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CURRICULUM
GUIDE
Unit Title: Bringing History to Life: Civil
War
Grade Levels: 5 - 8
Subject/Topic Areas: American history; Civil War
Key Words: American history; Civil War
Unit Designers: Marianne Adams, Lesley Bannatyne, Judith
Contrucci
Link to Massachusetts Standards:
History and social sciences #1 (chronology and cause), #3
(research, evidence and point of view), #4 (society,
diversity, commonality and the individual); Language Arts
#1(discussion), #3 (oral presentation), #18 (dramatic
reading and performance); Arts: Theater #1 (acting) and #5
(critical response)
Brief Summary of Unit (including what students
will understand as a result of this unit)
(This unit assumes that students have studied the Civil War
to some extent). Students experience a range of drama
activities that help them gain a deeper understanding of
what effects the Civil War had on several different classes
and races of people.
Drama Strategies
Dramatic tableaux; character research; improvisation;
peer critique; guided writing; public speaking
Key Concepts (What statement(s) clearly expresses
what I want students to know and understand?)
The Civil War split families, caused an unprecedented number
of deaths, and created a rift in our culture that can be
felt even today. By trying to put ourselves in the shoes of
the people who lived through the war, we are better able to
understand their decisions and circumstances, and learn the
lessons history has to teach us.
Essential Questions (What specific questions will
guide this unit and focus teaching and learning?)
What were the conflicts that created the schism
between north and south?
How did the effects of the war trickle down to the common
citizen?
What sorts of issues were so important that they
separated families?
Why would a farmer take up arms and fight?
Why would a slave be reluctant to be free?
What unexpected alliances and casualties came out of the
war and why?
Key knowledge and skills students will acquire as a
result of this unit:
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Students will know
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Students will be able to
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• How to talk about performance; how to
identify elements of drama such as character and
conflict
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• Share ideas and critique each other's
acting/performance skills in a positive manner;
recognize and produce good dramatic moments
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• How to use point-of-view and lots of
details in creative writing
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• Write from the point of view of a
character from history and incorporate accurate
historical information that adds depth and
realism.
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• How to use their knowledge of history to
create characters with real thoughts and feelings;
how to present those characters both through drama
and through creative writing
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• Empathize with people from other times
and places; fully understand the anger, sadness,
humiliation, terror and pride that existed during
Civil War years; relate the circumstances, thoughts
and feelings of these people to their own
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EVIDENCE OF STUDENT
UNDERSTANDING:
Summary of performance tasks and projects
• Students improvise scenes and create
tableaux based on what they know about the Civil War and
what they see in Civil War photographs
• Summary of quizzes, tests and prompts.
• Students use creative writing prompts to complete
three writing exercises that explore different aspects of
the Civil War:
-a letter from the point of view of someone
involved in the war
-a journal entry by one of the people pictured in the
photographs
-a letter to a loved one from the point of view of one
of the people pictured in the photographs
Other Evidence (e.g. observations, work samples
and dialogues)
• teacher observation of peer critiques
• teacher observation of small group rehearsal
behavior
• improvisations - teacher observation of level of
understanding demonstrated
• journal entries
• letters to a loved one
• letters from someone involved in the War
SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES:
What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will
equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired
understandings?
1. Introduction
Teacher introduces drama with theater games
created to help students develop confidence in expression
(see resources: "guess my occupation," "curtains").
Discuss elements of performance: what makes a live
performance interesting, clear, emotional, etc.?
2. Writing exercise: letters
Teacher asks students to write a letter from someone
involved in the War such as:
-a wounded soldier in the field hospital writing
home, describing the battle
-an abolitionist urging President Lincoln to intensify
the war effort
-an officer asking his commander for more supplies
-a child writing to a father at war, describing life at
home
Students are instructed to describe what's happening
around them as vividly as they can, to supply lots of
details, and to ask for something back from the person
they're writing. (see resources for handout)
3. Using photographs as an instigator
Teacher selects a group of photographs or
paintings and mounts images on construction paper to hang
as an exhibit in the classroom. Images would include a
range of ages and groupings, and they should show the
period or event through many eyes (Ken Burns' The Civil
War is an excellent source for photos). Have 4-5 images
that include several people to be used later in group
work.
Choose a reading, an excerpt from literature, a poem,
or a news story to read to the class prior to viewing the
exhibit.
Play a CD or cassette of music from the period and
have students look at the exhibit and think about what
they see and feel as they view the images. Ask students
to write these thoughts, as well as what they know about
the period or event, on a large piece of paper.
Have students choose one person from a photo in the
exhibit and copy that person exactly with their body and
expression. Ask them to imagine what that person is
thinking and feeling. One at a time, have them say a line
as that person. Note: Use a shoulder tap to let
them know when to talk.
Discuss which elements of the "performance" were
especially effective. Talk about how to give positive
criticism and note the difference between criticizing and
giving a critique (not "how I would do it" but "what were
they trying to do, and were they successful").
Have students write a brief letter to a loved one from
the point of view of their character. Have them read the
letters out loud.
4. Building on Tableaux: Improvised Scenes
Start the class with drama warm-ups designed to
build improvisation skills such as "bus stop." (see
resources)
Divide the class into groups of 4-5. Give each group
an image from the exhibit (the image needs to have
several people in it so everyone can take a part). They
must create a tableaux that replicates the photo exactly.
Each group performs their tableaux.
Teacher asks students to say what their characters are
thinking, feeling, or wondering as their picture is
taken. Invite the audience to say lines they imagine
these people might be thinking.
Ask questions of each group that guide them into an
exploration of the situation. For example, "What happened
the next week?" " What do they eat?" "How did they get
here?" "What happened when they went to look for work?"
"What will happen if someone comes into the scene
and...?"
Have a letter prepared for each group that poses a
dilemma for the actors (sample letters in resources). For
example, "a volunteer is needed," "a spy is in your
midst," "the farm will foreclose unless...." The letter
should be in the style of the times if possible. Read the
letter out loud to the group and have students improvise
the scene that ensues.
Discuss what worked dramatically in each scene with
the whole class.
Homework: Each student writes a journal entry
in the person of the character they portrayed detailing
the events of the day.
What resources are helpful and/or necessary to
accomplish this curriculum?
Books
Dramatizing Literature in Whole Language
Classrooms, John Warren Stewig and Carol Buege,
second edition (creative dramatic ideas from chapter 6
section on "drama for social studies," grades 4-8)
Live On Stage!: Performing Arts For Middle
School (Teacher Resource Book), Carla Blank &
Jody Roberts, Palo Alto, CA: Dale Seymour Publications,
1997.
Materials
• Music of the period to play while
students are looking at "the exhibit"
The soundtrack of Ken Burns' Civil War documentary is
available in both bookstores, on-line bookstores and many
libraries: The Civil War - Traditional American Songs
And Instrumental Music Featured In The Film By Ken
Burns, Original Soundtrack Recording.
• Photographs from the Civil War
You can find many of Mathew Brady's photographs as
well as links to other photo sources and good ideas for
lessons at http://www.nara.gov/education/cc/brady.html/
There are more than 1000 images, listed in categories at:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/csphtml/csphone.html/
You can download and print these images; they are
copyright-free.
Click here for 16
images that are ready to use.
Curriculum developed by the Department of
Drama and Dance, Cambridge Public School teachers and
Studebaker Theater artists involved with the Cambridge
Public School Drama Collaborative, a project funded in part
by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. CPSDC
is a multi-year teacher training program that helps teachers
integrate drama into the curriculum.
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