Civil War Unit - Lesson Plans: Standards Connection

Civil War Unit Lesson Plans
Instructor: Ellen & Chandler

Lesson Title: Regional Differences
Curriculum Area: Social Studies
Standards Connection:
11.) Identify causes of the Civil War, including states' rights and the issue of slavery.
Describing the importance of the Missouri Compromise, Nat Turner's insurrection, the
Compromise of 1850, the Dred Scott decision, John Brown's rebellion, and the election of 1860
Learning Objective(s):
When given a Venn Diagram, students will compare and contrast the Northern and Southern
regions during Pre-Civil War times with five facts in each contrasting section and two in the
similarities section, with 7 out of the 8 facts correct.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language:
I will be able to compare and contrast the Northern region and the Southern region of the United
States before the Civil War.
Evaluation of Learning Objective(s):
The students will be give a Venn Diagram with the Northern region on the top and the Southern
region on the bottom, with similarities in the center. Students must write 3 facts in the north and
3 facts in the south, as well as two things the regions have in common in the middle section. 7
out of 8 facts must be correct. If students have between 7 and 8 correct facts, they will be placed
in the green. If students have 6 correct, they will be in the yellow section for either a quick
conference or a reteaching. If students have below 6 facts or incorrect facts, they will be placed
in the red for reteaching. If students finish work quickly and find the task simple, they will be
given a choice board for the unit with a choice of activities to complete each day.
Engagement:
While the students are out of the room the teacher will place candy on random desks. About half
of the class will receive a piece of candy. The students will walk into the room to find the candy.
Allow them a moment to realize that some have it and some dont. Allow them to interact for a
couple of moments while listening to their conversation. Tell the students to put the candy in
their desk and they may not eat it until the teacher gives them permission or else there will be a
punishment. Do not eat this candy! If you got a piece, put it in your desk until I tell you
otherwise. There will be punishment if you eat your candy. Bring them back together by saying,
Okay boys and girls, its time to quiet down. If you can hear me touch your nose. If you hear me
touch your chin. Thank you. Sit down at your desks and clear everything off. The teacher will
pull up the PowerPoint and go to slide 2. Read the question on the board. Take two minutes to
turn and talk to your partner about what you think the word conflict means. Allow students
time to talk. Walk around and listen to their conversations. The teacher will write down points of
interest on sticky notes to share with the class. I heard some great conversations going on. I
heard Amy say that conflict is when you dont get what you want. I heard Tarsha say that conflict
is when people are fighting over something. What do the rest of you think about Amy and
Tarshas explanations of conflict? Allow for some classroom discourse to be shared (no more
than 5 minutes). Conflict is a serious disagreement or argument often over power or property.
Can you think of a conflict we might have just had in our classroom? The students will
remember the candy bar incident. Lead them with questions such as, if you didnt have a candy
bar, how did you feel? How did you react? Was this fair? This caused a bit of a stir in our class,
didnt it? This was a conflict. The students will get out their writing journals. They will respond
to some questions about conflict. I want everyone to get out their writing journals. We are going
to do a quick write about conflict. I am going to give you some questions to help lead you in your
writing. You will write for seven minutes straight without stopping. These are the questions to
help you. I am going to read them once but Ill leave them up on the board. 1. Can you think of a
time you have been in conflict with someone or something? 2. How do you think conflicts arise?
3. How do people respond to conflict? 4. How would you respond to a conflict with a friend?
Remember you only have seven minutes to write. Please write without stopping for the full seven
minutes. At the end, you will hear a timer go off.
Learning Design:
I.
Teaching:
We just learned a little bit about conflict. Sometimes, large groups of people have conflicts and
deal with them in different ways. Some major conflicts that happen around the world often lead
to wars. We have even had one in our country. Who knows what major war is happening that our
country is involved in right now? Thats right, there are American soldiers fighting in
Afghanistan for our country. This war started because of conflict. Wars dont just happen today;
they have happened all throughout history. You learned a little bit about Alabamas role in one
war last year in fourth grade. Everybody at once, tell me what war you learned about last year.
Yes! You learned about Alabamas role in the Civil War. The Civil War happened in the 1800s in
the United States of America. First, lets think about what we already know. The teacher will
conduct a KWL chart to see what the students already know, what they want to learn, and
eventually what they learned. Okay, we are going to do a KWL chart about the Civil War. Who
can tell me what you remember learning last year about the Civil War? You can tell me about
people, battles, places, dates, anything you remember! The teacher will record student responses
in the What I know category of the KWL. Alright, what do we want to learn? Is there anything
you might have heard an older friend or parent talk about the Civil War that you want to learn
about? We will fill in the last column later. Write these down in your own KWL chart in your
graphic organizer. Make sure you dont lose this, because it will be part of your final study
guide. Todays event is going to called North vs. South. Can you say that after me? North vs.
South. We are also going to refer to the North and South as our key players as if they were
actually people. Lets take a look at this map. Take a moment to turn and talk to your partner
about what you notice about this map. Janet and Mandy, what did you two talk about? Thats
great, Im glad you noticed that the North and the South were divided into two different colors.
The nation was divided because each region had different beliefs. This is going to be our major
problem we talk about today. Today, we are going to learn about the Northern and Southern
regions of the United States before the Civil War and in the end you will be an expert who is able
to compare and contrast the two regions. Lets read our daily objective together! I will be able to
compare and contrast the Northern region and the Southern region of the United States before
the Civil War. We already see in our map that they were divided and are two different colors.
Lets learn why. Please get out your graphic organizer for today and make sure you are taking
notes on anything you think is important.
The first event we are going to learn about is how their economies were different and how this
caused conflict. Each region set up their economy differently. Economy is the way that different
people earn and spend money. The northern states were very industrialized. When you think of
New York City, you should think of the word industrialized. Lets look at this photo of New
York. What do you notice? Lets write this down on our class t-chart. Answers need to include
machines, buildings, factories, etc. She will write down different words the students come up
with on her anchor chart. All of these things that you guys mentioned tell me that this area is
industrialized. Even at your age, you might have been working in one of these factories. Look at
the picture of the kids working in a factory. However, the South had a different kind of economy.
The south relied on farms or plantations. Hmm, that word plantation. have you heard that
word before? Lets write the word plantation on the other side of our t-chart. Take a look at this
picture of a farm/plantation. What do you notice? Teacher will record student observations on
the anchor chart. Because of these differences, the two regions did not always agree. Okay boys
and girls. I brought in something today. I have a few pieces of cotton with the seeds still in it.
One of these regions we have been talking about made a lot of cotton. Turn and talk to your
neighbor and decide which region you think would have made cotton. The teacher will allow
students time to think and talk with their neighbors. Karen and Janet, which region did you all
think the cotton would have come from? I agree. This cotton would have come from the southern
region. I dont think they would have made cotton in the factories and industrialized region of the
North. The South made cotton and relied on this to make their money. If you were a kid at this
time, you might have worked out in the fields all day long in the heat of the summer picking
seeds out of this cotton. Lets watch this video of someone picking the seeds out of cotton. This
looks really time consuming. You might have been doing this in the fields all day. To make this
process easier the South had to buy lots of equipment from England. Because of these
economical differences, there were conflicts. The first problem that occurred because of the
different economies was taxation laws. A tax is something you have to pay when you buy
something. Even today we all pay taxes. When you go to the grocery story and the price on a
Coke says a dollar, you end up paying more money. Have you ever thought about why you pay
more? You pay more because there is a tax on the food you buy. Your parents pay taxes to the
government for different things every day. People paid taxes a long time ago too. One kind of a
tax that people have to pay is called a tariff. If things or products are brought into the country
from another country, we call this a tariff. So, a tariff is a tax on goods brought into the country.
Another word for brought in is imported. I mentioned that the south had to buy lots of
different pieces of equipment to keep their plantations running. Where did I say that they
purchased their equipment? Yes, they bought it from England. Where is England? Lets take a
quick look at this map. Hm. England is not in the United States of America. So, what do you
