telegraph, and railroads. Each of these videos is available for free. I've included a 2-page graphic organizer for students to complete with an answer key for teachers. 

★ The NYC Draft Riots - The lesson explores the cause of the NYC Draft Riots during the Civil War. This lesson involves three steps. For the first part, the students will look at a series of clues that lead them to believe that African Americans were the only victims of the draft riots. Then, they'll look at the second series of clues that complicate that picture, and causes them to blame the Irish. Then, they'll look at a reading that describes the history of the Irish in NYC. For an exit ticket, they'll have to bring it all together, to determine who ultimately should be blamed. 

★ Civil War Simulation - Students write the story of a Civil War Soldier! - This is a Google Slides interactive experience that guides students through the major battles of the Civil War. Students follow a soldier's journey to each of the major battles and write a third-person narrative about the soldier's experience from the perspective of a "junior historian" with the National Parks Service.

★ The Civil War Escape Room! - Track Down a Confederate Spy! - The students will solve four clues (using their historical thinking skills) that lead them to find a real Civil War Confederate spy (Rose Greenhow). All of the clues are editable, so you can revise and make this perfect for your own classroom. This lesson has students practice decoding skills, close reading, and point of view. This lesson fits perfectly with a Unit about the Civil War, and it's great as an end-of-the-year activity. There are no breakout boxes or locks required, just some big envelopes!

★ African American Soldiers in the Civil War - Students create Pennants to recognize their heroism! - This product includes a 2-page background reading about Black Soldiers in the Civil War, 4 pennant templates for students, and full directions. The directions list 28 possible individuals to research and a simple 5 point rubric for grading. The list includes mostly men, however, I had to add a few women. Although they could not participate officially, they still have amazing stories of involvement. Students will need access to the internet to research these stories, however, many websites are readily available. 

★ Review and Assessment for the Civil War Unit - This purchase includes two different versions of an assessment for the 6 lessons in my Civil War unit and a review worksheet for the entire unit. The assessments are specifically tailored to match the lessons. I do standards-based grading, and I allow students to redo tests. Therefore, one of the tests is given as the original, and the second test is given as a “redo.”  These assessments do require the students to have some knowledge of historical skills. The skills are then referred to and reviewed on the review sheet.

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