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Lesson Plan Review: Effects of the War Report (Assessment)
The lesson is devoted to the effects of the American Civil War. During the lesson, students will learn about 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and discuss their significance. Students will also learn about Booth’s plan concerning Lincoln’s kidnapping and Booth’s reasons for Lincoln’s assassination. Students will learn about reconstruction, as well.
The lesson plan is very detailed, and the lesson is quite effective. Thus, the strengths of the lesson plan are as follows. The teacher uses a PowerPoint presentation, which can help students grasp the information. It also enhances students’ attention. The teacher has several hand-outs. The activities described are engaging and creative as students do not simply learn about some facts, dates, and names.
They discuss the events and try to see them in the context of the USA of the 19th century. Hence, students learn to think critically. The lesson plan also includes assessment section. Thus, it will be possible to understand whether the lesson is effective and whether students have grasped the necessary information.
Nonetheless, the lesson plan has one downside. When discussing the Constitution and Booth’s plans, the teacher uses certain hand-outs and tells about those events. However, it could be more effective and engaging to have a short video clip to make students feel the atmosphere of the USA of that period.
Thus, to improve the lesson, the teacher should find a video or several video clips to make the lesson more expressive. This can be a part of a documentary or even a scene from a drama.
There are numerous documentaries on the Civil War and Lincoln. Such movies as The Day Lincoln Was Shot (1998), Gone with the Wind (1939), North and South (2004) can be used. The use of video could help students picture the atmosphere in the United States.
