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Gettysburg National Military Park |
Message to Teachers:
Thank you for your interest in Gettysburg National Military Park’s satellite broadcast program! On May 3, 2000 Gettysburg National Military Park will broadcast an educational program live from the Gettysburg battlefield. The purpose is to bring the battlefield to students and classrooms around the country who are unable to physically visit the field, as well as offer a meaningful program for students who will be visiting. The theme of the program is to develop the human element of the battle by focusing on the soldiers of the two armies. The goal is to provide students with an understanding of why they fought, how they fought, what they fought with, and what it cost them, and us, as Americans.
Below you will find all of the instructions and advice on making this a fun and educational experience for your students. Class preparation for the broadcast is key to its success, and below you will find information on:
A. Theme, Goals and Objectives
B. National History Standards
C. Across the Curriculum
D. What should I do . . . Today?
. . . One Month Before
. . . Three Weeks Before
. . . Two Weeks Before
. . . One Week Before
. . . The Day Before
. . . The Day of
. . . The Week Following
All of these activities have been designed to easily fit into your classroom routine, while preparing your students for an emotional and unforgettable trip back through time in the eyes of a real Civil War soldier. The Battle of Gettysburg: In the Eyes of a Soldier program is designed primarily for students in grades 5, but is easily adaptable for students in grades 4 through 8.
The Battle of Gettysburg will be forever celebrated as a major turning point in the American Civil War. But it’s important to remember that it was also a major turning point in the lives of the 170,000 men who fought here, their families and communities. Today we will remember two of these men.
Goals:
After participating in the broadcast, students should have a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the thoughts and feelings of a common Civil War soldier, the organization of the Civil War armies, what the battle meant to them then, and what it means to us today.
The intent of the broadcast is to diminish the distance and romanticism of the era and center on the emotions and outcome of two individuals. The broadcast is also the vehicle by which every student across the country can visit and experience Gettysburg National Military Park.
Objectives:
After participating in the broadcast, students will be able to:
· place Gettysburg within the context of the Civil War and American history;
· articulate the role of the National Park Service in preserving and interpreting our national heritage;
· locate and outline the Union and Confederate lines of battle on a map of Gettysburg;
· follow basic marching commands of the infantry;
· match the different branches of service with the roles that they perform, (including the infantry, artillery, cavalry, and medical corps) and be able to describe how these functions intermesh;
· explain the meaning of the Gettysburg Address in their own words;
· identify with the thoughts and feelings of at least one soldier throughout the Gettysburg campaign, and express those emotions in writing.
Evaluation:
We will assess the degree to which we have achieved our objectives by reviewing several student journals written from the notes taken during the broadcast. The journals should illustrate a range of conflicting emotions and an understanding of the hardships of battle on a personal level. The journals should place the soldier within the era using contextual writing. A second evaluative tool will be used for the teachers involved with the broadcast.
The broadcast program, as well as the pre and post-broadcast activities, addresses the following National History Standards:
STANDARD 1. CHRONOLOGICAL THINKING
· Distinguish between past, present, and future time.
· Identify the temporal structure of a historical narrative or story.
· Establish temporal order in constructing their [students’] own historical narratives.
· Measure and calculate calendar time.
· Interpret data presented in time lines.
· Create time lines.
· Explain change and continuity over time.
STANDARD 2. HISTORICAL COMPREHENSION
· Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
· Identify the central question(s) the historical narrative addresses.
· Read historical narratives imaginatively.
· Evidence historical perspectives.
· Draw upon the data in historical maps.
· Draw upon the visual and mathematical data presented in graphics.
STANDARD 3. HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
· Formulate questions to focus their inquiry or analysis.
· Identify the author or source of the historical document or narrative.
· Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and institutions.
· Analyze historical fiction.
· Distinguish between fact and fiction.
· Compare different stories about a historical figure, era, or event.
· Consider multiple perspectives.
· Explain causes in analyzing historical actions.
· Challenge arguments of historical inevitability.
· Hypothesize influences of the past.
