It can be easy to assume that students understand the meaning of the words they hear – or that they will figure them out on their own with enough exposure. But this isn’t always the case. In fact, studies show that about 80% of words are learned as a result of direct explanation (even in middle school!).
While vocabulary is usually associated with Language Arts instruction, these lessons can be a very powerful tool when teaching history! Now you’re probably thinking, “Hold up. On top of everything else, you want me to teach history vocab too??”
I know, I know… But hear me out. It’s 100% possible to make teaching history meaningful, fun, and (believe it or not) SIMPLE! To help get you started, I have created a Civil War vocabulary list – complete with definitions and teaching suggestions!
Why Teach Civil War Vocabulary?
Vocabulary is the key that unlocks understanding. If students don’t know certain words, there are just some concepts they will not understand.
For example, imagine you are teaching a lesson about the precedents set by George Washington’s presidency. If your students do not have a solid understanding of the word precedent, most of your discussion will go right over their heads! Sure, students can use context clues and pull together a meaning. But without being explicitly taught the vocabulary word, they will not be able to grasp the full meaning of the word – with all of its nuances and deeper implications.
In this blog post, Lauren Brown illustrates the power of vocabulary. She said:
Students often whine about vocabulary tests. They just don’t see the point about memorizing a bunch of words that to them just mean the same thing as other words they already know. “Why do we need to know squalid,” they ask. “Can’t we just say dirty?”
But the [immigrant] tenements weren’t just dirty. They were, according to one definition of squalid, “extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect.” This seven-letter word speaks volumes about the conditions of the urban poor at the turn of the century in a way that “dirty” or “really bad” just doesn’t convey.
According to Brown, “vocabulary is a tool of thought.” As such, student thought is simplistic if they do not have a rich vocabulary. When students develop a more complex vocabulary, they are able to have more complex thoughts. And more complex thinking leads to greater overall school success!
Tips for Teaching Civil War Key Terms
To develop a wide vocabulary, students need both direct and indirect instruction. In addition, it is important for students to be exposed to the words multiple times. As vocab words are studied repeatedly and in a variety of meaningful contexts, student understanding will increase.
Here are some of my favorite ways to teach vocabulary:
- Involve students in creating a Civil War word wall.
- As each key term is taught, students add meaningful illustrations and definitions to the wall. Ensure each student has a copy of the word wall they can reference. You can do this in a vocabulary notebook!
- As each key term is taught, students add meaningful illustrations and definitions to the wall. Ensure each student has a copy of the word wall they can reference. You can do this in a vocabulary notebook!
- Play games with the terms. Playing games with vocabulary terms will help students understand and internalize word meanings in a fun and non-threatening environment. For example:
- Jeopardy:
- Create your jeopardy template. There are several free jeopardy templates online that can be used with PowerPoint or Google Slides.
- When creating your questions, keep in mind how you want your students to respond. You can either have students read the definition and think of the correct vocabulary term or read the vocabulary word and come up with the correct definition. You can even do a mixture of both!
- Divide students into 3-5 teams.
- The teams take turns choosing a topic category and a question in that category. Each category is associated with a different point amount (50, 100, 150, 200, etc.).
- Give teams one minute to answer the selected question correctly. Teammates collaborate together to come up with the answer. If the answer is correct, the team earns the points! If the answer is incorrect, the question stays up on the board.
- After the answer is given, it is the next team’s turn.
- The game continues until each question has been chosen and correctly answered. The team with the most points wins!
- Create your jeopardy template. There are several free jeopardy templates online that can be used with PowerPoint or Google Slides.
- Jeopardy:
Why I Chose these Civil War Words
When searching for vocabulary words, I tried to include a mix of words students would experience throughout their study of social studies (like hemisphere) as well as words that are more specific to studying the Civil War (like caravel). I also chose words students would likely encounter multiple times in my The Civil War unit!
15 Civil War Words
- Antebellum – A term used to describe something that belongs to the time period before the American Civil War
- Civil War – A war between opposing groups of citizens in the same country
- Slavery – When a person owns another person as property
- Sectionalism – Putting local interests ahead of national interests
- Secede – When a part of a country breaks off from its own country
- Union – The name given for the states that remained loyal to the United States during the Civil War; also called the North or the United States of America
- Confederacy – The name for the group of states that left the U.S. to form their own country; also called the South or the Confederate States of America
- Federal – A term used to describe people who supported the Union
- Rebel – A term used to describe people who supported the Confederacy
- Casualty – A person who is injured or killed in war
- Surrender – The act of giving up, especially after a battle or war
- Perspective – An attitude towards something; a point of view
- Emancipation – The fact or process of being set free
- Assassination – The murder of an important person
- Reconstruction Era – The twelve years after the Civil War which were filled with change and violence
Download the FREE Civil War Vocabulary List
I hope these tips and resources help to make vocabulary learning more exciting and meaningful in your classroom.
Download the free Civil War vocabulary list here!
Need more help teaching about the Civil War?
Are you looking for more resources to help you teach the Civil War?
- 3-Week Civil War Unit: This all-inclusive unit provides interactive lesson plans that will keep your students engaged and help them learn the information in a meaningful way.
- Civil War Primary Sources: An outline of 5 primary sources, complete with teaching suggestions. I have also created a compilation of primary sources for several other U.S. History topics as well!
- Civil War Picture Books: 7 powerful picture books to help bring the Civil War to life in your classroom.
- Civil War Videos: An overview of 7 videos teaching all about the Civil War.
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