K-6 Lesson Plans (Civil War Period)

Underground Railroad of South Jersey

Students will learn about the Underground Railroad and the symbolism in the quilt squares for the escaped slaves’ journey.  They will apply their understanding of this knowledge to create an original quilt square.

William Seward

Students will learn about the life and political career of William Seward through a web quest activity.  Information learned through research will be used in the creation of one of four suggested projects. 

Confederate Army Life

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the background of the Confederate Army during the Civil War.  Students will be exposed to primary source documents by viewing authentic letters written by Confederate Soldiers. 

The Irish Brigades

This lesson is designed to introduce students to the contributions of the Irish Brigades during the Civil War.  Students will be exposed to information about the people, places, and ideas of the Irish Brigades through a series of stations which involve interacting with primary source documents.  A culminating activity will ask students to imagine that they were in fact, a member of the Irish Brigades and to prepare a journal detailing their experiences.

Underground Railroad of North Jersey

In order to understand the importance of New Jersey in the Underground Railroad system, students will analyze the proximity of New Jersey to slave states such as Maryland and Delaware.  Students will view a power point presentation outlining key figures and routes of New Jersey’s Underground Railroad system and should be able to identify key “conductors” from New Jersey.  Students will create their own abolitionist newspaper using information learned in this lesson. 

Colored Troops and the Civil War

Students will be able to recognize the importance of the colored troops in the Civil War. Students will identify ways black soldiers were recruited and how art complimented the effort.

Frederick Douglass

In this lesson students will correlate the events in the lives of Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. to show the achievements of the two leaders in improving the lives of African Americans.

The Red Cross

In this lesson, students will research Clara Barton and The Red Cross using a PowerPoint presentation and then complete a timeline of the history of the American Red Cross.

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