Free Battles of the Civil War Activity

When I was teaching, I remember longing for time to squeeze in meaningful history lessons, only to find myself reading chapters out of a textbook. Needless to say, my students were less than engaged. To help you avoid this same situation in your classroom, I have spent countless hours and research creating meaningful, engaging, and simple US History lessons. In this free Battles of the Civil War Activity, your students will learn about some of the most important battles of the Civil War through primary sources.

Engage Students Using Primary Sources

A primary source is a document, image, or artifact that provides a firsthand account of an event.

But why use primary sources? According to the Library of Congress, using primary sources in the classroom can give students a glimpse into what it was like to live in past eras. Having students analyze primary sources can “prompt curiosity and improve critical thinking and analysis skills.”

So, not only are primary sources engaging for students, but they also teach critical thinking skills that can be used across all subjects. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Tips for Teaching with Primary Sources

Teachinghistory.org outlines a process for analyzing primary documents. In this process, students look at the source four times – each time focusing their attention on a different aspect.

First Read: Reading for Context

Looking for title, author/person, place, date, and other information about the document’s origins.
Why is this significant?
What background information do I know about any of these?

Second Read: Reading for Meaning

Looking for the author’s main idea & to understand the document as a whole.
What is the genre? What is the purpose?

Third Read: Reading for Argument

What evidence or examples are used to support the author’s statements?

Fourth Read: Reading Like a Historian

What bias or perspective is presented? How does that shape your understanding of the argument/information?
Who might agree or disagree?
What facts did the author leave out?
What questions are unanswered by the document?

Another source I love to use when teaching with primary and secondary sources is the National Archive. These worksheets provide a quick and easy way for students to analyze primary sources.