Assassination of President Lincoln
Ronald Wells
Grade Level: 8
TEKS:
8) History. The student understands individuals, issues, and events of the Civil War. The student
is expected to:
(A) Explain the roles played by significant individuals during the Civil War, including
Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Abraham Lincoln, and heroes such
as Congressional Medal of Honor recipients William Carney and Philip Bazaar;
(B) Explain the causes of the Civil War, including sectionalism, states' rights, and
slavery, and significant events of the Civil War, including the firing on Fort Sumter; the
battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg; the announcement of the Emancipation
Proclamation; Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House; and the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln; and
(C) Analyze Abraham Lincoln's ideas about liberty, equality, union, and government as
contained in his first and second inaugural addresses and the Gettysburg Address and
contrast them with the ideas contained in Jefferson Davis's inaugural address.
Brief Description:
Students will analyze, explore, and research the events that led to the Assassination of Abraham
Lincoln.
Objective:
 Students will identify how the death of President Lincoln changed the history of the
United States.
 Students will explore why John Wilkes Booth committed this act of desperation.
 Students will contrast the way in which President Lincoln’s death affected the Northern
and Southern states.
Materials:
 Computer with internet connection
 Overhead
 Pen/ Pencil
 Paper
Background:
The teacher will demonstrate the technology that will be used to research the Assassination of
Abraham Lincoln. The teacher will display what is on the computer screen via the overhead and
introduce the main gateway site. The teacher will then peruse through the site, focusing on the
information of each page and how to get to that particular page. The teacher will click on the
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln page, which will then direct them to the interactive
PowerPoint site which focuses on the events that led up to his Assassination. While viewing the
slide presentation the students are highly encouraged to take notes about language, people, or
points they might not understand. Afterward the class will discuss the events and issues of the
Assassination of President Lincoln.
Lesson Plan:
After the discussion of the events that led to the Assassination, the class will be divided into two
groups. One group will represent the Northern states and the other will represent the Southern
states. Each student will research and write a five paragraph entry in his or her journal about the
assassination of the first President of the United States. The entry should be well organized and
accurate based on credible material. The use of the use the internet is a requirement to assist with
the research. After the research is conducted, the five paragraph entry will be entered into the
writing journal. The journal will be turned in following completion of the assignment and the
best three will be published on the board in the classroom by the teacher.
Assessment:
Use the rubric to evaluate the information contained within the writing journal.
Attachments:
Rubric for evaluation of the students’ performances.
Rubric:
Rubric for Essay
Student turned in assignment on time …………………………………………………..

30 pts.
For every day the article is late, I will take off 5 points. If you turn in the article early,
you get an additional 5 points.
If the article is thought provoking, correct, and reflective of research (for example, quotes
from outside resources)………………………………………………………………… 30 pts.


Students include a bibliography of resources to the back of the on last page of the
entry ……………………………………………………………..………….
5 pts.
Student used at least four resources …………………………………………….. 5 pts.
The student was creative………….. ………………………………………………..
The article was well organized and correctly formatted ……………………………….
The student address the issues applicable to the writing…….. …………………….
10 pts.
10 pts.
10 pts.