Fourth-Graders Create Civil War One-Pagers

The fourth-graders recently studied the American Civil War and showcased their new knowledge and understanding in a project called a one-pager. “One-pagers are becoming increasingly popular as a way to help students process what they have read and learned in one powerful activity,” said Fourth-Grade Teacher Sara McCullough. “ Like sketch notes, they combine visuals with text to make ideas come alive in students’ minds and memories.” View a slideshow of select one-pagers. The projects featured belong to fourth-graders Lane Mitchell, Eva Kim,  Vivienne Johns, Charlotte Lamsens, Jazzmyn Roy and Hazel Rudner.

For approximately a month, the students studied the Civil War. The unit began with a big question —Was the Civil War inevitable? The class then went on to learn about the causes; major battles; and freedom fighters and changemakers like Frederick Douglas, Harriett Tubman and Clara Barton. The students learned the meaning behind songs that were sung by enslaved people, and how quilts tell a story. The one-pagers had to include:

• An “I believe” statement about if the war was inevitable or not.
• A quote
• An Illustration
• Information on a changemaker/freedom fighter
• An answer to a big question: Was the war worth its cost? What were the causes of the Civil War? How did the Civil War change the USA? How did the Civil War affect minorities during this time? (women, free Black people, enslaved people)

“This was a revamped unit this year and was just as fun to plan as it was for the kids to learn about,” McCullough shared.