Downloadable QuickTime versions of the video segments:
(Note: To download a video, right-click on the video title and click “Save Link As…” or “Save Target As…” On a Mac, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the mouse, then save the link.)

Clip 1: Abraham Lincoln, Attorney at Law

Clip 2: All Things Lincoln

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.

1. Hold up a hat that is similar in shape to the type of hat Lincoln wore. (See “Prep for Teachers” section for instructions on creating a coffee can hat.) Ask students why they think you might be holding the hat.

2. Explain that this hat is similar to the type of hat that Abraham Lincoln wore. Tell them that today we are going to find out more about the life of Abraham Lincoln. Ask them to tell you some things that they know about Abraham Lincoln. Write those answers down on a board or flip chart for all to see. If they do not know anything about Abraham Lincoln, let them know that he was the 16th President of the United States.

3. Dump all of the timeline clues into the hat and jumble them. Tell students that Lincoln often kept letters or other papers in the hat he wore, just like you have put papers in this hat. Tell the students that you need their help. The pieces of paper in this hat contain pictures and information about Lincoln’s life, but they are all jumbled up. Ask: Can you help to unscramble this timeline with me?

4. Ask each student, one at a time, to pick a piece of paper from the hat. Once all students have a piece of paper, ask them to look for a word that is bolded on their sheet of paper. Ask them to find another student with the same word bolded on their sheet. (Note: Some of the cards just have text and some have a photograph with one or more words. Each picture card has a corresponding text card. Students need to find the matching picture card for each text card.)

5. Once the students have found a match (a text and image card that contain the same bolded word), ask each pair to read the text card, including the featured year, and look at the corresponding picture. Once the pairs have discovered their special fact and year, ask them to line up in the room in order of the dates—with the earliest year at the beginning of the timeline and the last year at the end.

6. Once all the students are lined up, walk to the beginning of the line and have the students reveal their fact about Lincoln and the date. Then hang up their pieces of paper (on the wall, a board or taped to a large sheet of paper). If desired, draw a line or hang a string going from left to right (on the board or paper where you are hanging the timeline pieces). This drawn line or string can function as the line onto which the pieces of paper can be placed. You can also mark off years in increments of 5 years (using a marker or small pieces of paper with the years written on them), beginning with 1805 and ending with 1865. This can make it easier to space out the pieces of paper along the timeline.

7. Continue walking toward the end of the line, asking each group to present its year and special fact. After all the pieces are hanging in order on the wall, quickly review the timeline with the students from the beginning to the end.

Note:
• For a small class: Hand out one text card to each student. Then lay out the picture cards face up on a table. Ask each child to find the picture card that goes with his/her text card. If there are more text cards then students, ask students to find the matching picture card for their first text card and place the match face up on a table. Then tell the student to return to the hat to pick out another text card.
• For a large class: Ask students to work in small groups to find the matches. Give each group a text card or picture card and ask the groups to find the group with the card that matches theirs.
• For beginning readers: Do not separate the text cards from their corresponding picture card. Give each student a matching picture/text pair. Then ask students to line up in order of the year shown on their cards.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Gathering Facts about Lincoln

Learning Activity #1: Lincoln, the Lawyer
1. Tell the students that before Lincoln became president, he did many things. Ask: What is one type of job that you think he had before becoming President? (Possible answers: congressman, lawyer.)

2. Explain that one of the jobs Lincoln had before serving as our country’s 16th president was working as lawyer. Tell the students that they are about to watch a video clip about Lincoln’s time working as a lawyer.

3. Provide the students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to see how many facts they can find out about Lincoln in the clip. Challenge them to find at least 4 facts.

4. PLAY Clip 1, “Abraham Lincoln, Attorney at Law,” for the class. (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After the segment, bring out the drawn outline of the hat. Ask the students to tell you some facts that they learned about Lincoln in the segment. Write the facts (or ask students to write the facts) on the hat.
(Some possible answers: Abraham Lincoln worked as a congressman in Washington for one term; he returned to Illinois in 1849 to practice law; he was a father; had 2 children; he needed to earn a living; he educated himself; he read; he taught himself Euclidian geometry; he traveled with other lawyers, judges and sheriffs to different county courthouses; made close friendships; his time working as a lawyer was an important time in his life; the courthouses that Lincoln worked in are now tourist attractions; he was involved in over 5,000 court cases; he took almost any case.)

5. Now ask the students to look back at the timeline of Lincoln’s life again. Ask them if there is any new information that they can add. (Lincoln returned to Illinois in 1849 to practice law.) Write down any new information on a piece of paper and add it to the timeline so that it fits in chronological order.

