So for the 3rd year, I'm ending the year with a TLAP-style Civil War unit. This was inspired by the Interact Simulations "Civil War" booklet, but we ditched some elements and revised some others for a flipping awesome ending to the year.
At first, each student's character has the rank of "Private." (I am and always shall be a Lieutenant General.) One of my secondary learning objectives is military rank hierarchy -- an area of general knowledge. I also need to keep them engaged on these warm June days! So they are always working for promotion to a higher rank:
Also, the promotions help to power the flipping element of the Civil War unit. There are three sets of essential understandings that I expect all students to gain:
- describe several causes of the war (not just slavery!)
- disprove several myths about the war (like "Lincoln freed all the slaves")
- explain how 5 events were turning points (including Gettysburg and Sherman's March)
I will keep you posted!
* The Combat Cards come directly from the Interact Simulations "Civil War" unit, so I must give full credit to its authors.