Teaching the Civil War for Kids? Looking for Resources?

You’ve found them! The Civil War was a time of great division for the United States, and it’s essential to ensure that kids understand the causes and effects of this historical event. This worksheet will help you do just that!

With this printable Civil War book for kids, your students will learn about the many events that led to the beginning of the American Civil War. They’ll be able to connect the many compromises put in place to prevent division of the country and the impact of those attempts on American History.

This activity is designed for use in fourth to sixth-grade classrooms.

Kid-Friendly Printable Activities for the Teaching the Civil War

This mini-book provides students with an organized and graphically pleasing way to learn about and note their Civil War knowledge.  This printable book provides the learner with space to note the following concepts.

• Who fought in the Civil War, and who led each side
• What compromises were put in place to try to appease both the Northern and Southern states
• Why the Civil War began
• How the Civil War ended

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

In addition to independent student work time, use this worksheet as an activity for:

• Cross-Curricular reading groups 
• Lesson warm-up
• Lesson wrap-up
• Fast finishers 
• Homework assignment
• Whole-class review (via smartboard)

To challenge your accelerated students,

• Provide your students with a graphic organizer and have them transfer their learning into an easier-to-read format.
• Provide your students with trade books and other informational reading materials to use in the classroom.

To help your struggling readers,

• Complete the activity in a small group or 1:1 learning session.
• Provide your students with differentiated reading materials by downloading and editing the Google Slides file for easier readability.
• Provide students with an anchor chart, poster, or other Civil War resources to reference during the activity.

Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

Additionally, project the template onto a screen and work through it as a class by having students record their answers in their notebooks.

This resource was created by Ali Endlich, a teacher in South Carolina and Teach Starter Collaborator.