The OPTIONAL Instructor Access Grading Service is available for this course!

How to get the most out of American Lives at Gettysburg: A Virtual Tour with Christopher Martin, PhD:

• First, download and read/review the course materials below before watching the recording of the first class meeting. PLEASE REFERENCE THESE THROUGHOUT THE TERM OF THE COURSE
  

• Have a notebook ready and available for class notes while watching each class's recording
  

• Read assignments before watching each recorded meeting
  

• Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information
  

• Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total classes: 8

Duration: 55 minutes per class

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade. NOTE: Adjustments can be made to assignments to accommodate 7th to 8th-grade students.

Suggested credit: ½ semester History or American History

Instructor: Christopher Martin, PhD

Course Description: This course tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of the soldiers and civilians who experienced America’s greatest battle. We will do a virtual tour of the battlefield, exploring the very places where Americans made and experienced history. By virtually stepping into the shoes of their stories, we will gain a greater appreciation of what it means to be an American, and what Gettysburg means to the American Heritage.

Course Outline:

Day 1: Introduction and overview of syllabus and assignments; Introductory probe into the scope and utility of History.

Day 2: Backgrounds of the Civil War and the Gettysburg Campaign

Day 3: The Roads Taken to Battle

Day 4: Delaying the Confederates

Day 5: Confusion in Gettysburg

Day 6: Plans go Awry

Day 7: Defense of Cemetery Ridge

Day 8: The meaning of Gettysburg to Americans in the past and present

Course materials: No course materials need to be purchased. Dr. Martin will provide students with excerpts from Two Witnesses at Gettysburg: The Personal Accounts of Whitelaw Reid and A.J. Fremantle, by Gary Gallagher (https://amzn.to/2KV0GrW to read reviews).

Homework:

·   Students will read approximately ten pages per day from primary sources (provided free by the instructor). NOTE: Middle school students may be exempt from the readings.

·   There will be daily review quizzes that are computer-graded for immediate feedback. The quizzes are based on the classroom lectures and discussions. They are optional and worth bonus points

·   Students will compose a two- to three-page exercise in historical-critical analysis and review. This is an important skill for students to practice. NOTE: Middle school students may instead write a one- to two-page semi-biographical report.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2021 Homeschool Connections and Christopher Martin, Ph.D.  All rights reserved. This course is designed by Christopher Martin, Ph.D.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.

OUR PRAYER BEFORE CLASS MEETINGS:

Grant me the grace, O merciful God,
to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee,
to examine it prudently,
to acknowledge it truthfully,
and to accomplish it perfectly,
for the praise and glory of Thy name.

Amen.