The Gettysburg Address Context This lesson was designed for use in a tenth grade American Literature course,

but could be adapted for any secondary level ELA course. The lesson was intended to take place in the midst of other Civil War era literature, specifically to serve as a non-fiction, informational text of the period. Objectives Students will be able to determine the central idea of the text and make inferences about the speakers intended meanings. Students will be able to analyze the speakers word choice and tone throughout the course of the text. Students will be able to produce their own versions of the text written in their voice. Students will be able to understand the historical significance of the speech in the context of the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. Common Core Standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.3 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9 Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washingtons Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelts Four Freedoms speech, Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail), including how they address related themes and concepts. Materials The Gettysburg Address Text The Gettysburg Address Your Version Worksheet Reading of The Gettysburg Address (Youtube) Remember the Titans Speech (Youtube) Introduction (10 minutes) Students will read the first section of the background/history handout and respond to the following journal prompt: Based on the reading passage, what can you infer about the nature of the remarks Lincoln was asked to make? What do you predict he will talk about? What do you think the tone of the speech would be like? Think about the audience, the purpose, etc.

Input: The History & The Speech (5 minutes) The teacher will cover information on the history and speech itself. Major points to be addressed: - The Battle of Gettysburg: Major battle in the Civil War, with 51,000 casualties (dead, wounded, & missing). - One major issue of the Civil War: Slavery - Slavery and equality were completed in opposition to each other - Radical idea that all men are created equal was more important that just the laws of the Constitution - First National Cemetery being dedicated, Lincoln invited to give opening remarks - Lincoln not the Keynote Speaker- only gave a short speech, 2 mins vs 2 hours - Lincoln took this time to talk about the impact of the war on a larger scale- not just talking about the cemetery, but the war and the unity of the nation - Lincolns speech is remembered more than Everetts- even though the latter was much longer and more thorough Input: The Gettysburg Address (25 minutes) Students will listen to a recording of the speech twice and make notes on their own copy of the speech as they go along. The teacher will ask students to just listen the first time. The second time, the teacher will ask students to highlight important words and phrases, things that are repeated, words they dont understand, etc. The teacher will then analyze the language of the speech with the students. Repeated words & phrases: - We/Us - New - Nation - Dedicated - The people - Living/Dead - Conceived - Consecrated - Here - Devotion Other concepts: - Covers a local, national, and global scope - Death of the Union, in his opinion, means the death of freedom and democracy everywhere - The futility of our efforts at a speech and a nice dedication of the cemetery. It is the soldiers and their deaths that has done the work. They are what we should remember. - Government of the people, by the people, for the people- democracy

Questions for Discussion Do you think Lincolns speech was effective? Why or why not? What tone is he speaking with? What mood is he trying to set? If you could condense his speech into a Tweet (140 characters) or less, what would it be? How would a Northerner react to this speech? How would a Southerner react to this speech? Modern Relevance (10 minutes) How is this speech still relevant today? What concepts can you pull from it? Video Clip: Remember the Titans, Coach Boones speech (Youtube) Ask a student to explain the background of the clip, and fill in gaps. (School has been integrated, football team is the only integrated team, they are at training camp together but theyre still fighting all the time. This scene takes place at the Gettysburg Cemetery.) How does what Coach Boone said reflect what Lincoln said in his speech? Is he staying true to the same beliefs? What parts of his speech match up with what Lincoln said? Is this battle over? What are some areas where people are still fighting for equality? Your Version (5 minutes) Students will complete their own version of The Gettysburg Address on the Your Version worksheet. This will be due tomorrow at the beginning of class.