1. Civil War Journal Project This presentation is to provide information about our upcoming unit assignment in our classroom.

2. What to Expect for Unit Project… The purpose of this is to inform students and parents about the unit project titled Civil War Journal. The project will span over the course of 4 weeks and will help students not only learn more about first hand accounts of the civil war but will also help them with their communication skills. They will be in charge of researching accounts from soldiers, women, children ect. during the Civil War and will write a first hand journal on it. The following questions are what the unit project it based on: Essential Question What happens if people don’t agree? Unit Question(s) What happened with the north and the south in America in the 1860’s? What caused the disagreement between the states? What is the outcome? Content Questions What was the north and south’s views on slavery? What were the north and south’s views on wanting to go to war with each other?

3. Role of Parents and Students The role of the students in this project is so plan, research, design, edit and put the project together at the end of the unit. Each student will pick what type of person they are going to portray in their journal. For example if students pick a women in the 1860’s to portray they will research the lives and roles that women had throughout the Civil War to depict in their journal. The journals will be written in first person as if the students are the people they are writing about. They will need to have a certain amount of factorial information throughout their journal as well as an interesting story line. The role of the parents is if the student needs help with at home research, be there to help them the technology aspect of it. I will send home a sheet of paper with the students with acceptable websites that they should use. Also if parents are available for volunteers in the classroom I will have my contact information as the end of this presentation. If you could contact me about your availability that would be a great amount of help. The parents as well as myself mainly is a guide. However at the end of the unit I will be assessing the projects myself.

4. Benefits of Project-Based Learning Project-based learning is a type of learning that involves the students first hand and helps them express their creativity with the subject matter given to them. Even though project-based learning has some sort of a topic, it is the students own ideas that is portrayed in the project. Project-based learning has many skills that it promotes. One major one is communication. When you are working on a project in a group, you have to learn how to communicate with your group members to be an organized successful group. Not only do you have to learn how to communicate with your peers and group members, but when presenting the project you have to learn how to communicate with your audience, whether it is teachers, students, or sometimes even parents. This strengthens your public speaking or public communication skills, which will be very useful throughout life. In addition to communication, project-based learning promotes creativity with the students. With the project being all their idea, they are free to decide how to present the subject matter. This can widely expand creativity with students. Project-based learning is a good hands on way to involve students and teach them many lifetime skills.

5. Unit Standard 12.) Identify causes of the Civil War from the northern and southern viewpoints. By writing the journal the students are using historical points they can pick from the viewpoint of a northerner or southerner and therefore learning both of the different sides.

6. Contact Information If you have any question feel free to call me or email me, the best time for me is between 11:50- 12:50. Email: keboruff@crimson.ua.edu Phone: 205-890-3333