Introduction – Task – Process – Evaluation - Conclusion

Introduction

You’re walking along a dirt road in Spotsylvania, Virginia, in 1860 and a Confederate officer stops you. “You don’t look like you belong here,” he says, noticing your modern clothes. You explain to him that you are from the year 2004, and can’t explain why you woke up that morning in a barn, but you are trying to get home. “The future, huh?” he asks. “Well, my young friend, a war is brewing between the south and the north. Since you are probably studying history in your school, can you tell me about some weapons that would help us win the war?”. How can you say no? He might help you get home!

Task

Your task is to research various weapons used during the Civil War (land, water, air) and compose a “secret spy document” to deliver to your friend in the hopes he will help you get home. Your spy document must include:
5 weapons (at least 1 air, 2 land, 1 water)
1 image for each weapon
Brief description of each weapon’s effectiveness/impact

Process

You embark on your spy mission to investigate weapons. Your first mission to research weapons used on water. You reach into your pocket and remember that you stuffed your history homework in your pocket. Maybe it has some answers about water weapons.
Next, you turn to your right and see a harbor. Instantly, you think of yesterday’s class. Your teacher was saying something about ships. You sit down and think hard about what she said.
You’re excited that you remembered so much about water weapons. But what about weapons used on land? Suddenly your ear starts to ache. You remember that your brother blew his trombone at you last night. Loud sounds can be so annoying! Loud sounds…..hey, guns were used in the Civil War, weren’t they?
Thinking about guns so much makes your ear hurt even more….at least it wasn’t a bomb going off next to you…..hmmmm. You wonder what heavy artillery had been developed during the Civil War.
You are so excited to tell your friend about all the information you’ve remembered. You have a big smile on your face, when all of a sudden, a bird in a nest calls above you, you look up, and a giant egg falls on your head. CRACK!!! The egg breaks, and yoke splatters all over your head. You glare into the sky angrily. Suddenly, you think….sky…Nah, they didn’t use any air weapons THAT long ago, did they?

Evaluation

Once you finish writing up your secret report for your friend, he will evaluate you on the following criteria, and decide whether or not he wants to help you get home:

5 weapons, with images and descriptions
using the time you have in Virginia wisely to not keep your friend waiting (on task)
creativity in presentation (choice of images, formatting, language used in descriptions)
staying in character (as a secret spy)
any extra details to enhance project (any other historical facts, events, etc.)

Conclusion

Your friend is pleased with your finished product. Mysteriously, he claps his hands and you feel a little woozy. You blink, and suddenly find yourself standing in your US History class. Now it’s time to talk with your classmates about which weapon would be most effective. Your teacher will assign you a weapon to present and debate its effectiveness compared to the selections of your classmates.