Kids today sure are spoiled! They have no idea what their ancestors went through to protect their freedoms. This is a good article to give students some perspective, and help them to practice asking good questions and looking for good answers. Think about using this piece to hone their research skills. |
Social Studies
Civil War Connection
Refrigeration
Asking questions
Music in Civil War
Civil War Connection
- What other foods were eaten during the Civil War? How do they compare to modern military foods?
- Does anyone still use hard tack? When? Where? Why?
Refrigeration
- Graph (or find a graph of) the use of hard tack in the military over time and the increase of refrigeration methods over time. Is there an explainable correlation?
- Is there a connection between modern refrigeration (or other food preservation methods) and the use and eventual disuse of hard tack?
- Explore the potential of worms as protein.
- Are insects a potential solution to a food shortage?
Asking questions
- This piece opens the door to a million questions. Consider using this piece to have a discussion about the difference between informational fact-finding questions and more challenging, researchable questions (like those that may be produced by looking at where there is still use of hard tack in the world today and why).
- Can you find sources for some of these facts?
- Are there other facts you would have included? Left out?
Music in Civil War
- Who was Stephen Foster?
- Can you find other things he wrote? Anything we still know today?
- What is the nutritional value of hard tack?
- What do you have to add to a hard tack diet to have a balanced diet?
© Karen Sterling, 2017 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission