Welcome teachers!
So, what are we doing here?
This site is designed to be an interactive educational resource for teachers and students alike; we call it a web-based curriculum. We hope you will find that our curriculum does not tell the same old story of the Civil War, but incorporates new and unique perspectives into a dynamic, multi-dimensional and comprehensive lesson about the experience of a war we’re still trying to understand today. Ultimately, this is about more than just a war that changed America, it is also about the role of individual people in determining the course of their nation's future. Consequently, it can be used to facilitate discussion about historical inquiry, civic engagement, and the democratic process while answering questions such as, "How can disenfranchised people find a voice in our nation's future?" and "How do individual people make a difference in a national cause?"
Suggestions for use:
Ideally, you will be able to direct students to our site for a comprehensive lesson on the Battle of Fredericksburg and topics related to the Civil War experience. The curriculum consists of four elements, the Let's Explore section and three lesson modules discussing soldier, civilian and slave experiences. If your students are not yet familiar with the Battle of Fredericksburg we suggest that they start with Let's Explore to gain some background knowledge that they will need to place the lesson modules in their proper context. From there, students can proceed to any of the lesson modules that they desire. However, each element is designed to stand on its own. Therefore, if you have specific time constraints or are covering a more narrow topic in your classroom, you can pick and choose elements to assign students based on your specific needs. Additionally, all videos featured on the site are available for download. Please feel free to use them in your classroom and adapt them to your needs.
This site is designed to be an interactive educational resource for teachers and students alike; we call it a web-based curriculum. We hope you will find that our curriculum does not tell the same old story of the Civil War, but incorporates new and unique perspectives into a dynamic, multi-dimensional and comprehensive lesson about the experience of a war we’re still trying to understand today. Ultimately, this is about more than just a war that changed America, it is also about the role of individual people in determining the course of their nation's future. Consequently, it can be used to facilitate discussion about historical inquiry, civic engagement, and the democratic process while answering questions such as, "How can disenfranchised people find a voice in our nation's future?" and "How do individual people make a difference in a national cause?"
Suggestions for use:
Ideally, you will be able to direct students to our site for a comprehensive lesson on the Battle of Fredericksburg and topics related to the Civil War experience. The curriculum consists of four elements, the Let's Explore section and three lesson modules discussing soldier, civilian and slave experiences. If your students are not yet familiar with the Battle of Fredericksburg we suggest that they start with Let's Explore to gain some background knowledge that they will need to place the lesson modules in their proper context. From there, students can proceed to any of the lesson modules that they desire. However, each element is designed to stand on its own. Therefore, if you have specific time constraints or are covering a more narrow topic in your classroom, you can pick and choose elements to assign students based on your specific needs. Additionally, all videos featured on the site are available for download. Please feel free to use them in your classroom and adapt them to your needs.
Additional Elements:
Aside from the four main content elements, the Virtual Classroom also consists of two blog features: the Ask a Ranger Page and the Virtual Talk Back Wall. We hope that these two response sections will facilitate not only engagement, but critical thinking as well. The Ask a Ranger Page is a space for students to field questions to our Rangers that might arise over the course of the lesson modules. Students can submit their questions on the main Ask a Ranger Page, and then our Rangers will respond as a blog post on the following page. Check it out here. Conversely, the Virtual Talk Back Wall is a space for students to share their thoughts. We've provided prompt questions that we hope will encourage students to think critically about the information presented and more broadly about the implications and significance of the Civil War.
Aside from the four main content elements, the Virtual Classroom also consists of two blog features: the Ask a Ranger Page and the Virtual Talk Back Wall. We hope that these two response sections will facilitate not only engagement, but critical thinking as well. The Ask a Ranger Page is a space for students to field questions to our Rangers that might arise over the course of the lesson modules. Students can submit their questions on the main Ask a Ranger Page, and then our Rangers will respond as a blog post on the following page. Check it out here. Conversely, the Virtual Talk Back Wall is a space for students to share their thoughts. We've provided prompt questions that we hope will encourage students to think critically about the information presented and more broadly about the implications and significance of the Civil War.
Don't take our word for it... |