Civil War Anniversary

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Visit the Civil War Trust to get ideas for turning this event into a teaching moment. Also, check out Reading the Civil War, from the CiRCE Institute, for helpful suggestions about how to approach what can be a daunting task: teaching your children about the Civil War.

Is one of your children a history buff? Then you might be interested in this opportunity from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the History Channel:

...high school students who know their Civil War history will get a chance to compete for a college scholarship as part of an initiative announced today by education publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and HISTORY, the cable network. The National Civil War Student Challenge, a timed online competition, will award more than $30,000 in college scholarships, including $15,000 for the grand prize winner.

The online quiz will be conducted April 7-9, with the 30 top-scoring finalists invited to take an in-school final exam. (source: Civil War Anniversary Spurs Educational Activities, EdWeek)

More information is available from History.com and Houghton Mifflin. The official rules call for students to be "enrolled" in 9th-12th grade, and there is no mention either including or excluding home school students. If you're interested, consider contacting the sponsor to find out if your students can participate.