Learning Activity #2: Learning about Lincoln through Objects
1. Remind the students that they have been talking about Abraham Lincoln and have learned some new facts about him. Ask the students to look at the timeline and think about how they could find out more information about a featured event or period of time in Lincoln’s life. (Possible answers: through books, through the web, through Lincoln’s writings, through visiting the places where Lincoln lived and worked, such as the courthouse featured in the segment about Lincoln’s work as a prairie lawyer, etc.) Discuss some of the answers that the students provided.

2. Explain to the students that one way to learn more about someone is by looking at what they wore and what they owned. Provide a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking students to try to see what type of information people can learn from studying objects from the past.

3. PLAY Clip 2, “All Things Lincoln.” (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After the segment, repeat the focus question: What type of information can people learn from studying objects from the past? (What types of things were important to them, etc.) Ask students to discuss their thoughts about some of the objects that they saw in the video clip.

4. Divide the class into groups of 3-4 students. Once the students are in their groups, ask them to think about what objects in this room could help an outsider to understand this class better. Distribute the “Our Things” Student Organizer to each student.

5. Ask the students to think about and discuss the following question with their group: If someone wanted to learn about this class just by viewing 5 things in this classroom, what 5 things would you select for him or her to view? What could he/she learn about the class from each object? Once they have selected 5 objects, each group should complete one “Our Things” Student Organizer for each object. Students should write down the name and/or draw a picture of the object and write a brief description of what someone could learn from viewing that object. (For example, a dictionary- shows that they can read and like to find out about new words, etc.) As an alternative to this activity, students can describe 5 items from their home that tell a story about their family.

CULMINATING ACTIVITY: Creating a Personal Timeline

1. Review the Lincoln timeline that the students assembled at the beginning of the lesson. Point out that each event has a date, as well as information and a picture about that date. Remind students that the timeline begins with the earliest date and goes until the most recent date.

2. Explain to students that it is now their turn to make a timeline about their own lives. Ask the students to think about two important things that have happened to them in their lives. Ask for some volunteers to share this information. (Some possible answers: the day they were born; going on a fun vacation; learning to play an instrument; getting a special gift; starting school; making a new friend; etc.)

3. Hand out blank sheets of paper to each student. (Hand out 1 sheet of paper for each student creating a timeline online and distribute 3-4 sheets for each student creating a timeline by hand.). Ask each student to write down the two events that they thought of on a sheet of paper. Now ask them to think of 4 more important things that have happened to them in their lives and to write those down, as well.

4. Ask students to create a timeline on which to put these events.

• Creating timelines by hand: Ask students to draw a line from left to right across the middle of their paper. Then ask them to draw small vertical lines to indicate important years in their lives. To create a longer timeline, students can tape 2-3 pieces of paper end to end and then draw a horizontal line across all the sheets.

• Creating online timelines: Direct students to the “Timeline Generator” at http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/materials/timeline/ (Note: Instruct them to scroll to the bottom of the page to see the timeline tool.)

5. Ask the students to put their 6 events in chronological order in their timelines, starting with the earliest event and ending with the most recent. If students are using the online timeline tool, ask students to print out their timelines once they have finished. Encourage all students (whether creating a timeline by hand or on the computer) to draw/paste images or photographs to go along with each event. After students have completed their individual timelines, ask for volunteers to explain/ present their timelines to the group.

6. Optional: Create a class timeline and hang it in the room. Mark off important events that have already happened in the school year and add on new events as they occur.

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.

GRADE LEVEL: 1-3

TIME ALLOTMENT: Two 45-minute class periods

OVERVIEW:
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students will gather different facts about Lincoln through a variety of hands-on activities. In the Introductory Activity, students will match vocabulary words with pictures to piece together a timeline of Abraham Lincoln’s life. In the Learning Activities, students will gather various facts about the life of Lincoln. Students will learn about Abraham Lincoln’s work as a lawyer on the prairie and also gain insight into Lincoln through objects and artifacts of his life. Students will then select classroom objects that best tell a story about them and/or their class. In the Culminating Activity, students will reflect upon the life of Lincoln, revisit the timeline of Lincoln’s life and create their own personal timelines.

SUBJECT MATTER:
Social Studies; US History

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
• Create and interpret their own timelines
• Place events in chronological order
• Describe at least 5 facts about Abraham Lincoln
• Critically observe and describe objects
• Describe different ways to learn about the past
• Match words to corresponding images
• Define key vocabulary terms

STANDARDS

History Standards for Grades K-4

Historical Thinking Standards
Standard 1: Chronological Thinking

A. Distinguish between past, present, and future time.
E. Interpret data presented in time lines.
F. Create time lines.

Standard 4: Historical Research Capabilities

B. Obtain historical data.
C. Interrogate historical data.

MEDIA COMPONENTS
LOOKING FOR LINCOLN, selected segments

Clip 1:

Abraham Lincoln, Attorney at Law

Clip 2:

All Things Lincoln

Access the streaming and downloadable video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page.

Web site:
TeAch-nology.com- The Online Teacher Resource
Students can use this “timeline generator” on the TeAch-nology.com site to create their own timelines, including up to 6 events. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the timeline generator.)

MATERIALS

For the class:
• 1 black top hat (a real hat or one that you make)
Note: See the “Prep for Teachers” section below for directions on how to make a simple black hat, using a can and construction paper or felt.
• One large drawing of the outline of a top hat
Note: See the “Prep for Teachers” section below for details.
• One set of Abraham Lincoln Timeline Cards, cut out and mixed up (download here)

For each group of 3-4 students:
• 5 copies of the “Our Things” Student Organizer (download here)

For each student:
• 2-3 blank sheets of paper to create their personal timelines
• Pencils, pens and crayons

PREP FOR TEACHERS
Prior to teaching this lesson, you will need to:

Preview all of the video segments and Web sites used in the lesson.
Download the video clips used in the lesson to your classroom computer, or prepare to watch them using your classroom’s Internet connection.

Bookmark the Web site used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom. Using a social bookmarking tool such as del.icio.us or diigo (or an online bookmarking utility such as portaportal) will allow you to organize all the links in a central location.

If you do not have a black top hat, you can create your own by following these steps:

1. Take a coffee can or other similarly-shaped container and place it upside down onto a piece of black construction paper or black felt.
2. Glue the coffee can to the paper.
3. Cut the black piece of paper or felt into a circle shape, leaving about two inches between the rim of the can and the edge of the paper or felt.
4. Wrap black construction paper or black felt around the sides and bottom of the hat.

Cut up the jumbled timeline cards. (For beginning readers: Keep each picture card joined to its adjoining text card.)

Print enough copies of the “Our Things” Student Organizer so that each group of 3-4 students has 5 copies.

Draw a large outline of a top hat on a large sheet of posterboard, a white board or a flip chart. This is intended to be a space where you can write in facts that your students learn about Lincoln during the lesson. Make the drawing large enough that you could write at least 20 short sentences inside the outline of the hat.

Next: Proceed to Activities

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.

Downloadable QuickTime versions of the video segments:
(Note: To download a video, right-click on the video title and click “Save Link As…” or “Save Target As…” On a Mac, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the mouse, then save the link.)

Clip 1: Bush on Lincoln

Clip 2: Proving Ground

Clip 3: “How Could God Have Allowed This?”

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.

1. Ask students who they think is the greatest American president? (Answers will vary but will likely include Abraham Lincoln.) Explain that while Lincoln is now commonly regarded as our greatest president (second perhaps only to Washington), in his own time he was a highly controversial figure. Tell students that this lesson will take a closer look at some of the decisions Lincoln made that contributed to his widespread unpopularity at the time—even as they guaranteed his place in history.

2. Distribute to each student the “Lincoln’s Crossroads” student organizer. Log on to “Lincoln’s Crossroads”. Explain that this interactive will give them the opportunity to make some of the key decisions Lincoln faced during the Civil War. As a class, play the interactive’s third “Crossroad” about Ft. Sumter using the following Interactive Instructions:

• 1) After the onscreen Lincoln outlines his two options in this scenario, ask for a show of hands of everyone who thinks Lincoln made the first or second choice.

• 2) Select the response in “Lincoln’s Crossroads” chosen by the classroom majority.

• 3) Once Lincoln’s response has been revealed, have students mark the corresponding checkbox on their organizer. Ask them if they would have made the same choice? Why or why not?

• 4) Have students circle the checkbox corresponding to their own choice.

Tell students that if they had been president and chosen, as Lincoln chose, to defend Ft. Sumter, their decision would have triggered the Civil War. Make sure students understand that their decisions in this and forthcoming rounds of “Lincoln’s Crossroads” are not necessarily “right” or “wrong,” but rather only what Lincoln either did or didn’t do. Explain that many of Lincoln’s decisions—including his resolve to fight the Confederacy in the first place—were highly controversial at the time, and that many remain so today.

3. As a class, play the interactive’s fifth “Crossroad” about The Merryman Case, according to the Interactive Instructions outlined in Step 2. Explain that Lincoln’s decision to suspend the constitutional writ of habeas corpus in Maryland in 1861—a policy he would extend nationwide the following year—remains one of his most controversial acts as president. [NOTE: If students are unclear on the definition of habeas corpus, explain that its basic premise is that one cannot be imprisoned without just cause. An interactive timeline about the history of habeas corpus can be found at http://www.aclu.org/safefree/detention/habeastimeline.html.]

