Shades of Gray Justine Johnson – Rock Hill, SC – Winthrop University – 2010 Author: Carolyn Reeder Shades of Gray Simon & Schuster 1989 Book Summary: A young boy from Virginia named Will Page is sent to live with his Uncle Jed after the Civil War because all of his immediate family members died during the war. Will learns to understand why his “Trader” of an Uncle did not fight in the war and learned what it takes to live on a farm that was destroyed during the war. Setting: On a farm in the Piedmont region of Virginia, after the Civil War. Objective: Students will explain the impact of the Civil War on the nation including the physical environment and the civilian population.

Links to LOC Resources: War time Hospital Mill City Farm

What if your house was burnt down during a war? Write a journal entry as Will when he saw the burnt houses. Use 20 adjectives to describe what you would see, smell, and feel.

How has transportation changed? In what time in history would the horse and buggy carriage be used for transportation? Write a paragraph comparing today’s transportation and the transportation used during the Civil War.

Who would you write a letter to during a war? As Will, write a letter in cursive to Doc Martian telling him about life on the farm and everything you are learning from Uncle Jed

Standards NCSS Time, Continuity, and Change South Carolina Social Studies Explain the impact of the Civil War on the nation, including its effects on the physical environment and on the people – soldiers, women, African Americans, and the civilian population of the nation as a whole.

Resources Hospital Camp 505)) 505)) Burned House 616)) 616)) Buggy 001)) 001)) Mill 645)) 645)) Letter