Mike+Cahill's+Civil+War+lesson

Lesson plan

Lesson one images

Homework

Lesson rationale

Question 1- As I was developing this lesson, I attempted to find some literary sources but was unsuccessful. I was specifically looking for poetry, but any genre would be useful to help provide more insight to what was happening in communities during the Civil War. Do you know of any sites I could browse that provide a list of genres by subject or themes in history? Hi, Mike! I wanted to begin by posting a few brief responses here. I figure we can flesh out and discuss a bit later on, when we meet in person. First off, you r lesson plan looks amazing--and fun. Through the lesson, you really embed students in history. I find that the role playing (for homework--which I'll get into further in the next question) is a great way to engage students and have them interact with the material at hand. Kudos! In terms of literature you might consider incorporating into the overall unit at hand (if not this actual lesson): --"The Blue and the Gray," by Frances Miles Finch --"O Captain! My Captain!," by Walt Whitman --"Come Up from the Fields, Father," by Walt Whitman --"Stonewall Jackson's Way," by John Williamson Palmer...to switch up from straight poetry, though, you could play the version that's set to music:

Question 2- Take a look at my homework. I feel it is a fun assignment and gets the students thinking, but how can I revise it to incorporate elements of an ELA classroom?

Question 3- I will be honest and say that the only way I know how to incorporate ELA into my lessons right now is writing assignments. Since this lesson uses imagery and requires students to use their analytical skills, are there any methods you might have learned to help frame my line of questioning to include ELA during the discusion portion of the activity?

Question 4- Do you think there are any limitations to a lesson like this trying to incorporate ELA?