UNIT PLAN

Civil War

Subject: Social Studies

Grade: 8th

Class Period: 45 minutes

Rationale: A unit on the Civil War would be valuable for students to learn the impact on the state of which they live, North Carolina. So much of North Carolina's, and other southern states', history was determined during the Civil War and led to varying paths in politics, economics, and cultural relations. The students need to understand how our nation developed and became the country it is today.

Objectives:

• Students will be able to understand how the Civil War began.

• Students will be able to note prominent figures during the Civil Wars.

• Students will be able to understand the geographic and cultural differences of the North and South, of which created a conflict between the two.

• Students will be able to understand North Carolina's role in the Civil War.

• Students will be able to understand how geography influenced North Carolina during the Civil War.

• Students will be able to understand the devastation that the Civil War brought upon North Carolina.

Materials

• Textbook: North Carolina in the American Experience - McDougal Littell

• DocCam/Overhead/Smartboard (any of the 3 will work)

• Pencil/Pen

• Paper

• Laptop or iPad Cart

• Markers

• Large, long pieces of paper for project

• Scissors

• Magazines

• Pictures for each individual lesson

• Worksheets for lessons

• Newspaper Project Directions

• Internet Connection

Sequence Description

WEEK ONE - Chapter 14: Rumblings of Civil War 1845-1861

DAY ONE - Introduction of the Civil War

Warm-up - Describe what you see in this picture. What do you notice about the differences in uniform? What do the flags seem to represent? Who are these men? Are they enemies? Who would do you think would win this fight?

What started the Civil War? - After the writing warm-up, class will proceed with a discussion of the warm-up and follow up with what the picture actually represents. This warm-up will then lead into the discussion of the separate paths taken by the north and south.

Paths of the North and South - Provide visuals of the north and south during/before the Civil War. Have student’s freewrite why they believe the two groups would go down different paths of the war, based solely on these pictures. Discuss after they freewrite their ideas.

Reasons for the South Leaving the Union - President James Knox Polk continued to push for expansion of territory to the west, which left quarrels over which states would allow for slavery when he left office in 1849. The Mexican-American War is considered by some to be the "first shots of the Civil War". The Northwest Ordinance kept the lines of slavery clear until the early 1800s.

Introduction of 'Newspaper Project' - Will provide a more thorough explanation of project in lesson plans. The overall project is meant to bring everything together that they have learned about the Civil War. They will be responsible for creating a "newspaper" with ten articles dealing with a topic from each day. They should be put into groups of 4-5 and each have the responsibility of writing two of the articles. Each article should be about 3-5 paragraphs dealing with topics spoken of during class. The students will be given the free liberty to create fictional stories, while pertaining to historical facts. Give students the chance to talk with groups (which will be assigned) for about five minutes to briefly organize ideas.

Ticket out the Door - Freely respond to question: If you had been living in the north or south right before the start of the Civil War, what would be your suggestion to the two groups? What would you suggest to the southerners whom needed manual labor on the plantations but did not want to pay for it?

DAY TWO - The Institution of Slavery

Warm-up - Listen to this spiritual. What can be said about the persons singing? Are they happy or sad? What do you feel when you hear them

singing? What does music do for people? What does music do for you? http://www.negrospirituals.com/mp3/i_m_troubled.mp3

Slavery in the South - Slavery in the south was used to provide plantation owners with free manual labor for highest achievable profits. African Americans were put through harsh conditions, living in small homes in large groups. They survived through slavery by keeping their culture alive and creating a large sense of family. Have students turn to partner to analyze this picture:

After discussing, come together to point out the observations of slavery and what it looked like before the Civil War.

