The+Gettysburg+Address

**Objectives**:

 * explain why Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address
 * rewrite the Gettysburg Address in your own words
 * assess whether the Gettysburg Address is still relevant in today's society

**Do Now:**
Students will watch the following video clip of actors reciting the Gettysburg Address, then answer the following questions on a sheet of paper.

Gettysburg Address


 * 1) Have you ever heard this before?
 * 2) Why do you think the director had the actors repeat certain lines?
 * 3) Which parts stuck out or struck you the most?
 * 4) When do you think this speech was originally given?
 * 5) For what reason do you think this was given?

Students will answer these questions, then pair-share. Students will then share out with the class.

**Lesson**:
1. Students will review a timeline of events of battle victories between the North and South, showing the progression of the war up until the Gettysburg Address.

2. Students will read and mark up the Gettysburg Address, highlighting and defining key vocabulary. Students will also add CCQ's to their mark ups.

3. Students will then rewrite the speech in their own words, in a modern day way that Lincoln might say if he was president today.

**Summary/Assessment:**
Is the Gettysburg Address still relevant in today's society? Why?