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Abraham Lincoln Mini Unit Study

 

In the month of February, depending on where you live, you may have a state holiday celebrating the life of the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12 in 1809. If you don’t have a state holiday, you can remember Lincoln on the third Monday in February - President’s Day.

Lincoln is one of the best known of the U.S. presidents due to his role in ending slavery in the United States and in preserving the Union. After winning the presidential election in the fall of 1860, he immediately faced an enormous crisis before his inauguration even took place, when seven states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, sparking the Civil War. Four years later, the war over, President Lincoln was assassinated in Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth.

In this mini unit study, you can: read about the life and achievements of Abraham Lincoln, read an original copy of The Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, learn about his assassination, look through his famous quotes, assemble a time line of key events in his life, test your knowledge with a quiz or crossword puzzle, make an Honest Abe coin bank and study a famous piece of Lincoln-related art.

Reading

Biography of Abraham Lincoln

The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln (on-line old-fashioned full-length biography)

Read the first printed version of the Emancipation Proclamation

Learn about the assassination

The Gettysburg Address (Lincoln’s most famous speech)

Famous Lincoln quotes (which is your favorite?)

Test Your Knowledge

Assemble a time line of the key events in Abraham Lincoln's life (younger students)

Quiz on Lincoln’s life (younger students)

Lincoln crossword puzzle (older students)

Assignments and Projects

Make an Honest Abe coin bank

Analyze Lincoln-inspired art – a lesson plan (older students)

Recommended Resource

Grace's Letter to Lincoln

As part of the movement to elect Lincoln, Grace's family helps organize a rally in their small New York town. After seeing the candidate's image on a poster, Grace decides to write to him suggesting that he might win more votes if he grew a beard. Lincoln answers the child's letter and she becomes a neighborhood celebrity. When his victory train passes through on its way to Washington, the president singles Grace out as the girl who gave him good advice. Based on a true incident, this short transitional story will satisfy readers of historical fiction. Reproductions of Grace Bedell's letter and Lincoln's reply are included (School Library Journal Review)

Author: Peter Roop
Amazon Price $3.95

Read more about the book on Amazon