Battles of Gettysburg and Antietam Compare and Contrast Comprehension Activity
Grade Level: 4 | Lexile: 800 | Word Count: N/A
Read the short passages and then fill in the chart

Use this Activity:

Discuss the Battles:

  1. Turning Points in the War
    Both battles marked crucial turning points: Antietam stopped the first Confederate invasion of the North, while Gettysburg ended Lee's second and last invasion.
  2. Impact on Foreign Recognition
    After Antietam, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which discouraged Britain and France from recognizing or supporting the Confederacy. Gettysburg further damaged the South’s chances of gaining international allies.
  3. Human Cost and Psychological Impact
    Antietam was the bloodiest single day in American history, and Gettysburg had the highest number of total casualties in the war. The scale of death and destruction at these battles affected morale and public opinion in both the North and South.
  4. Military Strategy and Leadership
    At Antietam, Union General McClellan failed to capitalize on a critical opportunity, while at Gettysburg, Confederate General Lee’s decisions, like Pickett’s Charge, led to severe losses.

Reading Groups - This passage serves as an excellent tool for enrichment-based reading groups in language arts or social studies.
Morning Work - The activity takes most students about 20 minutes to complete, making it an ideal solution for morning work.
Homework - This activity is a great way to assign homework in social studies or language arts.
Whiteboard - Have students come to the whiteboard to annotate important information or to fill in one of the items on the chart.