In this post, you’ll learn some of my favorite strategies
and activities for teaching my Virginia Studies Civil War unit. With these
activities, your students will not only have fun learning about Virginia’s role
in the Civil War, but they will also use critical thinking skills that will
help them retain the information for the Virginia Studies SOL test.
Compare the Confederacy and the Union
An important part of any history unit is helping students
understand past ideas and what drove people of the past to certain actions. One
way I do this during my Virginia Studies Civil War unit is by dividing my class
into Confederate states and Union states. Each side must research things such
as why their side supported or opposed secession, the states that were a part
of their side, and the leadership for their side during the Civil War. Each
side also creates a visual presentation with their findings. This is a great
research-based activity to help students understand the ideological differences
between Americans during the Civil War.
Review Virginia Geography
Virginia experienced some of the most significant changes as
a result of the Civil War. The geography of the state looked entirely different
when the war ended. During my Virginia Studies Civil War unit, I always have
students create foldables to explain why West Virginia became a state and the
key differences between the two Virginias. When making these foldables, it is a
great time to review what students already know about Virginia geography such
as regions, rivers, and other geographical features.
Create a Timeline of Virginia History
One of the things my students tend to struggle with the most
when it comes to the Virginia Studies Civil War unit is remembering all the
events. As part of SOL VS.7, students are expected to remember a lot of events
such as events leading to the war, secession, and major battles. It can be a
challenge for students to remember the significance of each event and the order
in which they happened.
To help students retain all this information, I have them
complete several Virginia history timeline activities throughout the unit. In
one activity, students create a timeline foldable. In a center activity,
students are given cards with various Civil War events and must sequence the
events in the correct order. I also keep timeline cards on hand throughout the
unit. At the beginning or the end of a lesson, I will pull out the cards and
have the class work together to put the events in order. After the class has
sorted the events, I call on different students to explain each event. The key
here is repetition. Through the Virginia Studies Civil War unit, students
should regularly be sorting and explaining the various events in order to
retain the information.
Visit Civil War Battlefields and Historic Sites
Many important events that led to and were part of the Civil
War took place in Virginia. That means there are lots of great places to take
students for a field trip. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Appomattox Court House National Historic Park: Here, students can see where the Confederacy officially surrendered, ending the war.
- Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park: This national park features four Civil War battlefields including Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania.
- Manassas National Battlefield Park: Here, students can learn more about the First and Second Battles of Manassas, also known as the Battles of Bull Run.
Budgets, locations, and time constraints don’t always make
it possible to take a field trip. If you’re not able to actually visit one of
these sites in person, that’s okay! If you’ve read any of my other Virginia
Studies blog posts, you know I am a huge fan of using the Virginia Trekkers
videos to take virtual field trips. The Virginia Trekkers are a team that visits
historic sites throughout Virginia and creates Virginia Studies SOL-aligned videos
for students. Make sure to check out the Virginia Trekkers website. There, you
can find lots of videos where the Virginia Trekkers visit Civil War
battlefields in Virginia and other important Civil War sites. When taking a
virtual field trip, make sure to have students document what they see and
learn. I like to have students draw pictures and write a summary about their
virtual field trip.
End with Virginia Studies SOL Test Prep
I end all of my Virginia Studies units with SOL test prep
and my Virginia Studies Civil War unit is no exception. I use lots of fun
Virginia Studies games and activities to help my students review for their unit
test and SOL test in fun ways.
My favorite way to review for a Virginia Studies test is
with an escape room. Escape rooms require students to use lots of critical
thinking skills and students absolutely love them. I made an escape room with seven puzzles and activities to help students review Virginia Studies SOL VS.7.
It includes activities such as:
- assembling puzzles to identify Civil War leaders
- decoding places on a map of Virginia to review important battles
- unscrambling information about the Confederacy and the Union
- solving math problems to identify true and false facts about the Civil War
Task Cards are also a fun way to review for a Virginia
Studies Civil War test. I am always looking for new ways to use task cards in
my classroom and I recently stumbled upon a “task card parking lot” idea. To
create a task card parking lot, put all of the task cards on a table in
numerical order. Students go to the table and take one task card back to their
seats. After they answer the question on a response worksheet, they return the
task card back to the appropriate spot on the task card parking lot. This
system for using task cards requires little set up and still gets students up
and moving. The task card parking lot strategy is a great strategy to use with
these Virginia Studies Civil War task cards.
Finally, you may be in a position where you have a limited amount
of time to teach social studies. I worked in one school that only allowed 20
minutes per day for Virginia Studies. With such a short amount of time to
teach, it can be difficult to work in a lengthy Virginia SOL review at the end
of each unit. If that describes you, try using simple activities such as Civil
War crossword puzzles and word searches to review. You do not have to work
these into your Virginia Studies teaching time. Instead, you can use them as
morning work or homework.
Conclusion
If you are looking for ways to incorporate more fun and
critical thinking elements into your Virginia Studies Civil War unit, be sure
to try out some of the activities listed above. With these activities, students
will be engaged and will retain the information they learn. The activities
described in this post can easily be replicated in your classroom, but I know
planning time is limited. If you’re short on time, I’ve got you covered! My Virginia Studies Civil War Unit and Virginia Studies Bundle each have all of the
activities listed here and LOTS more. My Virginia Studies Civil War Task Cards
and Virginia Studies Civil War Escape Room can also help cut down on the amount
of time it takes to plan your review activities.
As a lover of American history, I am passionate about
helping teachers find ways to make history fun. Here on Virginia is for
Teachers, I share some of my favorite Virginia Studies activities and tips.
Make sure to check back next month. I plan to share strategies for teaching the
Reconstruction of Virginia at that time.
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Until then, be sure to check out these other Virginia
Studies and hands-on history blog posts:
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