A Civil War Web Quest

The North    vs   The South

1861   -   1865

...but one of them would make war rather
than let the nation survive,
and the other would accept war rather than let
it perish,and the war came.

Abraham Lincoln, 4 March 1865

Introduction
It is 3:30 a.m. in the middle of the night. You have just woken up from a long and strange night of sleep. You have been learning about the Civil War in school, and last night you dreamt that you were fighting in civil war battles, talking to soldiers, and listening to President Lincoln give an Address at Gettysburg.

Suddenly, you hear a knock outside of your window. You open your window and see a boy peering in at you. You ask him who he is and want he wants. "My name is Emit Praw." he replies. "I need your help."

You ask him how he got here and he replies that he has been traveling through time warps for years. He tells you that he just came back from the year 2015. You are amazed to find out that something terrible has happened in the future. Nobody in the year 2015 remembers anything about the Civil War. He is afraid that if something isn't done about it, this important event in history will be forgotten forever.

"What can I do to help?" you ask.

"You can help me by gathering up 3 classmates, coming with me through the time warp, learning more about the Civil War, and then sharing it with your fellow classmates. It is important that they learn all about it so that they can share it with others, who will share it with others, who will share it with others, and so on."

You are amazed at what you are hearing.

"Well," he says, "are you going to accept this mission?"

"Absolutely!" you state. " I can't believe I am going to travel through time and see all of these famous events, people, and places. I have always wondered what it would be like to live during the time of the Civil War. But what should I tell my folks?"

"Tell them your with Emit Praw! I think they will catch on to the meaning of my name."

Background
The Civil War was a war between the states of the North against the states of the South. It was the greatest war in American history. 3 million soldiers fought - 600,000 died, making this war the heaviest of casualties in all of history.

The southern states wanted to have their own nation and be able to decide what laws to have. The north did not want the country to be broken apart. In the election of 1860 Abraham Lincoln stated that he wanted to stop the spread of slavery. The southern states said that if Lincoln won, they would secede (leave) the union.

When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president, the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of South Carolina from the union known as the United States of America. The secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more states -- Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas -- and the threat of secession by four more -- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America.

The Civil War began. It was the only war fought on American soil by Americans, and for that reason we have always been fascinated with The Civil War.

Task
Your time travel team will need to research and report on many important aspects of the Civil War. Your team will be :

*making a map of southern and northern states

*creating a timeline

*reporting on battles

*reporting on events and people

*retrieving written letters from Civil War soldiers

*making northern and southern flags

*comparing advantages and disadvantages of the north and south during the war.

Process
*The four roles of your group members will be a reporter, historian,illustrator, and an editor.

*Each person will have a specific task.

*Each time traveler will be required to keep a journal to record all findings while in the time warp.

Upon arriving back at the present time, each member will then need to organize their findings into a clear, neat, and creative form that can be presented to classmate.

Resources: Use the resources below to gather information
Civil War Resources
The Civil War overview
Diaries and letterswritten by soldiers
Pictures and images of the war
Information on many aspects of the Civil War
Battles
Battle of Gettysburg
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
History of the Battle of Gettysburg
Monitor vs. the Merrimack

Events
The Gettysburg Address
Emancipation Proclamation
History of the Drinking Gourd
The Drinking Gourd
Restoration
Battle of Gettysburg
Fredricksburg
Click on Direct Access for information about other important events.
 
People
Harriet Tubman
Abraham Lincoln Research Site
A site about all the many people associated with the Civil War
Choose from a list of people at this site
Choose from a list of women of the civil war
General Sherman and his “March to the Sea”

Uniforms, Money, and Medicine
Flags and uniforms during the Civil War
Uniforms of the Civil War
Money and medicineduring the Civil War
 
Cost and Casualties of the war
Civil War statistics

Evaluation
Each time traveler will be evaluated on grammar, punctuation, and spelling of written or typed work. Neatness, creativity, and completion of tasks will also be considered when grading the projects. It is also important that while traveling through time, all travelers work cooperatively. In addition to handing in your journal, ~this rubric will be used to assess your work.

Conclusion
"With your help and dedication to the Civil War, I am confident that this team of travelers will do well at saving the future," says Emit Praw. "The future of students everywhere depends on you!"

"We will do our best, " you reply.

"Good luck," says Emit.

And with that he is gone.

For the Teacher
This webquest is designed to take between 2-5 weeks depending on internet and computer availability.

Each student can each be assigned a role from above, or groups of 3-4 can be assigned to each role.

Upon studying this webQuest, students should already be familiar with many events and topics of the Civil War.

Emit Praw is the time traveler. The meaning of his name is a mystery, but can be easily decoded with creative thinking. The idea for this name can be found by reading George Washington's Socks. Refer to or read this book if you need help in unraveling the meaning of this name.

Credits

This webquest was created by
 Michelle Dishon
Betsy Rhodes E.S.

I took what they had created, changed a few things, added some resources, and made it work with the programs we had at our school. This is a fabulous Webquest -- Thank you for sharing this!

Karen Gamblin
kgamblin@barrow.k12.ga.us