Yule: Civil War & Reconstruction
A nation divided and rebuilt. As we celebrate the return of light at Yule, we study the darkest chapter in American history and the long struggle for justice.
UU Principle Focus
1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person
🎯 Learning Goals
- • Understand the causes and course of the Civil War
- • Examine slavery, abolition, and the fight for freedom
- • Analyze Reconstruction's promises and failures
- • Master systems of linear equations
- • Learn the endocrine and immune systems
- • Connect themes of light returning and hope in darkness
Weekly Lessons
Week 1: A Nation Divided
🕯️ Hearth Circle
The nation split over slavery and states' rights. How do we hold together when we deeply disagree? What values are worth fighting for?
📚 Language Arts
Causes of the Civil War. Slavery, states' rights, economic differences. Begin Across Five Aprils. Write about division and unity.
✖️ Math: Algebra I
Systems of linear equations introduction. Solving by graphing. Identifying solutions from graphs.
🧬 Science: Body Systems
The endocrine system overview. Hormones and glands. How hormones regulate the body.
✏️ Form Drawing
American folk art patterns
🧶 Handwork
Yule crafts; create a unity symbol
📖 Story
The Compromise That Failed: Road to War
📺 "Just Can't" Day
Videos:
- Civil War Causes
- Endocrine System Intro
Shows:
- The Civil War by Ken Burns - Ep 1
Audio:
- Across Five Aprils audiobook
Week 2: The Fight for Freedom
🕯️ Hearth Circle
Enslaved people resisted in many ways—from rebellions to the Underground Railroad. What does courage look like in the face of injustice?
📚 Language Arts
Slavery and resistance. Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman. Spirituals and coded messages. Continue Across Five Aprils. Write a freedom narrative.
✖️ Math: Algebra I
Solving systems by substitution. Checking solutions. Word problems with two unknowns.
🧬 Science: Body Systems
Major glands: pituitary, thyroid, adrenal. Fight or flight response. Stress and hormones.
✏️ Form Drawing
Quilt patterns and their meanings
🧶 Handwork
Create a freedom quilt square; evergreen decorations
📖 Story
Harriet Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad
📺 "Just Can't" Day
Videos:
- Underground Railroad
- Fight or Flight Response
Shows:
- Harriet Tubman documentary
Audio:
- Narrative of Frederick Douglass
Week 3: The War Years
🕯️ Hearth Circle
Brothers fought brothers; families were torn apart. At Yule, we celebrate light returning. Where do we find hope in dark times?
📚 Language Arts
Major battles: Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg. Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. Continue Across Five Aprils. Write a soldier's letter home.
✖️ Math: Algebra I
Solving systems by elimination. Adding and subtracting equations. Choosing the best method.
🧬 Science: Body Systems
Puberty and the endocrine system. Physical and emotional changes. Healthy development.
✏️ Form Drawing
Battle maps and strategic diagrams
🧶 Handwork
Yule log and candle crafts; soldier care packages
📖 Story
The Gettysburg Address: A New Birth of Freedom
📺 "Just Can't" Day
Videos:
- Gettysburg Explained
- Puberty and Hormones
Shows:
- The Civil War - Gettysburg
Audio:
- Lincoln's speeches
Week 4: Victory and Loss
🕯️ Hearth Circle
The war ended slavery but cost 600,000 lives. Lincoln was assassinated just as peace came. How do we process such mixed emotions?
📚 Language Arts
End of the war. Lee's surrender. Lincoln's assassination. Continue Across Five Aprils. Write about endings and beginnings.
✖️ Math: Algebra I
Special systems: no solution, infinite solutions. Recognizing parallel and coincident lines.
🧬 Science: Body Systems
The immune system. White blood cells and antibodies. How the body fights infection.
✏️ Form Drawing
Memorial and commemorative designs
🧶 Handwork
Create memorial crafts; Yule gifts
📖 Story
The Night Lincoln Was Shot
📺 "Just Can't" Day
Videos:
- End of Civil War
- Immune System Basics
Shows:
- Lincoln documentary
Audio:
- Lincoln: A Photobiography
Week 5: Reconstruction
🕯️ Hearth Circle
After the war, the nation tried to rebuild and extend rights to freed people. Why did these efforts largely fail? What can we learn?
📚 Language Arts
Reconstruction amendments (13th, 14th, 15th). Freedmen's Bureau. Rise of Jim Crow. Finish Across Five Aprils. Write about broken promises.
✖️ Math: Algebra I
Applications of systems. Mixture problems. Break-even analysis.
🧬 Science: Body Systems
Vaccines and immunity. How vaccines work. The history of vaccination.
✏️ Form Drawing
Constitutional amendment calligraphy
🧶 Handwork
Continue Yule projects; create a hope symbol
📖 Story
The Broken Promise of Reconstruction
📺 "Just Can't" Day
Videos:
- Reconstruction Era
- How Vaccines Work
Shows:
- Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
Audio:
- Freedom's Children
Week 6: Legacy & Yule Celebration
🕯️ Hearth Circle
The Civil War's legacy continues today in ongoing struggles for equality. As we celebrate Yule, how do we carry the light forward?
📚 Language Arts
Civil War legacy. Civil rights connections. Review and reflection. Write about carrying the light of justice.
✖️ Math: Algebra I
Review systems of equations. Real-world applications and problem-solving.
🧬 Science: Body Systems
Review endocrine and immune systems. Create a final project.
✏️ Form Drawing
Create a Yule celebration page with themes of light and hope
🧶 Handwork
Complete Yule crafts; prepare celebration feast
📖 Story
The Long Road to Freedom: From Civil War to Civil Rights
📺 "Just Can't" Day
Videos:
- Civil War Legacy
- Body Systems Review
Shows:
- Eyes on the Prize excerpts
Audio:
- Yule stories and music
🕯️ Yule Celebration
- 🟡 Light candles for hope and justice
- 🟡 Present research on a Civil War figure
- 🟡 Display body systems projects
- 🟡 Share freedom quilt squares
- 🟡 Feast celebrating the return of light
- 🟡 Reflect on carrying light into the world
📚 Recommended Resources
Literature
- • Across Five Aprils (Irene Hunt)
- • Narrative of Frederick Douglass
- • Lincoln: A Photobiography
Reference
- • DK Eyewitness: Civil War
- • The Human Body (DK)
- • Primary sources: speeches, letters