Texas Colonization People, Patterns and Influence Lesson Plan

Transcription

1 Texas Colonization People, Patterns and Influence Lesson Plan Topic/subject: Texas Colonies/ Social Studies Grade: 4th Broad Objective: The student will understand the location and patterns of settlement and the geographic factors that influence where people live. Behavioral objective(s): Students are asked to use critical thinking and problem solving to make informed decisions about and evaluate how location and patterns of settlement and geographic factors influence where people live. Students are asked to use geographic tools, like maps and other historical documents, to collect, analyze and interpret data. Students are asked to consider historical events that explain patterns of settlements at different times in Texas. Students will research several websites and explore period maps to stimulate an interest and an understanding of these issues.. TEKS: (6) Geography. The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, student is expected to: (A) apply geographic tools, including grid systems, legends, compass roses, to construct and interpret maps; and (8) Geography. The student understands the location and patterns of settlement and the geographic factors that influence where people live. The student is expected to: (A) identify clusters of settlement in Texas and explain their distribution; (B) explain patterns of settlement at different time periods in Texas; (C) describe the location of cities in Texas and explain their distribution, past and present; and (D) explain the geographic factors that influence patterns of settlement and the distribution of population in Texas, past and present. Technology Applications, Grades 3-5 (5) Information acquisition. The student acquires electronic information in a variety of formats, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to: (A) acquire information including text, audio, video, and graphics; and (11) Communication. The student delivers the product electronically in a variety of media, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to: (B) use presentation software to communicate with specific audiences. Materials needed: Texas Colonization People, Patterns and Influence, electronic resources provided through the WebQuest for student research and organization, Computer with Internet Access

2 (Computers used in this WebQuest must have the latest version of Real Player. It's a free program available here). PowerPoint Electronic resources for student research The following is a resource not written for an elementary audience, but would serve as good resource for the teacher. The Handbook of Texas Online has a section that allows you to choose a particular group of people and study their general contributions to Texas and it also includes biographies on various professions. A. INTRODUCTION OF THE LESSON Focus: You are a child in the mid 1800s, living in another country. One day your father announces that your family will be immigrating to Texas. Where is this place? How will you get there? Where will you settle? What will life be like there? You and your family will address these and other questions through this WebQuest. Objective and its purpose: The students are challenged to consider how the location and patterns of settlement and geographic factors influence where people live. They are asked to look at historical events in Texas in the mid 1800s to explain patterns of settlement in periods of Texas history. They are asked to create one family s journey from their native country to Texas, using what they know of Texas history and patterns of settlement to make informed decisions along the way. Students are asked to create a multimedia presentation that documents their journey. B. LESSON PROCEDURE Input: In the mid 1800s Texas welcomed a steady stream of immigrants. These early colonists came from all over Europe, leaving their homelands for a variety of reasons, coming to Texas to fulfill dreams of prosperity. They were met with many challenges and often faced great hardship as they learned to make their way in this new place. These immigrants had a great influence on the shape and culture of early Texas and this influence can still be found today. Why did these people come to Texas? And once here, where did they decide to settle? Texas is a big state. Why did they choose one place to settle over another? What geographic factors influenced where people live? Were there patterns in how and where people settled? Many of these settlers arrived during times of great change in Texas' colorful history. How did various historical events shape patterns of settlement in Texas? Your Task You will be divided into groups of 3-5 students. Each group is your "family". Your teacher will assign your family a nationality (German, Irish, and so on). In your groups you must decide who makes up your family (father, mother, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, and so on). Each member of your group must choose a role to play. Your family will make a presentation to the rest of the class that addresses the following:

3 1. Introduces your family and explains how you decided who to bring 2. Explains the details of your move 3. Addresses the considerations you made when deciding where to settle 4. Addresses any hardships you encountered along the way You will use the resources gathered in this WebQuest to help you answer these and other questions. Modeling/guided practice: The teacher will demonstrate how to navigate through the WebQuest and where to find the resources the students will need to complete the WebQuest. The teacher will want to review note taking skills. Students need practice in reading and reviewing a webpage. Remind them to take a few minutes before they begin active reading to check out the page. Pre-reading activities can also be useful for reading electronic text. Consider having students use the title, subtitles, and divisions within the text to predict content. Look at pictures, maps, diagrams, or graphs and their captions to enhance understanding. Skim to find the theme or main idea. Review scrolling and following hyperlinks, and demonstrate how to toggle between more than one open browser window. Independent practice: Step 1: (3 days) Each family member will write a 1 page biography that gives their name, age, gender, favorite activities, and skills that will help the family to survive in Texas. Use the following resources to learn about your native people. Germans Irish Czech Polish Norwegian Scottish Swedish *Each of these pages is accompanied by a Real Audio file, so you can listen to the passages read aloud. I would plan on at least 1 day in a lab setting for students to review the resources in Step 1. The rest of the time can be spent having families decide who will make up their family, and time writing biographies. Step 2: (4 days) Your family must decide where exactly in Texas you are going to settle. Use the collection of Texas Maps below, along with any other online resources, to help make your decision.

4 Sit down with your family and select a location in Texas. As a family, write a clear explanation for your decision climate, geographic features, location of the native population, friends in the area, etc. Texas Maps Texas Land Grants, Texas Frontier, Texas, 1887 German Element, 1850 Frontier Forts and Cattle Trails Population Origin Groups in Rural Texas Texas During the Republic (Click on the names of the cities below the map to take you to historical information about each location) I would plan on at least 2 days in a lab setting for students to review the maps in Step 2. Once students have selected the maps they'd like to use for this project, maps can be printed and used in the classroom for the remainder of the activity. Step 3: (1 days) Print a copy of the map you have chosen and sketch your route through Texas on it. Write a clear plan for your family's trip, to include the following: Where do you plan to enter Texas? This depends on your current location. From what country are you traveling? How are you traveling boat, wagon, horse, on foot? Or will you need a combination of transportation types? How many rivers will you need to cross? What do you plan to take with you and how will you transport it? Looking at your map, what problems do you think (or fear) you will encounter? Document your family's journey, and be prepared to use this information in your final presentation to the class. Step 4: (3 days) Using a multimedia presentation tool, like PowerPoint, your family will tell the story of your settlement in Texas. Using the information gathered in the previous activities, your presentation should include: an introduction to your family members and their important contributions on the trip the place you moved to and an explanation as to why you settled there and your plan for getting there Be sure to include references to any significant historical events that might have influenced your decisions along the way.

5 Assessment/Evaluation: Individual and group participation and collaboration Knowledge of the location and patterns of settlement that influence where people live Knowledge of the geographic factors that influence where people live Knowledge of geographic tools used to collect, analyze and interpret data Understanding the difference between primary and secondary resources and how to manage them electronically Demonstration of appropriate use of multimedia authoring tools Group content and organization of multimedia presentation Your grade for this assignment will depend on completing each of the written activities and the oral presentation with historical accuracy. See the rubric for more details. Conclusion: Congratulations! You and your family have arrived safely in Texas. The journey was not an easy one. You learned many things along the way about your native people and what motivated them to leave their homeland to travel to such a faraway place. Your family stayed in Texas and continued to grow and flourish, sharing their customs and their ways with equally diverse families from other nations. Your proud heritage lives on in Texas today!