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An afternoon with Mary Todd Lincoln

Lesson Author
Eastman, Lisa
Course(s)
American History
Required Time Frame
3 forty-five minute lessons
Subject(s)
Civil War
Grade Level(s)
5
6
Lesson Abstract
Using Mrs. Lincoln to give a sense of the Civil War era
Description

 

An afternoon with Mary Todd Lincoln. An overview of Mary’s life presented by Mrs. Eastman. A glimpse of the artifacts of Civil War times. A light snack with Mrs. Lincoln.  

 

Rationale (why are you doing this?)

 

To give my 5th and 6th grade students an overview of the Civil War  and the life of Mary Todd Lincoln.  

 

Lesson Objectives - the student will

 

  • Learn about the life of Mary Lincoln

  • Explore Civil War artifacts

  • Have a snack with Mary during a Q & A session

District, state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met

 

Students in the Appleton Area School District will learn about the history of Wisconsin, the U.S. and the world, examining change and continuity over time in order to develop historical perspective, explain historical relationships and analyze issues that affect the present and the future: A. Time, continuity and change in U.S. history. B. U.S. cultures and cultural diversity. C. People, places and events in U.S. history. D. Process and investigation.

 

Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed

 

• Mrs. Lincoln by Catherine Clinton 2009

• Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln by Ruth Ashby 2003

 

Primary sources needed (document, photograph, artifact, diary or letter, audio or visual recording, etc.) needed

 

 

•Picture of Mary Todd https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/mrs-abraham-lincoln

 

 

Fully describe the activity or assignment in detail. What will both the teacher and the students do?

 

Students will receive the picture https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/mrs-abraham-lincoln of Mary Todd and will be asked to do a quick write of who they believe the person is, why is she dressed this way, and what can they generalize about the woman in the photograph.

 

Next students will be introduced to a woman of the Civil War Caroline who is a fictional friend of the Lincolns. I find it easier to dress as Caroline who is a character in the book Tomorrow is a River set in Wisconsin, Chicago during the Civil War. Caroline will tell tales about Mary Todd Lincoln. This will be done in the form of a Powerpoint.

 

Students will go around the room and look at 30 items related to the Civil War. They will answer the assessment questions. A question and answer session will take place with an informal tea/scone party.

 

Assessment: fully explain the assessment method in detail or create and attach a scoring guide

 

scoring guide: Completed handout from artifacts

Civil War Name: ____________________

Look at each object and determine what it is and what it was used for in US History.

What would you call this artifact?   What do you think it is used for?

  1. _____________________________     1. ___________________________________

  2. ____________________________ 2. ___________________________________

  3. ____________________________ 3. ___________________________________

  4. ____________________________ 4. ___________________________________

  5. _____________________________     5. ___________________________________

  6. ____________________________ 6.___________________________________

  7. ____________________________ 7. ___________________________________

  8. ____________________________ 8.___________________________________

  9. _____________________________     9.___________________________________

  10. ____________________________ 10.___________________________________

  11. ____________________________ 11.___________________________________

  12. ____________________________ 12. ___________________________________

  13. _____________________________     13. ___________________________________

  14. ____________________________ 14. ___________________________________

  15. ____________________________ 15. ___________________________________

  16. ____________________________ 16. ___________________________________

  17. _____________________________     17. ___________________________________

  18. ____________________________ 18. ___________________________________

  19. ____________________________ 19. ___________________________________

  20. ____________________________ 20. ___________________________________

  21. _____________________________     21. ___________________________________

  22. ____________________________ 22. ___________________________________

  23. ____________________________ 23. ___________________________________

  24. ____________________________ 24. ___________________________________

  25. _____________________________     25. ___________________________________

  26. ____________________________ 26. ___________________________________

  27. ____________________________ 27. ___________________________________

  28. ____________________________ 28. ___________________________________

  29. _____________________________     29. ___________________________________

  30. ____________________________ 30.___________________________________

What did you learn about each artifact?

1._____________________________     16. ___________________________________

2 .____________________________ 17. ___________________________________

3. __________________________               18. ___________________________________

  1. ____________________________ 19. ___________________________________

  2. _____________________________     20. ___________________________________

  3. ____________________________ 21.___________________________________

  4. ____________________________ 22. ___________________________________

  5. ____________________________ 23.___________________________________

  6. _____________________________     24.___________________________________

  7. ____________________________ 25.___________________________________

  8. ____________________________ 26.___________________________________

  9. ____________________________ 27. ___________________________________

  10. _____________________________     28. ___________________________________

  11. ____________________________ 29. ___________________________________

  12. ____________________________ 30. ___________________________________

Answers to Items I have collected:

Thirty Artifacts for Civil War Activity

• Kepi

• Haversack and contents, including

o Playing cards

o Tin cup

o Housewife

o Prayer book

• Hardtack

• Canteen

• Reproduction bullets

• Cartlidge Purse

• Books and Pamphlets, including

o Military volunteer manual

o Amputated Foot

• Dress and bonnet

• #18 on piece of paper

o Beadle’s Dime Etiquette

o Mourning ribbon and mourning customs

• Cotton bolls

• Fife

• Belt Buckle Union/Confederacy

• Hat Pin

o My Life as a Slave by Harriet Jacobs

o Uniforms of the Civil War

• Bedroll

• Reproduction Union and Confederate documents

• Lincoln Dolls  

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin

• Reproduction Union and Confederate money

• National Parks Brochures

• Postcards

• Irons

• Little Women House Postcards