School programs!

[rosefiend]

I have my first children's lit festival coming up in October, in which I give four presentations over the course of the day to four groups of fourth graders. Whoo-hoo! I'm stocking up on tea for the occasion because holy mackerel I will need it.

I don't do any reenacting, so I don't have a period costume, alas. I do have a little presentation about the women and about how I wrote the book, with the occasional gif and video for chuckles. I also plan to have the kids get up and do some activities because you can't have a bunch of kids sit around for 45 minutes straight, they have to move around.

It flashed on me tonight to bring some small things to pass around -- I'll pass around a bunch of pics of the women so they can look at them, for instance -- but I thought, "Hey, you need to get some interesting period effects for them to look at!" Maybe not the genuine items because I'm cheap and occasionally items might vanish.

Minie balls, Confederate money -- what kind of things would you include in a presentation about women in the Civil War?

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

GREAT question!!.....As a reenactor, I think the role of women is under-done and not taught enough!!
If you could present or read letters, diary entries that concerned life on the home-front, the hardships caused by the men being away, the necessity (in some instances) of women having to find a job for the first time (being the sole supporter of the family, which was a new role for women), etc.....The war made many "widows", even if the husband was not killed, because the woman had to "step up" in order to provide for herself and children.....
Good luck!

 

[AndyHall]

Not sure about the Minie balls -- they're lead.

 

[huskerblitz]

Not sure about the Minie balls -- they're lead.

I have molds I pass around and the lead ones I keep in a plastic bag. But I teach middle school and most are beyond sticking things in their mouths. I also picked up a couple of candy 'cartridges' with pixie stix dust in one end and a gumball as the 'bullet'.

 

[alan polk]

Sounds fun! I tend to agree with Albert Sailhorst. Diaries and letters would be pretty cool. I try to put myself back into my 4th grade boy mind and I can say I would have loved holding a minie ball (but see Andy's admonition above - and he's correct) or a chunk of artillery fragment. In addition, I don't think you could go wrong reciting Sullivan Ballau's letter (made famous in Ken Burn's documentary). Holding a cannon ball fragment (iron, not lead) then hearing Ballau's haunting letter, would appeal, I think, to even boys as well as girls. Heck, even adults! Good luck, and let us know how it goes!!!

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

That's cool as heck. You'll be what they remember about the presentation, and your book. Bet you'll have as big a kick as the kids, watching them. Nothing like groups of children instead of a daily vitamin. They're just so darn interesting!

That's tough, trying find items that would represent women in the war. You could show them how much weight a common soldier had to carry by taking a hand weight along and passing that around. The reeanactors here can all tell you what that was- along with other idea on what they carried. Tell you what- just showing them an era shoe could flatten them! Heck, those things flatten me, the idea someone wore one and still had to go feel feminine..... . Tall order.

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

You are sure to have a great day with those students, Rosefiend! I would start knitting a sock, based on an authentic period pattern -- and bring it along with the needles still in it -- to illustrate the activities of women on the home front who knitted for soldiers, gathered lint and carried on such work as individuals or in relief groups that the ladies organized within their communities. I can't find it right now, but I recall seeing here on CWT a newspaper illustration of gleeful soldiers opening an Adams Express box in camp. Since socks were prominently featured in the drawing, I'd bring that along too, to show how appreciative the soldiers were to receive these packages from home.

 

[donna]

How about some type of period food or something about it like Hardtack. If you have any old utensils used at the time, like old iron frying pan. You could just have some pictures of food of the time.

 

[rosefiend]

Oh, man, I never thought of any of these!

I am totally making hard tack and will bring that along as a "snack". Mm-mm-crunch. *teeth fall out*

I can borrow some minie balls from my uncle (he's found some while metal detecting around St. Joe) and keep them in a plastic bag so the kids can look but can't touch.

I like the idea of asking the kids "What do you think it would have been like to live as a soldier?" and move from there.

 

[huskerblitz]

Yeah, about hardtack. You do need to be careful with kids and their teeth at that age. I'd make sure it's soft enough for them to bite or crumbled up if they taste it. Just a precaution.