4. Ask students if anyone knows of any other occasions in American history when the writ of habeas corpus has been suspended. Explain that several presidents including Ulysses Grant, Franklin Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton have suspended or restricted this basic right during crises of war or terrorism, but that perhaps the most controversial example in our own time has been President George W. Bush’s policy toward detaining prisoners without trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as part of the post-9/11 “War on Terror.”

5. Tell students that they will now be looking at a segment from the PBS film LOOKING FOR LINCOLN in which President Bush himself addresses the parallels between his own controversial presidency and that of Lincoln. Provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION by asking them: “What was one of the nicknames given to Lincoln by his opponents and detractors?” (“Abraham the Tyrant.”)
PLAY Segment 1, “Bush on Lincoln.” (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After reviewing the focus question, ask students what they think is similar in the situations faced by Presidents Lincoln and Bush? What’s different? (Accept all answers, but explain that wartime poses particularly difficult challenges for U.S. presidents, who are charged with maintaining often conflicting standards of constitutional law and national security. Tell students that the rest of this lesson will be devoted to exploring several such challenges in Lincoln’s presidency.)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

1. Tell students that they will now be taking a look at some more of Lincoln’s controversial wartime policies, starting with a segment from LOOKING FOR LINCOLN that discusses the unprecedented scale of the Civil War itself. Provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION by asking them: “How many soldiers died in the Civil War?” PLAY Segment 2, “Proving Ground,” PAUSING at 1:40, after Professor Gates says, “There’s no better place to try and find the answers to these questions than here at Gettysburg.” (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After reviewing the focus question, explain that the answer—620,000—exceeds the number of fatal American casualties in ALL other wars from the Revolution to the present day, and is over 200 times greater than the number of people killed on September 11th, 2001.

2. Ask students what they think the answer is to Professor Gates’ question in the segment: Why DID Lincoln order so many men to their deaths? What was it all for? (Answers will vary, but many students will answer that the war was fought to end slavery.) As a class, log on to the “Lincoln’s Crossroads” interactive and play the sixth “Crossroad” about the Fremont Proclamation according to the Interactive Instructions outlined in Step 2 of the Introductory Activity. Ask what Lincoln’s decision to revoke the Fremont Proclamation indicates about his initial purpose in pressing the war? (That it was being fought not primarily to free slaves, but rather to defeat the Confederacy and preserve the Union.)

3. Explain that as the war progressed, Lincoln gradually revised his opinion about the importance of freeing slaves as part of the Union cause. After a string of humiliating military defeats, he took the occasion of the Union army’s victory at the battle of Antietam to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. This often misunderstood document in fact only freed the South’s slaves; it did nothing to free the slaves in northern states still loyal to the Union.

4. As a class, proceed to the eighth “Crossroad” about Black Troops, and play it according to the Interactive Instructions outlined in Step 2 of the Introductory Activity. Ask students what they think Lincoln’s primary motivations were for including the provision for black troops in the Emancipation Proclamation? (Answers will vary, but explain that Lincoln at this point was more concerned with raising additional manpower to save the Union, and raising morale among Northern abolitionists, than he was in ending slavery for its own sake.)

5. Tell students that they will now be watching the remainder of the second LOOKING FOR LINCOLN segment. Provide a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION by asking: “What did Lincoln called the Confederates?” (Insurgents, rebels.) PLAY the remainder of Segment 2 (from where Gates asks “How many men were here?”) (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After reviewing the focus question, ask students where else they may have heard the term “insurgents” in our own time. (Iraq.)

6. Explain to the class that these terrible casualties sustained by the Union Army at Gettysburg on July 1-3, 1863 helped fan the flames of the next great crisis in Lincoln’s presidency. As a class, return to “Lincoln’s Crossroads” and play the eleventh “Crossroad” about the Draft Riots according to the Interactive Instructions outlined in Step 2 of the Introductory Activity. Explain that it was the poor who rioted against the draft in New York City. Ask students why they think this was? (They could not afford the $300 required to buy their way out of conscripted military service.) Ask students if they can think of another instance where a national draft provoked unrest and resistance? (The Vietnam War in the 1960s.)

7. Tell students they will now be looking at a third segment from LOOKING FOR LINCOLN, and ask them to look for what Professor Gates believes is “the key to understanding the greatness” of Lincoln. (His language.) PLAY Segment 3, “How Could God Have Allowed This?” (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After reviewing the focus question, ask students how Lincoln defined the purpose of the war differently at Gettysburg than he had earlier? Why? (Answers will vary, but encourage an understanding that the unanticipated and unprecedented human cost of the war now required a larger, greater purpose: the war was no longer just a struggle to save the political entity of the Union, but a moral crusade to end slavery. “Our honored dead” were now to be sacrifices made in the name of the higher ideal “that all men are created equal.”)