think the South thought of high tariffs on all of the things they have to buy? Remember that taxes
and tariffs make things more expensive. The South did not want tariffs for that reason. Why
would you want to pay more for something if you didnt have to? Thats exactly what the South
was thinking too. Hm. If the South didn't want tariffs and we know there was conflict what can
you assume that the North wanted? Thats right the North wanted tariffs on goods bought from
outside of the country. The north wanted tariffs because if the goods the South bought from other
areas in the world were too expensive then they would have to buy from the factories in the
North. This made the South mad. They wanted their goods for cheap. I am going to place an item
in front of you. Lets look at the board for a second. Here we have two iPads. They are the exact
same iPad. On the left, we have an iPad that we could buy in the North. It costs $200. On the
right, we have the exact same iPad, but it only costs $150. However, since it is from England, it
would have to be imported. There would be what kind of tax on it since its imported? Thats
right, there would be a tariff placed on this iPad from England since it will be brought into our
country. The tariff placed on this iPad is $100. So, where would you want to buy your iPad
from? Youre right, Betsy, you would buy your iPad in the North. The base price is more
expensive, but there is no tariff on it so in the end, it is the cheaper option. However, before
tariffs the cheaper option would have been to buy the iPad from England. Can you see why the
South may get angry about tariffs now? The next key event the two regions got in conflicts over
was politics. Politics deals with the activities of our government and how the country is run. Do
you think that everyone agrees about how we should run the country? Do you think we all agree
about certain laws that we have in place? I am going to read you some laws that we have to
follow. I want you to give me a thumbs up if you agree with the law and a thumbs down if you
dont agree with the law. I am going to keep a tally on the board to see how many people agree
and how many people dont. Okay, the first law is: You have to wear your seatbelt when riding in
a car. Thumbs up or thumbs down. The teacher will count and record. Okay, the second law is:
All children under the age of 10 have to ride in a car seat or booster seat. Thumbs up or thumbs
down. The teacher will count and record. The final law is: All children have to go to school.
Thumbs up or thumbs down. The teacher will count and record. Let the students discuss and
argue as they wish. As you can see, not all of you agreed with those laws. There was conflict in
our classroom. Some of you thought that the laws were good to have in place and some of you
did not. Well, let me tell you this. People have disagreed about laws for years and years, even the
North and the South before the Civil War did not agree about some laws. So, some states
believed that they should be able to choose their own laws. Other states believed that the federal
government should make laws and final decisions. Based on what we just learned about their
economies, which section do you think would have liked the idea of states rights, meaning they
get to choose their own laws? Raise your hand. Good job, Orlean. The south wanted to be able
to choose their own laws, mainly because they did not like the idea of tariffs. They thought that
the states should get to have the right to choose. We call this states rights. Can you say that after
me? States Rights. The last key event the two regions got into conflict over was slavery.
Remember when I passed out the cotton and showed the video of picking the seeds out of the
cotton? Well, if you were doing this, you would have been working on a plantation as a slave.
Slaves were black people that were owned by other people and forced to work without getting
paid. Most of the time they were treated very badly. If they didnt follow the rules they would be
punished. They worked all day in the hot sun. They didnt get a lot of food or water. They were
treated as if they werent even humans. Since slaves worked so long each day they liked to sing
songs to keep their spirits up. I am going to play you a song that some slaves used to sing when
they would work. The song we are going to listen to is called I Be So Glad When The Sun
Goes Down. Lets look at the lyrics on the board and infer what the slaves were thinking while
working. I think that the slaves were tired and worn out. They probably sang to stay entertained
so that their work wasnt so bad. How do you feel about slavery? Do you think it should have
been allowed? Do you think that the North and the South agreed on the issue of slavery? Each
side, the North and the South, had different opinions about slavery. This disagreement caused
much conflict between the regions. The southern states supported slavery. Why do you think they
needed slaves? They needed slaves to help them do the work. Remember how we said that
picking cotton was a hard job and that they made their money by farming? Well, the South
wanted someone to do the work without having to pay them. The people who owned the
plantations wanted to make as much money as they possibly could. To do this, they had to
produce tons of cotton and not pay their workers. Slavery was a good thing for them. However,
remember how you just told me that you dont think slavery is fair? Well, the northern states
didnt really like the idea of slavery either but slavery was spreading across the entire United
States. The northern states did not support the spread of slavery across the nation. The northern
states were okay with the southern states having slaves at the time but they didnt want any more
states to become a slave state. A slave state is a state that allows slaves and a free state did not
allow slaves. How do you think this would have caused conflict? Thats right the South wanted
slavery to spread because of their economy and the North did not want slavery to spread. Lets
take a look at the map. Would Alabama have allowed slaves? Yes, Alabama would have had
slaves meaning we are going to call it a slave state. Someone name another state that would
have been a slave state. Okay, what about Pennsylvania? Thats right. Pennsylvania would have
been a free state. Can someone name another free state. Thats right! Does everyone understand
that the southern states were slave states and the northern states were free states. Now we are
going to work in groups for just a few minutes. Take a look at each picture on the board. Talk to
your table groups and compare and contrast the two pictures. Think about how they are different
and what type of people would live in each place. Which do you think supported slavery and
which didnt? Which do you think supported states rights and which didnt? Which would have
supported tariffs or not? Jot down some things on your graphic organizer. Use the questions on
your graphic organizer to guide you in comparing and contrasting the two regions. The teacher
will allow them enough time until she notices they are done. She will walk around and listen to
discussion and well as reteach anything to a group that does not seem to understand. She will
bring the class back together to review the questions answered to make sure they have the correct
information in their notes. Quiet down. I heard some great conversation going on. David and
Mandy, can you two share with the class your similarities and differences? Who else thinks they
know? Thank you, everyone.
II.
Opportunity for Practice:
Go ahead and clear off your desks of everything except your pencil, notes, and writing journal. I
want you to pretend that you are a citizen living in the United States during this time before the
Civil War. You can use your notes to think about the economic reasons, political reasons, and the
issue over slavery to decide which part of the country you would have preferred to live in. Write
a diary entry about where you would live. Include why you chose to live there and what your
daily life would look like. This is not a quick write so I want you to THINK before you write. Im
going to give you five minutes to brainstorm and then you may begin writing you hear the timer.
You have twenty minutes to write. Use what we have learned today and your notes to support
your decision. The teacher will walk around while the students write to notice any possible
misunderstandings that need to be clarified before assessment. She will take note of who needs
reteaching or an extension activity.
III.
Assessment
Wow, you all have learned so much today about the differences between the North and the South.
Im going to give you the opportunity to show me how much you have learned. A great way to
compare and contrast two things is by using a Venn Diagram, so this is what were going to do.
Please clear your desks of everything but a pencil. Im going to pass around the Venn Diagram.
You may not use your notes. One side will represent the North and the other side will represent
the South. Write everything you know about the North on the left side, and the South on the right
side. In the middle, write how these two regions were similar. You must write 3 facts in both the
North and the South sections, and 2 facts in the middle about how they are similar. The teacher
will draw a quick example on the board with the numbers of facts required in each bubble.
IV.
Closure:
The teacher will collect the writing journals and see what the students know about the regional
differences and what the students took in. She will also make sure to read what they wrote about
conflict from the beginning of the lesson. The class will come back together to share what they
wrote. Who wants to share what they wrote? Thanks. David, I loved what you wrote. Will you
please share with the class? I like how you talked about why you would want to live in the South
because you would have states rights. That is a great use of vocabulary and knowledge about
what we learned today. Did anyone mention slavery in their writing? Janet, I think I remember
something in your writing about slavery. Do you want to share? The students will complete Day
1 of their Conflict Graphic Organizer bridging activity. The question for day 1 is: What is
conflict and how does it cause differences? At the end of the week, this will help you think about
conflict overall and how it led to the beginning of the Civil War. Use it to help you study for your
test.
Materials and Resources:

