U.S. History: Civil War- Tennessee's Civil War Structures

In this lesson, students will explore Civil War photographs which contain structures such as buildings, bridges, and wagons. Students will closely examine each photograph, list all humanmade structures, and describe what might be their vulnerabilities in time of war. Additionally, students will problem-solve ways to compensate for those vulnerabilities.

Weblink address (URL):

Tennessee's Civil War Structures

Home Page for the Lesson Plan- Source

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

After completion of this lesson, the learner will be able to analyze photographs from the 1860s; identify various structures and construction materials depicted in the photographs; identify bibliographic information for a digital primary source; and practice strategic thinking for the defense of the depicted structures.

Essential and guiding questions:

How were human-made structures vulnerable to enemy attack during the Civil War and how could they be protected?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Applying

Extension suggestions:

Students can search the Library’s Web site for a map of the area around their structure and create their own map. Students will need to identify major terrain features, their structure’s location, and the defenses that they would put in place. They may use the map of Nashville from earlier as an
example.
Students can make a PowerPoint presentation describing their structure and/or build the structure from a similar type of material (e.g., balsa wood for wood, plaster of Paris for concrete, and mud or dirt for earthworks).

Helpful Hints

MATERIALS:

Computer lab
Modern Marvels “Civil War Tech” video (2min 17sec)
Defending from Enemy Attack worksheet (2 pages)