Which Way Freedom?
Linda Zabel
Linda_Zabel@places.pinellas.k12.fl.us
Anona Elementary School
Standards:
| Benchmark: 4. The student understands U.S. history to 1880 | |
| knows the causes, key events, and effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction | S.S.A42.6 |
| Benchmark: 5. The student understands U.S. history from 1880 to the present | |
| knows that after the Civil War, massive immigration, big business, and mechanized farming transformed American life. |
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Technology Resource Requirements
PowerPoint
Internet
access
Harcourt
Brace’s new Social Studies text, United States
Which
Way Freedom, a novel by Joyce Hansen
Any
computer capable of running presentation software.
Short Description
Which Way Freedom is a thematic unit on the life
and times of the Civil War.
Students will be reading Chapter 7 of the Harcourt Brace text, United States,
reading a historical fiction novel Which Way Freedom? by Joyce Hansen, and researching
people, events, and objects of the Civil War. They will be writing a research
paper with two sources. They will be studying inventors and inventions of this
time period as well as learning about measurement. Students will participate
in art and music activities related to the theme.
Gain
Attention
The introduction to this lesson will begin with
all students brainstorming together using the
KWL technique about the Civil War. From the items listed on the “KWL”Chart
we will use Kagan’s Mind Mapping structure to further discover what individual
students already know. Students will add to these charts as learning progresses.
After these two activities students will watch a Power
Point Presentation to interest them in the project.
Approximate time required: 2-4 weeks
Tasks
While reading the nove, Which Way Freedom? by Joyce Hansen,
the students will:
Use information
from the novel and the Inspiration template
or a Venn Diagram
to compare and contrast Obi and Thomas West.
Using the Internet
the students will research items, people, music, art, and events according to
their own interest.
The class will
be reading and responding to their novel and our social studies text as the
lesson dictates.
Students will
be constantly involved with writing activities. Activities will include concept
and vocabulary mapping, writing journal accounts, writing post cards, writing
diaries, pop-up reports, and points of decision chart.
The class will
be building a time line of events for a bulletin board project as well as an
accordion timeline of their own.
Students will
use ideas and information about the Civil War to choose a key event, person,
or battle to research.
Students will
use CRISS strategies such as using two column notes to gather their information.
Students will
be involved in mapping activities, learning about scale and mapping out the
northern and southern states identifying battle sites, and mapping the path
of the war.
Resources
Books that lend themselves to the Civil War theme are as follows:
Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds
Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit (Gulliver Books, 1988)
Behind the Blue and Gray: The Soldier’s Life in the Civil War by Delia Ray (Lodestar Books, 1991)
Lincoln: A Photo biography by Russell Freedman (Scholastic, 1987)
A Separate Battle: Women and the Civil War by Ina Chang (Lodestar Books, 1991)
Websites for the students and teachers to enjoy as they learn the events of this terrible war:
http://www.lightspan.com/
http://harcourt-school.com
http://www.civil-war.net/
http://www.digisys.net/criss
http:://www. teachnet.com
http://www.kagancooplearn.com/
Link to http://www.jewish-history.com/Clipartgallery/clipart2.htm
to see the uniforms of the Civil War.
Go to http://www.treasurenet.com/images/ to find images about the Civil War.
Read and Listen to the Poetry and Music of the War Between the
States. Compare songs and poetry from the Confederacy and the Union. This site
includes a history of the famous bugle call Taps.
http://www.erols.com