- PowerPoint
- Promethean Board
- Projector
- Whiteboard
- Dry erase markers
- Pencils
- Writing journals
- Sticky notes
- Note-taking graphic organizer
- Venn Diagram assessment
- Timer
- Cotton
- Chart paper
- Computer
- Candy bars
- Choice Board
- Conflict graphic organizer
-3,2,1 graphic organizer for choice board
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson951/strategy.pdf
Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):
Extension- Choice Board
Reteaching- North vs. South worksheet cut out/puzzle

Lesson Title: Compromises
When given two pre-colored maps of the United States, one of the Missouri Compromise and
one of the Compromise of 1850, the students will compare the two compromises by writing 3
sentences under each map about how the changes affected the United States with 90% accuracy.
I will be able to describe how compromises over slavery changed the United States.
Students will be given two maps that they have colored in during the teaching section: The
Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. The maps will be divided properly
depending on the layout of the country at that point. They will write three sentences under each
map describing how the changes affected the United States. Students must have 90% accuracy
for the facts. Students who have between 90 and 100% accuracy will be in the green. Students
who have 70 to 80% accuracy will be in the yellow. Students below 70% accuracy will be in the
red and will need reteaching.
Engagement:
Okay, boys and girls. If you got a candy bar yesterday I need you to reach into your desk and
give it back. The teacher will walk around and collect all the candy bars. Thank you! Now, please
clear your desk of everything. Lets start by reviewing what we learned yesterday. David, can you
tell me what you remember about our discussions yesterday? Thats right. We learned about the
differences and conflicts in the north and the south. We talked about economic differences,
political differences, and how slavery lead to conflict. Lets take a quick look at this map. The
map tells you lots of cool things. If you click on a state, it will tell you if if was free, slave, when
it became a state and more. Someone raise your hand and tell me the name of a state you want to
explore. Allow the students to name around 5 or 6 states and tell them about each one based on
the map. A word that keeps coming up is slavery. Remember that the North did not support the
spread of slavery but the South did, which caused, whats that word Im looking for? Conflict!! A
lot of times when people have conflicts they choose to deal with them in different ways. I want to
ask a question. Why do you think I took those candy bars back from you? Thats right , Amy. I
took them back because it wasnt fair that some of you had candy and some of you did not. How
did you feel having to give the candy back? Turn and talk to your partner about how you felt and
how you think this relates to our big topic of conflict. Allow students time to discuss. Go around
the room taking notes on sticky notes about what they are talking about. Would Karens group
like to share? Thats exactly right. I was hoping you would say that. Did everyone hear what
Karen just said? Sometimes when we have conflicts in our classroom we have to make
compromises. A compromise is a way of reaching agreements so that each person or group gives
up something that they wanted in order to end a conflict. Turn and talk to your partner about
how our class made a compromise today.
Learning Design:
I.
Teaching:
Lets think about different ways people deal with conflict. Yesterday with our candy bars I
showed you how to cause conflict. If you were one of the ones without a candy bar, you might
have been angry. When you are angry about something what do you do? Do you try to work it
out? Do you fight and yell? Do you pull away from people? Think about this for a moment.
Allow students time to reflect on these questions. Today you are going to learn how to describe
how compromises over slavery changed the United States as a country. Lets take a look at our
map that we looked at yesterday. Remember we learned about slave and free states. Someone
name a free state for me. Great, someone name a slave state for me. So we all agree that the
states in green are slave and the states colored yellow are free. Lets count how many free and
slave states there are on the map. There are 12 green states and 12 free states. Everything is
balanced so there isnt a problem right? Wrong. Well, for a time there were as many free states as
slave states which kept a balance between the north and the south. Then in 1819 settlers in the
Missouri Territory asked to join the Union as a slave state. If this happened, slave states would
outnumber free states for the first time since the country was founded. The Missouri question
was talked about for months. Henry Clay, a member of Congress from Kentucky, found himself in
the middle of these heated arguments about slavery. Clay himself owned slaves, but he did not
want to see the issue of slavery cause so much conflict that the nation would divide itself in two.
He wanted the country to be complete and to agree. He worked hard to help solve the problem
and in 1820, he convinced Congress to agree to a plan known as the Missouri Compromise.
Under this plan Missouri would be allowed to join the Union as a slave state. Remember a slave
state is state that has slaves. Maine, which had also asked to become a state would join as a free
state. This would keep the balance between free and slave states. Then a line would be drawn on
the country that separated the north and south. Slavery would be allowed south of the line and
would not be allowed north of the line. Lets put marks on our map on the whiteboard so that we
can see what changed. We need to turn Maine into a state and make it free. Then we need to
make Missouri into a state and make it slave. Then we need to draw a line to represent the
mason dixon line. The teacher will give a sticky note labeled free to one student and a sticky
note labeled slave to another student. They will place them on top of the correct state (Missouri
or Maine). Then, the teacher will tape a piece of red string on the Mason-Dixon Line. David, this
sticky note is labeled slave. Go up to the map and place it either on Maine or Missouri. Which
state was added to the nation as a slave state? Good. Now Kristie, this sticky note is labeled
free. Go place it either on Maine or Missouri, whichever state was added to the nation as a
free state. Great job. Now Im going to place this red string on the Mason-Dixon line. Amy, will
you please come help me? I need you to hold this end of the string and stick it on where I tell you
to. I will do the other end. Great. The nation decided that from now on if any state wanted to
enter the nation they would have to follow the new rule set in place by this compromise. The
Mason-Dixon line became an invisible line that divided the nation. If a state above the line
wanted to join they had to be free. If a state below the line wanted to join they had to be slave.
This represents what happened in the Missouri Compromise. Now, please take out your colored
pencils. I am going to give you a map of the United States and we are going to color code the
states according to free and slave after the Missouri compromise together. The teacher will color
in the slave states, free states, Mason-Dixon line, and create a key using the document camera
and her own map. The students will complete their own maps with their colored pencils. The
slave states will be red. The free states will be blue. And please mark the Mason-Dixon line with
a dark green. Complete the map. Please turn those over on your desk and go back to your
graphic organizer. Do you think everyone was happy with Henry Clays way to solve the
problem? I think everyone was happy for a while. 6 more states joined the Union after this
happened within 30 years. Before we move on, I am going to give you a sticky note. I want you to
make a prediction about what you think will happen next. Amy, what do you think is going to
happen? Do you think this compromise kept conflict away? Why not? Raise your hand if you
think the compromise worked forever. Raise your hand if you did not. Look at all this land that is
left. Do we have states there now? Why yes we do. What do you think happened when those
states wanted to join the country? Thats right: they disagreed again about how states would
enter the Union. When California wanted to join the Union in 1850 as a free state people began
to argue again because the balance would not be equal. California, Utah, and New Mexico
became unnamed areas when they won a war against Mexico. After winning the war the United
States gained lands that were divided into those three sections. Is three and even or odd number?
If we added all three, would we be able to add free and slave states equally? No we wouldnt.
This caused a lot of conflict. They had to figure out how to let the states enter the Union so that
everyone would agree and get along. Once again Henry Clay came up with an idea to make
everyone happy. He called this idea the Compromise of 1850. California became free and New
Mexico and Utah would decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery. New Mexico and
Utah would be allowed to vote. Whoever was living there at the time would vote and that is how
the state would be set up, free or slave. From now on any state that wanted to join the country
would have to vote. I am going to give you one more map. We are going to fill it in just like we
did last time. Go ahead and copy over the blue section, red section and green line. Once you are
finished with that, put your pencils down. The teacher will travel around the room making sure
that students understand the material so far. Now, we have to color a little more on this map.
Someone raise your hand and tell me what we have to include on this map that we didnt on the
last. Thats right Mandy, we have to color California, and the Utah and New Mexico territories.
Have students color the map in with you. Even though they decided the other states could vote,
did this compromise really solve the problem? Count the free states. Then count the slave states.
What do you notice? Thats right, Orlean, there are more free states than slave states. How do
you think this compromise will continue to cause conflict?
II.
The students will use the interactive map to complete one worksheet answering questions about
the Missouri Compromise. Boys and girls, we are going to use an interactive map and answer
questions. The map is going to help you explore the United States and the two compromises we
just talked about. I want you to explore the map,and use what I have taught you today, to answer
the questions. You have the option to complete this with your partner, or you may do it on your
own. Use your iPad. The link is up on the board. Type in the link in your browser on your iPad to
get to the map. David, my paper passer, will you please come pass out the worksheets to each
student? Thank you. Even if you do it with your partner, I want each student to write in their
worksheet. Everyone pull up the map using our classroom website. If you go to Social Studies,
Civil War Unit, and Maps you will find a link to the interactive map. Lets do the first question
together. The first question says What changes did the Missouri Compromise bring to the U.S.
map? Well, you have to think about what I taught you. Remember we added two states and an
invisible line that we call the Mason-Dixon Line. So, you would go click on the state on the map
and read about it and then write your answer in the answer box. Lets all click on Maine. It says
Maine entered as a free state. What if we click on Missouri? It says Missouri entered as a slave
state. So we would write that in our answer box. What was the last thing the Missouri
compromise did to change the map? Yes, there is a red line called the Mason-Dixon line added to
the United States to divide free and slave states. Now, go explore the map on your own or with
your partner and answer the questions. If you have any questions please raise your hand.
III.
Assessment
We are going to use the two maps that we colored together today to think about how the country
changed during this time. You are going to be describing how the changes affected the United
States. You need to do your best work and show to me that you really understand what we
learned today. I want you to write three sentences describing how the compromise changed the
united states as a country underneath each map. If you run out of room you can write on the
back. You may not use notes or discuss this with your friends. This is your time to show me what
you know.
IV.
Closure:
The teacher will collect all maps and project a few on the document camera. Myrtis and Betsy, I
really liked your reasons why these compromises affected the United States. I am going to show
Myrtis map of the Missouri Compromise and Betsys map of the Compromise of 1850. Who can
tell me what way we dealt with our conflict about candy bars today? You gave them back to me,
otherwise known as a what? Yes, thats right, a compromise. As we saw today, the issue of
slavery was dealt through different compromises. Finally, please fill in your conflict graphic
organizer for the day while I prepare the room for math.
-
PowerPoint
Promethean Board
Colored Pencils
Missouri Compromise map
Map of the U.S.
Compromise of 1850 map
Note taking graphic organizer
Conflict graphic organizer
Sticky notes
Document camera
Candy bars
Red string
Scotch tape
iPads
Interactive map http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/neh/interactives/sectionalism/lesson1/
Worksheet
http://edsitement.neh.gov/sites/edsitement.neh.gov/files/worksheets/MissouriMap02.pdf
Computer
Pencils