8. As a class, return to “Lincoln’s Crossroads” and play the twelfth “Crossroad” about the Thirteenth Amendment according to the Interactive Instructions outlined in Step 2 of the Introductory Activity. Ask students what Lincoln’s support for the Thirteenth Amendment suggests about his views on slavery at this late point in the war. (Answers will vary, but encourage an understanding that Lincoln no longer saw the permanent abolition of slavery as a means to an end—i.e. the preservation of the Union, which is at this point all but guaranteed—but as an end in itself, which he finally has the political capital to impose upon the nation as a whole.)

CULMINATING ACTIVITY

1. Have students review their “Lincoln’s Crossroads” student organizer and identify one crossroad at which they personally would have chosen differently from Lincoln. Have those students who selected the same crossroad form a group. Note that many students will not have personally decided differently than Lincoln on any issue, in which case they must now be assigned to one of the groups until there are six groups of approximately equal size—one for each crossroad explored in the lesson.

2. Either as an in-class research project or as a homework assignment (depending on available time and classroom/library resources) assign each group to research the context and consequences of their crossroad and write a short speech justifying the choice that Lincoln didn’t historically make. These speeches are not to exceed 272 words—the length of Lincoln’s most famous—and brief—speech: the Gettysburg Address. Encourage students to examine the Gettysburg address in the “Analyzing the Evidence” interactive available here.

Downloadable QuickTime versions of the video segments:
(Note: To download a video, right-click on the video title and click “Save Link As…” or “Save Target As…” On a Mac, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the mouse, then save the link.)

Clip 1: Early Views

Clip 2: White Supremacist?

Clip 3: The Road to Emancipation

Clip 4: Growth and Change

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.

1) Ask the class to think about the past year, and how life in the United States has changed over the past 12 months. Get the students to describe changes in the U.S. economy, politics, music, technology, or other areas of change. You may want to record students’ responses on the board.

2) Review the list the class developed of changes that occurred over the last 12 months. Next, the students will think about how things have changed over the course of their entire lifetimes.

3) Divide the students into five groups. Assign one of the following topics to each group:
• Clothing and hairstyles
• Foods you enjoy
• Ways of communicating (such as the Internet and telephones)
• Language and Popular Expressions
• Favorite music

4) Ask each group to jot down ideas about how their specific topic has changed or evolved over the course of their lifetimes. How are things different now than they were earlier in their lives? Does anything from the past seem funny or strange now, and if so, what? Ask students to come up with as many specific examples as possible.

5) Ask each group to report out on the changes and developments for their topic. Encourage the other groups to share additional ideas for each topic. After each group has reported out, turn the discussion to an examination of why these changes occurred. For example, were they the result of improving technology, trends taking off from movies and TV shows, the students’ growing older, the influence of advertising, or something else?

6) Now the students will think specifically about changes in their own lives. Each student will consider how he or she has changed as an individual from the person they were five years ago, especially in terms of preferences, attitudes, and opinions. Ask each student to write down several sentences reflecting on how they have personally changed in the last five years.

7) When everyone is done writing, ask a few students to share their responses. Also ask these students, and the class, to discuss some of the reasons the changes may have occurred. You may also want to share some of the changes you have experienced over the course of the last 5 years or your entire life.

8) Explain that, as this activity demonstrates, people’s opinions, viewpoints, positions, and preferences commonly evolve and change over time. In the next activities, the students will examine how an individual’s evolving viewpoints influenced American history.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

1) Have the class brainstorm what they know about Abraham Lincoln. For what is he remembered? What do they know about his life? You may wish to record class responses on the board.

2) Ask the class to decide which of Lincoln’s actions or decisions have had the most enduring impact on American history? Guide your students to realize that two of Lincoln’s most significant contributions to American history are a) the abolition of slavery and b) the saving of the Union.

3) Review the major events and activities pertaining to the abolition of slavery during Lincoln’s lifetime – specifically highlighting the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the subsequent passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution (signed by Lincoln in 1865).

4) During Lincoln’s lifetime, there were numerous different viewpoints and attitudes toward slavery. There were many critics of slavery’s abolition. The students will next examine a variety of historical quotations from Lincoln and others who lived at the same time, illustrating a wide variety of perspectives.

5) Divide the students into pairs. Distribute the “Who Said It?” Student Organizer to each pair. Ask the students to identify the speaker of each quote. Some individuals may be associated with more than one quote. This is not a quiz and students will not be graded, however, they should use the information and clues presented in the quotes, as well as their knowledge of history, to make their best guess as to each quote’s speaker or writer.

