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Texas in the Civil War through song, images & text
Overview
This lesson is designed to help students better understand the effects of
the Civil War in Texas. Students will analyze photographs, songs, and
newspapers from the Civil War to identify its impact on life in Texas. After
an analysis of the primary sources, students will create their own song or
newspaper detailing life during this turning point in Texas History.
Summary of Lesson
Begin the activity by having students practice analyzing newspapers for
political, social, or economic stories. Tell students that they will be studying
the Civil War and how it impacted life for ordinary Texans. Play the
PowerPoint, and ask the series of questions recommended in the notes
field. As you discuss the song and photograph with students, model any
political, social, or economic effects found in the primary source. Once you
have modeled with the song and photograph, place students into groups of
three. Give each group a different newspaper from the Civil War. Allow
students to highlight and annotate it as they search for information on the
impact of the Civil War. Once students have completed their analysis,
display the newspapers with the information. Create a “gallery walk” where
students can visit the different newspaper examples and take notes on
their graphic organizer before they create their own song, image, or article.
Procedures:
1. Before class, prepare for the activity by gathering several current
newspapers. Print the primary source newspapers and glue them in the
center of a sheet of chart or butcher paper. You will need one primary
source newspaper for every group of three students.
2. Pass out current newspapers and highlighters to students in their
groups. Give the groups five to ten minutes to skim the paper, locate
and highlight examples of current social, political, or economic stories.
3. Explain to students that they will now analyze a song, picture, and
newspaper articles from the Civil War to identify the impact of this time
period on life in Texas.
4. Play the song “Bonnie Blue Flag” from the YouTube link. As the students
listen to the song, they should follow along on the handout with the
lyrics. After you have played the music, use the questions in the notes
field to guide analysis of the song.
5. Display the image from Harper’s Weekly. Ask the analysis questions in
the notes field.
6. Allow students to begin analyzing their group’s newspaper. As they
analyze, they need to highlight examples of the Civil War’s impact on
Texas and annotate on the chart paper how each example impacts life in
Texas.
7. Once students have completed their analysis, post the chart papers with
the newspapers around the room. Students will then participate in a
Gallery Walk where they visit the different pieces of chart paper to
complete their graphic organizer.
8. Debrief with the students by asking the following questions:
 What interesting details did you find in the newspapers?
 What did you learn about life in Texas during the Civil War?
 How is it different or similar to your life today?
 How do you think Texans survived the difficulties they
encountered?
9. Students will complete the lesson by creating their own newspaper
article about life in Texas during the Civil War.