COMMON CORE CLASSROOM READY GUIDE

Guts & Glory: The American Civil War by Ben Thompson

FOCUS ON COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS

HC 978-0-316-32050-4

Every book can meet most if not all Common Core State Standards.
However, we have found that some books address certain standards
with particular strength. These activities seek to make the connections
between a given text and the Common Core College and Career
Readiness Anchor Standardsleaning on this texts literary strengths.
Appropriate grade 6-8 History/Social Studies Standards are included
with the Anchor Standards.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY
CCRA.R.2, CCRA.SL.4, CCRA.SL.5 and RH.6-8.2
This Anchor Reading Standard asks students to determine main ideas and supporting details
in a text and summarize the text. The History/Social Studies Standard requires determining
the main information in a source and providing an accurate summary. Guts & Glory includes
descriptions of a number of important battles in the Civil War. To demonstrate understanding
of the main ideas and details in this secondary source, have students choose one battle
to retell. Students can reread the section that explains the battle, taking notes, and then
summarize the battle orally for the class. This oral presentation addresses Anchor Speaking/
Listening Standard SL.2, which asks students to summarize a text aloud, and SL.4, which asks
them to report on a topic orally. Encourage students to focus on the authors main idea in the
description, and to include evidence from the text that supports the main idea.
CCRA.R.3 and RH.6-8.3
This Anchor Reading Standard asks students to analyze how events develop over time in
a text, while the History/Social Studies Standard asks them to identify key steps in a texts
description of a process. Have students work in small groups to create charts like the one
below, showing the battles, outcomes, and loss of life that Thompson treats in Guts & Glory.
Viewing the battles in a graphic form can help them understand how the battles of the Civil
War built to its outcome.
CCRA.R.4, CCRA.L.6 and RH.6-8.4
In the Reading, Language, and History/Social Studies Standard, students are asked to interpret
the meaning of words and phrases in a text, including academic or domain-specific words. The
author uses several words specific to warfare. Have students find the words listed below in the
text and use context to determine and write definitions for them. If necessary, students can
use a print or online dictionary to check their definitions.
Word

musket

blockade

shrapnel

armada

sabers

cavalry

brigades

Page
number

25

28

34

43

122

126

126

COMMON CORE CLASSROOM READY GUIDE

CCRA.R.6, CCRA.SL.4 and RH.6-8.9
The Reading Standard asks students to assess how point of view helps shape the content
of a text, while the History/Social Studies Standard focuses on analyzing the relationship
between primary and secondary sources. In Guts & Glory, the author includes an original
source text at the beginning of each chapter. Have students choose one chapter opener and
analyze the original source material, noting how it reflects or adds to the information in the
chapter. Students can report on their analysis orally to the rest of the class, which will address
Speaking/Listening Standard SL4.
CCRA.W.3, CCRA.W.4 and CCRA.W.6
Anchor Writing Standard W.3 asks students to compose informative text, and Standard W.4
requires producing clear writing that is appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Guts &
Glory refers to a number of Civil War personalities whose lives arent thoroughly explored
in the text, such as Clara Barton, Robert Blake, and Nathan Bedford Forest. Have students
work in pairs or individually to research and write a brief biography of one of these historical
figures. Students can include images and quotations from the Internet in their reports, or if
they have access to the technology, they can create a video about their subject using freeware
such as Animoto (www.animoto.com), This will address Standard W.6, which asks students to
use technology to produce and publish writing.
CCRA.L.3 and CCRA.SL.1
This Language Standard has students explore the way authors make choices in using
language. In Guts & Glory, the author uses modern-day slang throughout the text, though he
is writing about serious historical events. Encourage a discussion among students about why
the author has made the choice to use such words and phrases as gigantor (p. 83), hardcore (p. 110), wuss (p. 117), dude (p. 129), and blew everyones socks off (p. 243).
Have students find other examples of slang throughout the text, and ask these questions to
foster discussion:
1. Why do you think the author chose to include modern slang terms in his book?
2. What effect do the authors language choices have on readers?

Guide prepared by Diane Zahler,

author and Common Core consultant.