Civil War Quest

Lesson 5: On Line Resources: Vermont in the Civil War & More

Focusing Questions/Themes:
How can we learn more about our town in the Civil War?
How can we learn more about our soldiers?
What resources are available on the web?
Vermont Standard(s):
Being a Historian:6.6c: Use resources and build original historical interpretations
New Hampshire Standard(s):
History: Curriculum Standard 16
Materials:
Computers, word processor, access to the World Wide Web
Procedure:
  1. Discuss with students the benefits and short comings of on-line research.
  2. Discuss what might make one website or source more reliable than another.
  3. Have students discuss different ways of inquiring about their soldier using a search engine:
    • By soldier's name
    • By the name of their town
    • By regiment
    • By company
    • By battle
    • By bundling words into a string:
      "Edward Blaisdell, Hartford, Vermont, Civil War"
  4. Have students work in small groups to research their soldier. Make sure that they:
    1. take notes and
    2. note their sources!
  5. Your group may find the On-line Research Worksheet helpful.
  6. An example of a website you might use is Vermont in the Civil War.

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