Lesson: The Civil War Ropes, 2015 Two – Three Day Lesson Plan
STANDARDS
SS 4.4.1.d Examine the chronology of historical events in Nebraska and their impact on the past, present, and future.
SS 4.4.2.a Describe and explain the relationships among historical people, events…over time using multiple types of sources. (Historical documents, art)
SS 4.4.2.b Describe how Nebraska and the Great Plains Region have changed over the course of time using documents, e.g. impact of Civil War.
SS 4.4.2.c Differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (Letters, photos, poster)
SS 4.4.3 Students will describe and explain multiple perspectives of historical events.
SS 4.4.3.b Compare and contrast primary and secondary sources to better understand multiple perspectives of the same event; (Military recruiting)
SS 4.4.4.e Describe the relationships among historical events in Nebraska and the students’ lives today (African American slavery and freedom)
SS 4.4.5 Students will develop historical research skills (Examining original hist. docs.)
SS 4.4.5.b Identify, obtain, and cite appropriate sources for research about Nebraska, incorporating primary and secondary sources.
Reading Instruction Methods: Vocabulary, Think Aloud throughout, Summary, note taking.
Bell Work Today: Read page 150, 159-160 about the Civil War in Nebraska Adventure. Get out SS notebook, highlighter, pencil. Date new page and copy guiding question and objective.
Guiding Question: How did the Civil War affect different groups of Americans?
Objective: I will be able to compare and contrast different reactions to the Civil War by being a history detective.
Teacher Background for Nebraska (if desired)
Background on the Kansas-Nebraska Act from the Library of Congress
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/kansas.html
While the Hendricks’ letters are from an Iowa family, and the poster from New Jersey, the lesson reflects Union soldier family thoughts using original historical documents.
Resources:
Copied page for each student includes:
· William H. Hendrick’s letters of January 24th and April 24th, 1865 (Modified)
· Undated Photo of William R. Hendricks
· $438 Cash in Hand, Enlistment Poster (Modified)
· Samuel Cabble, undated enlistment letter, (Modified)
· Vocabulary list
US Map on the wall
Highlighters / pencils / Social Studies Notebook
Anticipatory:
Tell me a few things you know about slavery in the United States before the Civil War.
The United States was basically divided in half during the war. What big issue were citizens willing to fight one another about? (Slavery) There were two sides in this war. One represented the North and was anti-slavery. The Southerners wanted to keep slavery and the agricultural labor they provided. Which side was called the Union and which the Confederates?
Hendricks Letters
Procedure: Move to groups of 4. Tallest get the highlighters.
Today we are going to read parts of two letters that my William H. Hendricks wrote to his son, William R. Hendricks, who was serving in the Union Army in 1865. We will also read a letter written by a former slave to his wife and examine two posters asking people to join the Army. When I hand the documents out, I want you to look at both sides and find dates linked with the items.
Model: (think aloud throughout)
Even before I begin reading the paragraphs, I am going to look at all of the documents and highlight some things. (Elmo) Good readers need to understand what they are reading and a bit about the times in which older selections were written or produced. I noticed that some words are underlined. As I scan the page I notice that there is a vocabulary box.
· Highlight the bold word, “Vocabulary.”
· I’ll say the vocabulary word and break it into syllables / segmented.
· Now I’ll say the vocabulary word and you read the definition.
· Now lets do this list all together:
· Drafted (Segmented) Demanded by the government to serve in the military
Good readers need to know who wrote the piece and when in history it was written.
Find the word Source for each document and then highlight it. Who remembers what sources tell us?
· Shared response
Good readers also have to understand a bit of the history when events were taking place or documents were being produced. Find the Historical Background for each item and highlight that title.
We are finished highlighting until we have read and examined our documents at least once. Let’s take about 5 minutes to read the letters from the father, William H. Hendricks. As you make your way through, please refer to the vocabulary box when you get to the underlined words. After you read both selections, I will read aloud and together we will make sure we understand the meaning.
Individual Reading
Take slower readers to back table and read aloud. Then back to the groups.
Model
I want to make sure that we are all together. We will not highlight until our next reading.
· Read January 24, 1865 letter aloud; insert vocabulary meaning, expanding as necessary.
· Depending on your class, and the insight of the students, you might want to note that the family was putting a great deal of faith and prayer toward their son’s safe return but also acknowledging the facts that he may die. The family was a very active church family but not very unusual for their time. Much of Nebraska’s community life centered on church life back then.
Guided (About 5 minutes)
In your groups, I want you to discuss two things that you believe are important in this letter. It can be about facts, feelings, or something that you have inferred. Please use evidence from the document to support your opinions. Each person must take a turn.
Share
I’d like you now to choose a spokesperson from your group who will share one fact, feeling, or inference you all think is important. (Group decisions, discussion, then share in classroom.)
Model
Now we are going to highlight the most important words in this letter. I’d like to you follow as I model this. The next letter we read, you will have the discussion as you just did but then you will independently highlight that one.
· Highlight / Review by reading all highlighted words (caveman talk)
Independent
Please quickly re-read the letter written a few months later on April 24, 1865.
Guided
· Was there a red light (unknown word) word for anyone that I need to clarify before we continue?
