Download Lesson Plan - Virtual Gettysburg

Lesson Plan
HISTORY
JUNE 3 – JUNE 30, 1863
Prelude to the
Battle of Gettysburg
Robert E. Lee, CSA
Commander of the Army
of Northern Virginia
Robert E. Lee was
the Confederacy’s
greatest and most loved
commander. He led
one of the most daring
armies ever organized,
the Army of Northern
Virginia. The general
was at the pinnacle of
his career and his army
apparently unstoppable
when they marched into
the North that summer
of 1863, but the Battle of
Gettysburg would prove
to be the “high tide” of
his army and the war.
Never again would Lee
be able to mount such an
offensive operation into
the northern states.
OPENING/ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Why did the greatest land battle ever fought on the
North American continent occur at Gettysburg?
In the summer of 1863, the southern Pennsylvania hamlet of Gettysburg
would hardly have been chosen as the site of the turning point of the Civil War.
Gettysburg was a rural crossroads. It had no military significance to either the
Union or Confederate army. Yet this sleepy little town would be the site of
the greatest land battle ever fought in North America during the three days
Shelton Public Schools
for her writing and
preparation of this
lesson plan
George G. Meade, USA
Commander of the Army of the Potomac
This native Pennsylvanian would find
himself in command of the Union Army of
the Potomac only three days before the
Battle of Gettysburg. His temperament was
harsh and he could be difficult to deal with,
but Meade would lead his army into the
greatest battle they had seen and would
prove to be equal to the task in defeating
Lee. His success at Gettysburg would be
later marred by critics who felt that he was
too slow in chasing Lee back into Virginia.
of July 1-3, 1863. Lincoln would later refer to the land where the battle was
fought as “this hallowed ground.” Ultimately, this battle would determine the
outcome of the war. How and why did the Armies fight here?
OBJECTIVES
■
Students will be able to locate Pennsylvania and the town of Gettysburg
on a map of the U.S.
■
Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the importance
of the road system/geography to the battle
■
Students will be able to identify the key movements of both armies and
the key personalities in the prelude to battle
■
Students will be able to identify the sequence of events leading up to
the battle of Gettysburg
■
Students will be demonstrate an understanding of how Civil War
armies traveled
Special Thanks to:
Carolyn Ivanoff
HIGHLIGHTS
John Buford, USA
Union Cavalry Commander
The commander of a cavalry division in the
Army of the Potomac, John Buford’s troops
encountered the head of a Confederate
column on June 30th near Gettysburg. It
was Buford who decided to stay in the area
overnight and wait for the Confederates to
return the following day. His choice would
set the stage for the Battle of Gettysburg
that began the following day.
VirtualGettysburg.com • To order, contact Another Software Miracle • P.O. Box 705 • Sharpsburg, MD 21782 • 240.214.3664 phone • 800.417.9596 toll-free • 831.303.9256 fax
Lesson Plan
PRELUDE TO THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
Civil War Timeline 1861-1865
April 12, 1861
Fort Sumter
1861
June 3 - August 1, 1863
Gettysburg Campaign
1862
1863
Gettysburg Campaign Timeline
June 1863
April 9, 1865
Surrender at Appomattox
1864
July 1863
1865
August 1863
July 1–3 - Battle of Gettysburg
June 3 - Lee launches second invasion of North
August 1 - Cavalry action near
Brandy Station
July 4 - Lee begins retreat
June 9 - Battle of Brandy Station
June 13–15 - Second Battle of Winchester
July 14 - Lee completes Potomac crossing
June 17 - Battle of Aldie
June 19 - Battle of Middleburg
June 20 - West Virginia becomes 35th state
June 24 - Lee crosses Potomac
June 25 - Battle of Upperville
June 28 - General Meade replaces General Hooker
June 29 - Battle of Westminster
June 30 - Battle of Hanover
Photographing the Gettysburg Battlefield
It is thought that the first photographs of post-battle
Gettysburg were taken some time in the afternoon on
July 6, 1863, three days after the battle and two days after
Lee’s retreat to Virginia. The fact that it took so long to begin
the documentation of this catastrophic event is almost
incomprehensible to someone with 21st century sensibilities.
Even harder to believe is that certain parts of the battlefield,
such as the famed Peach Orchard, escaped the camera’s
view until the 1880s — some twenty years after the battle!
Find out more at:
http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exhibit/photos
VIRTUALGETTYSBURG.COM
VirtualGettysburg.com • To order, contact Another Software Miracle • P.O. Box 705 • Sharpsburg, MD 21782 • 240.214.3664 phone • 800.417.9596 toll-free • 831.303.9256 fax
Lesson Plan
PRELUDE TO THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH
Verbal interaction and exploration of the
essential question between students and
teacher forms the initiation of the lesson.
Utilizing Virtual Gettysburg Software, students
will view the Prelude to the Battle module.
This can be done in collaborative learning
groups, on individual computer stations or as a
one-computer class with the teacher utilizing a
data projector to play the Prelude.
RELATED VOCABULARY, PEOPLE AND PLACES
Four abreast
Henry Harrison
Concentrate forces
Artillery
John Buford
Concentration
Cattle trains
Flank
Escalation
Robert E. Lee
Flank to Flank
Cavalry
George G. Meade
Potomac River
Scouts/patrols
J.E.B. Stuart
Campaign map
Carbine
Definitions can be found at www.virtualgettysburg.com/educators/glossary
GUIDED INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Students will take notes documenting
important facts and aspects of the prelude in
anticipation of discovering the answer to the
essential question in preparation for learning
assessment/culminating activity. Students
should be directed to take note of specific
DID YOU KNOW?
issues such as the unique aspect of how
the armies met at Gettysburg, difficulty of
communications, the challenges faced by
General Buford, and the directions that
each army entered the battle from.
