Resources for Teachers
From The Words of War Series:
Wartime Memories from the Civil War Through the Gulf Wars
&
Wartime Memories from the American Revolution Through the Iraq War
The Words of War anthology series comprises excerpts from privately held original letters, diaries, photographs and oral histories from veterans and civilians who have served in America’s wars. These two volumes were compiled by the Park Tudor Legacy Initiative and published in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Students read, transcribed, edited and researched letters and other wartime documents in order to include the “best of the best.” In addition, the anthologies include excerpts from some of our best oral history interviews for the Library of Congress Veteran History Project.
This manual is designed to work hand-in-hand with these two anthologies. When referring to specific collections, page numbers and volume (I or II) are indicated. A team of teachers representing lower, middle and upper schools, have selected particularly appropriate passages and have designed age-appropriate activities that will engage students in grades 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12. We hope teachers will also be inspired to begin similar Legacy Initiative projects at their own school.
Each unit includes a historical overview, a suggested process for teachers and students, and anticipated outcomes. All units include a selected bibliography, media resources, and in some instances student handouts. All activities meet the national standards for American history.
Contents
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Click the icon to download a pdf or Word document. | |
| Cover & Foreword |  |
| 1. American Revolution: Finding Support Among Americans | |
| Dop, Bergh Deposition Document - September 5, 1775 | |
| 2. Analyzing the Impact of the Civil War: In the Field & At Home | |
| 3. From the Civil War Through Vietnam: POW Accounts | |
| 4. World War I: Veterans' Day Program | |
| 5. The Flu Epidemic & World War I | |
| 6. Big Guns of the Great War & Creating A War Memorial | -- |
| 7. World War I Veteran Accounts | |
| Harold L. Jones WWI Letter | |
| 8. World War I: Conflict in the Middle East | |
| 9. Wartime Themes: Patriotism, Faith & Moral Values | |
| 10. Effects of Geography & Weather on World War II Troops | |
| 11. World War II Humor | |
| McSavaney's Handwritten Letter - July 16, 1944 | |
| 12. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Oral History as Therapy | |
| 13. Prejudices or Points of View | |
| 14. Korean War -- Why Was This the Forgotten War? | |
| 15. Wartime Photojournalism | |
| Back Cover | |
| Selected Bibliography | |
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Civil War Reading and Discussion Guide for Military History
Edited by Kathryn Lerch
This is a Civil War Unit designed for honors-level juniors and seniors at Park Tudor School (an independent college preparatory school). All seniors have already studied the American Civil War in either a regular or AP-level course the previous year. Current juniors will have just completed their study of the Civil War. This is still a work in progress.
Due to limited time, it is impossible to cover all the significant military aspects of the Civil War. Therefore, specific generals and selected engagements have been chosen which will allow advanced students to get a basic understanding of the war at operational and strategic levels, as well as learning about the evolution of tactics as a result of changing technology. Students will also compare and contrast leadership styles of various generals as the war evolves into total war in 1863-1865.
Note: there are two sample lessons. One involves the use of new technology with the Minié-ball rifle (pages 4-6) and the second deals with McClellan’s operations following the battle of Antietam (pages 15-22). There is also a sample assignment calendar on page 23.
Contents
- The American Civil War - The First Year (April 1861 - April 1862)
- The American Civil War: Ending the Limited War (1862)
- Moving Towards Total War in 1863
- Vicksburg and Gettysburg in 1863
- The American Civil War - Total War, 1864-1865
- Evaluate the Civil War as a Total War
- The American Civil War - Why did the Union Win?
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Harpers Ferry/Maryland Heights
& Lee’s Retreat
Kathryn Lerch
Park Tudor School
(2008)
National Standards: 2 A-B
Grade: 11-12 Honors
Duration: One day or expand to 3-4 days if combined with Lee’s retreat video
Process:
- Students will read and analyze selected primary documents from the American Civil War. These documents will help students identify specific points of view, based on social background and/or rank in the military. The letters will enable students to connect what seem like small events (Harpers Ferry/Lee’s Retreat) with the larger military strategies which occurred during the Civil War.
- Students should put themselves “into the shoes” of the individual soldiers/writers as they read the letters.
- Field work (optional): complete a field trip to Harpers Ferry, with climb to top of Maryland Heights. Read letters in situ. Discussion of letters’ contents in relation to topography. Team work possible for identifying locations on maps, reading and discussing letters, comparing and contrasting events at Harpers Ferry with other strategic movements of armies.
Outcomes:
- Activities enable students to make connections between the physical landscape and historical events/primary resources.
- Students will develop map-reading skills for topographic maps.
- Students will be challenged positively as they learn how to read 19th-century style correspondence.
Harpers Ferry was a flashpoint prior to the Civil War, with John Brown’s raid in 1859. After the outbreak of war in 1861, and through the end of the war in 1865, Union and Confederate forces fought numerous times to gain or regain control of the Ferry and the surrounding region. Harpers Ferry was strategic for both sides because it was located at the convergence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and was a natural gateway between Maryland, West Virginia (which became a separate state in 1863), Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. The essential question to be studied is, why and how did Union troops effectively retake and control the Ferry in July 1863? Seven letters and other documents will enable students to be “eyewitnesses” to one of the events surrounding Lee’s retreat and/or provide documents suitable for a field trip to Maryland Heights overlooking Harpers Ferry. Suggested questions and activities are included.
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Ancient History: The Importance of Logistics in Greek & Roman Armies
Identifying and Comparing Military Logistics used by Alexander the Great and Publius Scipio Africanus
Lesson prepared by Kathryn Lerch for the Military History elective for grades 11-12 at Park Tudor School, Indianapolis, IN
During the introductory phase of the military history course, students will become familiar with a wide range of military terminology. In addition to understanding the difference between strategy and tactics, for example, students will also learn about logistics - “the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces.”
The purpose of this specific lesson is to help students develop a fundamental understanding of the significance and role that logistics played in military planning. Specifically, students will study portions of the military campaigns of Alexander the Great and Scipio Africanus in order to identify logistical activities and compare how each leader used their logistical skills to carry forward their campaign. Students will use a variety of secondary and primary sources to develop their knowledge of this subject. Formative and summative components will be included in the lesson in order to assess the students’ understanding of the subject. Their knowledge of logistics will be spiraled and reapplied in their later studies of commanders such as Napoleon, Ulysses S. Grant, Eisenhower and MacArthur.
Questions Addressed:
- How did Alexander the Great’s use of logistics with his Macedonian Army contribute to his success in military conquest from Asia Minor to India?
- How did Alexander’s miscalculation in India end his campaign in the east?
- What logistical skills did Scipio Africanus utilize against Hannibal in Spain? What tactics did he use to take New Carthage?
- How much did terrain and weather control or drive their logistics?
- Do logistics still dominate war efforts? What specific examples come to mind?