A Civil War Correspondence

A WebQuest for 5th Grade (Social Studies/ELA )

Designed byMaryAnn Karre
karrem@cforks.org

Introduction

What was it like to live during the Civil War? What would you have done, and how would you have felt if you had lived during that terrible conflict?

The Civil War brought out many emotions for both the North and the South. Friends, families and even states were torn apart. People felt differently about the War, and about the effect that the War had on their lives. For many people, their opinion of the War changed from its beginning to the end.

After completing this WebQuest, you will be able to describe what it was like to be a participant, an observer, or a family member of a participant in the War, waiting for someone to come home.

The Task

Turn the clocks back 140 years. You are going to become a participant in the Civil War. Through letters, photographs and a time-line, you will present the feelings and opinions of the people of that time to other classes in school.

You will play a role in the presentation. You will be chosen, by a random drawing, to be a Union soldier, a Confederate soldier, a photographer, an historian or a family member from the North or the South. You will work in teams of three, and will be represented by six characters.

Ø As a soldier, you will write three letters home, one from the beginning of the War, one during a battle, and one near the end of the War. In those letters, you will tell your family:

o what your daily life is like

o what battles you have seen

o how you feel about the War

o what problems you are having

Ø As a photographer, you will gather pictures of the battles, home life, and camp life during the period of 1861-1865.

Ø As a historian, you will be responsible for creating a timeline of the major events in the War.

Ø As a family member, you will write three letters to a soldier, one from the beginning of the War, one during a battle, and one near the end of the War, telling your him:

o What daily life is like during a War

o Any battles you may have witnessed

o How you feel about the War

o What problems the War is causing

After the letters have been written, the timeline has been drawn and the photographs have been assembled, you will “perform” a skit for other classes, reading your letters and displaying the photographs, setting the mood with the events from the timeline in between each reading.

The Process

The class will be divided into six groups. Each will work on gathering information and presenting the material for one of the following characters:

Union Soldier: Letters home were very important to soldiers. Read any or all of the Letters from a Union Soldier and see if the language and spelling are different from what you see today. Do not copy from these letters, but you may take notes. Use the organizer below to jot down ideas for your own letters.

	Battles	Daily life	Hardships	Thoughts
First letter, 1861
Second letter, 1863
Third letter, 1865

For your first letter, read Civil War for Fifth Graders. It will give you an overview of what was happening on all fronts. How would you feel about enlisting as a Union soldier to fight in these battles? Why would you enlist? One of the first large battles of the War was at Manassas, called First Bull Run. About how big is your unit? What kind of weapons you are using? What would this battle look like to you as a Union soldier? How would you feel afterward? The life of a Union soldier was boring and tedious. What might you do on a daily basis? What did you eat? Where did you sleep? Explain your feelings about the War. Do you agree or disagree about the cause of the battle you are fighting? If you were given a choice to fight on a different side, would you change sides? If so, why?
For your second letter, you can gather information about the Battle of Gettysburg, and add to your ideas about camp conditions. Civil War for Fifth Graders also has information about the Battle. How would your thoughts and opinions change in two years? How have camp conditions changed?
For your third letter, focus on the year 1865. Read about what happened on the day that General Lee surrendered. How would a Union soldier feel about the end of the War? What would he want his family to know? How would your fellow soldiers and his home of the past 5 years be changed?

4. Write your rough draft for your letters. Remember, you want your friend to feel and see what you do. That means lots of adjectives!

5. Proofread and revise your letters. Discuss them with your group.

6. Type your letters neatly, each on a separate page. Double-space and use size 16 font. The letters only need to be one page long. Make sure you include answers to the questions asked above.

CONFEDERATE SOLDIER: : Letters home were very important to soldiers. Read any or all of the Letters from a Confederate Soldier and see if the language and spelling are different from what you see today. Do not copy from these letters, but you may take notes. Use the organizer below to jot down ideas for your own letters. The Confederate Soldier had many hardships to overcome.

	Battles	Daily life	Hardships	Thoughts
First letter, 1861
Second letter, 1863
Third letter, 1865

1. For your first letter, read Civil War for Fifth Graders. It will give you an overview of what was happening on all fronts. How would you feel about enlisting as a Confederate soldier to fight in these battles? Why would you enlist? One of the first large battles of the War was at Manassas, called First Bull Run. About how big is your unit? What kind of weapons you are using? What would this battle look like to you as a Confederate soldier? How would you feel afterward? Life of a Confederate Soldier was boring and tedious. What might you do on a daily basis? What did you eat? Where did you sleep? Explain your feelings about the War. Do you agree or disagree about the cause of the battle you are fighting? If you were given a choice to fight on a different side, would you change sides? If so, why?

