Civil War & Reunion 1860-1896
Arts Integrated Lesson Plans and Materials for Teaching the Civil War, Reconstruction, & Grade 8 Social Studies
Visual Timeline
Pairs with Social Studies, Grade 8
As a class, students will collaboratively create a visual timeline to illustrate the chronological sequence of key political, economic, and social events related to the Civil War era. Working in small groups, students will design posters that represent assigned sections of the timeline, highlighting the central ideas and key details of a specific event or period. Each group will also compose a song that elaborates on these ideas, using music to deepen understanding and reinforce historical connections.
Standards
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MSDE/BCPSS CONTENT STANDARDS AND INDICATORS
- MSDE Standard 5.0 (History): Students will inquire into significant events and analyze change over time by identifying and sequencing key political, economic, and social developments related to the Civil War and Reconstruction.
- 8.CW.1a: Contrast the goals, resources, military technology, and strategies of the Union and Confederacy.
- MSDE Standard 6.0 (Skills & Processes): Students will use disciplinary literacy skills to organize information chronologically, construct historical explanations, and communicate ideas through visual (timeline/poster) and auditory (song) formats.
- Analyze causes and consequences of the Civil War.
- Evaluate political, economic, and social aspects of Reconstruction.
C3 STANDARDS – SKILL DEVELOPMENT
- Evaluating sources and using evidence.
- Communicating conclusions and taking informed action.
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
- RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
- RI.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS
- A2 E:6-8: 3: Apply visual organizational strategies to create works of art and design that clearly communicate the main/central idea.
- E:6-8:1: Working both independently and in collaboration with others, create musical works that clearly communicate personal, cultural, or historical experience, using appropriate technology as available.
- E:6-8:2: Create music with advancing melodic, rhythmic, dynamic, and formal elements, including simple harmony, in response to artistic stimuli, using appropriate technology as available.
- I:6-8:1: Use a variety of media and methods, including available technology, to select, present, explain, and document musical ideas with connections to context and artistic purpose.
*Note: This lesson is designed as a three-day sequence (three class periods), but can be adapted to fit your daily schedule, pacing, and student needs.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
- How effective was the United States in resolving the political, economic, and social issues that led to, and stemmed from, the Civil War?
OBJECTIVE
- Students will create a visual timeline to organize key political, economic, and social events leading to and following the Civil War by working in groups to design a poster that clearly communicates the central ideas of a specific event or period.
- Students will compose a song using call-and-response and body percussion to elaborate on their section of the timeline.
ASSESSMENT
- Timeline poster (Rubric)
- Elaboration song
MATERIALS & CLASSROOM SETUP
KEY SOCIAL STUDIES VOCAB
- Union; Confederacy; Resources; Strategy; Military technology; Military theater; Naval blockade; Anaconda Plan; King Cotton Diplomacy; Conscription; Draft; Regiment; Siege; Emancipation; Emancipation Proclamation; African American troops; Reconstruction; Freedmen’s Bureau; Military Reconstruction Act; 13th Amendment; 14th Amendment; 15th Amendment; Black Codes; Ku Klux Klan; Sharecropping; Convict lease system; Peonage; Jim Crow laws; Disenfranchisement; Habeas corpus; Ex parte Merryman (1861); Voting rights; Education; Church (as community institutions); Inflation; Draft riots; Bread riots; Industrialization; Economic opportunity; Economic inequality: Election of 1876; Compromise (Bargain) of 1877; Plessy v. Ferguson (1896); “Separate but equal”; Literacy test; Poll tax; Grandfather clause; Carpetbagger
KEY ARTS INTEGRATION VOCAB
- Illustration; Composition; Beat; Rhythm; Lyrics; Body Percussion; Tempo; Dynamics
TEACHER BACKGROUND
- Teach in approximately week 3 of Unit 5: This lesson is introduced after 3 weeks of quality instruction inclusive of virtual field trips, instructional videos, whole-group discussions, cooperative group discussions, assignments and presentations, small group instruction, and short-term in-class projects.
- Watch the Music as a Powerful Tool for Learning video to prepare to use music in the classroom.
STUDENT BACKGROUND
- Conflicts existed between the Northern and Southern United States surrounding the differing views on the institution of slavery and its abolishment in the South.
MUSIC AS A POWERFUL TOOL
*Note: This lesson is designed as a three-day sequence (three class periods), but can be adapted to fit your daily schedule, pacing, and student needs.
PROCEDURE – DAY / PART 1 OF 3
Day 1: Topic Selection and Research Organizer
1. Introduce the Assignment
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- Explain that students will work in groups to create sections of a timeline depicting the major events between 1860 and 1896. Each section of the timeline will be represented in a visual poster, as well as in a song that elaborates on the key events and details depicted.
