North is to factory as South is to plantation—the perfect analogy for the economy that set up the Civil War! The first lesson in a series of five helps teach beginners why the economy creates a driving force for conflict. Analysis of primary sources, regional maps, and collaborative learning enhances knowledge. Students discuss and compare life in the South and life in the North during the American Civil War. They compare factory management rules to plantation management rules during that period. A variety of assessment activities are completed.

Concepts

plantations, slavery, the united states civil war, causes of the civil war, the union, the confederacy, american industrialism

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Additional Tags

north, south, working life, social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Further extend learning by showing students videos of life on a plantation and life in a factory during or shortly before the Civil War
• For a flipped classroom, allow middle schoolers to view the map of North and South before class at home, guessing as to what some differences may be; then, they can compare their answers to what they see in class

Classroom Considerations

• The lesson plan may take a time period of more than one day depending on if you choose to add assessments or extend learning through the provided links

Pros

• Multiple forms of assessment and ideas for extending the lesson allow for easy differentiation and flexibility for your individual classroom
• Three lesson activities provided designate various forms of schooling for individual learning styles

Cons

• None