Extension- Choice board
Reteaching- The teacher will read The Missouri Compromise by Michael Burgan to the students

Lesson Title: Rebellions Against Slavery
Students will be able to use context clues to recall key factors in Nat Turners Insurrection, the
Dred Scott Decision, and John Browns Rebellion by completing a fill in the blank worksheet
answering 8 out of 10 questions correctly.

I will be able to use context clues and recall events from specific rebellions.
Students will use context clues and recall factors in Nat Turners Rebellion, the Dred Scott
Decision, and John Browns Rebellion. They will complete a fill in the blank worksheet with a
word bank answering questions about these rebellions. Students must complete 8 out of 10
correctly to be considered proficient. Students who make 8 or more correct will be in the green.
Students who make 6 or 7 correct will be in the yellow. Students who make below 6 correct will
be in the red and will need reteaching.
Engagement:
Before the lesson, the teacher will pull and Amy and Karen out in the hallway. She will tell them
that while she is reading the Foreword, they will go into her desk and each grab a candy bar.
They will quickly run out of her room, making sure the rest of the class sees what they have
done. Amy and Karen, today Im going to read a story to the class about slavery, called Moses.
While I am introducing the book, when I tell the class I am going to read the Foreword, I want
you two to get up and each go steal a candy bar off of my desk. Run out of the room, but make
sure the rest of the class sees what you are doing. I will tell you why you are doing this a little bit
later. The teacher will gather the students on the carpet to get ready to read Moses, by Carole
Boston Weatherford. She will ask them some before reading questions to get them ready.
Remember yesterday when we talked about how people make compromises when there is
conflict? We talked about how there was conflict over slavery and how it should spread and how
the nation made compromises with each other to settle the issues. The slaves also have a story to
tell. They did not want to be enslaved. Im going to read you a book called Moses. Has anyone
ever heard this name before? Thats right Betsy! Moses was a man in the Bible that led enslaved
people to freedom. Well, there is a slaved named Harriet Tubman whose nickname was Moses.
Can anyone make an inference why people called her Moses? Keep in mind what Betsy said.
Thats right, Patti, my gifted student! She led slaves to freedom, just like Moses did. Im going to
read you some background about slavery and the Underground Railroad. You need to know that
the Underground Railroad was not actually a railroad. This was a path to freedom made up of
houses, people, and safe places for slaves to go on their way north. Now, I am going to read you
the Foreword to introduce the book. Karen and Amy will head to the teachers desk to perform
their task. Once out of the room, the teacher will say, Oh my goodness! What is going on? What
did Karen and Amy just do? The teacher will go outside and bring Karen and Amy back in, and
say look, we had a deal yesterday when we made compromises. You decided to go against my
rules and took the candy bars. I need you to sit back down and listen to the story. Anyways, lets
go ahead and start the story. The teacher will read the Foreword. The teacher will begin to read
the story and ask during reading questions. What kind of person do you think Harriet is? Why do
you think she decided to leave her plantation? How do you think Harriet felt when she finally
reached freedom? Why do you think Harriet went back to get other slaves? The teacher will ask
after reading questions. What kind of person do you think Harriet Tubman was? Who can name
me some character traits about Tubman? Yesterday, we briefly talked about some ways people
deal with conflict. The second word began with an R. Does anyone remember what it was? No,
close! Its not revolution, David, but it does start with an R! Tarsha, do you want to give it a try?
Great job, the word is rebellion. This is another way people deal with conflict. A rebellion is an
effort by people to change the government or leader of a country by the use of protest or
violence. How did we see Amy and Karen rebel today? Thats right, Mandy. They stole the candy
from the leader as an act of rebellion against the teacher. So, I want you to remember that
rebellion is another way to deal with conflict. The teacher will go slide 33 for a KWL chart to
review what the students know about slavery. Can someone raise their hand and tell me
something you remember learning about slavery from fourth grade or from the book we just
read? The students will respond with what they know about slavery. Who can tell me something
they want to learn about slavery? Maybe something the book touched on but you want to learn
more about it?
Learning Design:
I.
Teaching:
We are going to talk about three people that led rebellions against slavery. A rebellion is when
you oppose authority. Another word for rebellion is a revolt or an insurrection. We will use those
words again later. Have your parents ever given you instructions to do something and you dont
do it? Or maybe you do just the opposite? Your parents are your authority and you opposed
those rules that they gave you. So, you rebelled against them. Can someone think of a time when
you rebelled against your parents or maybe even your teacher? Those are all good ideas. One
time when I was little my parents told me not to color on the walls. Do you want to know what I
did? I colored on the walls. I led my own kind of rebellion. Many people in history lead
rebellions when there is conflict. They may lead a rebellion because they dont like how they are
being treated or maybe because they dont like a law. During this particular time in history there
were certain groups of people that were more likely to lead rebellions. The first group of people
that were likely to lead a rebellion were slaves. Slaves that didnt support slavery and wanted to
end it were also called abolitionists. Even white people could be abolitionists. Where do you
think most of the abolitionists in the country lived? Yes, they lived in the North, but the slaves
that were abolitionist lived in the South. The first person in our story about rebellion today is
Nat Turner. He was a slave living in Virginia. He did not like slavery and all of the rules that
went along with being a slave. He planned to rebel against the slave owners and other white folk
in the area on August 31, 1831. During their rebellion, his followers, other abolitionists (slaves
and white), killed 60 white people. This was the highest number of deaths in any slave rebellion
in the South. The United States was called to stop the rebellion and they killed over one hundred
African Americans. Nat Turner lived because he hid for two months after the rebellion. Why do
you think Nat Turner felt the need to plan a rebellion against slave owners? The teacher will
allow for student response and predictions. The rebellion did not come without consequences for
slaves. First, Nat Turner was killed for planning the rebellion. Many blacks were killed in
Virginia right after this happened whether they were involved or not. People were scared of
blacks. New rules were created to keep slaves from gathering together. Many slave owners were
scared of their slaves after this and treated them more harshly. Some slaves were even killed
after this as punishment. Would you have planned a rebellion for something you believed in?
Turn and talk to your partner about the kind of person Nat Turner was. Do you think he was a
hero or a crazy man? Why? Nat Turner was not the only slave to rebel against the slave system.
Many more did. The next slave we are going to talk about is Dred Scott. In 1857 the United
States Supreme Court decided the case of an enslaved African American named Dred Scott. Scott
had asked the Court for his freedom but the Court said no. Dred Scott was a slave of an army
doctor who moved a lot and always took Scott with him. During that time, he lived in two free
states, Illinois and Wisconsin. So when his owner died, he thought that he should be free since he
had once lived on free land. The case moved up through the system and he finally went to the
Supreme Court. There, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney said that because Scott was a slave he had
none of the rights and privileges of an American Citizen. Having lived in a free territory did not
change that. Taney also declared that Congress had no right to forbid slavery in Wisconsin. He
felt that the US Constitution protected the right of people to own slaves. Slave were property,
-Taney. He believed that the Missouri Compromise was keeping people from owning property.
He believed that this was unconstitutional. Many people had hoped that the Dred Scott decision
would finally settle the disagreements among sections of the country over slavery once and for
all. Instead it made the problem worse. The teacher will stop for a quick activity. Im going to
divide you into two juries. You are going to pretend that you are on the Supreme Court. I am
going to number you off one or two. The teacher will number the class off and they will split into
their groups. If you are a one, go to the carpet. If you are a two, go to the kidney table. Team one,
you will be on Dred Scotts side, meaning you will fight for his freedom. Team two, you will be
against Dred Scott. You will fight to deny his freedom. I am going to represent Dred Scott.
Orlean, Janet, and Jeanie, you will not be in a group. You three are going to be chief justices
who will make the final decision. Your job is to decide whether or not Dred Scott will earn his
freedom or remain a slave. You three will get two minutes to discuss after you hear each sides
argument. You have to come up with only ONE final decision. Each of you have to provide one
reason why you chose the side you chose. Each team must provide at least three reasons why
Dred should be either free or a slave. You have ten minutes to come up with your reasons and
then we will present. You may use scratch paper to write your reasons down. The teacher will
gather students attention. 1, 2, 3 eyes on me! We are now going to get ready to present our
arguments. Team one, please stand up and share your three reasons directed towards our chief
justices. Thank you! Orlean, Janet, and Jeanie, make sure you take into account everything they
said! Team 2, please stand up and share your three reasons. Good job, lets give our chief
justices two minutes to gather their thoughts and discuss with each other. You may return to your
seats while they are deciding. The timer will go off and the three chief justices will give their
final decision and each provide one reason why they chose what they chose. Okay, justices, we
are ready for your final decision! Have you decided to allow me my freedom or not? Each of you
provide your reason. Thank you for giving me my freedom! The last person we are going to talk
about that led a rebellion against the conflict of slavery is John Brown. John Brown was
different than the other two people we just talked about. He was not a slave. He was a white man
living in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He did not agree with slavery so he was an abolitionist. John
Brown was an abolitionist who made plans to attack slave owners in Virginia. So, John Brown
wanted to end slavery. He thought that one way to end slavery was to lead a rebellion against
slave owners in Virginia. To attack the slave owners he needed to be prepared. The first thing he
needed was weapons or guns, so he planned to steal them from the army arsenal at Harpers
Ferry, Virginia. An arsenal is a place where weapons are stored. When he got the guns he
planned to give them to a group of slaves and abolitionists to use during the attack. On October
6, 1859 John Brown and twenty-one other people began to raid or loot the army arsenal.
However, his plan was not well thought out and they were caught by the government and killed.
After this happened it was clear that the North and South were not going to be able to resolve
their conflicts. The teacher will show a short video of John Browns Raid at Harpers Ferry.
Okay, we are going to watch a quick video to review what happened at Harpers Ferry. The
teacher will play the video. Lets review a little bit about these slave rebellions. What caused
each of these rebellions? What were the effects of these rebellions? What do they have in
common? How are they different? Think about these questions and make sure you have good
notes written down in your graphic organizer. Im going to give you five minutes to make sure
you have these. I will walk around to make sure youve got it. When the timer goes off, please
stop.
II.
Students will create their own anti-slavery propaganda posters for practice. Okay boys and girls,
you all are going to pretend you are an abolitionist. Who can remind me what an abolitionist is?
Thats right, its a person who wants to end slavery. You are going to make a convincing poster to
end slavery. Here is an example on the board. Make it neat and use your best handwriting. There
are poster boards already cut for you on the back table. Use your own markers or colored
pencils. Table 1, go get your poster board. Table 2, your turn. Table 3, you may go now. Table 4,
go get your poster board. You have twenty minutes to create your convincing propaganda
posters! The teacher will place these around the room and the class will go on a gallery walk.
Everyone stand up and go to a different spot in the room. Do not stand too close together. I have
hung up your posters, so we are going to a gallery walk around the room. When we are in an art
gallery, are we loud or quiet? Thats wrong, David! We need to be very quiet in a gallery. Walk
around the room quietly and look at your classmates anti-slavery posters. Sit back down at your
desks when you hear the timer.
III.
Assessment
Students will complete a worksheet with ten fill in the blanks about the facts that they learned
about slavery and rebellions. You have learned so much today about three important leaders of
rebellions against conflict. Now is your time to show me what all you can recall from what we
learned. There are ten sentences on this worksheet with blanks. Please use the word bank to help
you fill in the blanks in the sentences. Do your best! You may not use your notes. This is
something you will do alone without any help.
IV.
Closure:
The teacher will pull the KWL chart. Lets go back and write what we learned today about
slavery. Who can tell me a fact they learned? Allow five student responses. Thats right. We
learned about three abolitionists today. Nat Turner, Dred Scott, and John Brown. We learned that
each of these slaves led a rebellion to end slavery. We learned that if conflict is left unresolved,
rebellions can occur.