- Divide students into 10 small groups. Display the Major Events & Eras Chart (these key events and eras span from the lead up to the Civil War to the Jim Crow era). Explain that each group will pick one number, and that number will determine the event they will research and present on.
2. Research Timeline Topics
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- Students will use the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How handout to conduct their research.
- An annotation guide is included on page 2 of the handout.
- Decide the best research format options for your class depending on student needs and resource access. This could look like general internet searches, a curated list of links, or gathered print materials. This is a great time to review primary and secondary sources with students.
- Model how to start research using the 5Ws + How method with one section of the timeline.
- Students use remaining class time to complete research.
- Students will use the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How handout to conduct their research.
PROCEDURE – DAY / PART 2 OF 3
Day 2: Design Visual Timeline Posters
Note: Decide poster criteria before class time.
1. Poster Creation
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- Explain that today, students will work in their teams and use their collected research to design a timeline poster for their chosen section.
- Name Poster Criteria:
- Clearly identify the era/time period
- Number (selected by teacher) of key elements and details that should be displayed on the poster.
- Use of images & labeling (either drawn by students or created via collage: students can print, cut, and paste images onto a poster or use magazines. Or, students can create a digital poster using an application like Canva or Google Slides.)
- Additional modeling video: How to Design, Create, and Layout a Poster Project
- Feel welcome to use, adapt, or edit this Poster Rubric. Share grading criteria with students before they begin.
- Provide students will needed poster-making supplies and ample time to create posters with their groups.
- If possible, timeline posters should be visibly displayed in the classroom in chronological order.
PROCEDURE – DAY / PART 3 OF 3
Day 3: Create an Elaboration Song
1. Song Creation
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- Explain that today, students will create a song elaborating on the key details represented in their poster/section of the timeline.
- Name the key song elements:
- The song should teach the audience about your event/era
- It should include important facts from your research, including Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
- For structure, songs can use:
- A. Call-and-response
- B. Body percussion to create a simple rhythm
- Prepare:
- Share this songwriting prep video with students to introduce them to key musical terms and the elements of body percussion (clap, stomp, pat, and snap).
- Share this call-and-response video (starting at 37 seconds) for students interested in using this simple song structure.
- This video (starting at 33 seconds) models an example of a call-and-response song. Make sure students notice how, although the call line changes, the response line is the same every time.
- Lastly, share this example of an elaboration song using body percussion.
- Allow students time to write and rehearse their songs.
2. Present Posters & Songs (could be moved to 4th class session)
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- Explain that now, students will present their visual timelines and songs to the class. Peers will give positive feedback about what they learned from each group.
- After each presentation, peers will be prompted to share (aloud or on sticky notes/feedback sheets) at least one thing they learned, and one positive “glow” about the presenting group’s song or poster. This can be used as an exit ticket.
- Review good presentation habits:
- Speak clearly and confidently.
- Hold your poster up for everyone to see.
- Work together — everyone should say or do something.
- Each Group takes turns presenting their visual timeline posters and performing their group songs.
- Peers provide feedback (see above) for each presentation they watch as an exit ticket.
- Explain that now, students will present their visual timelines and songs to the class. Peers will give positive feedback about what they learned from each group.
ROOT BRANCH MEDIA GROUP – BRING ROOT BRANCH TO YOUR SCHOOL!
All video content made in partnership with Baltimore’s Root Branch Media Group.
MURRAY PIPER – BRING MURRAY TO YOUR SCHOOL!
Murray S. Piper is a noted performer, instructor, clinician, and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University Peabody Preparatory Institute. He founded Passionate Drumming & Music Lessons, inspired by his early passion for drums. Piper holds a B.S. in music with a concentration in instrumentalists from Morgan State University and has been teaching drums/percussion since 2004. He has led percussion programs and clinics nationwide and serves on the drum set committee for the National Percussion Arts Society. An Emmy-nominated drummer, Piper excels in all music styles and is one of the most sought-after instructors and drummers today. He is dedicated to helping students reach their goals, using his passion to motivate and inspire them to perform at their highest level. Murray’s motto: Building His Community One-Beat-At-A-Time.
TIA HARTZOG
Tia Hartzog is an eighth-grade Language Arts and American History teacher with 21 years of experience at North Bend Elementary Middle School. She earned an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from American Intercontinental University and a B.S.Ed. from Canisius College. As a BSLIC Teacher Improvement Fellow, she focuses on effective fluency instructional practices. Tia is also a BMore Me Teaching Fellow, encouraging students to share their narratives and lead their communities. In 2024, she achieved placement on the Model Teacher Pathway. Tia was a top ten nominee for the 2023 Baltimore City Teacher of the Year and recognized as the AGAPE Teacher of the Year in 2022 and the Metropolitan-Baltimore Association of Black School Educators Teacher of the Year in 2017. She is passionate about shaping the futures of her students, affectionately referred to as “her kids.”
