The document provides instructions for a reporter living during the Civil War to research and write an article about two important battles of the Civil War. The reporter is instructed to choose two of four key battles - First Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Antietam, or Battle of Chancellorsville. For each battle, the reporter should research details like the outcome, casualties, strategies, and major players. The reporter should organize this information using a graphic organizer before writing a historical news report analyzing the outcomes of the battles and their impact on the war.

2. Imagine that you are a reporter living during the Civil War. You
constantly hear the sound of gunshots in the background and
observe soldiers marching from town to town. You keep your
readers informed of the important battles that have taken
place, describing the affect of the battle’s outcome on the war
itself. In order to become an effective reporter, you will examine
a few of the key battles of the Civil War and discover how these
battles helped to shape American history.
Further Reading:

3. As a Civil War reporter, you will complete the following
research before creating your article:
1. Choose two of the following Civil War battles listed below:
• First Battle of Bull Run
• Battle of Gettysburg
• Battle of Antietam
• Battle of Chancellorsville
2. Research the following information:
• Who won the battle? When and where did this conflict take
place?
• How many casualties were there?
• What were the various battle strategies implemented by each
side?
• Who were the major players in this battle?
3. List and organize information using a graphic organizer/semantic
map.
4. From a historical perspective write a report based on your previous
research, identifying the outcome of these battles, major players, the
winning side, and your prediction of who will win the war.

4. After choosing two important battles, you will begin researching information
about each conflict by using the links provided.
1. First Battle of Bull Run:
Video
Interactive Battle Map:
Major Players and Battle outcome:
Further reading:
2. Battle of Gettysburg:
Video
Interactive Battle Map:
Major Players and Battle Outcome:
Gettysburg Address:
Further reading:

5. 3. Battle of Antietam:
Video
Audio Podcast:
Interactive Map:
Major Players and Battle Outcome:
Further reading:
4. Battle of Chancellorsville:
Video
Interactive Map:
Major Players and Battle Outcome:
Further reading:

6. While researching your battles, you will the complete a semantic
map to help you categorize the important information. You can choose a
semantic map from one of the following links.
Brainstorming Maps:
Option 1:
Option 2:
After organizing this information, you will write a news report from a
historical perspective to inform others of the various conflicts and their
outcomes/affects on the war. To complete your newspaper article, you
will use a template from the following websites.
Newspaper Template:
Option 1:
Option 2:

7. Students will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
15 Points
10 Points
5 Points
Research/
Variety of
Information
Students utilized
all available
resources and
used a variety of
facts and
statistics to
support all
claims.
Students have
researched the
topic and have
incorporated
fewer than
three different
facts to support
their articles.
Students have not
adequately
researched the
topic and lack
evidence to
support their
articles.
Organization/
Structure
Students have
created a well
organized article
with no spelling
errors.
Students have
created an
organized
article with
minimal
spelling errors.
Students have
written an article
that is not well
structured and
contains numerous
spelling errors.
Topic
Students
Students
addressed both addressed one
battles and their battle in detail.
outcomes fully.
Students failed to
fully address either
of their two
chosen battles.

8. These numerous battles and conflicts throughout the Civil War
resulted in over 620,000 casualties in total. Despite this
bloodshed, the American people were able to set aside their
differences, ending the war in 1864 after the southern surrender at
Appomattox. By relating these historical events to our own lives, we
can enhance our problem-solving skills and learn how to develop
solutions to various issues throughout life.
Further research:
• http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769977.html
• http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/facts.html