Rebecca Russell

ITEC / FRIT 7136—Fall 2008

Grade 5—United States History Since 1860

Locating and Exploring the Major Battles and Campaigns of the Civil War

Background:
This information literacy lesson plan is designed for a fifth grade social studies class studying the
civil war. The teacher wants her students to grasp why and how certain battles were strategically
so important to the outcome of the war by locating where and when they took place. She also
wants them to be able to connect key figures of the Civil War to those events. Her students will
explore nonfiction books and the internet to expand on the information provided in their
textbooks.

Learning Outcomes:
Students will locate nonfiction books about the Civil War.
Students will locate information about the Civil War on the internet.
Students will place major battles on a map and time line.
Students will present what they learned to classmates.

Assessed GPS Standards:

SS5H1. The student will explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the Civil
War.
c. Identify the major battles and campaigns: Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, the Atlanta Campaign,
Sherman’s March to the sea, and Appomattox Court House.
d. Describe the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, and
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

Assessed Information Literacy Standards:

Standard 2: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and
efficiently.
Indicator 3: The information literate student retrieves information online or in person using a
variety of methods.

Standard 3: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and
incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
Indicator 3: The information literate student summarizes the main ideas to be extracted from
the information gathered.
 Rebecca Russell
ITEC / FRIT—Fall 2008

Standard 4: The information literate student, individually or as a group, uses information

effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
Indicator 3: The information literate student communicates the product or performance
effectively to others.

Information Literacy Lesson Plan

Materials and Equipment:

Nonfiction books about the Civil War
Computer with internet access
Maps of 1861 America
Time Lines

Amount of time: two class periods.

Procedures:

Introduction:
Step 1:
The Media Specialist will explain to the students that she and their teacher will help them find
out where and when the major battles of the Civil War took place. They will also learn about the
key figures of the Civil War—Lincoln, Lee, Grant, Davis, and Jackson. They will consult the
nonfiction book section (these student have used this section before and know how to locate
books there) and explore the internet to find this information.

Step 2:
Divide the students into groups of four. Give each group a map of 1861 America, a Civil War
time line, and a colored marker. The Media Specialist will explain to the students that they are
going to mark on the map and the time line where and when their assigned battle or campaign
took place. They will also