Introduction to the Civil War
I.
Purpose
The first day of the unit will start off with the students learning about Abraham
Lincoln’s election in 1860 that led to conflict between the northern and southern states.
Additionally, they will learn about the traits of the Union and the Confederacy that
differentiate them.
SOL VS. 7 - The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided
our nation and led to the Civil War by
a.) identifying the events and differences between the northern and southern
states that divided Virginians and led to secession, war, and the creation of West
Virginia;
b.) describing Virginia’s role in the war, including identifying major battles that
took place in Virginia;
c.) describing the roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans, free
African Americans, and American Indians
II.
Objective
Using their class notes,​
TSWBAT identify Northern and Southern states on a map and
​
distinguish their characteristics with 90% accuracy.
III.
●
●
●
●
●
Procedure
Introduction The teacher will say “Class, I would like you to join me at the back carpet for a
read aloud”.
Have the students share what they have learned about Abraham Lincoln in
previous grades. Create a brainstorm organizer on the whiteboard and record
their responses. (A)
Be sure to note the years he was president/that he was president during the Civil
War.
○ Has anyone heard of the Civil War?
■ 1861-65
■ Fought because of differences between the Northern states and the
Southern states.
■ Abe Lincoln sided with the Northern states.
The teacher will introduce ​
Abe’s Honest Words ​
to the class. Mention that the
book is a biography of Abraham Lincoln’s life. (A, V)
As a reflection, discuss the following questions as a class:
1.) How does the author describe Lincoln’s views on slavery?
2.) How did the Northerners feel about Lincoln?
3.) Why did Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation? (K,T)
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Development The teacher will transition the students from the carpet back to their seats.
“When Abraham Lincoln became President, he had a few beliefs that caused
quite some controversy. These beliefs caused tension between the states.” (A)
The teacher will present the “A House Divided...” graphic organizer which
should also be pre-made on a anchor sheet.
Explain how the class will be taking notes with the graphic organizer. The
teacher will prepare notes beforehand to use as a guide. (V, T)
Once the students have received their own personal “A House Divided..” sheet,
the teacher will explain the quote “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
-Abraham Lincoln. Talk about how it was relevant to the Civil War.
● If members of a group fight against each other, the group will fall apart.
The teacher will make note and discuss the two different flags on the front of
both of the flaps.
Explain how the regions are called the Union and the Confederacy.
“We are going to discuss characteristics of both regions and what made them
different. Does anyone remember from the book the main issue that he fought
against?”
After a few answers from the students, state that slavery was the main issue.
Proceed to ask the students “Why and where did slavery exist?”
The teacher will say, “Their views on slavery was just one of the issues that
separated the North from the South.”
Introduce the secession of states through the color-coded map on Scholastic’s
website. The link is provided in materials.
The teacher will hand out the attached map to the students before beginning
discussion on the Scholastic map.
○ War began with 34 states.
○ West Virginia didn’t exist in the beginning of the war. (Applies to Nevada
as well).
○ S. Carolina was the first to secede. 11 states eventually seceded.
○ Note that California and Oregon were Union states although they are not
shown on the Scholastic map.
○ The rest of the land not shown on the website’s map was all territory
land. This will be visible on their personal maps.
The teacher will give directions on how to label and color the map, making sure
to point out the difference in the slave and non-slave states.
Separate the students into desired groups to collaborate on their maps.
After the student’s complete the map, have them glue it in their social studies
notebook.
For advanced students: ​
Ask students to include crops and other regional features on
their map/map key.
For struggling students: ​
Given a separate written copy of notes to find, have the
students cut and paste onto the correct side (North/South) of the house. If needed,
differentiate the students into groups and have them collaborate together.
Summary ● When the students complete the notes, have them glue their “A House
Divided…” into their notebook.
● As a way to wrap up the lesson, the teacher will pass out an exit slip to
the students. This will assess whether or not the student’s grasped the
information that was introduced.
● The exit slip can help the teacher see what the students have learned and
what they are interested in about the topic.
IV.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
V.
●
●
●
●
●
VI.
Materials
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/map
.htm
“A House Divided” worksheet (North and South) for graphic organizer
Printable map of the United States during the Civil War
Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln​
by Doreen Rappaport
Exit Slip
Crayons
Social Studies notebooks
Scissors
Glue
Evaluation Part A
Label and color in the map the states that make up the North and the South.
Have the students write along with you detailed notes in their graphic organizer
the specific characteristics that divided the North and the South.
To wrap up the lesson, hand out an exit slip for the students to complete.
Can the student note two main differences between the North and South
successfully?
Can the students identify the Northern and Southern states on a map?
Evaluation Part B
● Strengths of the lesson?
● Weakness of the lesson?
Teacher Notes ​
http://mrriveraushistory.blogspot.com/2013_03_01_archive.html ● Add Union to the North and Confederacy to the South. ● ”Free Labor” = Paid Labor Exit Slip
1. The North used __________ labor to support their _______________ economy. 2. The South used __________ labor to support their _______________ economy. 3. The North supported big government meaning they wanted _________ tariffs. 4. The South supported small government meaning they wanted _________ tariffs. 5. What are you you excited to learn about during this unit? Exit Slip
6. The North used __________ labor to support their _______________ economy. 7. The South used __________ labor to support their _______________ economy. 8. The North supported big government meaning they wanted _________ tariffs. 9. The South supported small government meaning they wanted _________ tariffs. 10. What are you you excited to learn about during this unit?