Written by Mary Hart
A primary source Civil War site on the Library of Congress site that might be useful in the classroom is the collection of Civil War maps of most of the major battles. That site can be accessed at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps/, and on the left is a menu of search methods for this collection, including by title, subject, or place. For example, I clicked on the subject link, chose the B from the alphabetical menu, and found 12 maps of the first and second battles of Bull Run. Paul Fleischman’s book Bull Run (HarperCollins, March 31, 1995, ISBN 0-06-440588-5) could serve as a lead in and a read-with study of that battle. Math students could analyze the maps to measure troop movements and figure out other statistics and ratios, including a compare/contrast of the two battles. The Library has a download that gives ideas for incorporating primary sources into math lessons at this link: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/additionalresources/downloads/and choose the last slide show, Eye Spy Math. Additionally, there’s site with ideas for using maps to teach critical thinking for upper elementary levels at http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/maps/\ Another site not connected to the Library with ideas for teaching math with maps is http://tabstart.com/directory/education/math-worksheets-on-calculating-distance-using-map-899, and the Civil War maps would work well with the ideas presented.