6) Once the students have completed the organizer, review each quote one at a time. Poll the class on their guesses for the speaker/writer of each quote and record the most popular answer on the board. Once you’ve tallied all the student answers, reveal the actual speakers and writers, from the provided Answer Key. Ask the students if there were any surprises, and point out some of the unexpected associations (Confederate leaders who spoke against slavery, racism in the quotes by abolitionists, and Lincoln’s varied and conflicting viewpoints on slavery and race).

7) Ask the students to circle all the quotes from Abraham Lincoln. Do all these quotations agree with each other? Gather student opinions on why the quotes might be so different. The students will next view video segments from the PBS film Looking for Lincoln to determine how Lincoln’s views on slavery evolved over the course of his lifetime.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

1) Distribute the “Looking for Lincoln’s Views on Slavery Video Organizer” to each student. Frame the upcoming video segments by explaining they show Lincoln’s changing views on slavery.

2) Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to watch each video segment, note facts they learn about Lincoln’s views on slavery in the second column of their organizer, and write a complete-sentence summary of Lincoln’s viewpoint as expressed in each video segment in the third column.

3) Play Video Segment #1, “Early Views,” for your students. (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After the segment, give your students a few minutes to complete section 1 of the organizer. Ask your students what facts they learned about Lincoln’s views on slavery early in his administration (refer to the “Looking for Lincoln’s Views on Slavery Video Organizer Answer Key” for possible student answers).

4) Frame the second segment: since his death, Lincoln has served a symbolic role in American history as the liberator of slaves. As we saw in the first video segment, Lincoln’s views on slavery were a bit more complex, and subject to changing interpretations over the years. In this segment, the students will see how different African Americans have regarded Lincoln’s attitudes towards slavery and race.

5) Remind students to complete section 2 of the organizer as they watch the segment. Play Video Segment #2, “White Supremacist?” for your students. (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After giving your students a few minutes, review their answers.

6) Ask students why Lincoln might have changed his views on ending slavery. What do they think was the decisive factor in the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation? Play Video Segment #3, “The Road to Emancipation.” (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After the segment has finished, give your students a few minutes to complete section 3.

7) Explain to the students that between 1862-1865, Lincoln’s views on slavery and race had greatly changed. Play Video Segment #4, “Growth and Change.” (Access the video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page). After the segment has finished, allow your students to complete section 4 of the organizer.

8) As a follow-up to the viewing of the video segments, review with your students what they’ve learned about Lincoln’s changing views on slavery and race. Ask your students if they think it is better to maintain one viewpoint or perspective, or to allow your viewpoints and perspectives to change and grow as you gain experience and knowledge. Remind students that recent politicians have been referred to as “flip floppers” when they change their opinions on key topics. Would Lincoln be viewed as a “flip flopper” if he was alive today? Why or why not? How has learning about Lincoln’s changing views on slavery influenced your ideas about politicians who change their minds or shift their viewpoints?

LEARNING ACTIVITY 3

1) Project the “Lincoln Over Time” timeline interactive. Provide the students with a focus: based on their knowledge so far, the class will try to place six different quotations Lincoln made about race and slavery in the correct chronological order. As a class, go through the “Lincoln’s Views on Slavery” section of the interactive. Point out to students that Lincoln’s views did not progress in a clear evolution towards emancipation – his progression toward freeing the slaves took many twists and turns.

2) Once the “Lincoln’s Views on Slavery” section has been completed, direct the students to computers, where they will complete the other sections of the timeline in small groups. Provide them with a focus, asking them to think about how Lincoln changed physically, professionally, and morally during his lifetime.

3) Once everyone has completed all sections of the timeline, hold a discussion in class about some of the changes Lincoln underwent in his lifetime – professionally, physically, and morally.

CULMINATING ACTIVITY

1) Write the following two quotations on the board:
• “You can’t defend Abraham Lincoln without defending slavery.” – Lerone Bennett
• “Remembering is always about some degree of forgetting…The task is to keep reminding ourselves what is worth remembering.” – David Blight

2) Remind the students that these are statements made by two historians featured in LOOKING FOR LINCOLN (both are drawn from Segment 2, “White Supremacist?”). Ask the students what they think each historian meant in his statement (Lerone Bennett is disillusioned with the vision of Lincoln as the “Great Emancipator,” and feels that Lincoln’s views on racial inequality and his inactivity during the abolitionist period should be remembered. David Blight’s statement acknowledges the conflicting views Lincoln held on the slavery issue, but suggests that his early views might not be as important a legacy as his later actions to free the slaves).

3) Assign your students the following task:
• Choose one of the two quotations on the board around which to frame a position paper. Using your chosen quote as a frame, write a 1-2 page essay supporting a position on how Abraham Lincoln’s views on slavery should be remembered today.

