Fifth Grade Social Studies

Teaching Unit 3

The Civil War: The Nation Divided

Marlo Mong

October 9, 2008

Here’s the Curriculum Map…

The Civil War should not be the majority of your Social Studies curriculum. These two units together should last approximately four weeks. To teach the modern 20th century, you need to be in the 1900s before the end of the first semester.

How do I know what concepts to teach?

• Use your curriculum map!– Unit One on every map lists the

concepts used for the rest of the year– Every piece of content for the rest of

the year is listed under a relevant concept

• These are suggestions – make them work for your class!

• Keep up with it all using a concept wall.

K-5 Suggested Enduring Understandings

Fighting the Civil War• For 5th graders, this is a survey course. We

want students to start building a foundation of knowledge relating to our country’s history.

• The goal of the Civil War in 5th grade is for students to understand the main issues that caused the Civil War, major leaders, and key events. They will go further and more in-depth with their study when they take the US History course in high school.

Identify Major Battles and Campaigns• Ft. Sumter: Start of the war• Gettysburg: Turning point of the war - the south

could not advance farther north.• The Atlanta Campaign: Vital industrial and railway

supply center in the south. The Union was able to cut supply routes to Confederate troops.

• Sherman’s March to the Sea: Destroy the morale of Confederacy and support campaign to end the war.

• Appomattox Court House: General Lee’s surrender to General Grant

This book gives students various perspectives of life and events of the Civil War. Teachers who used this book found their students visiting this book throughout their study of the Civil War.

Civil War stories told through poetry. All of the poems are fictional and the illustrations reflect the times, but no primary sources are included.

Trade book about a boy who learns to play the drums from a fellow slave. Later, Union soldiers tell him he is free. He uses his drum to help Union soldiers and is recognized for his bravery.

Internet Resources• Resources from the Library of Congresshttp://www.loc.gov/teachers/preview/themes/civil-war/collections.html • Teaching with documentshttp://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/brady-photos/ http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-war-docs/ • Maps of the Civil Warhttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps/ • Photographs and Images from the Civil Warhttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html • National Parks websites related to Civil War siteshttp://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/parks.htm • Lesson ideas and supporting imageshttp://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=137&toplvl=151&res_feature_request=0