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“Dawn approached slowly through the fog on September 17, 1862. As soldiers tried to wipe away the dampness, cannons began to roar and sheets of flame burst forth from hundreds of rifles, opening a twelve hour tempest that swept across the rolling farm fields in western Maryland.

A clash between North and South that changed the course of the Civil War, helped free over four million Americans, devastated Sharpsburg, and still ranks as the bloodiest one-day battle in American history.”www.nps.gov/anti  A visit to this Civil War battlefield is a true pleasure since Park Rangers have designed educational programs that allow students to simulate the roles of leaders during the battle and encourage them to think through difficult decisions.

Website address: www.nps.gov/anti

Location/Address: 5831 Dunker Church Road, Sharpsburg, MD 21782
Education Contact at Site: Park Ranger Christie Stanczak
Phone: (301) 432-4567  Email Address: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Directions:
Traveling East on Interstate 70:
Exit 29A onto Rt. 65 south. Ten miles south on the left is the Visitor Center.
Traveling West on Interstate 70 from the Baltimore/Washington area:
Exit 29 onto Rt. 65 South towards Sharpsburg. Travel about 10 miles south to the Park Visitor Center entrance which will be on your left side. Optional Route: Exit 49 onto Alternate Rt. 40 West towards Middletown. Continue through Middletown, over South Mountain to Boonsboro. Turn left onto Rt. 34 to Sharpsburg. When you enter town, turn right (north) onto Rt. 65 and the Park Visitor Center will be on your right a mile north of Sharpsburg.
Traveling North-South on Interstate 81:
Exit 1, Rt. 68, six miles east to Rt. 65. Turn RIGHT at light on Rt. 65. Five miles south on the left is the Visitor Center.

Theme Addressed at Site: Land of Conflict, Reunification, and Rebuilding

Education Programs and Corresponding SOL 

Programs We Can Do at our Site:

Thank you for your interest in Antietam National Battlefield.  This overview of the park's educational programs and facilities is designed to assist you in planning your visit to the battlefield.  You may want to enhance your students’ visit by participating in a program led by a park ranger.  Educational programs are curriculum-based, interactive, hands-on, and free of charge.  We offer these programs year round to school groups, scout troops, summer camps, ROTC, and other educational groups.  Many of these programs can be modified for college students and Elderhostel groups. 

Park rangers present the following school programs:

Angels of the Battlefield: During this role-playing activity students will re-create the battle of Antietam; dramatizing medical care, field hospitals, and Clara Barton's role as a nurse.  Students will discuss how they might feel before and during the battle, and about the care they received afterwards. In the event of inclement weather, a modified version of this program can be done inside the Mumma Barn.  Group size: 30 - 100 students.  Time: 45 minutes.  Grades 4-6.
Antietam National Cemetery Exploration:  Students will have the opportunity to learn about history by exploring the Antietam National Cemetery with a park ranger.  Students and rangers will work together to answer questions on a worksheet and to make personal connections to the soldiers buried in the National Cemetery. Group Size: Up to 50 students.  Time On-Site:  45 minutes to 1-hour. Note: This program meets at the entrance to the National Cemetery (Stop number 11 on the driving tour map).  Grades 5-12.
Civil War Soldier: A park ranger will discuss the life and times of a typical Civil War soldier; using clothing, leather gear and other soldier items.  For younger students this program includes an interactive component utilizing a magnetic board on which students can dress a soldier.  Weather and staff dependant, this activity generally includes a black powder musket firing demonstration by one of the park rangers.  In the event of bad weather, this program will be moved indoors (without the firing demonstration).  Group size: Up to 100 students.  Time: 30 minutes.  Grades 1-6.
Battlefield in a Box: A ranger will create a large representation of the battlefield on the ground that shows the roads, bridges and other features.  Groups of students can be moved around the map to illustrate the movements of troops during the battle and to demonstrate the influence of terrain on the battle.  This overview of the battle includes a degree of participation by selected volunteers from the audience.  This program can be done indoors in case of inclement weather. Group size: Up to 75 students.  Time: 45 minutes.  Grades 6 and up.
Become a Civil War Scout:  Advancing armies received intelligence from many sources, including spies, scouts, detectives, and civilians such as Harriet Tubman. In this activity students will assume the roles of Civil War scouts as they provide vital information to the advancing Union armies.  Focusing specifically on the 1862 Maryland Campaign and the battle of Antietam, students, working in small groups, will complete activities that illustrate several types of intelligence and investigate different forms of Civil War espionage and information gathering. Afterwards they will compare their findings and General McClellan’s after battle report to the actual troop numbers and movements.  Group size: Up to 50 students. Time:  45 minutes to 1-hour.  Grades 6-12. 
Cannoneers to Your Posts: Students will participate in a Civil War artillery drill with artillery implements using one of the park's cannons.  (No actual firing of the cannon). In case of inclement weather, this program cannot be moved inside.  Teachers can request the ranger include the “You’re the Gunner” math activity when presenting the program.  For the math activity students make calculations related to Civil War artillery using information on projectile ranges and tables of fire.  Group size: Up to 40 students. Time: 30 minutes, (45 minutes with additional math activity).  Grades 5 and up.
Flags That Talk: Students will be divided into "signal stations," with each station comprising three or four students.  Using signal flags and cipher discs, students will send, receive, and compose messages in the same way as Civil War armies.  In the event of inclement weather, smaller groups can take part in this program inside the Mumma Barn.  Group size: Up to 40 students. Time: 30 minutes.  Grades 5 and up.
Map to the Past:  Students will work with the park ranger to assemble a large interactive map of the battlefield. They will explore events on a time line and demonstrate how the battlefield map changed and remained the same from historic times to the present by adding and removing components (including monuments, buildings, and bridges) on the map. Afterwards the group will discuss the map and the future landscape of the battlefield, including how their actions today will help change or preserve the battlefield in the future.  Group Size:  Up to 30 students.  Time:  30 minutes.  Grades 1-5. 
Mumma & Roulette Farms Trail: This trail combines social studies and environmental earth science.  Depending on grade level, topics will include history, soil formation, succession, elements of the ecosystem, food chains, watersheds, habitats, habitat restoration, battlefield preservation, and many more concepts.  The trail is .8 miles long and is not wheelchair accessible.  Students are encouraged to wear sturdy walking shoes and to dress for the weather.  Group size: Up to 30 students per group. Time: 1 hour.  Grades 3-9.
Mumma Cemetery Exploration: A ranger will lead the group to the Mumma Family Cemetery where students will work individually or in pairs to explore the cemetery and answer questions on a worksheet.  Afterwards the group will discuss what they have learned with the ranger.  In the event of inclement weather this activity cannot be done inside.  Group size: Up to 50 students.  Time: 30-45 minutes.  Grades 5-8.