Timer
Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford
Rebellion graphic organizer

PowerPoint
Projector
Poster board
Promethean Board
Computer
Markers
Colored pencils
Fill in the blank assessment worksheet
5 day conflict graphic organizer
Choice board

Extension- choice board
Reteaching- suggestion? please help we struggle here

Lesson Title: Election of 1860
Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the Election of 1860 on a discussionbased quiz, scoring 3/3 correct receiving a 100%.
I will be able to explain who the candidates for the Election of 1860 were, what each party
believed about slavery, and what the results were.
Students will take a quiz with three discussion questions about the Election of 1860. The first
question is: What newly formed political party did Abraham Lincoln join and how did this party
feel about slavery? The next question is: How were the positions of Lincoln and Douglas on the
spread of slavery different? The last question is: What did 7 southern states do after Lincoln was
elected president? Why? These questions help students explain who the candidates were, their
differing views, and the results of the election. Students who score three out of three on the quiz
will be considered in the green. Students who score two out of three on the quiz will be
considered in the yellow. Students who score one or below on the quiz will be considered in the
red and will need reteaching.
Engagement:
The teacher will split the class into two. The students who got a candy bar on the first day will be
on one side of the classroom, and the students who did not get one will be on the other side.
Okay boys and girls, raise your hand if you got a candy bar on Monday. Remember, some of you
got one and some of you didnt. Okay, if you have your hand raised, you got a candy bar. I want
all of you to come to the carpet. The students will walk to the carpet. If you didnt get a candy
bar, you should be at your desk still. I want all of you to go to the kidney table. The students will
walk to the kidney table. The team who got a candy bar, I want you all to collaborate and talk
together and give me three convincing reasons why I should give you your candy bars back.
Remember to be really convincing and maybe you will get it back! You all over here who did not
get a candy bar, I want you to talk together and come up with three reasons I should give you
candy bars. Be really convincing! You will have five minutes. The teacher will pass out a mini
whiteboard to each team to write their three reasons on. Write your reasons on this whiteboard.
When you hear the timer, stop! Before the teacher hears each sides reasons, she is going to give
the side who originally had the candy bars their candy back. Before I hear either of your reasons,
Im going to give this team (teacher will walk to side who originally had candy bars and hand
them their candy back) their candy back. Do not eat the candy. This team (kidney table), what
actions would you take? If I was actually only giving this team their candy, but not you all, what
would you do? Think about this for a few minutes and let me know.
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
What we just did with the candy bars, as you can probably guess, represents what we are
learning about today. We have already talked about how the North and South are different. Can
someone remind me specific ways they are different? Thats right, Myrtis. They differed in their
view of states rights, high tariffs, and slavery. Today, you all differed in what you thought about
the candy bars. You were divided and did not necessarily agree about who should keep the candy
bars. So today, you will be able to explain why the country divided itself into two and why the
southern states left the country. When something splits into two or more pieces we call it
division. We are going to use that word a lot today. Everyone repeat after me: Division is the act
or process of splitting something apart. Repeat now. A key player in our story today is going to
be a man named Abraham Lincoln. I am going to tell you a little bit about him before we get into
the conflict of todays lesson. In the 1850s new national leaders such as Abraham Lincoln began
to speak out on the issue of slavery. Abraham Lincoln was not an abolitionist, but he was against
the spread of slavery. Remember that an abolitionist is someone that wants slavery to end. He
didnt necessarily want it to end but he did not want it to spread any further. He did not think that
the federal government had the right to abolish slavery in the United States. Do you think that
Abraham Lincoln supported states rights or no? Instead of the government deciding to abolish
slavery he believed that if slavery were not allowed to spread it would someday just die out on its
own. Abraham Lincoln is the main character in todays lesson. Does anyone know any fun facts
about Abraham Lincoln? Yes, Amy, he was very tall. He was named for his grandfather. Are any
of you named after someone in your family? I am named after my grandmother. His grandfather
had a son named Thomas, who eventually married Nancy Hanks. They lived in a small log cabin
and they had a son named Abraham in 1809. They lived in Kentucky but moved away because
many people in Kentucky owned slaves. Because slaves did most of the work, there were very few
paying jobs available. The family had to move so that they could make money. They lived in
Indiana for 14 years and then they moved to the Illinois territory. As a young man, Lincoln held
several jobs and studied to become a lawyer later opening his own office. He had lots of
experience serving the public through the government. He became very concerned with the
spread of slavery to the West. He joined a new political party that was formed to fight the spread
of slavery. This party was called the republican party. In 1858 he decided to run for a different
public office. At that time he was nominated by the republican party to be its candidate for the
U.S. Senate. Abraham Lincoln ran against senator Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln and Douglas
were very different from each other. Remember how Amy said that Abraham Lincoln was tall,
well Douglas was heavy and a foot shorter than Lincoln. Because Douglas was already serving
in the Senate, he was well known across the country and not many people knew who Abraham
Lincoln was. Despite their differences, they were alike in one important way. They were both
talented public speakers. Huge crowds listened to them and newspapers printed what they said.
Douglas argued that each new state should decide the slavery question for itself. He said that
was what the nations founders had allowed and he agreed. However, remember that Lincoln
said that the framers of the Constitution intended and expected slavery to end. The problem
was a question of right or wrong. Lincoln said that slavery is wrong so it should not spread.
Although Stephen Douglas won reelection to the Senate for another term, people all over the
country now knew who Lincoln was. Do you think their differences helped them get along or did
it create conflict? What can we predict about that? You are right. We are going to do a quick
activity to jot down our thoughts about these two men. Lets complete a quick venn diagram. On
one side we have Abraham Lincoln. On the other side we have Stephen Douglas. Each man was
different but they did have a few things in common. What was something they didnt have in
common. Thats right, lets write that Lincoln did not support the spread of slavery but Douglas
did. Okay, what about states rights. Lets add their views on that to our diagram. What is
something they had in common? Yes, they were both good public speakers. Finally I want you to
talk to your partner about this: Who do you think the North liked and who do you think the South
