The Days of Julia Johnson: A Civil War Diary

1. Tell me fast
2. Color the levels
3. Web search

1. Tell me fast
Objective: To write a concise summary of historical narrative.

Description: After reading a section of the diary, imagine that you want to tell someone what happened to Julia AS FAST AS YOU CAN... Write what you would say using the smallest number of words you can think of to TELL ME FAST! (HINT: You must decide what to include and what to leave out.)

Teacher's Options:
Comparison Version: Share and compare your versions and talk about why they differ.

Game Version: Submit your versions and for scoring to pick a winner(s). At the discretion of your teacher, voting for a winner may be allowed by reviewing descriptions without knowing which student wrote the description.

2. Color the levels
Objective: To identify different levels of meaning in historical narrative.

Description: Read assigned diary entries and color-code the diary text to show where you think Julia is writing at a personal (blue) or social (green) level; or when she is talking about political, military, or economic concerns (purple). Your teacher may also require you to share results and discuss differences and the meaning of history at different levels. The teacher may also ask how you felt about color-coding the diary.

3. Web search
Objective: To find information related to Civil War life on the web and apply the information to respond to a question requiring higher level thinking and reflection.
Description: Using the web link resources on this site (or other teacher-screened web sites) as directed by your teacher, explore these sites, describe information you found, and respond in writing to this question: How would you compare life during the Civil War for those who fought with the daily lives of those who stayed behind at home?

NOTE: Because this site includes a large amount of information for use by a wide range of grade levels from Middle to High School AP History, students should pay close attention to directions from teachers.