CIVIL WAR PERSPECTIVES LESSON PLAN 1 1. Title Primary Source Analysis: Causes of the Civil War 2. Overview Students will identify & differentiate between primary & secondary sources in order to understand their importance in understanding history. The class will then analyze various packets of primary source documents in order to formulate hypotheses about the causes of the Civil War and what elements may have contributed to the conflict. Students will share and discuss their thoughts & observations as a class in order to generate questions to guide learning throughout the unit. 3. Goal Students will analyze primary sources in order to make predictions about the causes of the Civil War. 4. Objectives • Identify & differentiate between primary & secondary sources. • Analyze primary source documents & draw conclusions about the causes of the Civil War. • Discuss predictions & generate questions to guide inquiry. 5. Investigative Question – On the completion of the lesson students will be able to answer this question: • What were the major causes of the Civil War? 6. Time Required (0-10) 2-3 class periods (90 - 120 min) 7. Recommended Grade Range Grades 7-8 7a. Differentiated Instruction • The use of visual aids (photographs & drawings) will aid struggling readers in their understanding of the content. • Use of the “Think, Pair, Share” method will allow students time to process information on their own and develop their thinking before sharing with their peers and the class as a whole. In this way, most students will be prepared to contribute to the class discussion with well-formulated thoughts & predictions. 8. Subject / Sub-Subject Social Studies 9. Common Core Standards CC. 6-8.R.H.1 – Key Ideas and Details: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. 10. Credits Aubrey Smith Daniel Wilk
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PREPARATION 11. Materials Used Primary or Secondary Source? worksheet “Mission Possible” manila envelopes (1 envelope for every 2-3 students) • 2 Abraham Lincoln packets • 2 John Brown packets • 2 Antebellum America packets • 2 State Rights packets “Mission Possible” Primary Source Analysis Worksheet KWL chart (butcher paper) 12. Resources Used See Appendix
PROCEDURE 13. Description of Procedure PART 1• Ask students: How do we learn about the past? How do we learn about historical figures? Wars? Ancient Civilizations? (Encourage students to think about where the information from expository articles and textbooks comes from.) • Write student responses on the board. (Possible responses: textbooks, pictures, interviews, paintings, letters, recordings, etc.) • Introduce vocabulary by writing Primary Source & Secondary Source on the board. o Tell students that a “Primary Source” is a first-hand account of an event. o A “Secondary Source” is a document that was created later, by someone who was not there. • Pass out “Primary or Secondary Source?” worksheet. • Have students work individually or in small groups identifying whether each example is a primary or secondary source. • As a class, have students share their responses. As students share, discuss why they chose each answer. What makes this a primary source/secondary source? Could this be both, depending on the context? PART 2• Create a KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) chart on a large piece of butcher paper at the front of the classroom. • Say: “Today we will be beginning our Civil War Unit. You will be looking at a collection of different primary sources in order to try to identify the major causes of this war.” • Ask students to share their existing knowledge about the Civil War. Write their responses under the “K” column of your KWL chart. • Pass out “Mission Possible” manila envelopes to groups of 2-3 students. • Pass out a “Mission Possible Primary Source Analysis Worksheet” to each student. • Ask students to take out the primary sources within the envelope & spread them out. • Say: “As you look through your set of documents, see if you can start piecing together clues. What is the setting? When were these documents created? Who is pictured? What details do you notice in the text and pictures?”
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Think, Pair, Share: Give students 10 – 15 minutes to silently look through the primary sources individually and write down their observations on their worksheets. (As students are examining the documents, the teacher may want to circulate the room asking leading questions in order to guide student analysis.) Next, give students 5-10 minutes to share their observations with their small group. As they share, encourage students to write down any new observations or questions on their worksheet. Finally, bring the class together to share their observations. Because each group will have analyzed different documents, ask groups to briefly present their packet & share their observations (If possible, make overhead transparencies of documents for the class to observe while each group is sharing.) As each group shares, ask students to identify the cause that is being highlighted in their packets. What do you think was going on? What events are being depicted? How might this have contributed to the conflict? Guide students towards the following big ideas: the election of Lincoln, slavery, state rights vs. federal power.
PART 3• As a class, return to the KWL chart that was constructed at the beginning of the lesson. Ask students to share any questions that have developed as a result of this activity. Encourage them to share anything they are curious or confused about. These questions will help to build motivation & guide inquiry throughout the unit.
