Grade 2 - The U.S. Civil war

The U.S. Civil War CA | Culminating Activities 167

their responses on chart paper, a chalkboard or a whiteboard for

reference.

Class Book: The U.S. Civil War

Materials: Drawing paper, drawing tools

Tell the class or a group of students that they are going to make

a class book to help them remember what they have learned in

this domain. Have students brainstorm important information

about the Civil War, Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, the Emancipation

Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses S. Grant. Have each

student choose one idea to draw a picture of and then write a

caption for the picture. Bind the pages to make a book to put in

the class library for students to read again and again.

Civil War Journals

Students may share and discuss their Civil War journal entries

with a partner or with the class. You may wish to bind students’

individual journals now that they are complete.

Domain-Related Trade Book or Student Choice

Domain-Related Trade Book

Refer to the list of recommended trade books in the Introduction,

and choose one to read aloud to the class. As you read, use the

same strategies that you have been using when reading the read-

aloud selections in this Anthology—pause and ask occasional

questions; rapidly clarify critical vocabulary within the context of

the read-aloud; etc. After you fi nish reading the trade book aloud,

lead students in a discussion as to how the story or information

in this book relates to the read-alouds in this domain. Discuss

whether the trade book was fi ction or nonfi ction, fantasy or reality,

historical or contemporary.

You may also ask students to write about the most interesting

thing they learned from the trade book. You may suggest how to

begin the sentence by writing on the board, “The most interesting

thing I learned was.. .”