As part of their Civil War block, the 9th Grade learned about the real life of the civil war soldier, with particular help from the 10th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, based in South Hadley. The re-enactors led classroom demonstrations and taught outdoor marching and weapons drill, and helped us establish an overnight cookout and encampment behind Piening Hall in tents the students built themselves. Next day we set off for Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, where we toured the battlefield and museum, spent time in reflection and writing, and recited Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address at the original site. Throughout, the purpose was to create an experiential and imaginative reality of this terrible and pivotal conflict in our nation’s history. Students will conclude the block by making an artifact from the era or writing a biography of a participant. Tony Cape, High School Humanities