CIVIL WAR DRUMMER BOYReading Activities for

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

by Ray Bradbury

Unit One: Coming of Age

Listening Activity Listen to the following FOUR drum beats. What kind of mood does it put you in?

Journal Activity Write about a time in your life when

music (a song) affected your mood. You have 5 minutes

Vocabulary1. slavery: the state of being under the

control of another person; making humans property

2. riveted: fastened or made firm3. secession: the withdrawal from the

Union of 11 Southern states in the period 1860-61, which brought on the Civil War

4. Patriots (the Union): during the Civil War, the side that was against slavery

5. Confederates: During the Civil War, the side that was in support of slavery.

Vocabulary (continued)6. civil war: a war between

political/religious factions or regions within the same country

7. Shiloh: site of a bloody Civil War battle in 1862; located in southwest Tennessee.

8. drummer boy: a young boy who accompanied troops into battle while playing the drum; often runaways or orphans.

9. riveting: holds your attention10. benediction: blessing

Vocabulary Continued11. compounded: mixed or combined12. resolute: showing a firm purpose;

determined13. basting: the act of moistening food

while cooking14. historical setting: a real time and

place from history. Details in the story will indicate the historical setting (language, dress, customs, etc.)

15. mood: the feeling or atmosphere of the work

Vocabulary Sketches Homework: create flash cards for

each of your new vocabulary words using the Vocabulary Sketches worksheet. Word Definition Picture to help you remember the

definition

Slavery and The Civil War The majority of slaves were located in the South

and worked on cotton plantations. Slave Codes robbed slaves of their freedom-they

could not carry a gun, strike their master, or even leave.

Slaves who disobeyed their masters suffered severe punishment.

Runaway Slave Poster

Slavery and the Civil War In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th

president of the United States. In his inaugural address, Lincoln said he would

not abolish slavery, but he would not let it spread.

From 1860-61, 11 states seceded from the U.S. and formed the Confederate States of America.

The United States split into two countries: North (the Union) and South (the Confederates)

A Nation Divided 1861-1865

Union Uniforms

Confederate Uniforms

The Battle of Shiloh April 6-7, 1862 One of the BLOODIEST battles of the

Civil War Estimate Casualties: 23, 746 total

Union: 13, 047 Confederate: 10, 699

Result: Union Victory

A Drummer Boy Both the North and the South

had drummer boys. Drummer boys were usually

young boys too young to do the fighting

Each company in an infantry regiment had a musician who was usually a drummer.

They were relied upon to play drum beats to call the soldiers into formation and for other events.

The most important use of drums was on the battlefield where they were used to communicate orders from the commanding officers and signal troop movement.

The End of the Civil War

On April 9, the South surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia. The war was over.

The Union was victorious. The United States became one country again. Over 600,000 men on both sides died. Over

1,100,000 were injured. The south was devastated.

Drummer Boy Vocabulary Paragraph

Pick five (5) of the vocabulary words and use them in a paragraph.

Be creative! Create your own “story!” Be sure to underline the vocabulary words! Your paragraph should demonstrate an

understanding of each word. Example:

The American Civil War was fought over slavery and began after the secession of 11 states from the Union. During the Civil War, each side used a drummer boy during battle to give commands. Having a good drummer boy was a benediction to the army since his beats could determine whether the soldiers lived or died.

Grammar Lesson: Nouns A noun names a person, animal,

place, thing, or idea. All sentences contain at least one noun. Noun ExamplePerson boy, general, JobyThing book, snow, branch, Liberty

BellAnimal bird, peacock, TweetyPlace field, Shiloh, Owl CreekIdea Freedom, age, silence,

happiness, greed, hate, sadness, bravery

Grammar Lesson-Nouns, continued

A noun can be singular (one individual thing), plural (more than one thing), or collective (a group of things acting as a single unit).

Type Example

Singular soldier, personPlural soldiers, peopleCollective army, assembly

Grammar Lesson: Nouns-Songs(Nouns from School House Rock)

Grammar Lesson: Nouns-Songs(The Noun Song by Have Fun Teaching)

Imagery in Drummer BoyCopy these quotes onto the Sensory

Imaging worksheet. Place a check (√) in the box showing which sense the quote appeals to.

1. “In silence he listened to his own heart ruffle away, away-at last gone from his ears and back in his chest again.” (p. 7)

2. “Now and again the boy heard a vast wind come up, that gently stirred the air.”

Imagery Continued3. “A moth brushed his face, but it

was a peach blossom. A peach blossom flicked him, but it was a moth.” (pg. 8)

4. He smelled as all fathers should smell, of salt sweat, ginger tobacco, horse and boot leather, and the earth he walked upon.” (pg. 9)

Imagery Continued5. “He had many eyes. No, not eyes-

brass buttons that watched the boy.” (pg. 9)

6. “Owl Creek was full of boys splashing around in the noonday sun just a few hours ago. I fear it will be full of boys again, just floating, at sundown tomorrow, not caring where the tide takes them.” (p. 10)

Imagery Continued With a partner (A/D, B/C), re-read

pages 11-12. Find TWO examples of imagery.

Write the quote in the box on your Sensory Imaging worksheet and check (√) the box that tells which sense is appealed to.

Letter From a Soldier