Alabama and the Civil War- Part One

Learning Resource Type

Learning Activity

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

4

Overview

In this activity, students will begin to explore the primary reasons and causes for the Civil War. Students will begin to identify the differences between the Northern and Southern states, which ended with the Union and the Confederate States of America. Students will also comprehend why the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 led to the succession of Alabama and other Southern states. 

This resource was created in partnership with Dothan City Schools. 

Phase

Before/Engage
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 4

SS10.4.8

Explain Alabama’s economic and military role during the Civil War.

UP:SS10.4.8

Vocabulary

  • textiles
  • munitions
  • armament
  • casualties
  • infrastructure
  • economics

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Alabama made important economic contributions to the Civil War including production of iron products, munitions, textiles, and ships.
  • Alabama made important military contributions to the Civil War including provision of military supplies through the Port of Mobile and provision of an armament center at Selma.
  • Women made significant contributions to the war on the home front and on the battlefield.
  • There were several important military leaders of the Civil War.
  • The destruction of the transportation infrastructure, and high casualty rates during the Civil War caused Alabama's economic structure to collapse.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Analyze the significance of Alabama's economic and military role during the Civil War including the production of iron products, munitions, textiles, and ships, providing military supplies through the Port of Mobile, and providing an armament center at Selma.
  • Recognizing military leaders from Alabama during the Civil War.
  • Compare and contrast the roles of women on the home front and the battlefront during and after the Civil War.
  • Analyze how the collapse of the economic structure, destruction of the transportation infrastructure, and high casualty rates impacted Alabama's economic condition after the Civil War.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Alabama played a significant role in the South's effort during the Civil War.
  • The war caused catastrophic destruction in the South which devastated Alabama's economy.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, students will be able to explain the primary causes of tension between the Northern and Southern states prior to 1860. Students will also be able to explain why the election of Abraham Lincoln led to Alabama and eleven other states' succession from the Union. Students will be able to use a map of the United States from 1860 to identify the Confederate and Union states. 

Activity Details

1) Students will read the ReadWorks passage "Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction in America: The Election of 1860 and Abraham Lincoln." Depending on the setting, the teacher could choose to print out the passage to read as a whole group, have the students access the passage for independent practice, or use a common screen (like an interactive whiteboard), for students to read in a whole group setting. 

2) If the teacher would like, ReadWorks includes a "Question Set" that checks for student understanding to utilize after reading the passage. 

3) After reading the passage, the students will receive a map from the teacher (please click here for a map printable). Note: any of the maps available on this page are acceptable for this activity. The teacher will use the website National Geographic to show students a map of the boundary between the Union and Confederate States (website link here).

4) The teacher will walk the students through the map, explaining the Southern states, Northern states, and border states. The students will color code their maps to match the map of the United States in 1860. 

Assessment Strategies

~Informal assessments can be used by the teacher using ReadWork's question sets at the end of the article. 

~Teacher will also need to informally assess the accuracy of student maps during the activity. 

Acceleration

~Extension activity--Students can use related passages on ReadWorks to deepen their understanding of the background causes of the Civil War. Examples: The Underground Railroad, Generals of the Civil War, and the Gettysburg Address.

Intervention

~Tier II students can have a partner to further their comprehension of the ReadWorks passage. Students can also have a partner to assist in the map activity.

Background / Preparation

~Each student will need a map of the United States in 1860 (print prior to the activity).

Information about ReadWorks:

ReadWorks is a website that provides K-12 teachers with free literacy resources. ReadWorks has literary and informational texts on a variety of subjects and reading skills. You may narrow your search using grade level or Lexile level, making this website a wonderful tool for differentiation. Students will complete their work digitally, and you will provide their score and feedback digitally. This makes it easy to go paperless for this activity.

Prior to implementing this activity, you will need to sign up for an Educator Account on ReadWorks. After setting up an account, create a class from the Class Admin tab, this will provide you with a Class Code to give to students. Next, use the Find Content tab to search for the informational article that will be used during this activity, "Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction in America: The Election of 1860 and Abraham Lincoln." After navigating to the article, click on the blue Assign button to assign it to your class.

Each student will need access to a digital device, such as a tablet or laptop. The first time students enter the website they will need to enter the Class Code that is listed on your Class Admin page, or you can import them into your Google Classroom. Alternatively, you can print the article and corresponding questions for students, if digital devices are not available. The teacher could also complete this activity by projecting the article and questions for the whole class to view.

Learning Activity (Before)

Alabama and the Civil War- Part One

Total Duration

0 to 15 Minutes

Learning Activity (During)

Alabama and the Civil War- Part Two

Learning Activity (After)

Alabama and the Civil War- Part Three
Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction in America: The Election of 1860 and…
https://www.readworks.org/article/Slavery-the-Civil-War-and-Reconstruction-in-A…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

meahenderson
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