 

[rosefiend]

Yeah, about hardtack. You do need to be careful with kids and their teeth at that age. I'd make sure it's soft enough for them to bite or crumbled up if they taste it. Just a precaution.

Good idea. I don't want to knock out a bunch of 4th grader teeth all at once, they might not invite me back! I will give them ample warning.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

Bandage making was a popular activity for women during the war. Maybe bring in period type bandages for the kids to roll. You could also research the type of items women would've packed up for their loved ones care packages to the front. Have a wooden crate type of box filled with appropriate items, packed with a reproduction of an era letter from a wife or mother, wrap it up in brown paper, tie it with twine and bring it in for kids to open and experience what a Civil War package from home was like.

 

[civilwarincolor]

If you are talking about women's role during the Civil War you might also discuss women that worked in munitions factories. If you are planning on showing Minnie balls, you could tie that in and perhaps talk about some of the dangers and factory explosions that killed women (not something the kids might think about, women killed/injured back home by munitions).

Another thought is women role as spy's and the ones that passed themselves off as soldiers. Finally what about Dr. Mary Walker, only woman to earn the MOH?

You can find a section on Women in the CW on my site here.

 

[Nathanb1]

First stop...look at the Civil War Trust curriculum.

 

[huskerblitz]

First stop...look at the Civil War Trust curriculum.

Yes, it's free and downloadable. They have entire curriculum guides for elementary, middle school and high school. They have great stuff.

 

[rosefiend]

First stop...look at the Civil War Trust curriculum.

I do believe I have struck gold! Thank you kindly!

Also Civil War Teacher Resources here.

And Civil War Lesson Plans ....

Well this whole thread so far has been like strapping a rocket onto my back and zooming halfway across the state. Let me hasten to add that this has been a very good thing! Well, keep the ideas coming -- heck, maybe the moderators could pin this somewhere under "Helpful sites and ideas for teachers & presenters" for a useful educator's resource.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

From the Civil War Trust I found an already created PowerPoint presentation for various age groups, one of which is 'life on the home front' which has some slides about women and their roles. Here's the link - http://www.civilwar.org/education/teachers/curriculum/civil-war-curriculum/powerpoint.html#Middle

Their educational section for various age groups of children is quite extensive. It'll definitely give you ideas of what to discuss and showcase for various grades.

 

[rosefiend]

From the Civil War Trust I found an already created PowerPoint presentation for various age groups, one of which is 'life on the home front' which has some slides about women and their roles. Here's the link - http://www.civilwar.org/education/teachers/curriculum/civil-war-curriculum/powerpoint.html#Middle

Their educational section for various age groups of children is quite extensive. It'll definitely give you ideas of what to discuss and showcase for various grades.

I've picked up two of their Powerpoint presentations -- I'll use them for ideas and incorporate elements of each into my presentation, and then break up the presentation with a short play of some sort that they put on, or something along those lines.

 

[leftyhunter]

I have my first children's lit festival coming up in October, in which I give four presentations over the course of the day to four groups of fourth graders. Whoo-hoo! I'm stocking up on tea for the occasion because holy mackerel I will need it.

I don't do any reenacting, so I don't have a period costume, alas. I do have a little presentation about the women and about how I wrote the book, with the occasional gif and video for chuckles. I also plan to have the kids get up and do some activities because you can't have a bunch of kids sit around for 45 minutes straight, they have to move around.

It flashed on me tonight to bring some small things to pass around -- I'll pass around a bunch of pics of the women so they can look at them, for instance -- but I thought, "Hey, you need to get some interesting period effects for them to look at!" Maybe not the genuine items because I'm cheap and occasionally items might vanish.

Minie balls, Confederate money -- what kind of things would you include in a presentation about women in the Civil War?

Let us know if you give a lecture to high school or college students ; that would be a totally different conversation.
I know Unionist women would hide their menfolk from Confederate conscription cavalry. That might be better left to older students. For older students they should know women were not always off limits to both sides.
4th graders could know about women nurses .
Leftyhunter