Encourage your students to search for maps of Civil War battlefields. List materials including art pencils for map coloring and a black ink pen to label specific points of interest. The students can mount a copy of a battlefield map onto a piece of cardboard with a glue stick or double-sided tape after adding details to it. Provide colored round head pins or tacks to mark positions of the Confederate or Union army or naval members on the mounted map. Instruct students to write a report about the battle and attach it to the bottom of the map display.
A diorama is a good choice for fifth-grade students when you assign the project three to four weeks ahead of the due date. Give your students a list with examples of materials to use to create a group of miniature Civil War soldiers. Include clay, miniature toys or card stock on the list. Suggest that the students paint or color a flat board or heavy cardboard piece for the battleground land or seaside base for the project. They can add cannons, paper or stone rock walls or boats to the surface of the board. Instruct them to set up the figurines and accessories on the battlefield scene to keep it true to the historical information that is researched for the project.
Visit the school or local library and teach the students how to search for photos and drawings in books written about U.S. Civil War history. Give the students the option of constructing a book using card stock or a construction paper filled binder. The children that make books can use copies of the photos or drawings to enhance the pages in the their book project. Tell them to add a written description of the battle under the battlefield photos that they have gathered. Urge them to tell the story of the battle with words and photos.
Give the students work sheets to take notes when they study a single battle or a series of them and plan a display board. Tell them that they must attach a report, maps, drawings or civil war photos to the display board. Advise them that they can cut out stencil letters to create a title. Line drawings of a Confederate and Union soldier can be printed on plain white paper and images filled in with colored pencils to show details of the uniforms of the men. The tri-fold board can also be decorated with clip art of civil war era cannons and flags that are colored with pencils.