Hidden Soldier Pre and Post Activities

Objective: To learn more about the secret service in the Civil War and key historical figures in the Sam Davis story.

Pre Activity

Activity 1

Brainstorm with class what they think a hero would be. Have them draw a picture of what a hero looks like to them.

Activity 2

Place students in groups. Have them brainstorm what a spy would look like. Together have them sketch a drawing of their idea of a spy. Encourage them to include the tools used by a spy. Allow time for groups to present their drawing.

Post Activity

Activity 1

Discuss the key people involved with Sam Davis. (See Manipulative 1) Discuss each person and how they helped Sam in his work as a scout. Have children choose one of the main characters in the life of Sam Davis and write a letter as that person, telling about Sam’s death and how it affected their life. Have the students share their letters in groups.

Activity 2

Have a discussion of Sam’s choice and the decision he made to give his life instead of telling on a friend. Ask the students what they would do in the same circumstance. Discuss if they believe Sam Davis was a hero through their eyes. Why or why not?

Activity 3 (Onsite Tour Only)

Coding and Deciphering - (Use Manipulative 2) – Have the students learn how to decode the message and write their own code to play decoding with another student.

Activity 4

Students can make an invisible message to a friend. Place waxed paper on a sheet of white paper. Have the students write a message with pencil so the wax will transfer to the plain paper. Have their neighbor use a colored pencil to trace over the plain paper. The wax will resist the color and show the message.