The Civil War for Kids – Reading Comprehension Pack

We’ve got you covered if you’re looking for resources to teach your students about the Civil War. 

This collection of reading passages and comprehension questions worksheets is designed to help younger students learn about the history of the American Civil War. The passages are written at a level that will be accessible to your students, but they still contain enough detail to keep everyone engaged. 

The reading passages include questions that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of what they’ve read. These comprehension questions are aligned with common core standards and are written in a way that makes them perfect for use in a classroom setting. 

For added flexibility, we have included a Google Slides version of these worksheets!

An answer key is included with your download to make grading fast and easy!  

These reading passages, note-taking activities, and assessments provide students with an organized and graphically pleasing way to record and demonstrate their learning. This resource pack provides the learner with text and space to note the following.

• Who fought in the Civil War, and who led each side
• When and where the major battles of the Civil War occurred
• Why the Civil War began
• How the Civil War ended

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

In addition to independent student work time, use this worksheet as an activity for:

• Cross-Curricular reading groups 
• Lesson warm-up
• Lesson wrap-up
• Fast finishers 
• Homework assignment
• Whole-class review (via smartboard)

To challenge your accelerated students,

• Provide your students with a completed note sheet, and have them use the content to create a Civil War anchor chart or poster for the classroom.
• Provide your students with trade books and other informational reading materials to use in the classroom.

To help your struggling readers,

• Complete the activity in a small group or 1:1 learning session.
• Provide your students with differentiated reading materials to reference while completing their notes project.
• Provide students with an anchor chart, poster, or other Civil War resources to reference during the activity.

Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

Additionally, project the sheets onto a screen and work through them as a class by having students record their answers in their notebooks.

This resource was created by Ali Endlich, a teacher in South Carolina and Teach Starter Collaborator.