Bridgewater College Education Department Lesson Plan

Name: Sarah Mickelberry

Date: March 14, 2014

Subject Area(s): History
VA SOL

Title of Lesson: A Divided Nation

Grade Level(s): 5th

USI.9a: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the

causes, major events, and effects of the Civil War by
Content Objective(s)

a) describing the cultural, economic, and

constitutional issues that divided the nation.

Students will be able to

1. discuss the cultural, economic, and constitutional issues that divided the Union and Confederacy
2. identify which part of the nation (North/South) is being described when given a statement or fact
Accommodations/
Differentiation
Summative Assessment (based on objectives)
To achieve the objectives students will be able to
1. actively participate in a short debate on a given issue affecting and
SLL students will only need to
causing a division of the nation.
complete the odd numbered
2. complete a homework worksheet in which they evaluate whether a
problems on the homework
statement would be supported by someone living in the North or
someone living in the South.
Materials
SMART Board presentation
Homework Sheet
Student Debate Guideline Sheets
Teacher Debate Questions
Integration of technology
A SMART Board presentation will be used as a part of instruction. A short
Discovery Education video on the life of a soldier will be shown.
Alternative Plan:
If the SMART Board presentation does not work the information will be
presented on a white/black board and a print out of the most important
information will be provided.
Accommodations/
Differentiation

Time
Planned

Stand close to the

student with ADHD
as you talk.

1 min.

Anticipatory Set (Focus)

I want you all to think back to the last time you had a big disagreement with
someone. A friend or sibling, perhaps. Now think about how you settled that
disagreement. Raise your hand if it was settled with a fight.
Today well continue to explore issues that led up to the Civil War and caused
the nation to divide into the North, or Union, and South, or Confederacy.
Were going to learn about constitutional issues today. Well do a few
SMART Board activities and then were going to do small debates in order to
try to view the issues from someone living in the North or South at that time.

Access/Review Prior Knowledge

So yesterday we talked about slavery, cultural, and economic issues between
the North and South. Lets refresh our memories about what those issues were
with the KWL chart we started yesterday.
Pull up the SMART Board presentation and go to the 2nd slide, which is a
KWL Chart. Focus on the L column because that is what the students learned
yesterday. Guide them in recalling what the main issues between the North
and South were. Use the questions at the top and in the column to spark their
memories. (the entries in the L column will be covered so pick a few student
to erase to reveal the answers when they get it correct)
Topic presentation (What will the students be told?)
1. Slide 3--Federal vs. States: Ask students
a. What is the federal government?
b. What kinds of thing could the federal government?
c. What could state governments do?
Allow a few students to come up and move the white box around after youve
discussed the questions.
2. Slide 4--Constitutional Issues: Ask students
a. Why might some of the states want to make their own laws rather
than follow those set by the national government?
After letting students discuss possible answers to these questions pull the
shade down and read through the slide with them. Make sure student know
what the constitution is and what it does. Make sure students know what
federal.
b. How do the constitutional issues impact some of the issues we
discussed yesterday?
Modeling, Guided Practice, Independent Practice
Tell students that they are now going to be put into groups, given an issue,
and given a side North or South for a small debate.
Explain to students that a debate is when two opposing sides discuss an
issues in order to try to come to a solution. Emphasize that the point of the
exercise is not for one team to win or lose. It is solely to discuss what
issues the North and South were dealing with leading up to the Civil War.
Tell students the debate will be in the format that the teacher will ask a
question and each group will get a chance to reply based on what they have
discussed with their own group members. Remind students that the debate
will be about all the issues leading up to the Civil War not just the one
discussed today.

Read the questions

aloud so the SLL
students know what
they say and review
what KWL means

Have the ADHD

student sit at the
front of the room
so he/she is close
to you and does
not get
overwhelmed by
seeing the rest of
the students.
Provide a handout
with the definitions
of the vocabulary
and a picture
illustrating it to the
SLL students.

3 min.

8 min.

