Francine Miller - 6th Grade Teacher

Lincoln/Roosevelt School

Roxbury Twp.  Public Schools

 

Webquest - Civil War

 

 

I.                   TOPIC – Webquest, Personal account of a Northern and Southern soldier.

 

II.                 GRADE LEVEL – Grade Six

 

III.              OBJECTIVES

 

v    The student will determine what life was like for a Northern and Southern soldier.

v    The student will determine how events of war affect everyone differently.

v    The student will demonstrate technological skill in research, word processing, and publishing.

 

IV.             LINKS TO THE STANDARDS

 

6.3 – All students will acquire historical understanding of political and diplomatic ideas, forces, and institutions throughout the history of NJ, the USA, and the World.

6.3.5 – The student will explain relationships between cause, effect, and consequences, in order to understand significant historical events.

6.3.6 – The student will assess positions of proponents and opponents at turning points throughout history.

6.3.7 – The student will analyze how events and changes occurred in significant historical periods.

6.3.8-  The student will understand issues, standards, and conflicts related to universal human rights.

6.4 - Students will acquire historical understanding of societal ideas and forces throughout the history of New Jersey, The United States, and the World.

 

V.               TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES

See internet resources in webquest.

 

VI.             MATERIALS

Internet Sites

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Publisher

 

VII.          DESCRIPTION OF PLAN

See Webquest

 

 

 

                                                                               

CIVIL WAR
 

 

 

 

 

 


INTRODUCTION

 

It is 1865.  The Civil War is still raging.  Families have been torn apart.  The idealistic young boys are growing weary and wondering if this is too high a price to pay.  One family, the Thompsons, who live in Virginia, has two boys off to war.  This is not unusual for many families except in this case each boy is fighting on opposite sides. James is fighting for the North and Samuel is fighting for the South.

 

 

 

 

 

THE TASK

 

 

Your job is to investigate what life is like for James and Samuel.  You will need to investigate the battles, the number of casualties, the generals who led them.  You will need to investigate the living conditions, medical supplies, weapons, and most of all the causes of the war that motivated each to fight for their particular side.  Once you have a good picture of what the war brought to each of the boys, you are to report this in newspaper articles for a "fictitious newspaper" during the Civil War.  In the editorial section of the newspaper, you will also write an article discussing which side of the war you would have been on and why.

 

 

THE PROCESS

 

You are to research your information using the websites found in the Resource section of this webquest.  Feel free to find other sites that may help you in your quest.

  

1.      You will be divided into groups with about 4 people to a group.  Two people in the group will write from James's point of view, while the other two will research Samuel's life and report on that.

 

2.  When researching the sites, answer the following questions.

             

v    Why was the South fighting the Civil War?  What did they want?

 

v    Why was the North fighting the Civil War?  What did they want?

 

v    What was the separating boundary of the North and South?     Which states were Confederate and which states fought for the US?

v    Find 5 important battles of the Civil War.  Where were they fought?  What year were they fought?  Who won the battle?  How many casualties were there on each side?

 

v    Investigate the Generals of these battles. How did the soldiers perceive these generals?

v    What were the medical conditions for each side?  Look into the life of Clara Barton.

 

v    What was the turning point of the War?

 

v    When was the war over?  How many casualties were there on each side?

 

3.    You are to add some “historical fiction” to your newspaper article.  For example, how did James and Samuel feel about their respective generals?  Did James and Samuel ever fight against each other in a battle?  Give some details but make sure it is based on historical facts.

 

4.    You are to compile your information in a newspaper article. Using Microsoft Word or Publisher, design your newspaper, giving dates.    Include feelings that Samuel and James may have had.  Incorporate pictures from the web to make your newspaper more realistic.

 

5.    In your newspaper, each member of the group is to include an editorial about the Civil War and which side they would have fought on and why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCES

 

 

http://www.civilwar.com

This is a comprehensive site which features many aspects of the Civil War.  It includes links to battles, music, museums, letters, women in the war and many other topics.  Click on the links button for biographies of important people of the Civil War, including Lincoln and Davis.

 

http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/index.html

 A Nation Divided, The US Civil War, 1861-1865 – This site has very good information and the timeline is easy to read.  It is set up by years and within each year are specific events with dates that include the month and day.  Along with the events there are pictures for each year.  If you want to organize the events of the Civil War, this is a good site to put it into perspective.

 

http://www.on-the-square.com/benscivilwar/index.htm

Ben’s Civil War Virtual Museum – This is a timeline of battles that lists the name of the battle, date, officers involved, US and Confederate losses, and the victor.  There are hot links to certain battles as well as to the officers.  This site also plays music.

 

http://www.civilwarhome.com

This is a great site that includes links to all aspects of the Civil War.  Battles, biographies, and medicine are a few.  There are links to primary sources such as essays on the Civil War and Letters about the War.  A link called potpourri is a great place to find trivia about the War.

 

http://www.civil-war.net/

The Civil War Homepage – This site offers information on the General Officers, Battle Summaries, and a Day by Day report of what happened during the war.

 

http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/hcarter/webquest.htm

A Civil War Personal Journal – This is an example of a webquest that reflected my curriculum interests.  It was a good resource for the format of the webquest as well as good information and ideas for a Civil War quest.

 

 

 

 

 

LEARNING ADVICE

 

 

Remember:  

v    Check your information for accuracy. 

v    You may include a chart of the battles, dates, and casualties if you would like. 

v    You could include a map that shows where the battles were fought or the route taken by Samuel and James.

v    You could include an example of a letter written home using primary sources as a reference.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Now that you have completed your quest, you must realize the terrible lengths our ancestors went to in order to maintain that “all men are created equal.”  You should appreciate their dedication and determination in creating the country we now live in.  But is it over?  Are we all equal?  What will you do to preserve our freedom?  What will you do to contribute to what our forefathers died for?  Hopefully, while working cooperatively, you learned to listen to each other’s opinions and respected each other’s point of view.  If so, you have succeeded in your quest.

 

VIII.   ASSESSMENT

The following point system will be used to evaluate the student’s mastery of this lesson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACTIVITY

 

POSSIBLE POINTS

 

POINTS EARNED

ACCURACY OF INFORMATION IN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

40

 

CREATIVITY OF “HISTORICAL FICTION”  ARTICLE

30

 

APPEARANCE OF NEWSPAPER(Neat-ness,organized)

10

 

 

COOPERATIVE LEARNING SKILLS

10

 

 

TECHNOLOGY SKILLS (Use of Word, Publisher)

10