Lesson Plans 

On this page you will find four downloadable lesson plan packets – one each for: Grade 6 History, Grade 10 English, Grade 10 History, and Undergraduate (First or Second Year introductory class about English or History primary source research).

Each has been crafted around specific letters from Brandeis University’s Michael Lally Civil War letters collection, though you can use other letters as well. Each packet contains a lesson plan, a timeline, and accompanying materials when applicable. The related handwritten letter(s) and transcription(s) are also included.

Each plan geared towards middle and high school students meets various Massachusetts State Curriculum Standards. The lesson plans and activities are designed so that they can easily fit into a unit about the Civil War (at any point during the unit), and are meant to be easily adaptable for the needs of the class, and for any type of learner. 

The lesson plans and associated materials were designed by Chloe Morse-Harding, a State of Massachusetts certified teacher (English, Grades 8-12).

Grade 6 History -- A Window into the War: Analyzing Primary Sources  download

 

Grade 10 English -- The Art of Letter Writing: Developing a Character using Primary Source Material  download

 

Grade 10 History -- Life on the Front: Using Primary Sources to Create Secondary Sources  download

• Packet includes: Lesson plan; Civil War timeline; 4 letters and transcriptions 

 

Undergraduate History and English -- Close Looking at Correspondence: the Transcription Process  download

 

 

All materials created by:

Chloe Morse-Harding, MAT, MS

Reference Archivist for University Archives & Special Collections

Brandeis University

September 2015