Education - Heart of the Civil War

This page was created as an Education Initiative project in 2016. In the intervening years, some links and resources have gone offline. Nonetheless, these lesson plans are still useful and we continue to host them on the site; we anticipate eventually refreshing content as funding and capacity allows.

Inside the Classroom

Curricular materials to bring the Civil War Heritage Area into your classroom.

Outside the Classroom

Plan your student trip to our region, home to Antietam National Battlefield and located at the crossroads of DC, Gettysburg, and Harpers Ferry.

Documentary

View the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area documentary on PBS

Crossroads of War and Freedom

Search primary source databases, deep dive historic essays and case studies, and more on this website geared for researchers of the pre-war, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods.

I think this is a great lesson that has a real connection to the 8th grade curriculum. [...] Teachers would find this to be a valuable field trip. I think it would bring sense of validity and realness to this topic.

This is a great lesson because its final product is visual, interactive and can be used to help students engage with a historical site.

I could use this lesson in multiple areas: [...] as an introduction to the Civil War or during a specific unit on Civil War soldiers. The primary sources are so descriptive that students can’t help but put themselves in a soldiers’ shoes. Since my 8th graders actually go to Gettysburg as part of their spring trip, it would be a great addition to the lesson we teach prior to going.

I would use this lesson in a number of contexts. [...] As I teach other areas of history besides the Civil War, I feel that this lesson could be adapted to meet the standards of my other classes [or] to wrap up a field trip experience.

This is a great lesson because its final product is visual, interactive and can be used to help students engage with a historical site.