In this article, the author discusses how she developed an innovative, interdisciplinary unit in eighth-grade English that links with the history teacher's Civil War studies. When constructing lesson plans, the author needed to rely on her sympathetic connection with students. To determine the best way to help students learn, the author had to ask herself, "How do I learn?" The answer is that she learns when she is active, when she applies her imagination to a real task that matters to her. The author describes how students are immersed in Civil War history as they compose and exchange personal letters as 19th-century characters in this innovative, interdisciplinary unit.