Jeanine+photo+lesson+plan

Grades: 4th and 5th Objective: The students will use photographs and written documents to relate to the life of a Civil War soldier. Procedure: 1. Discuss with students the historical background of the Civil War using our textbooks and online sources such as http://www.nisd.net/burke/technology/civilwarresource/civil_war.htm, http://www.mce.k12tn.net/civil_war/civil_war.htm 2. Begin a KWL chart with the class about what they know about being a soldier in the Civil War and what they would like to know about being a soldier during that era 3. Students will be given two photographs to analyze using the NARA worksheet. 4. After each student has individually analyzed their two photographs, they will be placed into groups of four. The groups will be created so that all four of the students in a group will have analyzed the same photographs during the individual activity. Students will be instructed to compare and contrast their findings and opinions of what is occurring in the photos. Photos can be found and printed from http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query Photos of Civil War battlefields can also be found at http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/picamer/paCw1862.html

5. Upon completion of comparing and contrasting their findings, students will be asked to come up with a list of five adjectives that would describe the life of a soldier during the Civil War. 6. During a whole group discussion, ask students if what they have seen in the photographs are similar to what is described in pictures they have seen in textbooks and literature that they read? 7. Revisit the KWL chart and fill in any new information that was learned and any other questions they may want answers to. 8. Students will be given a choice of one of the two following activities as the culminating activity for this lesson. Each student will choose one photographed soldier and either create an imaginary journal for a Confederate or Union soldier or write a made-up letter that the Confederate or Union soldier might have written home to his family or to the local newspaper. An Extension of the Activity could be to read together The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane during the study of the Civil War. The book follows a young soldier who deserts his unit but eventually goes back.

Jeanine, I really like this lesson. I do something similar with my student's for the Revolutionary War when we read My Brother Sam is Dead. I am also lucky enough to have a friend who does re-enactments from the Revolutionary and Civil War, and he comes in and brings a Continental Soldiers uniform and guns and equipment. The students get so into it, so I can imagine your students would enjoy this lesson also, and it would help them picture themselves as a Civil War Soldier. Janine

Jamie, That is so awesome that you have someone who comes in and does re-enactments! I bet the kids look forward to that every year! Jeanine