 Put students into 4 random groups of 5 or 6 people and pass out one debate
guideline sheet per group.
o Group 1: North; Slavery and Culture Issues
o Group 2: South; Slavery and Culture Issues
o Group 3: North; Economy and Constitutional Issues
o Group 4: South; Economy and Constitutional Issues
Allow students time to write and discuss with their group what they will
say about their issues to the rest of the class and their opposing group.
o As the groups talk, walk around and make sure each group is on track
and ask questions that will get them thinking beyond just the
information that was provided on the SMART Board slides
Call class to attention. Have Groups 1 and 2 debate first. Ask groups 1 and
2 the list of questions on the teacher debate questions and allow time
between the two groups to discuss each question. Group 3 and 4 must stay
quiet and listen. Once finished ask if anyone from Group 3 or 4 has a
question or comment relevant to the debate they just heard.

Have groups 3 and 4 debate following the same format as 1 and 2 did.

Closure
Okay class eyes and ears please. Now that weve learned about the issues
facing the North and South lets go back to the KWL Chart we started
yesterday. Lets finish of the L column with what we learned today.
Who wants to say something they learned today about the Constitutional
issues leading up to the War?
Allow a few students to offer suggestions and add it to the Learned section of
the KWL Chart. Ask students if there is anything else they want to learn about
the issues of the Civil War.
Checking for Understanding (Formative Assessment)
Pass out the homework worksheet and read through the directions quickly. As
students if there are any questions. Tell them that it will be due in the morning
at the start of the day.

Put the ADHD

student in the
group with the
least number of
people and give
him/her the special
job of writing
down the groups
thoughts so he/she
has something to
focus on.

15 min.

Make sure the SLL

students are in
separate groups
that both have
strong English
speakers in it.
Again, have the
SLL student at the
front of the class
near you.
Make sure to
explain the
directions of the
3 min.
homework
thoroughly to the
SLL students and
tell them that they
only need to do the
odd numbered
ones.

Declarative Statement Summary

Thank you all for participating today. You all did a wonderful job at seeing
the issues leading up to the Civil War from the perspectives of people living
in the North and South during that time. Tomorrow well be learning even
more about the Civil War so be thinking about the wonderful debates you had
today and why the issues had such an impact.

1 min.

Student Debate Guideline/Slips

GROUP 1: You are from the North

You will discuss Slavery and Cultural Issues
Here are some questions to get you thinking

Think about where you live. What jobs do you have? Do you need slaves to complete your job? How do
you make a living? How do you see slaves?

GROUP 2: You are from the South

You will discuss Slavery and Cultural Issues
Here are some questions to get you thinking

Think about where you live. What jobs do you have? Are slaves a necessity to you livelihood? How do
you make a living? How do you see slaves? What would happen if slavery was abolished?

GROUP 3: You are from the North

You will discuss Economic and Constitutional Issues
Here are some questions to get you thinking

How do you make money? How do tariffs effect your livelihood? Why would you want/not want tariffs?
What is the view of the central government over slavery?

GROUP 4: You are from the South

You will discuss Economic and Constitutional Issues
Here are some questions to get you thinking

How do you make money? How do tariffs effect your livelihood? Why would you want/not want tariffs?
Why would you want your state to have supreme power over the federal government?

Teacher Debate Questions

Group 1&2

1. Should slavery be abolished? Why or why not?

2. Does your culture, or way of life, impact the way you see slavery? If so how?
Group 3&4

1. Should we raise or lower the tariffs on American goods?

2. Is giving the states more rights a good or bad idea?

Homework

Name: _________________________________

A Divided Nation: Issues of the North & South

Leading to the Civil War
Directions: Circle North or South to indicate which side the statement describes. Write which of the 4
major issues the statement falls under. (Hint: the 4 major issues were Slavery, Cultural, Economic, and
Constitutional)

1. I need slaves to work on the big plantation I run.

North / South ________________________
2. All the states need to follow the laws set by the federal government. It has the most power.
North / South ________________________
3. Slavery should be abolished because it is morally wrong.
North / South ________________________
4. States should be able to declare a law illegal if it does not help the people living in that state.
North / South ________________________
5. We need tariffs so that people will want to buy American goods and not foreign goods.
North / South ________________________
6. I live in a big city where people have jobs in factories.
North / South ________________________
7. We should not have high tariffs. Tariffs will stop Great Britain from buying my cotton.
North / South ________________________
8. States decided that they would become a part of the union, so they can leave if they decide
to.
North / South ________________________
9. I live in a small farming village.
North / South ________________________
10.My family depends on the cotton we grow on our plantation to make a living.

North / South ________________________