![]() ![]() It might be a good time to set up a question for the theme. Encourage students to place both written and graphic information on the time line as soon and as often as possible. Nevertheless I'd start the time line way before the guns are fired at Fort Sumter, maybe going back as far as the arrival of the first slave ship on mainland America in 1618 on a Dutch ship landing in Jamestown. The study of the Civil War will quickly branch off in the direction of slavery and you & the kids will have to decide how far to go in that direction. The story, of course, is universal and could apply to any war as the young and innocent wait to see if their lives will be changed forever by the battles waged by adults.Ī time line is always a good idea when studying any era of history and I'd put up a big one with plenty of space around it for the information the kids will uncover during this theme. ![]() This is a book that must be shared with the students able to see the illustrations as they hear the text and time must be given to allow them to pick out the meaningful details. We see, in the distance a woman leading a man who is seated on the horse and the boy says that if your father came back with a missing arm you wouldn't be afraid of him because you'd know he was still your father. Time passes and Catalanotto shows that passage of time by a blurred series of pictures in which a chicken egg is hatched. He imagines what will happen if his papa should not come back. A young boy tells how his father has been wounded and his mother has gone to fetch him while he stays with the neighbors trying to be brave. Then the second-person text starts., "If your papa went away to war.". The title page shows the same man and boy returning from a successful fishing trip and the dedication page shows men on horseback at the top of the page while gray paint drips blood-like down the page. This is visual foreshadowing and should be pointed out to students who don't pick it out themselves. A closer examination will reveal that one of the toys is missing an arm. The book starts on the cover as we see a man chopping wood, his wife churning butter while a boy plays with toy soldiers. Although the Civil War itself is not named, the illustrations make it obvious. George Ella Lyon and Peter Catalanotto have created a masterpiece in Cecil's Story (Orchard, 1991 ISBN 0531070638. Now let's move on to the picture book starter for this theme. A teacher who avails his or herself of Marrin's work will be able to lead students to a better understanding of the time, politics, events and people in the Civil War. Marrin's strength lies in being able to give chronological accounts which, while stating the facts, paint the people involved as full personalities and we understand their motivations as well as their deeds. Library Binding.) The first of those books, Abraham Lincoln & the Civil War, is more accessible to younger students than the others and has more visual material. Library Binding.), and Virginia's General: Robert E. ![]() Grant and the Civil War (Atheneum, 1994 ISBN 0689318375. Marrin's Civil War related books are: Commander in Chief: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War (Dutton, 1997 ISBN 0525458220. Some of your students will be capable of reading Marrin's work and you will surely want to read some selections aloud. The books by Albert Marrin on the subject of the Civil War make fascinating reading and will give you a background that most history textbooks do not achieve. I will start off the theme with a picture book as usual but, before I do so, let me recommend some reading for teachers. Since the theme is most often studied in the upper elementary grades, let's restrict our book choices to books appropriate for that level for the most part. ![]() The brutal conflict of the American Civil War has brought forth some of the best writing in children's literature. This issue is sponsored by Teaching K-8 Magazine. Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Newsletter, Fall '98, page 2. ![]()
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