· I am going to read this letter aloud and make sure we understand the meaning as we go.
Independent
Uncork your highlighters. Remember, you are highlighting the fewest words that will give you the greatest understanding.
· Take slow learners to back table to guide their highlighting.
Model
Keep your highlighters uncorked as I put the letter under the Elmo and model my selections for you. Remember, we don’t have to match exactly but we should be quite close in our selections.
Share then Guide
Who would like to share one fact, opinion, or inference they think is important for us to know from this letter?
In your groups, each person takes a turn to show the evidence from the selection and tell your partners why you think this it is important.
Independent
In your social studies notebook, please write down your thoughts about what you have read in these two letters.
Enlistment Poster with Bonus Money
Either continue or use the next portion as Anticipatory for the next lesson.
Share
Why was Mr. Hendricks concerned for his son? The Civil War was a brutal war with more American lives lost than in World War I and World War II combined. It was horrific. Many, many died from diseases rather than bullets. Families were in terrible conditions because the men were gone and so was the money. Understanding this, I now want you to look at the Document C poster. Examine it. Read the selection in the box.
· I’m going to ask questions and I want your group to find or discuss the answers.
· What is the purpose of this poster? (Enlistment)
· What state has published this for their citizens? (Pennsylvania)
· Why would they be offering this bounty of $100 to people? (Attract people)
· What impression do you get when you read the banner? (patriotism)
I’d like you to share thoughts from your table groups with the rest of the class as I read those questions again. (Repeat with class-wide participation filling in more information.)
· Purpose: More than 620,000 men died in the Civil War. The bloodiest battle of all was the battle at Gettysburg where nearly 52,000 men were killed, wounded or missing in action. (That means that no one knows what happened to the person.) Because of men dying, healthy men were needed to take their place.
· If you knew thousands of people were dying, what might make you enlist anyway? Bounty / bonus – huge amount of money back then (find ratio to today) Also, many Americans had a large sense of duty to the country and their beliefs.
· If you made your poster sound like a vacation camp with hunting and fishing, do you think you might be more enticed to enlist rather than someone telling you that you might die by bullets or sickness?
· Point out Pennsylvania on current U.S. map
Anticipatory
I want to remind you that we are history detectives and we have to remember that words and terms change through time. Remember that not long ago there wasn’t anything people would talk on called a cell. A cell was what living things were made of. One looked in a microscope to see cells. Now we talk on phones that we call cell phones or cells. Word meanings change.
Model
I’m going to read the first couple of lines with you. Then you will finish reading.
· Please put your attention on the letter written by Samuel Cabble. Read the historical background. There isn’t a vocabulary box for this document.
· He was a slave but his master / owner gave permission for him to enlist.
Independent
· Good history detectives work their way through the document without marking first. Please note that spelling and punctuation or lack of it is shown exactly how Mr. Cabble wrote it long ago in the 1860’s.
· Read first couple of lines aloud. You finish reading independently. If you finish before I’m ready to lead us again, please read a second time thinking what you will highlight when we get to that.
· Take slow group to back. (Time)
· Back to table groups.
Model / Share / Guide / Independent (Questions to self and highlighting)
· Read Mr. Cabble’s letter to his wife.
· I’m asking myself questions as I’m reading. Is he happy about enlisting?
· Does he see an opportunity rather than a horrific experience? (Yes)
· What evidence supports that? (Getting wife out of slavery as well as himself.)
· Finish and discuss
· Now we are going to highlight what we feel is important. I’ll help you get started in the first sentence. After a few minutes, we will see how we compare with one another. (Time) (Lower kids do with guidance only.)
Come back together with our attention up here. Let’s review.
Share
With your table partners, share something you think is more important now than you did when you first read the letter. (Time)
Open up your social studies notebook and re-read your guiding question and objective.
Guiding Question: How did the Civil War affect different groups of Americans?
Objective: I will be able to compare and contrast different reactions to the Civil War by being a history detective.
In your social studies notebook, I want you to answer how the Civil War affected different groups by comparing the different points of view as you understand them. Use your evidence. Read the objective out loud with me. {above} Now think: What were two of my William H. Hendrick’s greatest concerns about the Civil War? What was the bounty poster’s message? Use inference skills and evidence and explain why Mr. Cabble saw opportunity in the Civil War? You may write sentences, create a web, or a triple VENN diagram. (TIME)
Hand in for formative assessment.
Rubric for Proficiency Level
Clearly answer guiding question. How did the Civil War affect different groups of Americans?
6 Opinions and facts obtained from evidence.
Inference is logical and backed by evidence in one or more documents.
Graphic organizer or written work is understandable, well thought out, with reference to Hendricks, enlistment poster goals, and the African American opportunities offered versus slavery.
Nebraska’s Role in the Civil War – Capitol Tour http://nebraskavirtualcapitol.org/
Choose the best art in the capitol building to depict African American life / Civil War / Faith. Examples might include Lincoln on the North Façade or the painting “Public Service” in the Memorial Chamber.
Summary
Model
Here is a bit more information about the African Americans involved in the Civil War.
Samuel Cabble lived and went to Missouri where he was reunited with his wife. Together they moved to Denver, Colorado.