War at Home: The Civilian Side
Alice Lee, 5th Grade
Abstract
One of the most pressing issues the President faces today is war. As America
is in tangled in two wars, factors such as money, soldiers, homeland security, and
foreign allies are top priority. But what are the ramifications of war for you and I,
for our families? What becomes our priority?
In this unit, students will investigate primary resources during the Civil War
that reveal various civilians’ perspectives on how war has affected their lives.
Students will also investigate current civilians’ perspectives on war and its affect on
their lives. Students will learn that regardless of which war, or your personal stance
on war, war itself touches a human face. Even though the fight occurs on the
battlefield, the effects meet us at home. Students will see and understand the
civilian’s side to war.
Essential Questions/ Enduring Understanding:
1. How do wars affect the lives of civilians?
2. What supports do soldiers’ families need in time of war?
3. Students will learn about how war affects the everyday lives of civilians,
especially the families of soldiers.
4. Students will learn about how America has improved in supporting soldiers
and their families over the years.
Assessment
Students’ summative assessment will incorporate their new knowledge of the
civilian side to warfare, especially those with family members who have gone to
war. They will compare and contrast Civil War era and current supports the
government provides for families with soldiers.
This comparison analysis can be presented through:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
PowerPoint presentation
Movie video
Collage
PhotoStory
Poster board
Students will also keep a journal logging their thoughts, findings, and notes as a
response to the essential questions. This journal will serve as a formative
assessment for the teacher to gauge student understanding.
Setting the purpose
Lesson 1—War at Home
1. Begin this unit by introducing the two essential questions: a) How do wars affect
the lives of civilians?, and b) What supports do soldiers’ families need in time of
war?
 Have students write these questions on the first page of a journal they will be
keeping for the duration of this unit.
 Begin a discussion revolving around these questions. Ask students to share
their thoughts regarding these questions, as well as what they know about
civilians during wartime, soldiers, etc.
2. You will activate your students’ background knowledge on war by beginning a
discussion on how war has affected them today. Ask the following questions:
 Do you know anyone in your family or have any friends or neighbors that
have family members that are currently serving in the wars overseas?
 For students that know current families of soldiers, ask them how their
family might feel about their family member being at war.
 If no students have any connections to soldiers in war, ask them how they
might feel if one of their family members went away to war? How would
they feel? How might it change their lives?
 What if one of their primary guardians or providers left for war? How might
it impact the people they live with? How might it affect the quality of their
lives if it was over a year—up to 5 years?
 In a worse case scenario, how might their lives change if a primary guardian
or provider were wounded, became sick, or even died in war?
3. During this discussion, take notes of their reactions on either a large poster or
transparency in order to reference back to their responses in later lessons. This
is the first anchor chart for this unit, and will be revisited throughout.
4. Have students journal their thoughts and ideas, as well as any new thoughts that
others mentioned during discussion.
Analysis of local primary sources
Lesson 2—A Call for 20,000 Men!
1. Review with students the difference between a primary resource and a
secondary resource.
2. Introduce the Written Document Analysis worksheet as a way to evaluate
primary resources. Consider having students cut the edges and paste it as a
template in their journal.
3. Use this worksheet to guide students through an analysis of Governor Yates’
“Call for 20,000 Men for One Hundred Days!” Consider also using the following
excerpts to guide discussion. Ask students to think about 1) the tone and voice
used, and 2) how Illinois citizens might have felt in response. How might the
text appeal men to enlist? How might the text appeal to family members sending
their men off to war?
a. “It will be sufficient for you to know that it is evident from the
circumstances which surround us, that the battles which are to decide the
fate of the country are soon to be fought. The enemy has, during the past
winter, been concentrating all his strength for the summer campaign,
which is before us. It is of the utmost importance that the Government be
prepared to meet them with the greatest force, and with the most
overwhelming numbers which it is possible to be brought to bear.”
b. “It is confidently hoped hat by the aid which may thus be given our
veteran army, the last blow may be give to this wicked rebellion, and the
Government re-established, the Union restored, and all the blessings of a
stable and lasting peace secured.”
c. “Let us do all in our power to uphold and strengthen their arms. Glorious
Illinoisans! in every period of this war you have done your duty! The
shining achievements of your sons are the admiration of the world. In
this eventful hour you will not fail.”
4. Ask students to journal their thoughts about what it might have been like to be
either enlisted or a family member of someone enlisted in Illinois during the
Civil War.
5. Review anchor chart 1 that activated students’ background knowledge. Connect
how they might have felt similarly to Illinois citizens during the Civil War.
Lesson 3—Letter from soldier wife 1
1. Have students read Soldier Wife 1 letter. Ask them to use the Written Document
Analysis as a template to jot ideas and notes down in their journal. For more
support, read the letter aloud and guide students through the analysis.
2. After students have read the letter, ask students what types of support the wife
of the soldier needed. Record their responses either on the whiteboard or on
transparency. Once students have responded, group their answers into
categories to help them systematize their thoughts.
3. On the second anchor chart for this unit, (can be done on a large sheet of paper
to be posted, or on transparency), write down these categories as well as the
actual ideas the students came up with. Here are some sample ideas:
a. Physical needs: food, clothes, health
b. Financial needs: money to support an entire family
c. Emotional support: feelings of discouragement—perhaps due to
separation with her husband, no extended family support, feeling like
their family is making a sacrifice for the country, but the country is not
taking care of their basic needs.
