book summary author study classroom connections list of related books related web sites

Paul Fleischman’s Bull Run is an excellent young adult novel depicting the first battle of the Civil War.  Told from multiple perspectives, this novel describes the lives of sixteen people: eight Northerners and eight Southerners, all of whom were involved in the Civil War. The novel contains brief stories that illustrate the characters' positions in the war and how their lives were affected by it.  This book carries the reader through both the joys and sorrows that these characters faced leading up to and during the first battle at Bull Run in 1861.

Paul Fleischman was born in California in 1952.  Fleischman’s father, Albert Sidney Fleischman, is also a children’s author; however, as Paul was growing up he never thought he would become an author.  Fleischman writes that he discovered his love for history by riding his bicycle in the alleys and looking through other people’s trash. He discovered his love for words by listening to a short wave radio. Music was another of Fleischman's passions.  Ultimately he combined his love of history, words, and music through writing children’s novels.

Fleischman writes that he always had a love for music.  While he loved to play alone, playing with others was his favorite expression of music. He says this was his inspiration for writing his multiple voiced novels, such as Bull Run.  His books are often described as containing musical qualities, giving Fleischman a unique writing style.  Like music, Fleischman’s interest in history is also evident in his works.  Fleischman compares the historical research for Bull Run to his earlier research through people’s trash.  He read old letters and diaries and visited cemeteries to develop characters for the novel.

Fleischman writes in a variety of genres including poetry, picture books, scary stories, and young adult novels.  Fleischman has written many young adult novels including: Graven Images, Path of the Pale Horse, I Am Phoenix:  Poems for Two Voices, and The Borning Room.  Along with young adult novels, he also writes books for younger readers such as: The Birthday Tree, The Half-a-Moon Inn, Rondo in C, and many others.

Sources:

Contemporary Authors – New Revisions Series. Volume 84.

Gallo, Donald R.  Speaking for Ourselves, Too: More Autobiographical Sketches by Notable Authors of Books for Young Adults.  NCTE: Urbana, Illinois, 1993.

There are many possibilities for classroom activities to supplement Paul Fleischman’s Bull Run.
 

1. Creative Debate:  This is a good way to get kids thinking about particular situations, as well as to assist them in gaining the ability to see more than one side of a given situation.  To begin the creative debate, divide the students in the class into groups of two, and assign each group a role that they are to play during the debate.  For example, one group would defend the south’s position during the Civil War, and the other team would defend the North’s position.  Even if students on one side of the argument do not agree with their assigned position, they are forced to call upon their powers of creativity to justify their position.  After dividing up the students into two groups, further divide them up into two pairs and assign each pair of students a role within their group.  This part of the assignment would allow the instructor to bring in the individual characters within the novel.  Each student should be provided with material to review to begin the debate; this could possibly be a list of notes generated by students about the various characters in the novel.  The next step is to send one member of each group to participate ion the debate while the other half of the class observes.  After approximately ten minutes, the two groups switch positions, with the observers now becoming the debaters and vice versa.  Here, the new debaters are now to reinforce their partners’ positions.  After ten more minutes, declare a winner of the debate and discuss with the class why the winning team won and also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.
2. Journal Responses: Students can use this book for journal repsonses in many ways. First, students could respond to an assigned excerpt personally. They could compare their life to that of the person or express the emotions they would feel if they had been in that situation. Secondly, students can compare the fighting in this book to stories they have heard about more recent battles. They can use newspaper articles, segments from news shows, or stories they have heard from veterans.
3. Theater: As suggested by the author and publishers, this book can be acted out as a presentation of living history, told in sixteen parts. The whole class can easily participate in this since there are many actors and stage hands necessary for the production.
4. Creative Writing: Students choose one of the personalities presented and based on their research they carry out the life of the person through the rest of the Civil War.
5. Further Research: Students can research other battles of the Civil War and compare them to the Bull Run Battle. What was similar in the battles, what differed? This could be presented in a variety of ways, such as graphic organizers, research papers, or an oral presentation.
6. Field Trips: This will only work for classes that have a geographic advantage, but the hands-on experience of visiting a Civil War battleground is priceless.

7. Web Quest/ Scavenger Hunt: Using the related websites listed below, have students discover predetermined facts utilizing the internet. 

8. Newspaper: Students work in groups to create an edition of a newspaper based upon the happenings of the novel. Students can  incorporate interviews of the characters, "photographs," a "dear Abby" column offering advice to those involved in the war, and advertisements for life-during-the-war necessities.
 

