It can be very difficult for teachers teaching about history and civil war. They find it very hard to make it interesting and involve the students in studying. Teachers try to adopt innovative strategies to make the subject interesting and enable the students to understand it well. Civil war simulation can be used by teachers where the students get involved in the creation of the scenario and understand the subject well in the right context.
There are quite a few strategies that can be tried in order to be successful in teaching students about the civil war. These strategies have been found to be effective.
Civil war foldables – Providing students with foldable templates and walking them through on how to complete it with the knowledge of the civil war can be very interesting.
Civil war Images – teachers can collect a number of important pictures of the civil war era and place them in a bowl. Students get to pick a random picture and then give a presentation on the significance of the image through simulation. Using costumes as close to the image as possible.
Historical movies – Students can be assigned different movies based on Civil war. The students must research and establish as to how truthful the movies were to the real historical events.
Simulation of wars – Simulation is the method of re-creating the situation where students take on the roles of the various people referred and enact the scenario. The students do research on the subject and character and understand the pros and cons.
As the simulation progresses, it includes time to reflect and discuss so that the students can share their views and experiences.
Sample Activities
The Civil war in Leeds – making your students become the citizens of Leeds in 1642. They enact the situation at that time. Will they survive the war? Inspire an interest in the Civil War through Civil War simulation.
Trench Warfare – By simulating the trench warfare students understand the significance of it.
Benefits of War simulation
Introduction – They are an effective way of introducing names, places, situations and sequences of incidents.
Reasoning – They help the student understand the thinking of people in those times and their motives. They can also understand the attitudes prevalent in that period.
Interpretations – Students understand why sources have gaps and how the interpretations vary.
Complexity – While creating the simulation students understand the kind of complexities that existed during the times of the situation.
Interest– By conducting a simulation of war, the interest to know more arises in the mind of the student which is a significant benefit.
Empathize – Students understand the characters through simulation and it creates a sense of care for the people of those situations.
Greater attention – Taking part in a simulation requires deep understanding and attention much more than what is needed for the standard lesson.
Conclusion
By implementing the various strategies in the classroom for teaching civil war, the teachers can create greater interest and involvement in the students. The students, in turn, understand the context and behavior of people and the motives and attitudes prevalent during the situation. Civil War simulation is one of the most effective strategies that can be used in the classroom by the teachers.