2. For your second letter, you can gather information about the Pickett's Charge, and add to your ideas about camp conditions. The Civil War for Fifth Graders also has information about the Battle of Gettysburg. How would your thoughts and opinions change in two years? Compare how camp conditions may have changed.

3. For your third letter, focus on the year 1865. Read about what happened on the day that General Lee surrendered. How would a Confederate soldier feel about the end of the War? What would he want his family to know? How would your fellow soldiers and his home of the past 5 years be changed?

4. Write your rough draft for your letters. Remember, you want your friend to feel and see what you do. That means lots of adjectives!

5. Proofread and revise your letters. Discuss them with your group.

6. Type your letters neatly, each on a separate page. Double-space and use size 16 font. The letters only need to be one page long. Make sure you include answers to the questions asked above.

UNION FAMILY MEMBER: Although you are not fighting on the front lines, you too, feel the effects of the War on your daily life. Whether or not you see battles, you know that there is a War on every day.

1. Use the organizer above to jot down ideas for your letters.

2. Civil War for Fifth Graders will give you an overview of what was happening on all fronts. The Diary of Rachel Cormany shows how a lady in the North may have lived during this time. Skim it for ideas for your letters. How do you feel about sending your brothers and fathers and husbands off to War? What do you do to help the war effort? Read about what Women on the Home front did to support their soldiers, and decide what you might have done yourself. How did the War affect your food and social life?

3. In the Civil War reminiscences of Catherine Hunsecker, you can read how another lady from the North dealt with the hardships and changes. Imagine how things may have changed by the year 1863. How much more important is news from the battles? Are you thinking that the War will end soon, or getting ready for a longer struggle? Has your opinion of the Southerners changed since the beginning of the War?

4. By the end of the War, it may or may not have been clear that the Union would survive. How do you feel about the people who are fighting? Do you know anyone who has died in the War? What do you hope will happen next? If you still need more information for your letters, you can skim The Home front. It is a great discussion of the Northern and Southern war effort by civilians, but it is a little hard to read all the way through.

5. Write letters to someone on the battlefront – one from the beginning of the War, about 1861, one from the middle of the War, about 1863, and one at about the time of the end of the War, 1865. Be sure to tell the person how you feel about the War, how it is changing your world, and what you hope for the outcome.

6. Type your letters neatly, each on a separate page. Double-space and use size 16 font. The letters only need to be one page long. Make sure you include answers to the questions asked above.

CONFEDERATE FAMILY MEMBER: The War had a greater effect on your life, in the South, than it did on families in the North. Not only were the hardships greater, but traditions and an entire way of life were lost forever.

1. Use the organizer above to jot down ideas for your letters.

2. Civil War for Fifth Graders will give you an overview of what was happening on all fronts. Hearts at Home describes the lives of Southern women during the War. Browse through a few of the links and jot down ideas for your letters. How much has your life changed since the War began? How does it feel to have the men sent off to fight? What are you doing that you would never have done in times of peace? Imagine how you must feel about the conflict and the things the men are fighting for.

3. The War found many Women left at home fend for themselves. As the War waged on, women found themselves in strange new roles. How are you helping the fight? Are you eager to help, and to support the war effort? The battles have probably taken someone you know. Does that change your opinion of the War? Imagine that you spend Christmas in the Confederate White House. Is it different this year from other years?

4. Read some of The Diary of Carrie Berry, 1865. How would you feel about the War coming to an end? What would you hope would happen after the fighting stops? Has your opinion of the War changed from the beginning? If you still need more information for your letters, you can skim The Home front. It is a great discussion of the Northern and Southern war effort by civilians, but it is a little hard to read all the way through.

5. Write letters to someone on the battlefront – one from the beginning of the War (1861), one from the middle of the War (1863) and one at its end (1865). Be sure to use lots of adjectives and express how you feel.

6. Type your letters neatly, each on a separate page. Double-space and use size 16 font, so that you can read it easily. Each letter need only be one page long. Make sure you consider the questions asked above.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Your job is to collect background photos to make the reading of the letters more enjoyable and more realistic. Look at the wonderful photos that are available at the Photographs from the Library of Congress Civil War collection. You can search it or browse through the listing of photos.

