Learning Activities

K-12

Clifton John’s Battleground Adventures is a collection of oral histories that he captured in 1913. Given that gathered these oral histories before tape recorders or any sort of recording device, he had to handwrite what he was hearing as his interviewees shared their stories.

• Encourage students to become historians as they engage with the history around them
• Promote historical thinking

Have students conduct their own oral history by talking to family members, friends, neighbors, and more as they become historians who learn about past events from the people who lived through them.

The Smithsonian Institution has a great website on how to do an oral history that provides a solid foundation for educators and students before conducting an oral history.

Note to educators:

The National Endowment for the Humanities has a teacher’s guide that breaks down the benefits of oral history in the classroom. There are also modifications for younger students available on the Reading Rockets website.

Middle & High School

The Battle of Cedar Creek at Belle Grove played a significant role in the Civil War, which included solidifying President Abraham Lincoln’s win in the Presidential Election of 1864.

The following objectives are taken directly from the American Battlefield Trust’s Election of 1864 High School Inquiry Lesson Plan:

• Students will be able to complete a graphic organizer, finding key information within primary and secondary sources.
• Students will be able to address a question about a historic event, providing evidence from primary and secondary sources.

For Middle School Students:

Follow the procedure outlined in the American Battlefield Trust’s Election of 1864 Middle School Inquiry Lesson Plan.

For High School Students:

Follow the procedure outlined in the American Battlefield Trust’s Election of 1864 High School Inquiry Lesson Plan.

K-12

Census records are what helped us discover Lucy Walker and her parents, Lewis Robinson and Hester Smith. These records help historians piece together data that then helps tell a more robust story.

Help students gain a greater understanding of historical events using census data

Using the tabs on the History Worksheets page of the United States Census Bureau website, find the appropriate grade level and browse the corresponding lessons plans that promote analysis and interpretation of census data throughout various moments in American history.