Older children, such as those in the fifth grade, can imagine living during the Civil War, writing a personal diary of the time. Scholastic's "My America" and "Dear America" series offer fictional biographies appropriate for this age group as well as the nonfiction series' "Childhoods of Famous Americans" and "Who Was...?" After reading the book, the student writes about what he might have experienced as someone living during this time, mentioning important events of the era, such as the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States.
Have each student create a shoebox diorama of a book she read about the Civil War, explaining the story by creating a three-dimensional image using paper, paint and plastic figurines. Some books to work from might include "A Ballad of the Civil War" by Mary Stolz and "Voice of Freedom: A Story About Frederick Douglass" by Maryann N. Weidt and "Two Miserable Presidents: The Amazing, Terrible, and Totally True Story of the Civil War" by by Steve Sheinkin and Tim Robinson. Mary Pope Osborne's "Civil War on Sunday" in the Magic Tree House series and "Billy and the Rebel" by Deborah Hopkinson are more appropriate for younger students.
Students of all ages can create a Civil War collage. Have them bring in magazines and newspapers to use for gathering pictures. Give them each a large piece of paper and have them cut out images relating to the Civil War and glue them on the paper. They can can focus on a specific event, person or place pertinent to the Civil War, find words like "north," south," "general," "union," or "emancipation," collect images of the White House, Abraham Lincoln, soldiers, a map of the United States or the states involved in the war. Collages can also be embellished with markers, crayons, or paint.
Have students make a Civil War book. Ask them to write one fact about the Civil War on each page to create a five to 10-page book. Provide them with facts such as the war being was between the north and the south parts of America, slavery as one of the causes of the war and specific events such as the Battle of Fort Sumter. Have students draw a picture depicting each fact and when the pages are complete, design a front cover and staple the book together.