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List of related books

 Grades Four to Six- Civil War related
- The Story of John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry by Z. Kent
- Ulysses S. Grant by Z. Kent
- Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds by S. Reit
- Perilous Road by W. Steele
- Rifles for Watie by H. Keith
- Lincoln, A Photobiography by R. Freedman
- Charley Skedaddle by P. Beatty
- The Tamarack Tree by P. Clapp
- Turn Homeward Hannalee by P. Beatty
- Behind the Blue and Grey by D. Ray
- To Be A Slave by J. Lester
- Stonewall by J. Fritz
- Thunder at Gettysburg by P. Gauch
- Death of Lincoln by L. Hayman
- Robert E. Lee by M. Weidhorn
- Shades of Grey by C. Reeder
- The Mystery of Drear House by V. Hamilton
- The Root Cellar by J. Lunn
- The Tin Heart by K. Ackerman

Grades Seven and up- Civil War Related Classics
- The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
- Short Stories by Ambrose Bierce
- Specimen Days by Walt Whitman
- Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
- As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
 

www.civilwarhome.com/1manassa.htm
Provides an in-depth look at the battle. Links to original documents written by key figures in the war. Great variety of information, but done in a simple manner.
www.nps.gov/mana/home.htm
Official website of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Provides information on visits, events, history of the park, as well as a page devoted for teacher resources.
encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=044B2000
An informational encyclopedia article about Bull Run.

www.us-civilwar.com/bullrun.htm
Provides a wealth of information about important figures in the Civil War and their involvement in the first battle at Bull Run.
www.collectorsnet.com/cwtimes/1bullrun.htm
A great website with many different pages. Easy to read and navigate. Include maps and information on how Bull Run influenced the rest of the war. Also includes a personal article about one person visit to the Manassas National Battlefield Park.

www.civilwarhome.com/
Shotgun's Home of the Civil War - this site, maintained by private citizens, provides information on the various battles, personalities, medicinal practices, and military statistics regarding the Civil War. Primarily, however, this site functions as a chat room where Civil War enthusiasts and re-enactors can meet to discuss their passion.
www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va005.htm
This site is maintained by the National Parks Service on behalf of the American Battefield Protection Program. The primary goal of this site is to raise money for and awareness about the preservation of America's battlefields. The site provides brief detailed descriptions of each Civil War battle and pictures of the battlefield in its present condition if possible.
www.civilwar.com
This site, maintained by Premier Internet, gives a complete picture of life during the times of the Civil War including information on the battles, the music, the places, the pictures, the people, etc. Also available is a bookstore where Civil War-related books can be purchased.
www.civil-war.net/
Civil War Homepage - this site is maintained by private citizens and provides lesson plans, pictures, poetry, letters, statistics and geneology research regarding the Civil War. This site also functions as a meeting place for various enthusiasts and re-enactors by providing various links to chatrooms and discussion groups.
www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/hearts
Hearts at Home: Southern Women in the Civil War - this website was designed to showcase the University of Virginia's display of letters and original documents written by or pertaining to southern women during the Civil War. Through the use of original documents, visitors can get a feel of what these women went through in their fight for the cause. Unique items include a "Pass" that was to be carried by a Confederate woman while visiting relatives in a Union-occupied town.
sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war
American Civil War Homepage - this site is maintained by Dr. George H. Hoemann, associated with the University of Tennesee and provides everything anyone would ever want to know about the Civil War. Items include music of the times, photographs, cartoons, battle descriptions, links to fiction based on the war, and connections to historical societies and re-enactment organizations.
www.cwc.lsu.edu
This site is maintained by the United States Civil War Center and is intended as a starting point for web-based Civil War research. Provided is an index of all Civil War information on the internet. Unique items include a link to a display of Confederate money from the various states featuring images of slavery.
 

Teacher Cyberguide  The San Diego County’s teacher guide to using Fleischman’s novel in class. Offers many ideas for activities and guides for lesson plans.

Paul Fleischman On the Charlotte Zolotow website. Information about the author and his book as well as his relationship with the editor (Charlotte). Author of Whirligig and Seed Folks.

Civil War Lesson Plan: Provides a full unit for teachers to use on the Civil War utilizing multi-media and traditional resouces. Gives teachers full lesson plans for the unit, including objectives, strategies to use in the lesson, and enrichment activities.

Civil War Quiz Game: A fun, interactive resource for students to test their knowledge of the Civil War. Offers different levels of difficulty to suit many different learners.

Website created by: Lisa LeCompte, Dawn Bozman, Anisah Ansari, and Brandon Mason

Website revised by Jessica DeCourcey and Tracy Kenna: March 2002