Choose a set of photos from the early part of the War, the middle part of the War, and the end of the War. Make sure you have some of soldiers, of battles and of homes and families. Pick the ones that interest you. You should have at least 25 photographs or more.
Save the photos on the computer. Right click on them and save them to your hard drive.
Arrange them in order from the earliest to the latest.
Make the photos into a Power Point presentation that will run while your classmates are reading their letters. If you need help using Power Point, your teacher or the Computer Teacher can help you.

HISTORIAN: You will set the scene for the reading of each set of letters to camp and home. The audience knows nothing about the Civil War. Through your timeline, you will tell them what is happening in the country at the time that the letters are written.

1. It is up to you to preserve the most important facts of the War! Look at Civil War Timeline Chart. This is more complicated than you need, but you can refer to it if the dates get confusing. You will need at least three facts or events for 1861, three of each for 1863, and three for 1865. You can gather facts from this Civil War Timeline, from the Encarta encyclopedia and your textbook. Civil War for Fifth Graders will give you an overview of what was happening on all fronts during the war. Include facts that set the stage for the letters, or tell the audience about the War and how it is affecting people’s lives. Tell a little about each fact, so that people know what was going while the people were writing their letters.

2. Arrange the facts in chronological order, in three sections by the dates 1861, 1863, and 1865.

3. Type the facts in 16-point font. Each time period should only be one page long.

Evaluation

	Deserter 0	Private 1	Sergeant 2	War Hero 3	Score
INFORMATION	Information was not accurate.	Information was sometimes clear and accurate	Information was accurate, and sometimes included opinions.	Information was accurate, complete and included opinions.
COMPLETENESS	Product is not finished, or nothing is turned in	Some of the Task questions were answered, or product is not of required length.	More than half of the Task questions were answered, product is proper length.	Product is of proper length, and all questions were answered.
HISTORICAL CREATIVENESS	Does not represent authentic, creative information.	Product sounds like it is from the time period, but not at all creative.	Product sounds like it is from the time period, and shows some creative elements.	Product is highly creative and authentic to the time period.
CONTRIBUTION to the GROUP	Does not contribute to the group product.	Contributes very little to the product and does not work well with others	Contributes little to the project but cooperates well.	Contributes much to project and works well with others

Conclusion

Were any of your ancestors in the country during the Civil War? Ask your parents and grandparents for any stories they may know.

If the Civil War time period interests you, you may enjoy reading Historical Fiction based on that time. Some suggestions are:

Charley Skedaddle, by Patricia Beatty Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt

Mr. Lincoln’s Drummer, by G. Clifton Wisler Lincoln, a Photobiography, by Russell Freedman

My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier Amelia’s War, by Ann Rinaldi

Credits & Reference

Thanks to Stonewall Traditional Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky for the graphics and inspirations used here. For another letter-writing activity, see the wonderful WebQuest at called A Nation Divided.

Templates and rubrics at the San Diego State University WebQuest Page were a tremendous help and are a great source for more WebQuests on many subjects.

For her guidance and encouragement, I thank Gail Szeliga of the Teacher Center of Broome County.

Teacher Page

This WebQuest is designed to allow students to collect information from primary documents and interpret it for themselves. It should take approximately two weeks of work in short periods. Although this is primarily a Social Studies subject, it also relates to English Language Arts disciplines, and can include the Art and Music departments as well, by adding props and music to the final product.

Before the students attempt this project, it is recommended that they have are introduced to the causes and effects of the Civil War, its major battles and leaders. They will need access to computers, paper and pencils, and prior knowledge of Word, Power Point and Internet skills.

The groups may choose their own roles, but it is recommended that the Teacher assign the roles, keeping in mind that the roles reflect Bloom’s Taxonomy in the following order:

Photographer

Historian

Soldier

Family member.

As it stands now, this WebQuest relates to the following NY State Learning Standards:

Social Studies

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.

English Language Arts

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

The Arts

Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts

Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Standard 2: Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies

PRESENTATION: After the research has been done and the letters, Power Point presentation and timeline have been completed, it is suggested that the entire project be presented as a play in three acts in the following sequence. The presenters may be chosen representatives of the group, or the entire group may take turns reading.