April would be a great month to study the Civil War, what with all the Civil War anniversaries of high import.
April 14 is the anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. April 9 is the anniversary of Lee’s Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, and April 12 is the anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.
But of course, we studied the Civil War in our U.S. history classes last fall, in the first six weeks, as a review of what the students were supposed to get in 8th grade.
In your classroom, how do you deal with anniversaries when they are out of the current course of study? How have you seen it done well?
The Surrender, by Keith Rocco – image from National Park Service, via Pillar to Post
Notes:
- Appomattox Courthouse today is a National Historical Site, managed by the National Park Service. Their website features the picture above, painted by Keith Rocco. You can identify people in the painting here.
- Jay Winik’s book, April 1865 – The Month That Saved America, would be a good supplemental text for a history class, don’t you think?
- Life Magazine’s photo image site at Google features a slide show, “The Men Who Killed Lincoln.” Quick PowerPoint if that’s in your curriculum — good source to recommend to students. Then watch to see whether students do the attribution correctly.
Help others remember history:
Below the fold, the identities of the soldiers in Rocco’s painting above.
Posted by Ed Darrell 