J.E.B. Stuart, CSA
Confederate Cavalry Commander
Even his most ardent admirers had a difficult
time defending Stuart’s actions during
the Gettysburg Campaign. General Lee’s
orders to Stuart gave the cavalryman some
leeway, so he took advantage of a confused
situation to raid Union supply lines and ride
northeast around the Army of the Potomac
into Pennsylvania. This happened while Lee
moved his Army of Northern Virginia up the
Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland and
Pennsylvania.
Separated by about 80 miles, Lee had no
way of telling where Stuart was. Nor could
Stuart use his cavalry to be Lee’s “eyes
and ears” to inform him of where the Union
army was. General Stuart did not arrive at
Lee’s headquarters until long after the Battle
of Gettysburg had opened, and Lee openly
expressed his displeasure at Stuart for riding
off and not keeping in contact with the army.
Watch the Prelude and see if you can pick
out which Confederate (red) unit is J.E.B.
Stuart. Hint: On June 25th he breaks away
and moves southeast.
CLOSURE/CULMINATING ACTIVITY
Each student will assume the identity of a
reporter traveling with either the Army of the
Potomac or the Army of Northern Virginia.
After witnessing the prelude, students will
prepare a battlefield dispatch that will be
telegraphed to their home town newspaper.
Students are to include pertinent and accurate
facts of what they witnessed in the prelude so
that when people from their home town read
the newspaper article describing the prelude
to the battle they understand the important
movements of the armies, how the armies met
at Gettysburg, and the facts leading up to the
opening shots of the battle.
ASSESSMENT
Utilizes a scoring rubric for the culminating activity (see back page)
CONTENT STANDARDS
Virtual Gettysburg software and lesson plans
align with major state and national standards
in U.S. History, culture, geography, science
and technology including components on
environment and ecology. Virtual Gettysburg
and its lesson plans are appropriate for middle
and high school students. Alignment with
the National Standards for History guidelines
for grades 5-12: chronological thinking,
historical comprehension, historical analysis
and interpretations and historical research
capabilities can be found, along with additional
national, state, and local standards at:
www.virtualgettysburg/educators/standards
Henry Harrison
Spy
The identity of General James Longstreet’s
famous scout, known only as “Harrison”
remained a mystery for more than a
century. However, in 1986 historian
James O. Hall identified this elusive man.
Researching the Civil War records at the
National Archives, Hall found conclusive
evidence that Longstreet’s scout was
Secret Agent H. T. Harrison.
Harrison appeared at Longstreet’s
headquarters near Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania on the night of June 28, 1863
with news that Federal forces centered
around Frederick, Maryland and were on
there way north. At that moment Lee’s army
was dispersed over a wide area of south
central Pennsylvania. Based solely on the
information from a spy, Lee directed his
army to converge near Gettysburg. Harrison’s
news saved Lee from a potential disaster
and thus altered the course of history.
B R I N G I N G T H E B AT T L E F I E L D T O L I F E
TM
VirtualGettysburg.com • To order, contact Another Software Miracle • P.O. Box 705 • Sharpsburg, MD 21782 • 240.214.3664 phone • 800.417.9596 toll-free • 831.303.9256 fax
Lesson Plan
PRELUDE TO THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
Possible
Points
Newspaper Article Scoring Rubric
Article was written in a logical sequence and is well organized
Student Self
Assessment/
Score
Teacher
Assessment/
Score
10
Article captures the reader’s attention and events are easily
10
understood by the reader
Student provides accurate and specific facts from the Prelude to
Battle module that allow the reader to understand how and why the
10
battle occurred in Gettysburg
Article provided in-depth coverage of the topic
10
Student uses related vocabulary, names of places, and people
10
accurately
Article was written in a way that demonstrates student understanding
of the learning objectives from the lesson plan, i.e., geography, road
10
system, military movement, key personality, sequence of events
Student used information and material from the Prelude to Battle
module in the article that shows organization, appropriate transitions
10
in events, and a clear conclusion
Correct spelling, sentence structure, usage and punctuation are
evident throughout the article
Article was typed using word processing software and formatted
appropriately
Article was handed in on time
10
10
10
Total Possible Points
100
Each category is rated according to the following scale:
9-10 = Excellent, 8-9 = Very Good, 7-8 =Satisfactory, 6-7 = Unsatisfactory, 6-0 = poor
P R IMAR Y SOURCES
Coddington, Edwin, The Gettysburg Campaign, A Study in
Command. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1968.
Longstreet, James, Gen. CSA., Battles and Leaders of the Civil
War. Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Century Co., 1887.
Nye, Wilbur S., Here Come the Rebels! Baton Rouge: Louisiana
State Press, 1965.
U.S. Department of War, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation
of the Official Records of Union and Confederate Armies. 128
vols. And index. Washington, 1880-1901.
Gettysburg National Military Park – http://www.nps.gov/gett/
Virtual Gettysburg Teacher Resources
www.virtualgettysburg.com/educators/
VIRTUALGETTYSBURG.COM
VirtualGettysburg.com • To order, contact Another Software Miracle • P.O. Box 705 • Sharpsburg, MD 21782 • 240.214.3664 phone • 800.417.9596 toll-free • 831.303.9256 fax