Come See What We've Learned!

Lesson #1:

What was life like in 1809?

Purpose

-         To learn how Abraham Lincoln’s childhood strongly influenced the person he would become as President.

Objective

-         The students will place themselves in the time period of Abraham Lincoln and draw their house on a blank piece of paper.

-         The students will draw a picture of Lincoln’s home and write 5 sentences describing what life was like in 1809.

Activity:

-         Students will receive authentic coloring activity worksheets

-         Below their picture, they will write 5 sentences about how they got food and water, how they traveled, how they made money, etc. 

-         Students then share their pictures and describe what life was like in 1809.

Lesson #2:

Lincoln’s Many Hats

Purpose

-         Students will learn about the various jobs Abraham Lincoln had before becoming President in order to better understand how Lincoln developed his own set of beliefs.

Objective

-         The students will place themselves into the time of Abraham Lincoln, and use knowledge from previous lessons to describe possible job descriptions of the various jobs Abraham Lincoln had, and comparing them to today.

-         The students will have an understanding of what each job entailed.

Activity

-         Lincoln top hat worksheet

-         Each student will choose a job out of a bag and then write and draw pictures inside the hat worksheet that describes the job.

-         Students will then share their jobs and pictures with each other.

Lesson #3

What is a lawyer?

Purpose:

-         To learn how Abraham Lincoln’s job as a lawyer helped him develop his own values and learn and understand the U.S. Constitution.

-         To understand how Lincoln fought controversy and how he was prepred  for the slavery controversy he’d face during the Civil War.

Objective:

-         The students will write down information about the court system and how it works on their handout to demonstrate a basic understanding of the IL court setup.

-         The students will role-play the famous William “Duff” Armstrong court case and decide on their own verdict based on discussed evidence to help them see how many issues must be faced for lawyers trying to win a case.

Activity:

-         Pass out and read aloud the Armstrong case study, but do not give away the outcome of the case.

-         Have students make predictions and break them into two groups: defense and prosecution.

-         Each team comes up with 3 pieces of evidence to present for their side based on the case study.

-         After role play, reveal the verdict and whose side Abraham Lincoln was on during the trial.

Lesson #4

How are laws made?

Purpose:

-         The students will explore the three branches of government by creating a diagram of how the government works.

 The students will increase their understanding of how bills become laws by writing their own bills and trying to pass it through the different separation of powers.

Objective:

-         The students will listen as the teacher introduces the topic by reading a story called, Chickens May Not Cross the Road and Other Crazy (But True) Laws by Kathi Linz.

-         The students will use the sequencing cards and recall  how bills turn into laws by placing them in order.

-         Students will listen attentively as the teacher further explains how a bill becomes a law by using a diagram which  they fill in as the teacher goes along.

Activity:

-         Students will work in pairs and pretend that they are members of Congress

-         The students will write their own bill and then pass it on to the Senate and then the President (teacher)

-         Once the bill gets approved it will receive a stamp and it will "become a law."

Lesson #5

What is the Emancipation Proclamation?

Purpose:

-         Students will learn the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation and how that decision later led to the 13^th amendment

-         Students will understand the relevance of the U.S. Constitution in determining the way people justified or protested slavery.

Objective:

-         The students will write down and explain the causes of the Civil War

-         The students will create a propaganda poster either supporting or protesting the owning of slaves.

Activity:

-         Students will create a poster for or against slavery.  The title will be “Join the North/South if you believe…”

-         The poster will  include a picture supporting your view, followed by a reason for your belief, such as representing the opposition side, “slaves are property.”

-         Students work in pairs or alone and then get share their posters with the group.

 Lesson #6

Lincoln and the Civil War

Purpose:

    -      Students will create captions for primary source  pictures taken during Lincoln's presidency. The group will then discuss the events captured in the pictures

    -     Students will read and discuss the effects of the law and the Civil War during Lincoln's presidency, according to a reading handout.