liked? Okay, will someone share what they shared with their partner. Yes, the South liked
Douglas because he supported what they wanted and the North liked Lincoln for the same
reasons. They dont agree on much and its going to create conflict when the time comes to elect
a new president. There were actually three different candidates running for president in 1860.
The three candidates for president in this election are, you guessed it, Abraham Lincoln, and
Stephen Douglas well and one extra player that will make all the difference in the outcome:
John Breckenridge. Lets add him to our Venn Diagram. He was similar to Douglas. He
supported the spread of slavery, making him a Democrat. Do you think people in the North or
the South liked him? You are right. People in the South liked Breckinridge. Do you think
everyone in the South liked him or only some. Yes, only half of them liked him because some
liked Douglas better. Do you think the North was split on who they liked?No they were not split
on who they liked. The majority of people in the North liked Lincoln. So sometimes when there is
conflict, people divide, just like they will make compromises or rebel. While they were already
divided, the Election of 1860 increased tensions. The students will be analyzing primary source
political posters. They will read two political posters and do their best to summarize the message
on each one. Okay boys and girls, before we learn more about the Election of 1860 we are going
to pretend that we are people that will be voting on the next president. Here are pictures of two
primary source political posters from the Election of 1860. These political posters helped
encourage support for a particular issue. Read each poster and do your best to summarize the
message on each poster. Write your response in your writing journals. You have fifteen minutes.
Stop when you hear the timer. Give students time to work. Please turn and talk to your partner
about what you wrote. Would one or two people like to come up and share. Great work everyone.
Well, there were three people running and the nation was divided into three groups of people:
people that liked Lincoln, people that liked Douglas, and people that liked Breckinridge. It was
to Abrahams Lincolns advantage that the democratic party was split. Lets look a pie chart for
one moment. I have divided in half. The top half represents the North and the bottom half
represents the South. Now, if I am going to write the people each area liked in the regions. Okay,
Lincoln gets to keep all the peoples votes in the North, but what do we need to change about the
South? Thats right, we have to divide it in half. So if this was a model of everyones vote who
had the most votes, or most area on the chart? Thats right, Lincoln does. I wonder if it ended up
working out that way in 1860. Do you want to see if our smart brains were right? Lets find out
who won! Lincoln won because there was a split in the Democratic party just like we just
modeled on the pie chart. All of the southern states voted for either Douglas or Breckenridge
and most of the North and West voted for Lincoln. He won. In 1860, he became the president.
Stop! Based on what I have told you about President Lincoln, turn and talk about what you think
the Southern states were thinking about at this point. Make predictions about what you think they
might decide to do. The South felt that Lincoln was going to try to change their way of life
because slavery and plantation life was all they knew. Because of this anger they decided to
leave the Union and create their own nation. Well, the South decided to secede from the union.
Secede means to separate from a nation to become independent. South Carolina was the first
state to secede. Next came Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and finally Texas.
These seven states came together to form the Confederate States of America. Why do you think
these states seceded? These states made their own laws that supported states rights and slavery.
These states elected Jefferson Davis as their president. Lets listen to a quick song to help us
remember these seven states that seceded from the union. The teacher will play the Confederate
States song.
II.
Teacher will instruct students to brainstorm and write a letter to Abraham Lincoln as if they were
a Southern state that was planning to secede from the Union. Ok, boys and girls. It is time for
you to show me all that you know. You are about to write a letter to Abraham Lincoln as if you
were a person living in the South. The teacher will model her example so the students have
something to base theirs off of. Here is what I wrote to Lincoln when I was a young girl in 1860.
Dear Abraham Lincoln, My name is Chandler McAlister. I am 10 years old. My parents dont
like you very much because you are trying to get rid of our slaves. You should let us vote on what
we want to do. You dont live here so you dont know what my life is like. If our slaves were gone,
I wouldnt be able to go to school anymore because I would have to pick cotton. Please dont be
mean to us. From, Chandler McAlister. You will need to come up with 3 reasons why you felt the
need to secede from the Union. Spend some time brainstorming on a scratch piece of paper. Lets
review how to write a letter first! Raise your hand if you have ever written a letter before. What
do we always have to put in a letter? Thats right, Karen! You must always address the person,
have a date, and sign your name. Ok, here is a scratch sheet of paper to brainstorm your ideas. I
am going to give you a few minutes. Once you have brainstormed raise your hand so that I can
come look. Once I tell you it is ok you may begin to write your letter in your writing journal. I
will allow you enough time to write, so please dont rush! Take all the time you need! Will you
please turn to your partner and read your letter to them. See if you have any different reasons to
succeeding from the Union. Would anyone like to share their letter to Abraham Lincoln. You can
even sit in your seat and read it to the class just like I did.
III.
Assessment
The students will complete a quiz with questions pertaining to the election of 1860 and
secession. Now you are going to show me all that you learned today. I am going to give you a
pop quiz with three discussion questions. I am going to read you the questions and if you have
any questions you need to ask me now. If you dont understand please raise your hand at the end.
The first question is: What newly formed political party did Abraham Lincoln join and how did
this party feel about slavery? The next question is: How were the positions of Lincoln and
Douglas on the spread of slavery different? The last question is: What did 7 southern states do
after Lincoln was elected president? Why? Does anyone have any questions? Okay, you have 15
minutes to complete this assignment and turn it in. Raise your hand when you are finished.
IV.
Closure:
The teacher will go over the assessment answers with the class. Okay, boys and girls. We are
going to go over the quiz we just took. Okay, number 1: What party did Lincoln join and what
did they think about slavery? Lincoln joined the Republican party and they did not want slavery
to spread. What was the other party called? Yes, the Democratic party and they supported the
spread of slavery. Awesome you guys! Number 2: How were the positions of Lincoln and
Douglas on the spread of slavery different? Like we just said above Lincoln was a Republican
and wanted slavery to stop spready and Douglas, a Democrat wanted slavery to continue to
spread. The last one, number 3: What did those seven southern states do? Yep, they seceded from
the Union because they did not want Lincoln to change their way of life. Great job today
everyone. Do you have any questions?

