4

th
Grade: Social Studies Civil War #2

I. SOL and Learning Objective
Virginia SOL Social Studies VS.7: The student will demonstrate knowledge of
the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War by
(a) Identifying the events and differences between northern
and southern states that divided Virginians and led to
secession, war, and the creation of West Virginia.
English 4.6: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension
of nonfiction texts.
(j) Identify new information gained from reading.
Learning Objective Students will be able to discuss the importance of Harriet Tubman,
Nat Turner, and John Brown in the lead up to the Civil War.
Students will be able to identify new information from reading.

II. Materials for Learning Activities
Teacher Students
Henrys Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Copies of entrance ticket for students
Copies on menu for students
Computers for students
Chester Comix of Nat Turner and John Brown
Poster paper for students to record what they are
learning about each abolitionist
Pencil/pen
Colored pencils/crayons
Social studies textbook

III. Procedures for Learning Activities
Introduction

1. Entrance ticket on the differences between the North and South.
See attachment.
2. Tell students that today they will be learning about certain
events and people that played a role in the lead up to the Civil
War.
Instructional Strategies

1. Read aloud: Henrys Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
a. While reading, ask students questions. Have students
make predictions and make inferences.
b. This book elicits strong emotions. Have students discuss
how they are feeling about the story.
c. Ask students to put themselves in Henrys position.
Henry had to watch as his family was taken away from
him. How would you feel? How would you feel as a
slave?
2. After the read aloud, discus the Underground Railroad,
activating prior knowledge.
3. Pass out menu to students and explain the directions.
a. They will be learning about 3 abolitionists during the
time of the Civil War (Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, John
Brown).
b. They must complete one box on the menu for each
person, a total of 3 boxes.
4. While students are working on their menu, hang three pieces of
poster paper around the classroom with each abolitionists name.
As students are working, they can document what they are
learning by filling in the poster paper. Have students write their
name next to their fact. These will hang around the classroom
for students to continue filling in or for them to review what
they learned about each person.
Summary

1. Review the famous abolitionists and what events led to the Civil
War.
2. Review the facts on the poster paper.
3. Give students a few minutes to share an interesting fact that they
learned or something that surprised them.

IV. Assessment
Entrance ticket
o Formative assessment
o Take at the beginning of the lesson
o Informs the teacher if students know the main differences between the North and
South
o Informs future instruction
Anecdotal notes
o Formative assessment
o Take note on students working on their menus.
o Are they able to learn information from nonfiction texts?
Discussion
o Formative assessment
o Take notes of the student responses during the classroom discussions during the read
aloud and at the end of the lesson.
o This allows the teacher to clarify and misconceptions and lead students to
understanding
Posters of abolitionists
o Formative assessment
o Since students write their names next to the facts they wrote, this is an assessment
tool.
o It keeps track of key information students are learning about the abolitionists.
Menu items
o Teacher will assess the menu items.
o Check to see if students included accurate facts about the abolitionists. Do students
understand the importance of each abolitionist and the role they played in the lead up
to the Civil War?

V. Differentiation and Accommodations
Menu
o Allows students to choose what activities to complete.
o They can choose the ones that sound interesting to them.
o The menu allows for differentiation of product by learning style (multiple
intelligences).
o The menu allows for differentiation of process because there are multiple activities
students can complete to learn about the abolitionists.
Teacher scaffolding the content
o Through discussions
o Assisting students while they are working independently on their menu.
ESOL/lower level readers
o The Chester Comix can be used by students to look at pictures, scaffolding the
content, instead of reading information from a school database.
Higher level readers
o There are multiple databases for students to look up information. Each one is at a
different level. They can choose the higher leveled one, or they may spend time
looking through all the databases.
Multiple intelligences
o Intrapersonal: during the read aloud, students will be required to discuss their feelings
towards to book.
o Visual/spatial: students can create a drawing or a comic strip as part of the menu.
o Verbal/linguistic: students will be reading from their textbooks or from the databases;
they also have the option of writing a paragraph as part of the menu.
o Musical: students have the option of writing a song as part of the menu; if time
permits, students may record their song using Audacity on the computer.