Solider Life Lesson

Soldier Life

Grade 5

1. Theme/Title of the day’s lesson with a brief description:
- Soldier Life- Students will learn about life of the soldiers during the Civil War. In addition, they will read letters from soldiers to their families.

2. Materials/resources needed:
- Letters from Charles Goddard (2 of them)
- Letter from Charles Goddard’s mother
- Blackboard and chalk
- Paper
- Crayons, markers or colored pencils (class set)

3. Goal(s) for today’s lesson
- Student will read letters home from Charles Goddard to learn about soldier life during the Civil War.

4. Objectives for today’s lesson:
- Upon completion of this lesson, students will know what soldier life was like during the Civil War.
- Upon completion of this lesson, students will draw a picture of their sleeping quarters as a solider.
- Upon completion of this lesson, students will write a letter home as a soldier or a letter to a soldier pretending to be a family member at home.

5. Procedures
a. Introductory experiences (5 minutes)
- Recap with the students about what they learned about the Civil War.
(Student answers should be centered different battles or important people. Examples: Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, General Grant, or President Lincoln)

b. Developmental experiences: (35 minutes)
1. Write students' ideas about solider life on the board in one column
(*Ask the students what they think soldier life was like on camp. What kinds of things did they do? (5 minutes)
-Student answers examples: games, hanging out, writing letters home)
2. Make a second column with what soldier life was really like.
(Boredom, home sick, small quarters, canvas tents little amounts of food and what food they had was not very good, sickness, no showers, poor hygiene* (3 minutes)
3. Ask the students what kinds of information they would include in a letter home to their family. (5 minutes)
*Student answers: about friends, what they have been up to, what kinds of things they eat, what they miss about home*
4. Pass around the letters by Charles Goddard this will give the students an idea of what soldier’s letters really looked like. (5 minutes)
5. Have the students pretend they are a soldier in the war or a family member at home. Next have them write a letter as that character. Have them include a drawing of what their sleeping quarters looks like. Their pictures should reflect the new information they have learned today about soldier life. (17-20 minutes)

c. Culminating experiences (5 minutes)
- Discuss with the students what kinds of things they put in their letter and in their drawing.
(*Answers should reflect the new information that was presented in the lesson*-boredom, home sick, small quarters, canvas tents little amounts of food and what food they had was not very good, sickness, no showers, poor hygiene)

6. Assessments used during lesson:
*Correct answers to recap of the Civil War
*Correct information that reflects today lesson when they write their letters and draw their pictures