Title: Civil War diseases
Subject Area: Science/Language Arts
Grade Level: 5th
Duration: 3 to 4, 50-minute class periods
QCC Objectives:
- Topic:
Communicable Diseases
Standard: Identifies some of the ways to
prevent the spread of communicable diseases (e.g., inoculation, and
quarantine).
Standard: Uses basic
research techniques with teacher guidance
Standard: Follows directions
Standard: Uses available
technology to assist in writing
Standard: Uses encyclopedias, science
reference magazines, books and other media to obtain information related to
science concepts.
Specific Objectives:
The students will be able to:
- research
the various diseases that had an impact on Civil War soldiers.
- write
reports about one disease and its individual impact during the Civil War.
- access
an assigned site on the World Wide Web.
- study
a table of mathematical figures.
- interpret
the data shown on the chart.
- answer
questions based on their understanding of the data.
Materials:
- Computers
with Internet access
- Word-processing
software
- Handout 1: Death and the Civil
War—Worksheet
- Handout 2: Death and the Civil
War—Answer Key
- Handout 3: Death and the Civil
War—Report Checklist
Introduction: Students will review the different
diseases that confront soldiers during the Civil War, which were often more threatening
than the enemy. Students will research different diseases and use word-
processing software to create reports about the diseases. Students will access
a chart showing the number of Civil War deaths by state on the World Wide Web.
They will interpret information and answer questions about the information
shown on the chart.
Procedures:
- The
students will be working independently to complete the lesson.
- They
will be using Internet access to research things about the diseases that
caused deaths during the Civil War.
- The
teacher will be observing the class and helping students individually as
needed.
- Students
will access a chart showing the number of Civil War deaths by state on the
World Wide Web.
- They
will interpret information and answer questions about the information
shown on the chart.
Implementation:
- The
teacher will allow students to work independently or arrange them into
cooperative learning groups of 2 or 3. The teacher will then administer Handout 1: Death and the Civil
War—Worksheet to each student or group of students.
- Instruct
students to locate Dyer’s Summary of Losses During the War of the
Rebellion/ http://www.civil-war.net/Dyers/dyerlosses.htm
and answer the questions on the Handout 1: Death and the Civil
War—Worksheet.
- Discuss
with the class the various diseases that killed large numbers of Civil War
soldiers. Assign or ask for volunteers among the students to research the
different diseases and the impact each had on the soldiers. Distribute Handout 3: Death and the Civil
War—Report Checklist to be used in collecting information for the report.
- The
students will then interpret the data present on the chart. Students will
review, discuss, compare, and contrast the statistics concerning the
numbers of deaths related to actual battles, prisoner-of-war camps, and
accidents during the Civil War.
- The
students will answer questions on the Handout 1: Death and the Civil
War—Worksheet based on their understanding of the data.
- The
students will then use an on-line encyclopedia and the Web sites listed in
the URLs component of this lesson plan to research specific diseases of
entomological importance during the Civil War using Handout 3: Death and the Civil
War—Report Checklist to record information found through research.
- The
students will then create the final report using the information that was
found during the research on diseases.
Assessment:
- Handout 1: Death and the Civil
War—Worksheet. Answers are provided in Handout 2: Death and the Civil
War—Answer Key
- Handout
3: Death and the Civil War—Report Checklist and final written report
Extension Ideas:
·
Students could select two states from the chart to
compare and graph assigned data. For example, students would select Mississippi
and Connecticut. Using Microsoft Excel, they would construct a bar graph
comparing the number of people who died of disease during the Civil War from
each state. It is possible for students to copy and paste the data from the
Dyer’s Summary of Losses During the War of the Rebellion / http://www.civil-war.net/Dyers/dyerlosses.htm
into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. They can then use the data to make
comparisons and create graphs in Microsoft Excel.
·
Students can research diseases that have had an impact
on American soldiers of other eras such as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War
and Persian Gulf War Syndrome during the Gulf War.
Closure: By the end of the
lesson, the students should have researched a disease and have a greater
understanding of the disease in which they researched. To wrap up the lesson,
the teacher will allow the students to share their final papers on the diseases
that they researched.
Remediation: Peer tutors may
be used to help students who experience difficulty with the assignment. They
will be placed with someone who showed excellence in understanding during this
lesson.
URLs:
·
Caring for the Men, the History of Civil War Medicine
http://www.civilwarhome.com/medicinehistory.htm
·
Civil War Medicine
http://www.library.vcu.edu/tml/bibs/cwmed.html