PAIDEIA SEMINAR LESSON PLAN:

Text: “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe

Grade / Subject: HS / Social Studies (American History)

Ideas, Values: Glory, God, History, War & Peace, Wrath

Pre-Seminar Content

Launch Activity:

Ask participants to take part in the following “Opinion Corners” activity:

1.Post signs in the four corners of the classroom: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.

2.Write on the board the following quote: “It is proper for soldiers in an army to pray that the enemy be destroyed.”

3.Have participants move to the corner that reflects their response to this statement.

4.Give participants three to five minutes to discuss in their corners why they chose that response. Have each group select a spokesperson to share their ideas.

5.Each spokesperson in turn summarizes that group’s thinking.

6.Allow participants to rethink their position and change corners if appropriate. Discuss with the entire group their reason for doing so.

Inspectional read:

Have students examine the text without reading it. Have them list the interesting elements that they see, including: the various stanzas in the song and the chorus. Discuss the meaning of the following terms from the title: hymn and republic. Number the stanzas 1-5. Listen to a recording of the song sung by a choir.

Read the entire song aloud slowly, while students follow on their own copies of the text. As you come to a word or phrase that is unfamiliar, the students should raise their hands and identify the unknown vocabulary (including: vintage, wrath, altar, burnish, jubilant, transfigure). The unfamiliar words and phrases should be added to a list on the board for vocabulary study.

Background:

Early in the American Civil War, Julia Ward Howe heard Union troops singing “John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,” a tune that memorialized the abolitionist martyr John Brown. She made use of the same tune for her extremely popular song, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which was sung by both Union and Confederate troops for the rest of the war. It became so important in the North, that President Abraham Lincoln requested that it be sung at all public events.

Vocabulary Development:

Assign all the unknown words to teams of students to define in the context of the song. Working together as a class, create a version of the text with footnoted definitions to be used during the Analytical Reading, Seminar Discussion, and Writing Process.

Analytical read:

Sing the song aloud as a class. Divide the class into five groups and assign one stanza to each group. Have them engage in simultaneous “mini-seminars” on the five stanzas in which they discuss the meaning of the assigned stanza and summarize it in writing. Then have them “jig-saw” into Sharing Groups of five individuals each. In the Sharing Groups, have the students summarize each stanza in turn in their groups. Discuss how the Battle Hymn should be sung based on its meaning. Sing the song again as a whole class.
Pre-Seminar Process

Define and state purpose for Paideia Seminar.

Describe the responsibilities of facilitator and participants.

Have participants set a Personal Goal.

Agree on a Group Goal.

Seminar Questions

Opening (Identify main ideas from the text.):

What is the most striking image in this song? (round-robin response)

What makes this image/metaphor so powerful? (spontaneous discussion)

Core (Analyze textual details.):

Reread these lines from the third stanza: “Let the Hero born of woman / crush the serpent with this heel.” What do you think these words mean?

How do you think the Confederate troops would interpret them? The union troops?

Why do you think President Lincoln consistently requested this song be sung at public functions in the North?

How would you describe the tune of the song? (List the adjectives on the board.) What about the tune might explain the song’s power?

Why do you think this song was so popular with both the Union and Confederate armies?

Closing (Personalize and apply the textual ideas.):

Julia Ward Howe originally sold the lyrics to this song to the Atlantic Monthly for four dollars and yet it has become one of the best known songs in the English-speaking world. Why do you think it has lasted for 150 years?

Post-Seminar Process

Have participants do a written self-assessment of their personal participation goal.

Do a group assessment of the social and intellectual goals of seminar.

Note reminders for next seminar.

Post-Seminar Content

Transition to Writing:

As a class, brainstorm what information would most need to go into an Introduction to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” for high school students. Emphasize that the goal of the Introduction is for fellow students to understand and appreciate the song. Draft the introduction (while taking suggestions from the class) using an overhead projector or LDC projector. Share the finished product with students.

Writing Task:

After reading and discussing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” work in teams to write introductions for high school students to at least five important Civil War songs. Refer to the songs in detail in the appropriate introductions.

(Informational or Explanatory/ Description)

(LDC Task #: 14)

Brainstorm:

Invite participants to talk in teams for two minutes to share thoughts about what the writing task is asking and how they might respond based on their reading/discussion/collaboration on “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Assign the five plus songs to the various teams.

Structuring the Writing:

Work with the entire class to discuss a common format and structure for each of the song introductions. Post the consensus structure on the board. (Revise the Intro to “The Battle Hymn” as necessary.)

First Draft:

Allow sufficient library and/or internet research time for the teams to fill out an information sheet on each of their assigned songs. Have the teams compose a first draft of their introductions for review.

Collaborative Revision:

Jigsaw the members of the various research/writing teams to read their draft introductions aloud to at least one member of another team. . Listener says back one point they heard clearly and asks one question for clarification. Switch roles. Give time for full revisions resulting in a second draft.

Edit:

Once the second draft if complete, have participants work in groups of three-four and this time take turns reading each other’s second drafts slowly and silently, marking any spelling or grammar errors they find. (Have dictionaries and grammar handbooks available for reference.) Take this opportunity to clarify/reteach any specific grammar strategies you have identified as a need. Give time for full revisions resulting in a third and final draft.

Publish:

As a class, publish online a Civil War songbook with introductions along with the texts of the various songs (or links to same) for students in high school history classes. Print a paper version to use as a resource in your own classroom.

This Paideia Lesson Plan was created by:

Name: Terry Roberts

Organization: National Paideia Center

“The Battle Hymn of the Republic”

(Glory, God, History, War & Peace, Wrath)

Julia Ward Howe

Mine eyes have seen the glory

of the coming of the lord,

He is trampling out the vintage

where the grapes of wrath are stored,

He hath loosed his fateful lightning

of His terrible swift sword,

His truth is marching on

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on

I have seen Him in the watch fires

of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar

in the evening dews and damps,

I can read his righteous sentence

in the dim and daring lamps,

His day is marching on

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on

I have read a fiery Gospel

writ in burnished rows of steel,

"As ye deal with Mycontemners

so with you My grace shall deal,"

Let the Hero born of woman

crush the serpent with His heel,

Since God is marching on

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on

He has sounded forth the trumpet

that shall never call retreat,

He is sitting out the hearts of men

before His judgment seat,

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him!

Be jubilant, my feet,

Our God is marching on

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah

Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on

( )

National Paideia Center, 20151