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Description
OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will use a set of primary source materials to examine significant events and topics related to Texas history during the era of Early Statehood. Students will be able to identify and explain how various sources connect to and represent key events.
LESSON TIME
This lesson will take approximately 45 to 60 minutes Exact times may vary based on the specific needs of individual classes.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
- What were the most significant events, topics, or themes of the Early Statehood era, and how were they represented or addressed in different primary source materials?
Teacher Tools
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Lesson Plan, Teacher Guide, Primary Sources Used
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.
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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
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Warm-up and Exit Ticket
In this printable warm-up / bell-ringer activity, students will read four statements related to major themes of the unit and match each statement with who would have most likely made the statement. The statements are not true primary source quotes, rather general statements representing the points of view of the average northerner, southern planter, Mexican citizen, and Texas Indian on the western frontier.
In this exit ticket, students will choose from a list of five of the major topics addressed in this lesson. They then summarize one primary source material they analyzed in the lesson and demonstrate how it is related to their chosen topic.
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.
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Grade Level Student Worksheet
In this printable assignment, students will read a passage presented at a Lexile level appropriate for the average 7th grade reading level. Students identify the major developments and changes that occurred in Texas during this era by selecting items from a list of possibilities. Then, students choose five out of the eleven primary source materials. They summarize the main idea of the material and identify how the material relates to the major themes or topics addressed in the reading.
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Foundation Student Worksheet
In this printable assignment, students will read a passage presented at a Lexile level appropriate for the average 7th grade reading level. Students identify the major developments and changes that occurred in Texas during this era by selecting items from a list of possibilities with one answer option eliminated. Then students use a chart that provides a summary of all eleven primary source materials. Students record the number of each material beside the correct summary and identify the major topic or topics addressed in the material.
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Advanced Student Worksheet
In this printable assignment, students will read a passage presented at an advanced Lexile level. Students restate and summarize six to eight significant events in the Early Statehood era from the reading passage. Students then choose five out of the eleven primary source materials and record information about each material’s author, audience, main idea, and how the material relates to the major themes or topics addressed in the reading. Student work is primarily short, constructed response questions.
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Primary Source Excerpts
This printable material provides 11 primary source excerpts from a variety of points of view and types of sources. Students will analyze these sources to complete the assignment.
Sources
Previews and links to sources referenced in this lesson.
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The Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register, September 13, 1847
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The Texas Monument Newspaper, October 10, 1854
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The Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register, June 8, 1848
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"Surrounded by Dangers of All Kinds": The Mexican War Letters of Lieutenant Theodore Laidley”
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The Northern Standard, February 4, 1846
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The Morning Star, November 2, 1841
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A bill of sale for an enslaved man named Tim
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