Civil War Web Quest

 

Introduction:         Our class has been chosen to participate in a Civil War reenactment in Gettysburg Pennsylvania the third week of July this summer. A reenactment is repeating actions of an earlier event in History.  It is important to look, act and participate in a manner that would reflect a Confederate camp during the Civil War.

 

Task:                      Your task is to become a person that would be found in or around a Civil War camp on the 1860s.  You will choose a role from the list below. After making your choice, visit the related Web sites to learn all the details of your chosen individual.  After researching all aspects of your daily life, you will be ready for the reenactment in July.

 

Roles:

Army Chaplain    

Freeman                

Army Doctor        

Cook                                      

Army Nurse                         

Spy                                        

Woman in war     

Journalist

Drummer               

Photographer

 

You may choose a role of your own but it must be teacher approved.

 

Process:

1.        Students will work in groups of four. Each group will choose a minimum of two roles from the previous list.

 

2.        Visit the related web sites.   Gather information on the people in the roles you have chosen.  From this information choose one role that you will research.  Get the role approved by your teacher.

 

3.        Please keep a running list of vocabulary words that you encounter in your research.  This list (minimum of 10 words) will be included as a part of your research project. Please visit the following civil war slang page and include any of the words that you find in your research.  http://genie.esu10.k12.ne.us/~dmahalek/Slang.html

 

4.        For the most authentic research of this time in History, focus should be on the following areas:        

·         Review recipes and cookbooks of this time to discover what type of food was found in camp.

·         Find pictures of housing, clothing, weapons, money, food to see what your individual wore, ate, how they protected themselves and where they slept, and what the camp looked like.

 

5.        To fully understand the camp life in the 1800s, your group will complete the fact-finding sheet and cite your resources. Fact-finding sheet On completion of the fact-finding sheet, you will find a picture of your person.  Your group will develop a (5) five-minute presentation on camp life and the different characteristics of your person. Be sure to include costume ideas and props.  This presentation will be written and presented as a skit.

 

 

Websites

http://civilwar.si.edu/ - Smithsonian Civil War Exhibit

http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/civilwar/civilwar.htm - The American Civil War- This is an index to a lot of valuable Civil War sites

http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/cookbook.htm - The CWI Civil War Cookbook.  This site offers recipes and links to women of the confederacy, news archives, trivia, and battle information.

http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/ - Index to Civil War on the Internet

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html - American Memory - Library of Congress

http://www.civilwarhome.com/cwsites.htm -Civil War Sites on the Internet. This site has a nice link for pictures of the Civil War.

 

Books    

                Chang, I. (1996). A separate Battle: Women in the Civil War. Puffin Books

Barnes, Jeremy (1988). The Pictorial History of the Civil War. New York, NY.: Gallery Books, Brompton Book Corp.

                Robertson, James I. (1984). Tenting Tonight:the soldier’s life:Alexandria,VA.Time-Life Books.

                Volo, D. D. & Volo, J. M. (1998) Daily Life in Civil War America. Westport, CT: Greenwood

Press.

                Sutherland, D.E. (1989). The Expansion of Everyday Life. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers

 

 

Civil War Music

                Bands and Drummer Boys of the Civil War  by Francis A. Lord and Arthur Wise

A Pictorial History of Civil War Era Musical Instruments and Military Bands   by Robert Garofalo and Mark Elrod

                Battle Cry of Freedom  by James M McPherson

                Reluctant Witnesses by Emmy E. Werner

CD’s

                Time Life Music (1991). The Civil War Music Collector’s Edition, v. 1-3. (CD) USA: Time Life

 

 

Conclusions:

Upon completion of fact-finding, vocabulary, and the written skit, students will perform the skit with costume and props for a mini reenactment in the classroom.

 

 

 

Evaluation:                           

 

Project

10              

15

20

Fact finding sheet

 

 

·          Incomplete or incorrect information

·          Less than 3 resources used or incomplete citations

·          Complete with accuracy

·          Used 3 resources and documented  but used minimal research about his/her role.

·          Complete correct information and supplying more than 2 additional facts about your person

·          Used a minimum of 3 resources with comprehensive research about his/her role.

Written Dialogue for Skit

·          Less than 5 minutes long

·          Very little information about the roles.

·          No effort of portraying everyday life in the camp

·          Five minutes long

·          The role information is adequate

·          Adequate effort at portraying everyday life in the camp.

·          Five minutes long

·          The role information is very complete and clear

·          Creative use of ideas to portray everyday life in the camp.

Vocabulary Page

·          Less than 10 new words introduced.

·          Definition of words is limited.

·          10 words introduced

·          Limited or incomplete definitions

·          Extensive vocabulary list including 10+ words.

·          Very clear and complete      definitions

 

Point Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extension Activities: