Life of a Civil War Soldier
Learning Context
The purpose, objective, or focus of the learning experience:

This learning stations document-based activity is designed for use in an eighth grade heterogeneous classroom studying Unit Six: Division and Reunion, of the core curriculum: United States and New York State History. Through the use of primary sources, students can fully understand the experiences of a soldier during the Civil War. Up to this point, the students have studied the underlying and immediate causes of the Civil War and the advantages and disadvantages that both sides had in the war. In addition, the study thus far would have included a look at the geographic factors, which influenced the war, and the major campaigns of the Civil War. This activity, which is one of the components of a five week study of the Civil War, begins with recruitment and follows a typical solider through the war. History comes alive using primary source documents!

Goals:

  1. Students will develop an appreciation and become aware of the importance of local records and primary source documents related to the Civil War.
  2. Students will use local records from the County Clerk’s office, the Tompkins County Historical Society, the Town of Groton Historical Society, and local residents to prove or disprove their hypothesis as to the life of a soldier during the Civil War.
  3. Students will be able to write about the experiences of a Civil War soldier.
  4. Students will appreciate personal letters as one type if primary source for historical research.

 

New York State Social Studies Standards and Performance Indicators:

Standard 1 - History of the United States and New York

    Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

    Performance Indicator:

  • describe historic events through the eyes and experiences of those who were there. (Taken from National Standards for History
    Grades K-4)

Learning Objectives: At the end of this activity, the students will be able to:

  1. write about the physical hardships endured by soldiers of the Civil War from New York.
  2. compare the losses between two communities during the Civil War.
  3. analyze personal letters to understand what it was really like in the midst of battle.
  4. draw at least ten conclusions of the life of a volunteer soldier from New York.

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