Sounds of Antietam: This activity helps students experience the events that occurred during many Civil War battles by adding sound effects to a narrative.  Students are given "sound" cards, and make those sounds when cued by the ranger or teacher while they read a narrative.  This activity can be done inside in case of inclement weather.  Group size: Up to 50 students. Time: 15 minutes.  Grades 4-6.

Activities designed to do on your own:

Battlefield Tour:  A nine-mile, bus accessible, eleven stop tour road takes you through the battlefield.  The battlefield tour takes about an hour and a half, giving students time to walk Bloody Lane and to Burnside Bridge.  The battlefield tour is designed for you to do on your own.  Rangers will provide you with a tour map and self-guided tour "Antietam:  People and Places.”  This handout includes stories specific to each stop on the route and is especially suitable for school groups.
Another teacher-led activity that is available while touring the battlefield is "Interview a Monument".  For this activity, students work in pairs or small groups to study a monument and answer the questions on a worksheet.  A good place for this activity is stop number 4 on the driving tour. 
Visitor Center: This facility includes a museum, bookstore,

Pre-Visit Materials Available 

Pre-visit materials and teacher packets can be downloaded by going to: http://www.nps.gov/anti/forteachers/index.htm or calling the park education center at 301-432-4567. 

Program fees and miscellaneous  

Maximum Number of Students: See above for recommended sizes of student groups for each program  Minimum: 15

Admission/Program Fee: Educational groups are entitled to a waiver of the park entrance fees if they are making an educational visit to the battlefield.  In order to qualify for a fee waiver your organization must be officially recognized as an educational institution by a government entity and the purpose of your visit must be educational and related directly to a course of study. Please contact the rangers at the education center for more information about the fee waiver.

Handicap Accessibility: The visitor center and Mumma Farm Education Center are both accessible to visitors with disabilities

Bus/Vehicle Accessibility: The Visitors Center and the Mumma Farm Education Center are both easily accessible by buses. Both sites also have adequate parking.

Season of Operation: Student Education programs are offered year round by reservation. Please try to schedule spring trips as early as possible.

Hours of Operation:There are drinks and light snacks available in the visitor center bookstore.  You may picnic on the grass, but there are no formal picnic facilities.

Picnic facilities/Nearest restaurant options: No formal picnic facilities. Please bring trash bags for groups that picnic on the lawn.

Restroom accessibility: There are restroom facilities at both the Visitors Center and the Mumma Farm Education Center that are accessible to visitors with disabilities.

Chaperone Requirements ( No. chaperones/no. of students):One adult chaperone for every 10 students is recommended.

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