Thomas E. Holmes
Objectives: Students will listen to and review books to understand the personal effect the Civil War had upon families both black and white, Confederate and Union alike. Students will choose a character to do research on using books, journals, and computers to gather information to write a report and character dramatization script which will be dramatized for the class.
Materials: Books, Reader's Journals, Graphic Organizers, Chart Paper Markers, research materials and computer access, Characterization Costumes and Props for Dramatization.
Strategies: Introduction to the Unit begins with whole class activities. Each student is given copies of the books, a Reader's Journal, and a KWL Graphic Organizer Chart, which is a 9"X11" sheet of paper with the following headings and examples:
K
|
W
|
L
|
What I Know
|
What I Want To Know
|
What I Learned
|
Slavery of Blacks
|
What about their families?
|
Slavery ended in the North
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Why did it continue in the
|
in the 1840's
|
South?
|
Process: Students write what they know briefly about the Civil War and Slavery, under the K. They use brief descriptive words or sentences. A lot of brainstorming is done together. Everyone shares aloud what they know and a collective summary is made. They then formulate questions about what they would like to know, under the W column. The L column will be filled in as a cumulative activity to the lesson. Students will then follow my introduction making notes in their Reading Journals of settings, characters, events, and personal reflections.
By way of introduction I present two books:
The Boy's War
by Jim Murphy and
Till Victory Is Won
by Zak Mettger. I use these two to make a clear connection that the Civil War was a war in which many boys, not too much older than the students I teach, fought and died in on both the Confederate and Union sides. Also, that the war was one in which many black soldiers and sailors both free and runaways, after gaining their freedom turned right around and fought on the Union side. It wasn't just a "White man's War." The vivid action pictures and the short stories of individual and collective groups help to get the learners attention. Now they are connected not by just facts but facts that embrace real people who faced real personal issues and feelings.
About the books:
Boy's War tells of first hand accounts of these boys from enlistment through training into the dark holes of the battlefield. They were underage boys who went to defend their homes, on both sides. Many of them went, though, merely for the thrill of an adventure which found them in the bowels of the most savage fighting ever engaged in by American Soldiers. The pictures and the writing of letters home tell the story of these boy's emotions, joys, sadness, and pain from their own hand and the writing hand of others.
Till Victory Is Won tells clearly the story of black men and their families in a land of upheaval for freedom. Initially they were not allowed to fight in 1861. Eventually they would gain the right to fight and this book tells of the struggles and the stunning contributions they made on the battlefields as soldiers and on the waters as sailors. The author exemplifies the bravery of these men during and after the war and how it affected the historical path of this nation. The book is based on first hand accounts with photographs and drawings that illustrate how blacks influenced the outcome of the war and the decades that followed.
Character Dramatization: I will present to the students character dramatizations from these books and others depicting a character I read about. I create imaginary settings similar to real ones in the book and then portray a character using costumes, props and voice. I portray a Black Scout for the Union Army, A Confederate Officer, a Union Officer, A Slave Ship Captain, A Slave, and an Abolitionist. I do one character per week so that students will have a model of setting a stage, use of personal props, and how historical information is researched. Students work on their research for a character they would like to portray and present a written script of what they will present. This is an ongoing process of writing skills with initial drafts through to completed copy and presentation. I conference weekly with each student on their writing and computer research.
Evaluation: Holistic Rubrics for reading, writing, and dramatization presentations are used for assessment and evaluations. Students become very aware of the scoring process and expectations of their work. This is important for self evaluation, group evaluation, and teacher assessment for mastery of objectives. The evaluation is on a Scale of 0-6, 0 being no effort exemplified in contrast to a 6 being excellent. The rubric design aligns with the Connecticut Mastery Test Objectives and the districts objectives.