Goals & Objectives
Students will be able to distinguish the different views and concerns held by the American public before and during the Civil War. Students will be able to argue and defend either side of the issues.
California State Content and Common Core Standards
State:
8.9 Students analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Discuss the abolition of slavery in early state constitutions.
3. Describe the significance of the Northwest Ordinance in education and in the banning of slavery in new states north of the Ohio River.
4. Discuss the importance of the slavery issue as raised by the annexation of Texas and California's admission to the union as a free state under the Compromise of 1850.
5. Analyze the significance of the States' Rights Doctrine, the Missouri Compromise (1820), the Wilmot Proviso (1846), the Compromise of 1850, Henry Clay's role in the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (1857), and the Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858).
6. Describe the lives of free blacks and the laws that limited their freedom and economic opportunities.
8.10 Students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War.
1. Compare the conflicting interpretations of state and federal authority as emphasized in the speeches and writings of statesmen such as Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun.
3. Identify the constitutional issues posed by the doctrine of nullification and secession and the earliest origins of that doctrine.
Common Core:
Reading
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
3. Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Writing
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
8.9 Students analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Discuss the abolition of slavery in early state constitutions.
3. Describe the significance of the Northwest Ordinance in education and in the banning of slavery in new states north of the Ohio River.
4. Discuss the importance of the slavery issue as raised by the annexation of Texas and California's admission to the union as a free state under the Compromise of 1850.
5. Analyze the significance of the States' Rights Doctrine, the Missouri Compromise (1820), the Wilmot Proviso (1846), the Compromise of 1850, Henry Clay's role in the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (1857), and the Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858).
6. Describe the lives of free blacks and the laws that limited their freedom and economic opportunities.
8.10 Students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War.
1. Compare the conflicting interpretations of state and federal authority as emphasized in the speeches and writings of statesmen such as Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun.
3. Identify the constitutional issues posed by the doctrine of nullification and secession and the earliest origins of that doctrine.
Common Core:
Reading
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
3. Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Writing
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will hand out the Civil War timeline and a brainstorming worksheet to each pair of students. The teacher will also display the timeline on projector as well. Students will work with a partner from their focus team to go over the timeline and fill out the brainstorming worksheet in pairs. Students will brainstorm on the questions asked on the handout.
Vocabulary
The key words
that are used and introduced in this lesson are:
- Popular sovereignty
- Sectionalism
- Free-Soil Party
- Compromise of 1850
- Fugitive Slave Act
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Content Delivery
This lessons main focus will be a class discussion as to why Americans supported either the Union or the Confederacy. To help build background and pull from prior knowledge, the teacher will give students a short primary source document from the North and the South. While students are reading the primary source documents the teacher will walk around the classroom to provide each student with a notecard. Once the class is done reading the two documents the teacher will direct the class to write the word North on the top of one side of the card and the word South on the other side. After writing the North and South on their cards students will be asked to write one interesting fact from each document on the card. Students will put their fact about the North on the North side of the card and their fact about the South on the side of the notecard titled south.
Student Engagement
After students have brainstormed, looked at the Civil War timeline, and read the primary source documents the teacher will assign focus groups a color. Focus groups will either be assigned the color grey or blue. Once given a color focus teams will work together on a jigsaw poster. On their poster they will have to promote their side of the war and give three reasons why to support their views. When focus teams are finish working on their posters they will post them around the classroom. The class will do a gallery walk to view and see what views their classmates have expressed. When the gallery walk is complete bring the class together for a discussion on what their team shared and what they saw during the gallery walk. Students are to stay true to “character”. If they were assigned to a blue to team then they need to defend the north and vice versa for the south. While student’s part take in the discussion the teacher will moderate to make sure everyone is being respectful to their classmate’s views and statements. The teacher may interject if/and when needed to ask questions such as “what about the economic repercussions free slaves will have on the economy? And not just in the South?”, “ Where will these free slaves live?”, “Now that Black men can vote are they really seen as equals?”. When the class discussion has reached to a climax the teacher will thank the class for participating in the activity.
Lesson Closure
Students will individually write a post card to a loved one explaining the views they learned from the opposing sides views and how it differs from their own. The teacher will provide all students with another notecard so students can produce their post card. If students write their message for their post card and still have time they can draw a picture depicting something they learned today on the other side.
Assessment
Formative- The teacher will listen to students during class discussion and while in small groups working on their jigsaw and on their gallery walk.
Summative- The teacher will be able to assess understanding by reading each individual students post card. Their post card should express enough thought and understanding so the teacher can evaluate the student.
Summative- The teacher will be able to assess understanding by reading each individual students post card. Their post card should express enough thought and understanding so the teacher can evaluate the student.
Accommodations for Striving Readers, English Learners, and Students with Special Needs
English learners, striving readers, and students with special needs will have access to supplemental readings, a more pictorial timeline, and may be asked to answer different questions to assess their understanding of the topic. They will be held responsible to participate in the class discussion unless IEP states otherwise.
Resources
- Holt 8th Grade History Textbook
- PBS Classroom lesson plan series
- http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/papers/A0001