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The U.S. Civil War

Persistent Issue:
When are citizens justified in resisting governmental authority?
Central Question:
Was the North justified in forcing the South to remain in the Union?
Topic:
The U.S. Civil War
Course:
U.S. History
Strategy:
Grabber
Grade Level:
5
Lessons in this unit:
  1. The U.S. Civil War

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Click here to download a chart detailing the standards addressed in this lesson as identified by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the National History Standards, and the Alabama Course of Study.

Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

1.
Clip 1: Introduction to New Snack Policy

Ms. Grimmett asks a fellow teacher to introduce the "new" snack policy at the school. She then asks students who have food in violation of the policy to place the items on her desk.

Reflection: Ms. Grimmett reflects on how she uses the introduction to the snack policy to introduce the concept of secession.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

2.
Clip 2: Seceding from School

Ms. Grimmett proposes the idea of seceding from the school in protest of the new school snack policy.

Reflection: Ms. Grimmett discusses how the introductory grabber provided the framework for students to quickly understand the concept of secession.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

3.
Clip 3: Overview of Decision Making Scaffold

Ms. Grimmett reviews the decision-making scaffold students will use to assist them with deciding whether to secede from the school.

Reflection: Ms. Grimmett discusses how the decision-making scaffold assisted students in thinking collectively about the issues involved with secession.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

4.
Clip 4: Class Discussion – Should We Secede

Ms. Grimmett leads a discussion in which students debate the pros and cons of seceding from the school.

Reflection: Ms. Grimmett reflects upon how the class discussion will assist students with understanding the issues surrounding secession as she moves into the Civil War unit.
Lesson Video
Teacher Reflection

5.
Clip 5: Consequences of Seceding

Ms. Grimmett asks students in her class to discuss the consequences they may face if they were to secede from the school.

Reflection: Ms. Grimmett reflects upon the purpose of asking students to discuss the consequences of their decision to secede from the school.
Seq. Title Size Filetype Download
1 Decision Making Scaffold 38.09 KB PDF Download File

Ms. Freddna Grimmett

Fredna Grimmett teaches 5th grade at Ogletree Elementary School in Auburn, Alabama. She has been employed in this position for 7 years, but has been teaching for over 17 years. Fredna earned her B.A. in history from Xavier University in New Orleans and both a B.S. and M.Ed. in elementary education from Auburn University in Montgomery. Fredna currently serves as the lead social studies teacher for Ogletree’s 5th grade. In this role, she teaches 90 5th graders social studies each day of which 21 are in her homeroom.

Ogletree Elementary School

Ogletree Elementary School is one of five elementary schools in Auburn, Alabama serving a student population of 460 with approximately 100 students receiving free and reduced lunch. Auburn is a community with a four-year university, and a wide range of socio-economic as well as racial diversity. Ogletree Elementary reflects the community’s diversity with 30% of the students of ethic minority populations. The 5th grade is divided into lead teachers for each of the four core subject areas and students rotate among those subjects, meeting for approximately 45-60 minutes each day.

Teacher Pre Interview

Lesson Video

1.
Clip 1: Pre-Interview Unit Description

Ms. Grimmett provides a description of the overall unit she will be teaching. She discusses the central question for the unit and the overall goals of the unit.
Lesson Video

2.
Clip 2: Pre-Interview Lesson Description

Ms. Grimmett provides a description of the focus lesson she will be teaching (the introductory grabber). She discusses the topic of the lesson and the overall goals of the lesson.
Lesson Video

3.
Clip 3: Pre-Interview Students

Ms. Grimmett provides a description of the students participating in the lesson.
Lesson Video

4.
Clip 4: Pre-Interview Curricular Context

Ms. Grimmett explains that this particular lesson is used to introduce the overall unit on the Civil War.
Lesson Video

5.
Clip 5: Pre-Interview Standards Addressed

Ms. Grimmett provides a description of the state and national standards addressed by this lesson.
Lesson Video

6.
Clip 6: Pre-Interview Challenges in Planning Lesson

Ms. Grimmett discusses challenges faced in designing and implementing this type of lesson.
Lesson Video

7.
Clip 7: Pre-Interview Assessing Student Achievement

Ms. Grimmett discusses her plans for assessing student achievement during the lesson.

Teacher Post Interview

Lesson Video

1.
Clip 1: Post-Interview Overview of Lesson

Ms. Grimmett provides a overview of what occurred during the lesson.
Lesson Video

2.
Clip 2: Post-Interview Scaffolding Used During Lesson

Ms. Grimmett discusses the types of scaffolding support she provided to students throughout the lesson.
Lesson Video

3.
Clip 3: Post-Interview Advice for Other Teachers

Ms. Grimmett provides advice and suggestions for other teachers who would like to implement this type of lesson with their students.
Lesson Video

4.
Clip 4: Post-Interview Modifications to Lesson

Ms. Grimmett discusses modifications she would make to this lesson prior to delivering it again.
Lesson Video

5.
Clip 5: Post-Interview Impact on My Teaching

Ms. Grimmett discusses how the development and implementation of this lesson and unit have impacted the way she approaches her own teaching.