Lesson+4



Lesson //4//: A Day in the Life...

Description of lesson: We will be in the computer lab today watching approved youtube videos that portray the conditions that Civil War Soldiers endured. We will revisit why these soldiers were fighting one another and see on video the real life consequences of this war.

Time for this lesson: One class period

Assignment: After watching and discussing the videos, students will each post RESPECTFULLY their response to what we learned and to our class discussion. Please offer one thing that you learned, and how you might have felt about being a soldier if you were in their shoes. Why?

Resources/materials needed: media type="custom" key="9278438" align="left" Videos 1-3 are a 3 part award winning series about what life was like for soldiers during the Civil War. It covers conditions that soldiers lived with, weaponry, and the real aftermath. Part 3 makes the toll that the war took on all of society clear. It talks about those who lost their lives, and about those who survived or were injured. The 4th video gives you a glimpse into what the women were doing during the war. The 5th gives us a bit of insight into the African American soldiers.



Technology reflection: We are using YOUTUBE!!!! If we want to get into a student's brain and instill information that will last, we have to be able to relate to them. Youtube is the essence of the teenage psyche. By using their world, we can help them better understand someone else's world. It is always best to approach a topic in different ways, and video allows us to do that for all of our visual and auditory learners out there.

Evaluation: // My single biggest concern is that the first three videos are part of a documentary series. Insert snore sound here. I found them all very interesting and concise, but I worry that my students might not. I am super excited about using youtube though. I think that they are more likely to give the information a chance if it comes from an intermediary that they use in their everyday lives. I have to get them to focus on what it meant to be a soldier. Many of them fought for very different reasons, and the commitment that they had to make to fight for this cause was monumental. I need for them to see what sacrifices these people made- that it wasn't just a political battle of wills, it was real people. //