white boards
dry erase boards
PowerPoint
Promethean Board
computer
projector
song
http://www.songsforteaching.com/socialstudies/usunitedstateshistory/civilwar11confederatestates
.php
writing journals
pencils

Extension- choice board
Reteaching- Read the story called What Lincoln Said by Sarah L. Thompson

Lesson Title: Fort Sumter
Students will produce a newspaper article touching on all events leading to Fort Sumter, ending
with the crises at Fort Sumter, including a fact about each event and then finally tying them
together in a concluding paragraph with obvious understanding of the concept of conflict,
scoring at least 9 out of 12 on a rubric.
I will be able to explain the events that led to the start of the Civil War.
Students will have time to work in the computer lab to create a newspaper article. They will have
time to brainstorm and outline first in class. Next, they will peer revise and edit their article.
Finally they will publish the final piece using a Microsoft Word template. Students may include
pictures and must have a creative title and heading of the newspaper. They should also include
the date it was written. The article must include the material learned today about Fort Sumter and
the other conflicts taught in days 1-4 that led to this point. Students who receive an 11 or 12 on
the rubric will be placed in green. Students who score a 9 or 10 on the rubric will be considered
yellow and will need review of the concept. Students who score below a 9 on the rubric will be
considered red and need reteaching.
Engagement:
The teacher will pair students off, one with a candy bar and one without. The students will fight
over the candy bar. Okay boys and girls, raise your hand if you got a candy bar yesterday. The
teacher will match students with a candy bar with a student who does not have one. I want you to
find the nearest person to you who does not have a candy bar. Stand next to your new partner.
Find a new spot in the room to sit down with your partner. Fight over the candy bar using words
only. Do not touch each other, especially you Amy and Karen. Convince each other why you
should have the candy bar. The teacher will allow the students time to fight over the candy bar.
The teacher will walk around and listen to conversations, and may even egg on the argument.
The class will come back together. If you can hear me clap, once. If you can hear me, clap twice.
Thank you. Come back to your desks. We created another level of conflict with the candy bars.
What did you notice about conflict when it is not resolved? Thats right, Tarsha. When conflict is
not resolved, it gets out of hand, or Im going to use a big word. It escalates. Lets define the
word escalate. What do you think escalate means, David, you have your hand raised? Does it
sound like another word? Good job, Mandy, it sounds like the word escalator. And we all
know that escalators take people up levels and gradually get bigger. So just like the word
escalator, to escalate means to become worse or more severe. So, today, our conflict over candy
bars escalated. The problem became more severe. When conflict is not resolved it escalates. This
is one of the many other ways people deal with conflict.
Learning Design:
I.
Teaching:
In the past four days, we have talked about conflict and how people deal with conflict. Today, we
are going to put all of these together and learn about the final conflict the led to the start of the
Civil War. At the end, you will be able to explain all of the events and conflicts that led to the
war. The teacher will go to slide 57. Take a look at this picture. Turn and talk to your partner
about what you think is going on. The teacher will listen and take notes while the students
discuss. 5,4,3,2,1, thank you. Mandy, please share what you and Jeanie discussed. I liked what
you said about this picture looking chaotic. A lot must have happened for this to have gone on.
Does anyone else want to share their thoughts about this photo? Thats right, Janet, this picture
is a battle. The battle is called Fort Sumter. This battle goes back to Abraham Lincoln becoming
president. He believed that the United States could not be divided. Tension was building because
Americans everywhere wondered what he would do about the seceding states. Some people
thought that he should let them go. Others said that he should accept the Southern position on
the slavery question and hope that the Southern states would return. Others felt that Lincoln
should use the army to end the revolt. The countrys fate was soon determined in a battle called
Fort Sumter. Words were not enough to sold the huge conflict. Fort Sumter is an island located
near South Carolina. After the Confederate states began to secede, tensions rose. The Southern
states were all on their own without an army. When the Southern states seceded, they had taken
over post offices, forts, and other federal government property within their borders. Fort Sumter
was one of the very few forts in the South that remained under Union control. To protect
themselves, the Confederacy started to build an army. The army they were building went to Fort
Sumter as their home base. After being at the Fort for a while, they began to run out of supplies.
The commander of the fort on the Union side, Major Robert Anderson, feared that if more
supplies were not sent soon, he would have to surrender the Fort to the Confederacy. The Union
did not want to lose this Fort because it was the only one they had left in the South that remained
occupied by their side. Lincoln had promised to hold on to all property that belonged to the
United States, or the Union. He sent supply ships to the fort and waited to see how the
Confederate leaders would react. In result, the Confederate leader demanded that Union forces
surrender the fort. The leader of the Confederacy was named P.T. Beauregard. His army was
located outside of the fort waiting for the Union to give up and leave to get supplies they needed
to survive. The Confederacy thought that the lack of supplies and food would make them leave,
but that was not the case. P.T. Beauregard asked the Union troops to surrender, but Anderson did
not do as he was asked. Based on what you know about the Civil War and what we just learned,
we are going to make an inference about what will occur next. Im going to give each of you a
sticky note. Please write your inference down. The teacher will give the students two minutes to
write an inference and she will place them on the board. Pass your sticky notes to the left. If you
are on the end of your row, please bring them to me. The teacher will allow two of the students to
share their inferences. Lets see if anyone was right. When Major Anderson, inside the fort,
refused to surrender, Confederate troops fired their cannons on the fort. They bombarded the fort
for the next 34 hours until the Union troops finally surrendered. This happened on April 12,
1861. Lincoln called for 75,000 Americans to join an army to stop the Southern rebellion and
preserve the United States. After this four more states seceded from the Union and joined the
Confederacy. There were now 11 states in the Confederacy. Tensions between the Union and
Confederate states had reached their breaking point. The Civil War had begun. So, the final
cause of the Civil War was the Battle of Fort Sumter. Before we move on, we are going to watch
this quick video about the battle of Fort Sumter and the start of the war. Once the video is over,
the students will get out their writing journals for a quick write. We are going to do a quick write.
Everyone please get out your writing journals and a pencil. Turn to your next clean sheet and
you will write about what happens when conflict is not resolved. Try to relate this to the Civil
