Pick a Project

#1  iMovie - Begin with the wordless picture book, Unspoken, a Story of the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole, and create an iMovie in which your written text is read aloud to make this fictional Civil War story come to life.

Here is your assignment:

(1) Watch the video in which author Henry Cole "reads" his picture book Unspoken. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voL_dToHjUU

(2) Choose a character from the book, either the young girl with the kitten or the unidentified person in the corn stalks. Give your character a name. 

(3) Choose ten pages from the book, in addition to the cover of the book and the lantern at the end, for a total of twelve pages. With your iPad, take pictures of those pages.

(4) Using iMove, audio record 3 sentences of text per page. Remember to introduce the title and author while showing the cover of the book, but use no words while showing the lantern at the end. Speak in the voice of your chosen character. Make your character's voice believable. 

#2  Padlet - Create a Padlet to display photos, text, and music that depict the Civil War era.

Here is your assignment:

(1) Using your Padlet app, create a Padlet with a Wall format. Choose an appropriate wallpaper (background), add the title "Civil War Archive by Your Name" and add a time period quote.

(2) Add three artifacts. Each one should include a photograph and a 2 - 3 sentence description. Be sure to name and number each artifact, for example, Artifact #2 - Minni Ball.

(3) Create a list of 15 vocabulary words in alphabetical order. (You do not need to include definitions, however, you should be familiar with the words you choose and prepared to give an explanation of any word upon request.)

(4) Post a favorite Civil War tune using a YouTube link.

(5) Post a picture of an authentic Civil War map using a YouTube link.

(6) Post a picture of the novel Rifles for Waite. Label it with title and author.

(7) Post a screenshot of a page from the novel that you have annotated and label it Annotated Text. In this post, explain in your own words the annotation process and/or its purpose.

 

#3  Civil War Correspondence - Create an authentic-looking letter written by someone who lived during the Civil War.

Here is your assignment:

(1) First, research your character and create an outline using Cornell Notes. Mrs. Leaf will approve your research.

(2) Using the friendly letter format, type the rough draft of a letter from your character's persective. Your letter should be written to a friend or loved one who lives far away on the battlefield, a dirt farm, a plantation, etc.

(3) After Mrs. Primm approves your rough draft, make the necessary edits.

(4) Change your final draft to 24 pt. bold, italics, Pacifico. Then print.

(5)  Coffee stain your letter to make it appear authentic. (This part will be done at home.) Click here for helpful directions:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WALr7CvDT1g_ACLJAp4

QQA1bNWRKlwsoL4mHzIPhGk/edit#heading=h.yx1sgjgl8hx

#4  Mask Letter - Have fun going to the following link to find out more about Revolutionary War spy masks - what they were and how they were used. The website includes a ton of interesting information, but you will want to be sure to read at least the first three paragraphs and take a look at some of the authentic photos. 

https://clements.umich.edu/exhibit/spy-letters-of-the-american-revolution/secret-methods/mask-letter/

 

Now it’s your turn to make your own mask.

Here is your assignment:

 

 

Supplies:

2 sheets of unlined paper

Pencil

Scissors

1. Decide upon the shape of your “mask”. Draw it on one sheet of paper and cut out the shape.

2. Lay your cut-out “mask” onto the second sheet of paper. Very lightly trace the outline.

3. Now write your letter with pencil on this sheet of paper, making sure that your secret message falls within the sketched area. You will use the "friendly letter format" that your teacher gives to you.

4. Creating a message within a message will take some clever thinking on your part. Once you’ve decided on your secret message, you’ll need to figure out how to hide these words within the longer letter.

        5. Trace over your text with an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie marker. Then take your letter home. See the link below for helpful directions:

                              https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WALr7CvDT1g_ACLJAp4QQA1_bNWRKlwsoL4mHzIPhGk/edit#heading=h.yx1sgjgl8hx

Here are a few tips: For this assignment, you are on the side of the British. In your letter, tell about the war as if everything is going well. Within your mask, write words of caution or concern. (You might include details about such things as the condition and mood of the troops, military strategies and battles, loyalty to the king, etc. These details DO NOT need to be true or based on research, but they should be believable.)

Adapted from Great Colonial America Projects by Kris Bordessa