Take a longer look at a formative time in history with a lesson that explores the causes of the American Civil War. After viewing a series of images and explanations for various forces at play, middle schoolers choose the images that best represent the perspectives of each side, as well as the pictures that symbolize the chronology of the Civil War.

Concepts

causes of the civil war, the united states civil war, chronological order

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Expand the activity into a larger timeline project in which groups follow different causes of the Civil War and add them to a class timeline
• Connect to a language arts class for the presentation part of the lesson

Classroom Considerations

• Many responses could be correct
• Instructions are a little general; consider clarifying your expectations

Pros

• Explores multiple aspects of pre-war America, including perspectives from both the North and the South
• Include both the worksheet and reference document

Cons

• None