Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer (author and illustrator). New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-06-156175-7

 

This non-fiction graphic novel chronicles the major events of the Battle of Gettysburg, including Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address.

 

Media: pen and ink

 

Rating: 5Q/3P

 

Literary device utilized: sophisticated language

 

Example: “Such a picture conveys a useful moral...it shows the blank horror and reality of war, in opposition to its pageantry.”

 

Curricular connection: U.S. History, middle school level 

 

* TOP TEN PICK

 

submitted July 2009 by Josh Mitchell  

 

 

 

 

Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer, ill. New York: Bowen Press/Collins, 2009.

The Civil War's bloody battle at Gettysburg is depicted. During the aftermath in which a monument is constructed and dedicated to the fallen, Abraham Lincoln gives his historic Gettysburg Address.

    - ISBN 978-0061561757

    - Media: Pen and ink

    - Rating: 5Q/5P

    - Curricular Connections: Grades 7-10, History/Social Studies

 

Lesson Plan – Civil War in Picture Books

 

Grade Level: 7 - 9

 

Objectives:

 

Students will understand the following:

1.    Learn about the events of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 and the march to Appomattox in 1865 that ended the Civil War.

2.    The circumstances in which Abraham Lincoln wrote and gave the Gettysburg Address

3.    Geography and the locations where these battles took place.

 

Materials:

 

•    Copies of the book Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer (2009)

•    Copies of the book Marching To Appomattox by Ken Stark (2009)

•    Regional U.S. maps showing Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina

•    Copies of the Gettysburg Address

 

Procedures:

 

1.    Opener: Read the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

 

2.    Talk about the election of Abraham Lincoln as president and some of the events that led to the start of the Civil War

 

3.    Assign the reading of these books, either at home or in class:

•    Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel

•    Marching To Appomattox

 

4.    Go through the Author’s Notes in Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel and discuss some of explanations indicated therein.

 

5.    Talk about some of the key figures mentioned in both books, including Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee.

 

6.    Use maps to help students locate the places mentioned in both books.

 

7.    Use the following questions to create an in-class discussion or written homework assignment in which the students will analyze each question.

 

Discussion Questions:

 

1. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg such an important battle in the Civil War?

 

2. How long after the battle did Lincoln give his address?

 

3. What did he say about the men who were buried in the cemetery?

 

4. What was it that Lincoln wanted the people of the United States to do for the dead soldiers?

 

5. Why do you think the author included images of women marching for suffrage, African Americans for civil rights, American Indians, farmworkers, and gay rights’ advocates during the reading of the Gettysburg Address?

 

6. Did the audience applaud at the end of Lincoln’s address? Why/why not?

 

7. Why was the march from Richmond to North Carolina that ended in Appomattox an important event in the Civil War?

 

8. Describe how the events in each book could be considered a “turning point” in the war.

 

9. Compare the soldiers’ morale on both sides of the conflict between the two books. In which location did the Confederate soldiers feel more confident? In which location did the Union soldiers feel more confident?

 

10. Why did General Grant write General Lee a letter asking him to surrender?

 

11. When General Grant wrote the terms of surrender for General Lee to sign, was there a punishment for the rebel soldiers?

 

12. How many days after General Lee’s surrender was President Lincoln shot and killed?

 

DPower 7/29/09

 

 

Citation:  Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer and C.M. Butzer, ill.  New York:  Collins, 2008.

ISBN: 978-0-06-156175-7

Annotation: This graphic novel chronicles the Battle of Gettysburg, the loss of lives, the building of a monument to honor the dead, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Media: Graphic Novel format done in pen and ink with blue-gray color. Cartoon style.

Personal Rating: 4Q/4P

Curricular Connections:  This would be a good source for an Eighth grade History class because the Civil War is studied. Students could research the battles mentioned in the book and they could research Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  This is a good book for reluctant readers as Butzer makes Lincoln’s Address come to life with his vivid and emotional illustrations.

Grade Level or Age Range: Grades 6-High School

By: Joanne Maher July 27th, 2009

 

Gettysburg: The graphic novel by C.M. Butzer. New York: Harper Collins, 2008.

ISBN-13: 978-0-06156-175-7

Annotation: An overview of both the battle of Gettysburg, including wrenching battle scenes and Lincoln's iconic address, which lives in our nation's history.

Age Range: 5-9 grades

Media used by illustrator: comic book style ink drawings

Personal Rating: 5Q/5P

Curricular Connections: perfect for a middle school history class studying the Civil War

 

ateater/07-25-09

Curricular Connections:  Could be incorporated into a history class on the Civil War.