The American Civil War Era

Ian P. Farrell

History

Intended for Secondary (9-12)

(depending on curriculum)

Rationale for Tech. Integration

• The American Civil War was a unique period in history – not just American history but world history as well. It was a war of firsts that preserved the democratic form of government as well as pioneered many social freedoms we largely take for granted today. The Civil War ended slavery and in turn launched a young nation into an industrial and technological economic, military, political, and social prowess.

Rationale for Tech. Integration

• Despite taking place over 150 years ago, the Civil War can very much be brought back to life through the use of technology. This modern privilege allows teachers and students alike to study and link the past with the present. As of current, there are a myriad of interactive resources available to teachers so that they may better their students’ education; and as technology progresses, the limitations of study will certainly continue to diminish.

View My Rationale Statement Here!

Internet Content• All of the provided resources

apply to the field of education in attempts to better, and fully, understand the focused era.

• All recourses are provided by reputable academic organizations, educational institutions, or government agencies.

• Resources have all been reviewed to ensure educational relevance and credibility.

• URLs will be cited appropriately.

Subject Specific Resource

• The National Parks Service provides an unbelievable collection of resources that capture this Era on all fronts.

• National Parks Service Civil War Index

• While this index specifically focuses on the Civil War Era, the NPS is a great evolving resource of historical perspective.

• Teachers/Students may narrow their search to fit their desired period/place of study in the site’s search bar; endlessly discovering moments in history.

Internet Blog• Here, issued by The Library of Congress,

reference librarians periodically select and post interesting articles from the archives.

• Categories range from agriculture to the social fashions of the day in relation to modern times.

• In the most recent January 14th, 2016 selections, a current social trend finds root in the Civil War; “we return to our historical newspaper archives for stories about the personal grooming choice that continues to take the hipster world by storm, the mustache. Proving once again that everything old is new.”

• Visit this blog to stay up to date on contemporary as well as authentic perspectives regarding all aspects of the Civil War Era and more.

• Library of Congress Civil War Blog

Podcast• The Organization of American

Historians Podcasts

• The Organization of American Historians is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history.

• Their mission is to; • promote excellence in the study,

teaching, and presentation of American history,

• encourage wide discussion of historical questions and the unbiased treatment of all practitioners of history.

YouTube – TED Talks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4pkzHP3qyA

Geographer Anne Knowles uses digital technologies to reimagine the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the Civil War. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and historical maps, she retraces the footsteps and orders of Robert E. Lee during Pickett's Charge – and theorizes how his crucial decisions became failures.

Internet Resources 1

• The Smithsonian Associates Civil War Studies

• The Smithsonian Associates is America’s outstanding scholarly center for Civil War Studies providing thought-provoking courses, seminars, lectures, and battlefield tours conducted by outstanding scholars and study tour leaders.

Internet Resources 2

• The Civil War Trust History Center

• The Civil War Trust is the largest and most effective nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of America’s hallowed battlegrounds. Through educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives, the Trust seeks to inform the public about the vital role these battlefields played in determining the course of our nation’s history.

Internet Resources 3

• Digital History Explorations

• Explorations are inquiry-based, interactive modules designed to give students the opportunity to do history: to conduct research, analyze primary sources, and draw their own conclusions.

• Here, students and teachers have access to a unique dashboard and ample Civil War – and larger historical mentions.

Visual Comparison Chart

Teaching Materials 1

• Teaching with Primary Sources – The Road to Secession in Tennessee Article

• Teaching with Primary Sources Worksheet

• Supplied by the Library of Middle Tennessee State University and the Library of Congress, this site contains a number of lesson building materials for teachers.

• The links above specifically focus on examining and understanding how (Tennessee) geographic characteristics can impact human cultural interaction, politics/policy, and State Sectionalism.

Teaching Materials 2

• The National Archives Civil War Photography

• Here, a remarkable collection of era appropriate photography exists for teachers to supplement in lessons.

• Rather than read or listen, students are able to put a face to history.

• As the photos are organized by theme, teachers may draw from these categories to create a classroom visual museum tour of life during this Era; making seeing believing within the classroom.

Teaching Materials 3

• EDSITEment! Gettysburg Address Analysis

• Backed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, EDSITEment! provides an incredible assembly of teacher lesson plans on the Civil War.

• Available online, EDSITEment! is a great site for teachers to supplement, enhance, and share various lesson materials for American classrooms.

Teaching Materials 4

• National Geographic Civil War Teaching Resources

• The National Geographic Society has been dedicated funding and promoting education for decades.

• Here, teachers have access to numerous up-to-date teaching ideas, activities, lessons, maps, articles, and so forth Civil War Era topics.

Supporting Website 1

• Civil War Research & Commemoration

• This US Army Center of Military History archive includes a great collection of Civil War references: a timeline of the era, archival material, and era related photography.

• Students have a quick source of reference for facts, dates, and Civil War discoveries.

Supporting Website 2

• The Library of Congress Civil War Index

• This index provides students with an abundant source of original documents, activities, contemporary articles, photography, timelines, maps and more in which they may freely discover and study Civil War history.

• This archive also includes great lesson materials for teachers!

Collaborative Apps

• Poll Everywhere is a great classroom app used by numerous prestigious institutions engages audiences and increases participation while keeping members’ identities and responses anonymous in the process.

• Great for group input; topics of controversy, sensitivity, debate, collaboration, etc.

SlideShare

• This presentation is available for viewing at: