Objective: Students will write a letter to a "friend" trying to persuade them to either be on the side of the North or South.

Subjects: Language Arts, Social Studies

Materials: Paper, pencil, computer

Procedure:

1. Divide the class in half, North and South.
2. Have students research the causes of the civil war. For example: the differences between the North and South geographically, agriculturally, economically, the issue of slavery, and the issue of how new territories were to be brought into the U.S.
3. Each student will write a persuasive letter to a "friend."
4. The letter must try to convince the "friend" that their side, North or South, is the right side of the conflict.
5. Students must give historical reasons why they believe they are on the right side and try to persuade their "friend" to join up.
6. Students could use word processing and graphics on the computer for the final draft of their letter.