The ideas are designed to get you started with Internet activities targeting
the theme "Civil War." Not all of the suggested Internet addresses
listed in this Curriculum Center theme have been used for the activities
provided because some may be for younger or older students. Many of the
suggested Internet sites, however, will lead you to ideas that will enrich
your curriculum and to other useful sites, in addition. You also will find
some other sites listed as you look through the activities and suggestions
provided.
Use these activities as models and change as you wish to fit your students
and your course of studies. We encourage you to create your own exciting
activities using our suggested sites and others linked to them. Within the
sites listed you'll find some lesson plans that you may be able to put to
use and modify for your classes. Some of the sites may only be useful to
if you download parts of them or integrate some of the content into your
lesson plans. There's a wealth of information in this theme, but in order
to benefit from much of it, students in Grades 4-6 may need guidance from
teachers and parents. Use the lesson ideas to motivate your students and
to get them involved with online connections related to your course of studies.
Check for additional information in Web Sites
& Descriptions. The descriptions will give you a head start on learning
what is on the suggested sites. When you link beyond these sites, make sure
to check the content before using with your students. Some sites may include
information that you might want to use with your students, but other content
that may be unacceptable.
Introduction to Lessons
Bookmarking & Motivation
With Grades 4-6, you'll probably want to place the suggested sites for
this age group in your bookmarks so that you and your students can access
them easily. You might also want to capture some of these sites for use
on classroom and lab computers. This way traveling to the sites will be
quicker and easier. Here are a few of the sites you may wish to bookmark:
To start working with information on these sites, you might want to find
out what your students know about the Civil War. Have them figure out how
long ago it was and how old they'd be if they fought in the war. Have a
discussion about the popularity of Civil War reenactments and find out if
any of their family members participate in these.
You might want to begin your study with learning one of the Civil War
songs or by browsing some of the photographs of the war. The History Place
<http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/index.html>
is a good place to look for information the students will understand. If
you prefer to begin with human interest stories, you may want to use the
information on Amos Humiston <http://www.thehistorynet.com/AmericanHistory/articles/1997/0697_text.htm>,
a soldier who was found dead on the Gettysburg Battlefield clutching a photograph
of his three children or the story of Lincoln's Beard <http://members.aol.com/RVSNorton1/Lincoln50.html>
as told through a letter from an 11 year old girl.
Using, Saving, and Printing Text & Pictures
Talk with your students about the material they find using the computer
and telecommunications. Discuss how to avoid plagiarism when using information
they've found online and from other sources. You might want to check Children's
Software Press<http://www.childsoftpress.com/citethat.htm> for brochures
for teachers/parents and children (about $2 each) about citing sources online.
Show the students how to "save" and "print" and information
to their classroom or lab computers and printers.
Safety Note
Always check the sites for content that will be appropriate for your
students. Keep in mind that links and content change frequently. Some of
the sites listed in the "Web Addresses and Descriptions" are not,
for instance, appropriate for this age, for they target high school and
college level students.
Main Page