STANDARD 4. HISTORICAL RESEARCH CAPABILITIES
· Formulate historical questions.
· Obtain historical data.
· Interrogate historical data.
· Marshal needed knowledge of the time and place, and construct a story, explanation, or historical narrative.
STANDARD 5. HISTORICAL ISSUES-ANALYSIS AND DECISION-MAKING
· Identify issues and problems of the past.
· Compare the interests and values of the various people involved.
· Suggest alternative choices for addressing the problem.
· Evaluate alternative courses of action.
· Prepare a position or course of action on an issue.
· Evaluate the consequences of a decision.
The broadcast, accompanying website and activities address the following areas of study, in addition to the study of history and social studies:
· English and Composition: Students are asked to take notes during the broadcast in preparation for a journalism activity, written from the point of view of the soldier they have followed on the Internet. This activity will require students to integrate context clues with thoughts, feelings, possibly dialect and certainly descriptive passages.
· Mathematics and Problem-Solving: Students will be engaged in weekly calculations of marching distances, projectile capability and army management. They will be asked to consider alternative battle strategies, based on statistics.
· Science and Technology: Preparation for the broadcast will involve computer and Internet literacy. Students will be asked to navigate through the information on the web-site to update and enter information on their soldier into a log. The broadcast program will cover information on Civil War ammunition and projectiles and the theory behind their effectiveness.
· Conservation/Preservation: Students will be introduced to the role of the National Park Service and their role in the protection of the park and the earth.
· Ethics and Psychology: The broadcast will address the concepts of teamwork, conflict and conflict resolution, as well as the sensitive issues of loss and renewal on personal and national levels.
· Physical Education: Pre-broadcast and one broadcast activity will have each class moving together as a group while learning about the marching drill of Civil War soldiers called, "The School of the Soldier."
· Drama and Role-play: There will also be many opportunities for teachers to incorporate drama and role-playing activities into the pre-broadcast lessons.
SPREAD THE WORD about the broadcast throughout your school, community and state. Get the broadcast date and web address into your school district’s newsletter and calendar. Tell other teachers about it in your building and neighborhood. Contact us with your ideas on spreading the word about this year’s broadcast. The park website can be found at http://www.nps.gov/gett
GET HOOKED IN by contacting Barbara Sanders, Education Coordinator, Gettysburg National Military Park, 97 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325, to acquire a tape of the program for your school, or call (717) 334-1124, extension 420 for tape availability.
TELL THE KIDS that you are going on a field trip in May without ever leaving their desks. Provide a list of good books on the Civil War or Gettysburg (Recommended Reading List is located on our web site) to get them excited about the broadcast and interested and knowledgeable about the Civil War.
SCHEDULE your school’s computer room so that students have a few minutes each week in the month prior to the broadcast to check in on the position of their soldiers in the Gettysburg campaign.
What Should I Do . . . One Month Before?
CHECK OUT PRE-BROADCAST ACTIVITIES PAGES!!
THEN: As of April 3rd, 2000, the campaign to "GETTYSBURG: THE SOLDIERS BATTLE" has begun! Have your students check our electronic newspapers "The Yankee Gazette" and "Southern Defender" for news where their soldiers are this week.
ASSIGN SOLDIER IDENTITIES to the children in your class. They will follow and get to know this individual by viewing his picture and biography on the web page (in pre-broadcast activities), and by following his progress throughout the Gettysburg Campaign. (Soldier Identities and Biographies are located on the activities page of this website. You may wish to have a random drawing, matching students with soldiers, so that there is an equal number of Union and Confederate soldiers, and so that students do not just select soldiers of high rank.)
PREPARE STUDENT NOTEBOOKS. Photocopy and prepare a student notebook for each student. The notebooks are available in the Pre-Broadcast Activities Pages or to go directly to the notebook, click HERE. Apart from the notebooks, students should prepare a DAILY JOURNAL that will track the progress of their particular soldier. Information on each soldier should be included along with a weekly entry of where each student's soldier may be during the weeks prior to the broadcast. Information of the regiments and units for the soldiers will be included in the "Yankee Gazette" and the "Southern Defender".