War and to yourself. You will have four minutes to write and you must write without stopping.
Pencils down when you hear the timer. Lets think about conflict a litte more. How would you
describe this piece of the conflict puzzle. It is a little different than all the pieces we have talked
about so far. Turn and talk to your partner about this. How would you describe this piece of
conflict? I would describe this piece like this: If conflict is not resolved it escalates, or grows
until it gets very bad.
II.
The students will reenact the Battle of Fort Sumter. The activity will be done in the school
gymnasium. The students will be divided into two groups. Each group will elect a general to lead
them in battle. Foam balls will be used as cannons. If a student is hit by a cannon, he/she is out.
Each team will be given time to prepare their strategy. Each team will be given a different
amount of supply that they can use depending on if they are the Confederate side or Union side.
From this, the students will understand why the Confederacy won the battle. The Confederate
team will be allowed to go outside of the gym to retrieve more balls when they run out modeling
how the Confederacy was able to get to more supplies but the untion was not. The Union side
will also have a fort built on their side of the gym for protection. Okay, boys and girls. We are
going to go to the gym and we are going to be reenacting the battle of Fort Sumter that we just
learned all about. I am going to be dividing you into two groups. Who can tell me what those two
groups will be named? Thats right, Amy, the two groups will be the Confederacy and the Union,
just like in the battle of Fort Sumter. I am going to number you off a 1 or a 2. The teacher will
number off the students. If you are a one, you are part of the Confederacy. If you are a two, you
are part of the Union. Work with your team and decide who will be Beauregard for the
Confederacy and Anderson for the Union. The teacher will give students two minutes to decide.
Great, has everyone picked their general to lead them in battle? The teacher will move students
to the gym. We are going to walk to the gym. Please stay in the side that I will assign to you.
When in the gym, the teacher will place them on each side. The middle line in the court will
divide them. Ok, the Confederacy will stay on this side. Also, Confederacy, look at this door on
the left. You may go outside of this door and get any supplies you see in the hallway that might
help you. Please do not touch the foam balls inside until I tell you to. The Union will stay on this
side. Also, please dont touch the foam balls until given the instruction to do so. Here is how this
is going to work. You are going to have ten minutes to discuss your strategy to win the battle
with your group.. Let your general lead you in your discussion. Consider this: the foam balls are
your ammunition and you are trying to get people out on the opposite side just like if you were
playing dodgeball in P.E. class. Make sure you use your ammunition wisely. Go ahead and start
planning your strategy. The teacher will give students time to plan and then they will play until
everyone on the Union side is out. The students will understand that the Confederacy was at an
advantage because they had more ammunition. Lets chat. Who won our fake battle. Thats right,
the Confederacy did. Why did they win? They had more ammunition at the beginning. I also gave
them access to get more ammunition outside of the gym if they ran out. Did the Union team have
that advantage? No, they didnt have that advantage. So, the Confederate side won this battle
just like the real battle of Fort Sumter because they had a special advantage of getting supplies.
Fabulous work everyone.
III.
Assessment
Students will complete a writing activity in the form of a newspaper that will explain the
conflicts that led to the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter. They must include a
concluding paragraph tying the concept of conflict together. Lets review what all we have
learned about conflict. How does conflict arise? What are different ways people deal with
conflict? What happens when conflict is not resolved? You are going to be creating a newspaper
article that outlines the conflicts that led to the start of the Civil War at Fort Sumter. The first
thing I need you to do is brainstorm and review everything that we have learned over the past
week. Use the graphic organizer in your notes packet on page () to organize the ideas that you
have learned. The teacher will allow students time to brainstorm. Now that you have your
thoughts organized I want you to write like you are informing people about the events. I am
going to give you a couple of sheets of notebook paper and I want you to write for 20 minutes
without stopping. When you hear the timer go off you may stop. Once the students complete this
part of the writing process they will be done for the day. Overnight the teacher will read what the
students wrote. The next day the students will work in groups to revise and edit using a checklist.
Great work writing yesterday everyone. We are going to work on revising and editing our work
today. I am going to assign a partner to you and you will each look over each other's work. You
need to pay attention to their spelling, punctuation, grammar and how they organize their
material. Be kind to each other but please make suggestions. We all want to learn to be better
writers. I am going to give you a checklist to help guide you in reading your peers writing. Once
I have assigned your partner to you and you have received your checklist you may begin. Once
you are done please show me your work. You will then be allowed to get a computer and type
your article on Microsoft Word. Print it when you are finished. Make sure to read over your
work. The teacher will monitor the students working and help when they need help. When they
bring you their paper provide extra feedback that they may need when writing a final draft.
IV.
Closure:
The teacher will discuss with the students the battle simulation that they went through in the
gym. Okay, lets remember the battle that we reenacted in the gym today. Which side won? Why
do you think the Confederacy was able to win? What advantages did they have going into battle?
What disadvantages did the Union have going into battle? What have we learned happens when
conflict is not resolved? What do you think is the best way to deal with conflict? The teacher will
give every student a candy bar.

Foam balls
Access to the Gymnasium
Fort in the gym
Promethean Board
Computers
Timer
My Editing Checklist
My Revision Checklist
Sticky notes
http://video.pbs.org/video/1832507650/
Writing Journal
Pencils
Extension - Choice Board
Reteaching - Read The Story of Fort Sumter by Eugenia Burney

Civil War Unit - Lesson Plans: Standards Connection

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Civil War Unit - Lesson Plans: Standards Connection

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Civil War Unit Lesson Plans

Instructor: Ellen & Chandler

Opportunity for Practice:

Materials and Resources:

Reteaching- North vs. South worksheet cut out/puzzle

Opportunity for Practice:

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):

Instructor: Ellen & Chandler

Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language:

Opportunity for Practice:

Materials and Resources:

Rebellion graphic organizer

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):

Instructor: Ellen & Chandler

Opportunity for Practice:

Materials and Resources:

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):

Instructor: Ellen & Chandler

Opportunity for Practice:

Materials and Resources:

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