4. Consider also having discussion around the following text:
a. “I know if my husband receives what is due to him, all would be right but
that never seems to come.”
b. “…for I know how to sympathize but I also feel that we whose husbands
have borne the head and burden of the day should not be neglected or
forgotten, I do not ask for more than that which is justly due, but I do feel
for the sake of soldiers families pay day ought to come at least every four
months.”
5. Ask students if they would like to make additions to the first anchor chart, with
any new thoughts or feelings they may feel if they had to see a family member or
friend go off to war.
Lesson 4—Letter from soldier wife 2
1. Have students read Soldier Wife 2 letter. Ask them to use the Written Document
Analysis as a template to jot ideas and notes down in their journal. For more
support, read the letter aloud and guide students through the analysis.
2. After students have read the letter, ask students what types of support the wife
of the soldier needed. Record their responses as an addition to the second
anchor chart. Continue to add to the categories, or create new categories.
3. Ask students to journal their thoughts and ideas about how these women must
have felt, having their husbands drafted into the army. Another option to this
journal entry is having students write an entry from the perspective of one of the
children of these soldier families, or possibly a letter from the Governor & how
he would respond to these wives.
Lesson 5—Evils of warfare
1. Have students read the Evils on Warfare letter. Ask them to use the Written
Document Analysis as a template to analyze the letter.
2. Guide students through a discussion with the following questions:
a. What is the author’s perspective on war?
b. What are the costs and benefits of warfare?
3. It is unclear the exact background of the author—whether or not he/she has
someone they know in the army, whether or not he/ she has been a soldier, etc.
What is clear is the author’s stance on war. Consider using this primary
document to provide multiple perspectives on how potential civilians view war.
4. In their journal, students can choose the from the following activities:
a. Have students write corresponding letters between the author from
“Evils of Warfare” and either of the soldiers’ wives.
b. Students can write a letter responding to the letter “Evils of Warfare.”
Ties to national primary sources
Lesson 6—Connection to the country
1. Now that students have a basic understanding of the civilian perspective, they
will be connecting this understanding to the broader perspective on a national
level.
2. Have students look at the following pictures and use the Photo Analysis
worksheet to evaluate them:
a. Look at “Refugee family 1,” which is a refugee family that is leaving a war
area with their belongings loaded on a cart.
b. Look at “Refugee family 2,” which is a black family entering Union lines
with a loaded cart.
c. Look at “Family group” which are Virginia civilians in front of a hotel
d. Look at “Women at cottage” which is located at the cottage of Colonel
Nathaniel Michler, US engineer in Virginia
3. Have a discussion with students about connections and similarities they think
Illinois civilians needed with rest of the nation. Refer back to the second anchor
chart that listed all the categories civilians’ families needed.
Lesson 7—Analyzing the past and present
1. After an in-depth look at what types of supports civilians needed during the Civil
War, have students brainstorm in their journal the types of services/ programs
they would create to meet those needs.
2. Students will watch the following clips portraying some of the hardships and
needs that soldiers and their families face today:
 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18096143/ns/nightly_news_with_brian
_williams-on_the_line/
 http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/army-wives/extras/season1/video/jasmine-32
3. Have students make a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting what civilians
needed during the Civil War era, and what it they need now.
Lesson 8—Improving supports for families of soldiers
1. Students will now research what supports currently exist for families of soldiers
on the following website: http://www.army.mil/family/2008/. This site is a
result of the Army Family Action Plan in 1983. On the home page, you will also
find many links to additional resources.
2. Have students record their research in journals based on the categories listed in
the Venn diagram from the previous lesson.
3. After students finish research, have students share out what they’ve learned, as
well as the improvements the government has made in supporting families of
soldiers.
Lesson 9—Summative project
1. Students will now put all their learning from this unit together as they choose to
create either a PowerPoint presentation, Movie video, Collage, PhotoStory, or
Poster board to show what they’ve learned.
2. Using their journal that has recorded key ideas in each lesson, they will present
1) the supports civilians needed from the Civil War, especially families with
soldiers, 2) the supports that families with soldiers still need today, and 3) the
ways the government has met those needs, and 4) ideas for ways to continue to
support families of soldiers.
3. They will use the Summative Project Rubric worksheet as a basis for evaluation.
4. To make student work authentic, consider allowing students to invite parents,
administrators, and other classes to see and exhibit the work they’ve completed.
Annotated list of materials and resources
Templates
Written Document Analysis
Photo Analysis Worksheet
Summative Project Rubric
Primary Artifacts
Family group picture
Call for Men (Governor Yates’ proclamation)
Evils of War letter
Refugee family 1 picture
Refugee family 2 picture
Soldier Wife 1 letter
Soldier Wife 2 letter
Women at cottage picture
Websites
http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/civilians.htm
http://www.archives.gov/research/civil-war/photos/
http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/cwimages/civilian/index.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18096143/ns/nightly_news_with_brian_williamson_the_line/
http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/army-wives/extras/season-1/video/jasmine32
http://www.army.mil/family/2008/