• In your essay, be sure to include a comprehensive discussion of Lincoln’s changing and conflicting views on slavery. Incorporate a minimum of three concrete examples supporting your position, such as quotations made by Lincoln (from the “Who said it” or timeline activities), events during Lincoln’s lifetime (from the timeline or video segments), and/or other facts about Lincoln you have learned from the activities completed in this lesson.

4) If desired, you may direct students to conduct further research into Lincoln’s views on slavery prior to completing their assignment. Two useful sources of documents pertaining to Lincoln and slavery are below.

Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress
[Note – entering terms such as “free slave” into the keyword will help refine the students’ search]

Teaching American History Document Library – Lincoln Collection

5) Collect the students’ position papers for an assessment of the lesson.

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.

GRADE LEVEL
Grades 5-8

TIME ALLOTMENT
Two 45-minute class periods

OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will examine Abraham Lincoln’s views on slavery and race, which evolved both throughout his early life and throughout his presidency. The lesson will begin with students examining how aspects of American society and life have changed over the course of their lifetimes, as well as the reasons for change in their own personal lives. Students will then review how Lincoln’s stance on slavery shifted over the course of his political career. Through an examination of historical quotations and primary source documents, students will learn that the Emancipation Proclamation was the result of a complex and sometimes contradictory interplay of circumstances – some political, some personal, and some societal. Students will view segments from the PBS film LOOKING FOR LINCOLN, read and analyze quotations from different historical figures on slavery and race, and utilize an online timeline interactive, before creating a position paper outlining a response to a historian’s perspective on Lincoln and slavery. This lesson is best used before, during, or following a unit on the American Civil War. Students should have a basic familiarity with Lincoln’s presidency and the Emancipation Proclamation prior to embarking on this lesson.

SUBJECT MATTER
Social Studies; U.S. History

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to:
• Articulate causes of change at the personal and societal level;
• Summarize Lincoln’s changing views on slavery and race;
• Analyze historical quotations and appreciate historical perspectives;
• Synthesize a response to a historian’s perspective addressing Abraham Lincoln’s changing views on slavery.

STANDARDS

History Standards for Grades 5-12

Historical Thinking Standards
Standard 1: Chronological Thinking

E. Interpret data presented in time lines and create time lines.
F. Reconstruct patterns of historical succession and duration; explain historical continuity and change.

Standard 2: Historical Comprehension

B. Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
F. Appreciate historical perspectives.

Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation

A. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas.
B. Consider multiple perspectives.
C. Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation, including (a) the importance of the individual in history; (b) the influence of ideas, human interests, and beliefs.
F. Compare competing historical narratives.

Standard 5: Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making

A. Identify issues and problems in the past.
E. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue.

United States History Standards
Era 5
Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
STANDARD 1: The causes of the Civil War

Standard 1A: The student understands how the North and South differed and how politics and ideologies led to the Civil War.
• Explain the causes of the Civil War and evaluate the importance of slavery as a principal cause of the conflict. [Compare competing historical narratives]

STANDARD 2: The course and character of the Civil War and its effects on the American people.

Standard 2A: The student understands how the resources of the Union and Confederacy affected the course of the war.
• Identify the turning points of the war and evaluate how political, military, and diplomatic leadership affected the outcome of the conflict. [Assess the importance of the individual in history]
• Evaluate provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s reasons for issuing it, and its significance. [Examine the influence of ideas]

MEDIA COMPONENTS

LOOKING FOR LINCOLN, selected segments

Clip 1: Early Views

Lincoln’s views on slavery early in his presidency.

Clip 2: White Supremacist?

Lincoln’s views on racial equality.

Clip 3: The Road to Emancipation

Strategic and moral arguments for emancipation.

Clip 4: Growth and Change

Lincoln’s capacity for growth.

Access the streaming and downloadable video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page.

Web sites:

The Life of Lincoln Interactive Timeline
This interactive timeline game challenges students to place Lincoln images, documents, and quotations into the correct chronological order.

MATERIALS

For the class:
• Computers with internet access
• Computer, Projection screen, and speakers (for class viewing of online/downloaded video segments)
• “Who Said It?” Answer Key (download here)
• “Looking for Lincoln’s Views on Slavery” Video Organizer Answer Key (download here)

For each pair of students:
• “Who Said It?” Student Organizer (download here)

For each student:
• “Looking for Lincoln’s Views on Slavery” Video Organizer (download here)

PREP FOR TEACHERS

Prior to teaching this lesson, you will need to:

Preview all of the video segments and the Web site used in the lesson.

Download the video clips used in the lesson to your classroom computer, or prepare to watch them using your classroom’s Internet connection.

Bookmark the Web site used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom. Using a social bookmarking tool such as del.icio.us or diigo (or an online bookmarking utility such as portaportal) will allow you to organize all the links in a central location.

Print out and make copies of the “Who Said It?” Student Organizer for each pair of students, and the “Looking for Lincoln’s Views on Slavery” Video Organizer for each student.

