Stewart Benson

TTE 536
11/6/15
The American Civil War Unit Plan
Relevant Arizona State Standards:
Concept 1: Research Skills for History PO 1. Construct charts, graphs, and narratives
using historical data. PO 2. Interpret historical data displayed in graphs, tables, and
charts. PO 3. Construct timelines (e.g., presidents/world leaders, key events, and people)
of the historical era being studied. PO 4. Formulate questions that can be answered by
historical study and research. PO 5. Describe the relationship between a primary source
document and a secondary source document. PO 6. Determine the credibility and bias of
primary and secondary sources. PO 7. Analyze cause and effect relations hips between
and among individuals and/or historical e vents. PO 8. Describe two points of view on the
same historical event.
Concept 6: Civil War and Reconstruction (Note: The Civil War was introduced in Grade
5.) PO 1. Analyze the factors leading to the Civil War: a. role of abolitionists and
Underground Railroad b. Sectionalism and States Rights c. Westward expansion d.
Missouri and 1850 Compromises e. Dred Scott Decision f. Kansas-Nebraska Act PO 2.
Determine the significance of the following events of the Civil War: a. firing on Fort
Sumter b. major battles Bull Run, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg c. Enactment of the
Emancipation Proclamation d. Shermans March e. surrender at Appomattox PO 3.
Describe significance of the following individuals or groups in the Civil War: a. political
leaders (i.e., Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis) b. military leaders (e.g., Robert E. Lee,
Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, Thomas Stonewall Jackson) c. role of
African- Americans d. role of Women PO 4. Analyze the impact of the Civil War on the
following personal, social, and economic aspects of American life: a. Americans fighting
Americans b. high casualties caused by disease and the type of warfare c. widespread
destruction of American property d. change in status of freed slaves e. value of railroads
and industry PO 5. Describe the impact of various events and movements that influenced
R e construction: a. Lincolns assassination b. Ku Klux Klan and the development of Jim
Crow laws c. Freedmens Bureau d. Civil War Constitutional Amendments e.
industrialization PO 6. Describe the basic provisions of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and
Fifteenth Amendments.
Big Idea:
The American Civil War was fought on the question of slavery, and whether that practice
would have a future in the United States.
Unit Goal:
Students will understand how the Union and the Confederacy held different beliefs,
strategies, and goals and how the catastrophic destruction at the end of the War
influenced social and economic changes for years to come.
Essential Questions:

How did political disagreement between Free and Slave States create the conditions for a
Civil War?
How did changes in military technology and tactics contribute to the massive carnage
resulting from the Civil War?
How did living in the United States change politically, socially, and economically after
the Civil War?

Summative Assessment:
In order to measure my students understanding of this Unit, the Big Idea, as well as the
Essential Questions, I will create a summative assessment in the form of a persuasive
essay. The students will have other grades during this Unit period from: map worksheets,
primary source analysis, front-of-class presentations, and other activities related to
various sources I incorporate into my lessons. The summative assessment will be a
multiple choice essay prompt, where students will have a choice of which prompt to
respond to and which will directly relate to one of the Essential Questions. This
assessment will be in the form of a persuasive essay, where students will have to utilize
evidence they consumed in class to back-up and present their arguments. The Summative
Assessment Essay Prompt: The end of the Civil War brought enormous social, political,
and economic changes to the country. List and explain these changes, and include how
you think these changes might affect future relations between Northerners and
Southerners.
List of Resources:
Zinn, Howard (2003). A Peoples History of the United States: 1492 Present, (5th ed.),
1-688.
Burns, Ken (1990). The Civil War, Public Broadcasting Service, 690 minutes.
Soldiers of the 79th New York at Camp, (1861). Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540, LOT 14022, no. 6
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/617_apptonly.html
Colbert, Stephen (2015). Learn the Address, Public Broadcasting Service,
http://www.learntheaddress.org
Garcia, Jesus; Ogle, Donna M.; Risinger, Frederick C.; Stevos, Joyce (2007). Creating
America: A History of the United States, 453-529.
Various United States maps constructed by my Mentor Teacher.
CWSAC Battle Summaries for Major Civil War Battles.
A New Birth of Freedom: The Story of Four Americans at Gettysburg. A broadcast for
students and teachers from Gettysburg National Military Park (2003).
Guided reading worksheets related to the Curriculum text book Creating America.
Analysis of various photos from the National Archives.
Glory (1989). Various clips.
Calendar:
This Civil War Unit will take place over the course of two weeks, most likely the first
two weeks of December (no holidays from school will be taking place).

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Topics: Growing
Tensions, A
Nation Falling
Apart.
Activities:
Textbook reading,
reading guides,
video clips.

Topics: The Crisis

Topics: Lincolns
Election, Southern
Secession.
Activities:
Textbook reading,
reading guides,
Map activity.

Topics: War
Erupts, Life in the
Army.
Activities:
Textbook reading,
Soldiers Letters
Analysis, Video
Clips.

Topics: No End in
Sight, Brutality of
War.
Activities: Video
Clips, Class
Discussion re:
Brutality of War.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Topics: The Tide

Topics: How War

Topics:
The Legacy of
War, Preview of
Reconstruction.
Activities:
Check for
Understanding
activities, How
Racism Continues
On After Slavery.

Topics: Review of
Unit Content,
Themes, Essential
Questions.
Activities:
Review Game,
Work on
Synthesizing
Units Essential
Questions w/
Summative
Assessment.

Topics: Hold a
Review
Game/Handout
Study Guides for
Unit Test.
Activities:
Question and
Answer session
between Students
and Teacher,
Review of
Various
Worksheets.

The Summative Assessment will be given the Monday or Tuesday after the conclusion of
the two week Unit.