Grade 2 - The U.S. Civil war

The U.S. Civil War | Introduction 3

read-alouds would be unsettling to your students, please substitute

a trade book from the list of recommended trade books if you

believe doing so would be more appropriate for your students.

This domain will lay the foundation for in-depth studies of the U.S.

Civil War in later grades. It will also set the stage for the Grade 

Fighting for a Cause domain, which will be taught later in the

school year.

What Students Have Already Learned in Core Knowledge
Language Arts During Kindergarten and Grade 1

The following domains, and the specifi c core content that was

targeted in those domains, are particularly relevant to the read-

alouds students will hear in The U.S. Civil War. This background

knowledge will greatly enhance students’ understanding of the

read-alouds they are about to enjoy. If your students did not follow

the CKLA program in Kindergarten and Grade 1, it is recommended

that you review the following domains, and the trade books listed in

the Recommended Resources section of those domains, to fi ll any

gaps in students’ background knowledge.

Presidents and American Symbols (Kindergarten)

• Describe Washington, D.C., as the city where the current president
  lives and where monuments of past presidents can be found


• Identify the American fl ag


• Recognize Abraham Lincoln as an important president of the
  United States


• Recall that Abraham Lincoln was known as “Honest Abe”
  A New Nation: American Independence (Grade 1)


• Explain that the fi rst Africans in the colonies came to Jamestown
  as indentured servants, not slaves


• Describe how the thirteen colonies in America evolved from
  dependence on Great Britain to independence as a nation


• Locate the thirteen original colonies


• Identify Washington, D.C., as the nation’s capital


• Describe the roles of African Americans, Native Americans, and
  women during the evolution from thirteen English colonies in
  America to independence as a nation