WEB QUEST
Noble Bargain, Difficult Journey
A WebQuest is an educational research activity in which students collect information. Most of the information comes from the World Wide Web. It was first invented by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at San Diego State University in 1995 who describe it in the following statements. "A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation." |
A war on American soil between Americans, and to decide the fate of a nation
A WebQuest for 5th-8th Grade Social Studies
Designed for Louisiana Public Broadcasting
The Civil War was the culmination of four decades of intense conflict and economic, social, and political differences between the North and the South. The American Civil War was the most costly of American wars in history. A savage war that split the country in half, the Civil War cost the United States over 600,000 lives, and led to over 1,000,000 casualties. Raging through the country, it affected everyone in the U.S. and even other countries.
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Lesson Plan
The Civil War era is one of the most critical and fascinating wars in our nation’s history. In January 1861 when Abraham Lincoln was elected president the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of South Carolina from the Union known as the United States of America. President Lincoln announced that the Union had to be preserved, people in the North and the South rallied to fight for their belief. Eleven southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was chosen president of this confederacy, and an energetic government prepared to repel the expected attack of the "Union” states. Coast defenses by the seceding states (built on land ceded by the various states to the Federal government, and, it was argued, withdrawn therefore by the act of secession) brought on the war. The war began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter on the 12th of April 1861, and came to an end, in the last days of April 1865, with the surrender of the Confederates.
You will create a Civil War scrapbook.
• You will be divided into two groups—The North who felt an overwhelming need to show their patriotism. These people volunteered and enlisted, hoping they could keep liberty alive. The South whose patriotic urgings had a different approach. These people who fought and volunteered services did so for the purpose of defending their native soil and their way of life. • Each group will consist of 2 reporters, an enlisted soldier, an officer, a musician, a woman, a child, a surgeon, a leader, a cook, an African American, a civilian, and a spy. Each member will gather information based on his/her specific role and complete a writing assignment. • Then, you will combine your individual knowledge into a group project. • You will create a double page spread to be included in a class scrapbook and present your findings to your classmates.
Each group consists of 2 reporters, an enlisted soldier, an officer, a musician, a woman, a child, a surgeon, a leader, a cook, an African American, a civilian, and a spy. Find your specific role and follow the given links to complete your research.
Reporter
Your job is to record information (Research Form) about specific war battles as viewed by your side. Using researched information you will record your information as a newspaper article describing who, what, when, where, why each given battle took place. This will be the journaling on the scrapbook pages. Locate and download pictures of battles. Sample newspaper Southern: Bull Run | Fredericksburg | Chancellorsville | Cold Harbor
Northern: Antietam | Gettysburg | Shiloh | Vicksburg | Chattanooga | Petersburg
Enlisted Soldier
Your job is to record information (research form) about the daily life of a common soldier. Using researched information, you will write a letter home to your family: Describe camp
life and activities. How was the common soldier equipped? What clothing was issued? Where did you
sleep? Include how you feel being in the middle of a war. Use Civil War slang
in your letter. Include a flag on your scrapbook page.
Locate and download pictures. Soldier Life | Camp Life | Union Soldier | Confederate Soldier | Slang | Flags
Officer Your job is to record (research form) the strategy used during a war battle on
Reflection - Write out the series of events that you have planned to
ensure victory of a battle in the state of
Draw a map
showing your plan of attack. Locate and download pictures.
Louisiana battles | Louisiana Map | Louisiana Sites
Musician
Your job is to record information (research form) about Civil War music. Using researched information, you will write a journal entry and locate a song reflecting life during the Civil War. Reflection — Why was the musician so important to the daily life? Describe
activities the musician did during a Civil War day.
Download a song
to reflect life during the Civil War.
Woman
Your job is to record information (research form)about the daily life of a woman who remained home during the war and a woman involved in the Civil War. Using researched information write three journal entries. Reflection one — On a peaceful day, write about your daily routine. What chores needed to be completed? Who was around to help? Reflection two — On a battle day write about the dangers around you. How did you prepare for these dangerous events? Reflection three — How were you involved in the war? What are you famous for? Locate and download pictures. Southern Belle | Union Woman | Spies | Women of Civil War
Child
Your job is to record information (research form) about the life of a child during the Civil War. Using researched information write a journal entry. Reflection — Describe the life of a child who went to war. Locate and
download pictures.
Children at war | Story | Boys
Surgeon
Your job is to record information (research form)about the responsibilities of a war surgeon. Using researched information, you will write a journal entry and create a graph showing causalities of war. Reflection >— What medical training did you receive? How long did it take to become a surgeon? What medical procedures did you use? Why was disease a major concern during surgery? Make a casualty graph showing how many soldiers were enlisted, how many died from battle, how many died from disease, and how many lived with permanent scars. Medicine | Training | Early Procedures | Amputations | Amputations | Transportation | Disease
Leader
Your job is to
lead your group to successful completion of all assignments.
You will mentor
and assist with research, locating and downloading picture, and scrapbook page
design and creation.
Read Five Qualities of Good Leaders
Cook
Your job is to record information (research form )about the foods that soldiers ate during the Civil War. Find receipts and create receipt cards for your scrapbook page. Pack a Civil War lunch.
African American
Your job is to record information (research form)about your life during the war. Using researched information, you will write a journal entry and create a quilt about your life. Reflection — How did the Fugitive Slave Act affect you during the war? If given the opportunity to fight, would you and why? Design a
four-panel quilt representing your childhood, life as an adult slave, your
search for freedom, and experiences during the war.
Fighting | Service | Fugitive Slave Act | Quilts
Civilian—Home front
Your job is to record information (research form)about the home front during the Civil War. Using researched information, you will write one journal entry and locate pictures to use on your scrapbook pages. Reflection — Briefly describe your economy. What happened to the currency during the war? Daily Life South | Currency | Economy
Spy
Your job is to record information (research form)about codes used for secret communications. Using researched information, you will write a journal entry and a spy message. Reflection one — What were the means of communicating during the war? Research a secret code that you have intercepted and tell who used it, why it was used, and how the code was used. Create a message to inform your commanding officer of a battlefield landscape. Background | Example | Morse Code | Communication | Spies
Additional Resources:
Clip Art Uniforms http://civilwarclipart.com/Clipartgallery/clipart2.htm
Picture Album http://americancivilwar.com/pictures/index.html
Selected Civil War Photos http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html Coloring Book http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Shores/2312/colorpages/colorstart.html
Evaluation Rubric
After researching your role, completing your writing assignment, and creating your scrapbook pages of life during the Civil War, you will share your personal reactions and present your findings.
Designed by
Julie Angers holds a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA with concentrations in Educational Leadership, Research & Counseling and Adult Education. She is a dedicated, resourceful education professional with a proven ability to provide strategies that can substantially increase the knowledge and teaching skills of teachers. She has 12 years of achievement in technology teaching and training with a professional development focus.
LPB / LETRC do not
control the contents of sites provided. The currency of data,
comprehensiveness, Louisiana Public Broadcasting's
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