The Inquiry Cycle: Connect - Students connect new insights to self or previous knowledge; gain background and context; observe, experience Wonder - Students develop questions and create hypotheses or predictions Investigate - Find and evaluate information to answer questions; test hypotheses; think about information to illuminate new questions and hypotheses Construct - Construct new understandings connected to previous knowledge; draw conclusions about questions and hypotheses Express - Apply understandings to a new context, new situation; express new ideas to share learning with others Reflect - Reflect on own learning; ask new questions
EVALUATION 14. Evaluation • Primary or Secondary Source? worksheet • “Mission Possible” Primary Source Analysis Worksheet • Small group & class discussion • KWL chart
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Title: Abraham Lincoln, head-‐and-‐shoulders portrait, facing slightly left, taken in Pittsfield, Illinois, two weeks before the final Lincoln-‐Douglas debate in Lincoln's unsuccessful bid for the Senate, October 1, 1858 URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98504517/ Creator: Jackson, Calvin, fl. 1858-‐1882, photographer Date: [printed between 1900 and 1911] Title: President elect, Abraham Lincoln Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, President Elect of the United States of America, with scenes and incidents in his life -‐-‐ phot. by P. Butler, Springfield, Ill. URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003674537/ Creator: photo. by P. Butler, Springfield, Ill. Date: 1861 March 9. Title: Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln -‐ March 4, 1861 URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/00652340/ Creator: Unknown Date: [1861, c1935]
Title: The first flag of independence raised in the South, by the citizens of Savannah, Ga. November 8th, 1860 / drawn by Henry Cleenewerck, Savannah, Ga. ; lithographed by R.H. Howell, Savannah, Ga. URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004665374/ Creator: Howell, R. H., lithographer Date: [Savannah, Ga. : s.n., 1860]
Title: State rights & nullification ticket. For State convention. Samuel E. Nelson. Thomas G. M'Fadden. John L. Felder. URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28rbpe+17204400%29%29 Creator: Unknown Date: 1832 Title: Charleston Mercury Extra: Passed unanimously at 1.15 o'clock, P. M. December 20th, 1860. An Ordinance. URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/scsmbib:@field(DOCID+@lit(scum000241)) Creator: Charleston Mercury Date: December 20, 1860 Title: Reynolds's Political Map of the United States . . . . URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/aaodyssey:@field(NUMBER+@band(aaohtml+0320)) Creator: New York: Wm. C. Reynolds, Date: 1856. Title: A bill of rights as provided in the ten original amendments to the constitution of the United States in force December 15, 1791. URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+24404400)) Creator: Unknown Date: 1950
Title: Uncle Tom's cabin URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/var1994001226/PP/ Creator: Courier Litho. Co., Date: Buffalo, N.Y. : Courier Litho. Co., c1899. Title: Cotton is King! URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-‐ bin/query/r?ammem/cwnyhs:@field%28DOCID+@lit%28aj14016%29%29 Creator: Stimson & Co. Date: Unknown Title: Picking cotton in Georgia URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007662067/ Creator: F.E. Lee Co. , copyright claimant Date: c1917. Title: The First cotton-‐gin / drawn by William L. Sheppard. URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/91784966/ Creator: Illus. in: Harper's weekly, 1869 Dec. 18, p. 813. Date: 1869 Dec. 18.
Title: Front page of Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper with picture of John Brown URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007683549/ Creator: Lawrence, Martin M., 1808-‐1859 , photographer Date: 1859 Title: Address of John Brown to the Virginia Court, when about to receive the sentence of death, for his heroic attempt at Harper's Ferry to give deliverance to the captives, and to let the oppressed go free ... Boston. Printed by C. C. Mead, 91 Washin Date: http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+06500500)) Creator: Printed by C. C. Mead, 91 Washin Date: Boston, 1859. Title: Harper's Ferry insurrection -‐ Interior of the Engine-‐House, just before the gate is broken down by the storming party -‐ Col. Washington and his associates as captives, held by Brown as hostages URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002735881/ Creator: Unknown Date: 1859. Title: John Brown, head-‐and-‐shoulders portrait, facing slightly right URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004669218/ Creator: Unknown Date: c1898 June 12.
