Black Hawk War Lesson Suggestions
Essential Questions: How did previous conflicts play into the Black Hawk War? What are the similarities and differences between the Black Hawk War and other conflicts? How do heightened emotions tie into incidents like the Circleville Massacre?
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Essential Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to identify the similarities and differences between the Black Hawk War and other conflicts. Students will be able to understand the heightened emotions that lead to incidents like the Circleville Massacre.
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To begin, students will read the write-up of the Black Hawk War and understand the background leading up to the War. Students will write up a compare/contrast between the Black Hawk War and at least one other conflict. Students will then form small groups and discuss the similarities and differences between the conflicts.
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Students will also do more research into the Circleville Massacre. They will use the following websites, as well as any they find on their own:
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https://www.utahhumanities.org/stories/items/show/124
https://historytogo.utah.gov/circleville-massacre/
https://www.utahhumanities.org/stories/items/show/93
Students will then complete a write-up that describes the Circleville Massacre. They will also include a section that compares and contrasts the Circleville Massacre and the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Utah Core Standards for Social Studies:
UT Standard 2.1: Students will explain the causes and lasting effects of the Mormon migration to Utah.
UT Standard 2.4: Students will research multiple perspectives to explain one or more of the political, social, cultural, religious conflicts of this period, including the U.S. Civil War and more localized conflicts such as the Utah War, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the Bear River Massacre, the Black Hawk War, or other Federal-Mormon conflicts.
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Reading for Literacy in Social Studies Grades 6-8:
Reading for Literacy Standard 1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Reading for Literacy Standard 2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Reading for Literacy Standard 6: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
C3 Inquiry Arc History:
D2.His.5.6-8. Explain how and why perspectives of people have changed over time.
D2.His.6.6-8. Analyze how people’s perspectives influenced what information is available in the historical sources they created.