SELECT AND PRESENT THE PRE-BROADCAST LESSONS. Introduce the broadcast again, and distribute and explain the notebook assignments. Causes of the Civil War (lesson provided) is an important one to complete for understanding of the broadcast; others lessons may be chosen from the Educator’s Guide on this site or, of course, lessons of your own.
SET ASIDE A TIME EACH WEEK TO "CHECK IN" on the progress and movement of the armies as well as on the activity in the town of Gettysburg. Each week, we provide an update on the movements of the Corps within each army. You can have the students track these movements on individual maps, or on one large class map. (Different colored highlighters or map tacks work well.) We will also provide articles from the Gettysburg "Star and Sentinel", "The Yankee Gazette", and "The Southern Defender". Students can read up on what is going on in the town of Gettysburg, and gain a deeper understanding of the war’s destruction and impact on the town. These activities will help to build anticipation for the broadcast.
Notebooks, biographies of soldiers and activities are available on our Pre-Broadcast Activities pages!!
What Should I Do . . . Three Weeks Before?
CHECK on the progress of student notebooks and journals.
PROVIDE time for students to check-in with the web site and their individual soldiers at www.nps.gov/gett/getteducation/prep4~63.htm
UPDATE the individual or class maps of the campaign.
Follow their progress by using one a map of Northern Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, or use one of our campaign maps:
Campaign Map #1- Northern Virginia
Campaign Map #2- Maryland and Pennsylvania
REVIEW the Gettysburg "Star and Sentinel", "Yankee Gazette", or "Southern Defender" at www.nps.gov/gett/getteducation/prep4~63.htm.
CONTINUE with pre-broadcast lessons on the Civil War and life of a soldier.
What Should I Do . . . Two Weeks Before?
CHECK on the progress of student notebooks and journals.
PROVIDE time for students to check-in with the park web site and their individual soldiers at www.nps.gov/gett/getteducation/prep4~63.htm.
UPDATE the individual or class maps of the campaign.
REVIEW the Gettysburg "Star and Sentinel", "Yankee Gazette", or "Southern Defender" at www.nps.gov/gett/getteducation/prep4~63.htm.
CONTINUE with pre-broadcast lessons on the Civil War and life of a soldier.
What Should I Do . . . One Week Before?
CHECK on the progress of student notebooks and journals.
PROVIDE time for students to check-in with the park web site and their individual soldiers at www.nps.gov/gett/getteducation/prep4~63.htm.
UPDATE the individual or class maps of the campaign.
REVIEW the Gettysburg "Star and Sentinel", "Yankee Gazette", or "Southern Defender" at www.nps.gov/gett/getteducation/prep4~63.htm.
CONTINUE with pre-broadcast lessons on the Civil War and life of a soldier.
What Should I Do . . . One Day Before?
MAKE SURE YOUR STUDENTS UNDESTAND THE DATE
The program you show will begin on the morning of the historic date of July 2, 1863.
HAND OUT AND EXPLAIN the Note-Taking sheet to be completed by the students during the broadcast. This sheet will help to focus their attention during the broadcast, and will also be the base for their journal writing activity during the week following the broadcast.
What Should I Do . . . The Day of the Broadcast?
ENJOY the broadcast and assist students with their note-taking activity.
EXPLAIN AND ASSIGN the notebook project if you have not already done so.
REMEMBER that is it July 2, 1863!
What Should I Do . . . The Week After the Broadcast?
HAVE YOUR STUDENTS CHECK THEIR SOLDIERS' POST-BATTLE STORIES
Reserve computer lab time so that the students can find out what happened to their individual soldier at Soldier Biographies After the Battle of Gettysburg
SEND A REPRESENTATIVE STUDENT NOTEBOOK or JOURNAL to us at the park for review. The best entries will be published on Gettysburg National Military Park’s web site. Send your representative notebook to:
Student Education Coordinator
Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325
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National Park Service
Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325