Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
The Civil War
(1861-1865)

Naval Changes in the War

The Civil War<BR>(1861-1865)
The Civil War
(1861-1865)


Naval Changes in the War
Print Naval Changes in the War Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 9
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.95

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    lightening, reforge, determined, adversary, frigate, steamship, ironclad, onboard, blockade, warship, naval, renamed, outcome, torpedo, successful, mines
     content words:    Civil War, On March, James River, Hampton Roads, Soon Northern


Naval Changes in the War
By Mary Lynn Bushong
  

1     When the Civil War began, it did not just affect the army, but the navy as well. When the war began, naval battles were fought in wooden ships. In months, though, they were experimenting with ironclad ships, submarines, and torpedoes.
 
2     Perhaps the most well known ironclad ships were the Merrimac and the Monitor. Ironclads were so named because of the iron plates which covered the parts of the ship above the water. The Merrimac was a Union ship that had been burned and sunk. The Confederates raised her and used the hull as the basis for their new ironclad warship. She was renamed the C.S.S. Virginia, but was still known as the Merrimac. She rode low in the water which made her hard to steer. However, she was well built, and her crew was determined to show it. On March 8, 1862, the Merrimac sailed up the James River and attacked the blockaded ships at Hampton Roads. She rammed and sunk the steamship Cumberland and then attacked the frigate Congress. Cannon balls bounced off of the Merrimac and seemed to do no harm.
 
3     The next day, the U.S.S. Monitor arrived to protect the Union ships. She was determined to stop the Merrimac from sinking more ships. She was faster and easier to maneuver, but the Merrimac was bigger, stronger, and carried more guns.

Paragraphs 4 to 10:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


Feedback on Naval Changes in the War
Leave your feedback on Naval Changes in the War   (use this link if you found an error in the story)



The Civil War
(1861-1865)

             The Civil War
(1861-1865)



More Lessons
             High School Reading Comprehensions and High School Reading Lessons


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



Copyright © 2018 edHelper