Familiarize yourself with the “Life of Lincoln” interactive timeline activity, which you will be leading for the class in Learning Activity 3.

Next: Proceed to Activities

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.

GRADE LEVELS: 9-12

TIME ALLOTMENT: two to three 45-minute class periods

OVERVIEW: Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was defined by the Civil War. Before he even took office—and largely because of his election—southern states were seceding from the Union, and he would barely live to see peace finally restored. Using segments from the PBS film LOOKING FOR LINCOLN and a detailed interactive game from the National Constitution Center, this lesson will explore the unique challenges Lincoln faced during the five years of bloody civil war that made him America’s greatest but most controversial wartime leader.

The Introductory Activity uses the “Lincoln’s Crossroads” online interactive to challenge students to make two of the earliest and most difficult decisions Lincoln faced during his presidency. A segment from the series is then used to promote discussion of the relative similarities and differences between Lincoln and another wartime president: George W. Bush. The Learning Activities continue with film segments providing background on Lincoln’s presidency and additional rounds of the “Lincoln’s Crossroads” interactive which call on students to “walk in his shoes.” The Culminating Activity asks students to write a hypothetical speech for Lincoln.
This lesson is best used as an introduction to a unit on the American Civil War.

SUBJECT MATTER: U.S. History/Social Studies

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will be able to:

• Describe the unprecedented scale of the losses sustained by both sides during the American Civil War.
• Identify significant events and milestones of Lincoln’s presidency.
• Articulate the difficult choices faced by President Lincoln in leading the nation during an often unpopular civil war.
• Discuss the development of how Lincoln’s position on the issue of slavery and emancipation changed during the course of the war, and why.

STANDARDS:

History Standards for Grades 5-12

Historical Thinking Standards
Standard 1: Chronological Thinking

E. Interpret data presented in time lines and create time lines.
F. Reconstruct patterns of historical succession and duration; explain historical continuity and change.

Standard 2 : Historical Comprehension

B. Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
F. Appreciate historical perspectives.

Standard 3 : Historical Analysis and Interpretation

A. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas.
B. Consider multiple perspectives.
C. Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation, including (a) the importance of the individual in history; (b) the influence of ideas, human interests, and beliefs.
F. Compare competing historical narratives.

Standard 5 : Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making

A. Identify issues and problems in the past.
E. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue.

United States History Standards
Era 5
Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
STANDARD 1: The causes of the Civil War

Standard 1A: The student understands how the North and South differed and how politics and ideologies led to the Civil War.
• Explain the causes of the Civil War and evaluate the importance of slavery as a principal cause of the conflict. [Compare competing historical narratives]

STANDARD 2: The course and character of the Civil War and its effects on the American people.

Standard 2A: The student understands how the resources of the Union and Confederacy affected the course of the war.
• Identify the turning points of the war and evaluate how political, military, and diplomatic leadership affected the outcome of the conflict. [Assess the importance of the individual in history]
• Evaluate provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s reasons for issuing it, and its significance. [Examine the influence of ideas]

MEDIA COMPONENTS:

Video:

LOOKING FOR LINCOLN, selected segments

Clip 1: Bush on Lincoln

An interview with President George W. Bush about the parallels between his and Lincoln’s presidencies.

Clip 2: Proving Ground

An introduction to the Civil War and Lincoln’s view of the Confederacy.

Clip 3: “How Could God Have Allowed This?”

A description of Lincoln’s need to ennoble the the Civil War’s horrors with the higher cause of abolition.

Access the streaming and downloadable video segments for this lesson at the Video Segments Page.

Websites:

Abraham Lincoln’s Crossroads
An interactive game from the National Constitution Center in which players are challenged to make the difficult decisions faced by Abraham Lincoln.

MATERIALS:

For the class:
• A computer with internet access connected to a projector and speakers for classroom use.

For each student:
• “Lincoln’s Crossroads” Student Organizer (download here)

PREP FOR TEACHERS:

Prior to teaching this lesson, you will need to:

Preview all of the video segments and Web site used in the lesson.

Download the video segments used in the lesson to your classroom computer, or prepare to watch them using your classroom’s Internet connection.

Bookmark the Web site used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom. Using a social bookmarking tool such as del.icio.us or diigo (or an online bookmarking utility such as portaportal) will allow you to organize all the links in a central location.

Play the “Lincoln’s Crossroads” interactive to familiarize yourself with the flow of gameplay and learn where you will need to pause it for classroom participation.

Print and copy the “Lincoln’s Crossroads” student organizer.

Next: Proceed to Activities

Lesson plans for LOOKING FOR LINCOLN were created by the LAB@Thirteen, Thirteen’s Community and Educational Outreach Department.