The Importance of Geography in Civil War Battles - Close Reading and Stations

Students analyze a series of maps, pictures and short reading passages to understand how geography affected the Battles of Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg and Gettysburg. There are also maps and reading passages dedicated to the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation.

After analyzing a map and reading passage, students answer guided questions. Some questions include a writing prompt or question stem to help students formulate correct answers. This is a strategy I use sometimes in my ESL classroom to help scaffold information for students who are acquiring English language skills.