Opposition to Slavery - The fugitive slave law forced people in the North to return runaway enslaved Africans. Abolitionist came about during this time to start a movement against slavery. The Underground Railroad was created to provide a route to freedom. Students can learn more about slavery from this scholastic website. If available, have students break into groups to explore on the computers. If not, this can be a teacher directed activity. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/index.htm

Ticket out the Door - Have the students write from a point of view of one of the following: a Northern former slave, a Southern slave, an Abolitionist, Southern plantation owner, or the U.S. President. Answer both of these questions for the chosen perspective: Why should slavery continue? Why should slavery end?

DAY THREE - Attempt to Compromise

Warm-up - Before the war began, there were many attempts at compromising. What would be your suggestion after learning about the needs of the north and south? Do you think there was a way around going

to war within our own country? What side would you have taken if you were President of the United States?

Major Attempts to Compromise - The Compromise of 1850 was written to provide more free states for the North and slave states to the South; although no one was completely satisfied. The Missouri Compromise was a chance to state a clear line of which states allowed slavery and which others did not. The Kansas Nebraska Act opened up two new territories for settlement. After briefly discussing the compromises, have students pick a partner to color in map of the United States based on the clues give of each Compromise and/or Act. Their maps should end up looking something like this one:

Freewrite - Which compromise seems to be the most effective? Is your map in anyway comparable to a current map of the United States? Considering how many slave and free states there are, what would you assume the outcome to be from war? Would you have expected slavery to withstand because of the number of slaver states? What are possible reasons why even with the large number of slave states that slavery ended?

Ticket out the Door - Map from class activity and freewrite.

DAY FOUR - Political Parties

Warm-Up - What do you know about the Republican Party of today? The Democratic Party? Do you know of any other political parties seen on ballots? What does it mean to be conservative? Liberal?

Lesson - Abraham Lincoln was a part of the Republican Party, whom were previously known as the Whigs. The Know-Nothing Party (American Party) was created to fight immigration, Catholicism, and slavery. Have students individually write a "platform speech" of one of the

parties. After individual writing is finished, have students work in groups to come up with a speech to film on the flip camera.

Ticket out the Door - Turn in video of the group performing the speech.

DAY FIVE - Wrap-up of the Week

Warm-up - What seems to be the next step for the Southern States to take? Do you believe, after everything we have learned this week, that they will state with the Union?

Brief Lesson - Touch on how the abolitionists took sides with the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. This decision ruled that people of African descent were not citizens. Have the students look at the Bill of Rights and determine what rights were being affected by African Americans, free and enslaved. Students will then do a brief point of view writing of an enslaved individual on how they are being directly affected by the Dred Scott decision.

Platform Videos - Show each platform video from the previous day.

'Gone With the Wind' Video Clips - If time allows, then show these clips of Gone With the Wind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnEZrV_WT44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sYjQxVTqvc

WEEK TWO - Chapter 15: Fighting the Civil War 1861-1865

DAY SIX - Fighting in the War

Warm-Up - Take the point-of-view of one of the following people: a Union soldier, a Confederate soldier, a wife of a soldier (on either side), a slave, or a child of a soldier. Write a journal article from the person's point of view on any experience dealt with during the war. Think of the video clips we watched the other day from 'Gone With the Wind'.

Battles - Discuss the major battles fought during the war. Explain the significance of the First Battle of Manassas, the Battle of Antietam,, the Battle of Gettysburg, Fort Fisher, and the Battle of Bentonville. The follow-up activity would include group work to differentiate the battles. Groups will create guides to keep the battles straight.

Group Work - When looking at this map of major battles fought during the Civil War, what can be said about the impact of geography on the battles in North Carolina? What towns and cities did the battles tend stay near?

DAY SEVEN - Plans of Action

Warm-up - What do you imagine this picture represents? Who do you think 'Scott' is? Look at the individual pictures on the states. What does North Carolina's picture represent?

Plans - Discuss the Anaconda Plan and its impact on the war. The Anaconda blockade would "strangle the south", preventing the selling of cotton overseas and importing supplies. Begin the discussion on the Emancipation Proclamation and how it changed the war. Most of the lesson will focus on the Proclamation.