American Civil War for Teachers

For the American Civil War: Free Use lesson plans, classroom activities, interactive activities, simulations, debates, mock trial, primary documents, learning modules for kids, review activities, concluding activities, and projects written by us and by other teachers for the Civil War.

Lesson Idea (Mr. Donn): Problem Solving, Discussion or Debate (Middle School, 8th-grade): Up to a certain point, the Civil War could have been avoided. After that point, war was predictable. Determine where that point might have been and why. 

These are incredible lesson plans from the Library of Congress, with photos and instructions for teachers and students.

• American Civil War Photographs, What do you see? - 3 days, by the time your kids finish this lesson plan, they will be involved in this time period

• American Civil War Photographs - sort from many online photographs, and pick one or more to write a newspaper article based on what you see and guess

• Photojournalism, A record of war - analyze how and why the American Civil War was photographed

• The American Civil War Through a Child's Eye - Using Readers Theatre approach, Paul Fleischman's Bull Run, and photos and primary resources 

Core Knowledge Lesson Plans about the American Civil War

• Civil War, 7 lessons, designed for grade 2 but great ideas for grades 2-6, free download, Core Knowledge

• Civil War Unit, designed for grade 5 but can be adjusted, free download, Core Knowledge

More Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities by teachers, free to use in your classroom: 

Life in the North and South 1847-1861: Before Brother Fought Brother

Unit, 5 lessons, Life in the South before the Civil War

Factory vs. Plantation in the North and South

Critical Elements leading to the American Civil War lesson plan

Underground Railroad - Breakout, classroom activitiy

Pre-1860 Disunion, Includes John Brown's Raid, supporting materials to download

Frederick Douglass lesson plans

Abraham Lincoln on the
American Union: “A Word Fitly Spoken”

Abraham Lincoln and Wartime Politics

The Emancipation Proclamation:
Freedom's First Steps

Abraham Lincoln Mock Trial

Brink of the Storm Presentations in PowerPoint format

Primary Documents, Real Letters Written During the Civil War (Donn)

Free Presentations in PowerPoint format about the Civil War

See: Reconstruction, Carpetbaggers & Scalawags, The Underground Railroad

American Civil War Project Ideas

Final Civil War Project (Mr. Banks)

Civil War Project - Design a Scrapbook

Project Based Learning - The Civil War

Photojournalism, A record of war - analyze how and why the American Civil War was photographed

Abraham Lincoln Mock Trial - This is wonderful!

Choose Your Own Adventure from over 70 different classroom activities and possible assignments

For Kids

Special Section: The American Civil War for Kids - Causes, Battles, People, Daily Life, Underground Railroad, Slavery in America, and Reconstruction

GAMES! The American Civil War for Kids, Free Interactive Games & Activities