Teaching the Civil War can be one of the most rewarding units in elementary and middle school social studies. My students were fascinated because it had “war” in the title, and, well, it had “war” in the title. Finding engaging Civil War lessons & activities that balance historical facts with meaningful learning was always a challenge.
I wanted my students to learn fact-based knowledge about the history of the Civil War, but I didn’t want to dull their enthusiasm with worksheets and rote memorization of facts.
I ended up creating my own Civil War Interactive Notebook Unit, a thirteen-lesson kid-tested program with engaging hands-on Civil War lessons & activities that is ready to use the very first day teachers purchase the resource. No Civil War lessons & activities to create, comprehension questions to write, or vocabulary words to define. Simply open the book and start teaching!
Why Teach the Civil War?
Of all the history topics I taught as an elementary and middle school teacher, the Civil War was the most complex. It was not a subject that could be taught in a vacuum; there were so many layers to the Civil War.
I loved seeing the lights go on when students made the connections between our past studies of early United States government, slavery, and states’ rights to the Civil War.
Engaging Civil War Lessons
Teaching the Civil War can be a heavy topic, especially for elementary and middle school students. They were excited about the “war” part. They wanted to know everything about the Civil War battles. It was my job to provide the balance, and frankly, there wasn’t a readily-available Civil War curriculum that could accomplish what I needed.
There are 13 lessons in our Civil War Interactive Notebook Unit, and yes, many of them include in-depth summaries of important Civil War battles. We dive into the Attack on Fort Sumter, the Battle of Bull Run, the Western and Eastern Theater conflicts, as well as the battles of 1863, 1864, and 1865. In addition, students learn about –
- the history of slavery
- our nation’s division, including the North’s Underground Railroad and the South’s secession from the Union
- strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederate armies
- the Emancipation Proclamation, Surrender at Appomattox, and Reconstruction
Civil War Leaders Students Meet
We use biographies and illustrations to introduce students to famous Civil War leaders, including –
- Abraham Lincoln
- Jefferson Davis
- Robert E. Lee
- George B. McClellan
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Thomas “Stonwall” Jackson
- David G. Farragut
- William Tecumseh Sherman
- Andrew Johnson
Civil War Lessons & Activities that Students Enjoy
The non-fiction informational text content of our Civil War Interactive Notebook Unit is rigorous. Paired with hands-on activities that students actually want to complete, you will find this to be a very comprehensive program for teaching the Civil War. Some of our students’ favorite Civil War activities include –
- KWLH Charts that allow students to direct their own learning
- persuasive writing assignment in which students write to Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis explaining how the conflict might be resolved without war
- coordinate grid mapping activity to plot Civil War battle sites during the Western Theater
- cardinal and intermediate direction mapping activity to plot Civil War battle sites during the Eastern Theater
In addition, each of the thirteen lessons in this Civil War Interactive Notebook Unit include –
- nonfiction informational text content – no additional textbook needed
- reading comprehension questions following each lesson
- context-appropriate Civil War Glossary for vocabulary
- answer keys and grading rubrics to make your job easier
Why use Interactive Notebooks for Teaching the Civil War?
In addition to the content and hands-on Civil War activities, we’ve included 13 Interactive Notebook assignments and activities that students complete and glue into a History notebook. When finished, the History notebook will provide students with a long-lasting Civil War reference.
If you’re new to Interactive Notebooks, you can read more about their benefits in this blog post – What is an Interactive Notebook–A Guide for Busy Teachers
Our Interactive Notebook assignments and activities always include patterns, templates, and step-by-step directions.
Teaching the Civil War without spending hours creating lessons, activities, assessments, and notebook projects is possible with our Civil War Interactive Notebook Unit. It includes thirteen complete lessons, nonfiction reading passages, comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, mapping projects, Interactive Notebook assignments, answer keys, and grading rubrics. Simply open the book and start teaching.
Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching the Civil War
In which grade should I be teaching the Civil War?
Depending on the state you are in, the Civil War is usually taught to upper elementary students in grades 5-7. We’ve written this program at a 5th grade level and aligned it with the 5th Grade Common Core ELA standards.
What if my state doesn’t use Common Core?
Even if your state doesn’t use Common Core, you will still find this Civil War Unit to be a comprehensive resource for Social Studies content; foundational reading skills; informational text reading, listening skills; writing skills – opinion pieces, expository paragraphs, and personal narratives.
Are there other American History topics I should teach before the Civil War?
If you’re lacking instruction time and want to start right now, our Civil War Interactive Notebook Unit is a comprehensive resource that can be used as a stand-alone curriculum. We’ve included the background information about slavery that students will need to fully understand the Civil War.
If you have the time, our Early American Government, American Revolution, and Slavery in America interactive notebook units provide students with additional context and pair very well with this curriculum. Start with the Government Unit, move onto the Slavery Unit, and then teach the Civil War.
How long will it take to teach the Civil War?
We suggest, based on 50-minute blocks for Social Studies, taking a week to complete each of the 13 Civil War lessons.
- Day 1 – Interactive Vocabulary activity + reading the lesson
- Day 2 – Reading Comprehension Questions, prepare patterns for Interactive Notebook activity OR complete outlines for Writing assignment
- Days 3-5 – complete lesson activities and take a Vocabulary Quiz (if applicable)
This schedule will vary if your Social Studies block is shorter or longer than 50 minutes or if you assign reading or activities for homework.