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Texas Commemorative Maps: Honoring Our Past
To celebrate Texas, groups plan and create a commemorative map for a topic or theme in Texas history. The richly detailed plan and the approach could easily be adapted to any state. Samples are included.
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Riding the Rails Across Texas
Students research the importance of the railroad to Texas cities and American life. They identify the pros and cons of railroads, locate railroads in Texas cities using the Texas bird's-eye view website, and write a newspaper article.
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The Railroads in Texas
Seventh graders differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources, such as biographies from the Handbook of Texas. They analyze the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, such as the railroad,...
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Bound For Texas
Students examine factors that motivated immigrants to move to Texas. They locate features on the Texas bird's-eye view website, and develop an art or writing project either from a townsperson's or immigrant's perspective.
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The Underground Railroad
Young scholars explore the Underground Railroad routes. In this map skills and Civil War instructional activity, students use map and globe reading vocabulary and skills to track the routes the slaves followed from the Bahamas to the...
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Rice Farming in Texas
Third graders explore how rice farming came to Texas. In this rice farming lesson, 3rd graders discover the history of how farmers began to grow rice in the United States. Students color code maps and create a timeline for rice farming...
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Texas Transportation
Young scholars examine the effects of transportation on the settlement of Texas. They read and discuss articles, view Wichita Falls and Abilene on the Texas Bird's-Eye View website, and analyze a Frederic Remington painting.
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The Transcontinental Railroad
Students investigate the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad. In this Transcontinental Railroad lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the effect of the railroad on Chinese immigrants and American Indians,...
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The Railroads in Texas
Fourth graders identify the impact of railroads on life in Texas. They explain how the railroad was used for transportation and communication. They brainstorm and create a list of transportation available in Texas during the Civil War.
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Texas State Railroad
In this word search worksheet, students solve a word search by locating forty words related to the Texas State Railroad. The word list includes oil, prison, and rail.
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Transformation of Texas Transportation
Students research how the growth of railroads led to an industrial revolution in Texas and read a newspaper article debating which railroad company should come to Travis County. They write their own article and debate the railroad question.
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The Impact of the Railroad on Western Settlement
Eleventh graders utilize a painting to explore the effects of the railroads on the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They discover how art can reflect the mood and spirit of the time in which they are created.
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Wanted: Texas Workers
Students discover industries prevalent in nineteenth-century Texas cities and identify resources required to perform occupations. They examine how geographic areas contribute to the development of industries and write a letter applying...
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Austin & Texas Central Railroad
In this word search worksheet, students search and find vocabulary
words as they relate to the Austin & Texas Central Railroad. Words may be located forward,
backward, up, down, and diagonally.
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Whose Business?
Fourth graders compare and contrast the businesses in Fort Griffin with those in their own community. Using the internet, they discover the factors that have influenced the development of businesses in a town. They also create a map of...
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Cattle Trails
Students identify and locate cattle trails on a globe. In this map skill lesson, students use a marker to locate Texas and Montana and use the map scale to calculate the distance of the cattle trail.
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Seeing through Immigrants' Eyes
Students assume the perspective of an immigrant moving to Texas. They write a diary entry from an immigrant's perspective, describing how they arrived in their new town, what steps they take to get settled, and their feelings about their...
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Hit The Trail
Young historians research one of the most colorful periods in US History: the cattle drives of the 1800's. They research the three most popular trails, and complete mapping and writing assignments about each one. The lesson has many...
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Populism & the Election of 1896
Populism and the rise and fall of the Populist Party are the topics of this presentation, which details the Presidential Election of 1896 and the role of silver. Detailing main points with clever political cartoons and informative maps,...
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US Civil Rights Movement: Beginnings through the 60s
A real find for a U.S. History teacher, this presentation could supplement many class sessions about the Civil Rights Movement. Pictures of events, major figures, and "Whites Only" signs are striking and effective for even your most...
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Hit the Trail
Students read about the history of cattle trails and complete language arts, math, social studies, and more activities about barbed wire. In this barbed wire lesson plan, students read poetry, research changes over time, draw cattle...
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Whose Buffalo?
Seventh graders examine how the Plains Indians vied with white commercial buffalo hunters for the millions of Great Plains buffalo. They create an illustrated broadside supporting the interests of either the Indians or the commercial...
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Getting the Point!
Students explore the American cattle industry history. For this United States history and reading comprehension cross curriculum lesson, students read an article about the history of longhorn cattle, then answer comprehension questions...