Share
Tell other teachers, parents, and students about us.
Follow
Description
OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will choose from the sources available and record information about the author, topic, and main idea for each of my chosen sources.
LESSON TIME
This lesson will take approximately 45 – 60 minutes.
Exact times may vary based on the specific needs of individual classes.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
- What are the key topics and major themes of Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads, and how were these topics recorded and discussed in the primary source materials of the era? the different points of view on each topic?
Teacher Tools
-
Lesson Plan, Teacher Guide, Sources
Downloadable/editable versions of this lesson plan, including a step-by-step guide through the lesson. When applicable, a list of primary sources used in the lesson is also included.
-
This ready-to-use classroom slideshow contains the warm-up exercise, the daily objective, the “We will / I will” statements, and the essential question for the lesson.
It guides the class through the assignment providing larger versions of images, visual representations of the directions, and supports for reading and answering questions including sentence stems for in-class responses. It concludes with the exit ticket.
Student Activities
-
Warm-up & Exit Ticket
In this printable warm-up / bell-ringer activity, students will read a primary source excerpt of an account of a seventeen year old who migrated to the Plains to hunt bison in 1874. Students answer two multiple choice questions to identify the primary topic and an accurate summary of the excerpt.
In this exit ticket, students will respond to a writing prompt asking them to identify one major topic in Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads and explain how that topic was discussed in one of the primary source materials they examined.
The Warm-up and Exit Ticket document includes two warm-ups on the front of the page and two exit tickets on the back of the page. This formatting reduces the number of copies needed, as teachers will cut each printed page in half. Each student will receive a half-page with the warm-up on the front and the exit on the back.
-
Primary Source Excerpts
This printable material includes ten primary source materials on various topics related to the unit including the overhunting of bison on the Plains, the expansion of railroads, the struggles of cotton farmers, the growth of cattle drives and ranches, new innovations like windmills and barbed wire, and Jim Crow laws.
-
Grade Level Worksheet
In this printable assignment, students will read an introduction to the unit at a grade level Lexile Level and list three topics addressed in the reading. Students then choose 6 out of the 10 possible primary source excerpts and identify the primary topic or topics from the list provided, list key information, and write a brief summary of each excerpt.
-
Foundation Worksheet
In this printable assignment, students will read an introduction to the unit at a grade level Lexile Level with key information provided in bold lettering and identify topics addressed in the reading from a list provided. Students then choose 4 out of the 10 possible primary source excerpts and identify the primary topic or topics from the list provided and write a brief summary of each excerpt.
-
Advanced Worksheet
In this printable assignment, students will read an introduction to the unit at an advanced Lexile Level and list as many topics from the reading as they can. Students then choose 8 out of the 10 possible primary source excerpts and record the primary topic or topics, list significant information, and create a brief summary of each excerpt.
Sources
Previews and links to sources referenced in this lesson.
-
Escaped from Captivity: Four Years Among the Comanches and Apaches.
-
The Texas Almanac for 1870, and Emigrant's Guide to Texas, book, January 1870
-
Fort Worth Daily Gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) Sunday, November 4, 1883.
-
The Laws of Texas, 1822-1897 Volume 9.
-
The Comanche Chief. (Comanche, Tex.) Saturday, May 14, 1881.
-
The Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.) Thursday, November 22, 1894.
-
Jacksboro Gazette. (Jacksboro, Tex.) Thursday, September 14, 1893.
-
Norris Wright Cuney: A Tribune of the Black People, book, 1913
-
Fort Worth Weekly Gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) Thursday, September 5, 1889.
Rights
Support
Learn about our team, supporters, and how to contribute or give back.