Grade 7 Social Studies
Unit 11
Title
Suggested Time Frame
th​
Texas in Great Depression and World War II
5​ Six Weeks
2 weeks
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings
Guiding Questions
World events have an effect on all Texans
●
●
●
●
●
How did the great Depression affect Texans?
How did the dust bowl affect people living in Amarillo?
How did Texans contribute to the War efforts?
How did World War II affect Texans on the home front.
Did World War II change the economy of Amarillo?
TEKS
Readiness TEKS
Supporting TEKS
Process Skills
*1A
7E
1B
8B
10B
12C
8A
21AF
22D
*Safety Net Standards
Vertical Alignment Expectations
*TEKS one level below*
*TEKS one level above*
SS TEKS
Sample Assessment Question
CISD 2016, Updated 12/6/16
Explain the political, social, and economic impact of major events during WWI Great Depression and World War II.
How did World War II impact Texas?
Describe the outcome of WWI and WWII.
Describe programs designed to help the needy during the Great Depression.
The resources included here provide teaching examples and/or meaningful learning experiences to address the District Curriculum. In order to address the TEKS to the proper depth
and complexity, teachers are encouraged to use resources to the degree that they are congruent with the TEKS and research-based best practices. Teaching using only the suggested
resources does not guarantee student mastery of all standards. Teachers must use professional judgment to select among these and/or other resources to teach the district
curriculum. Some resources are protected by copyright. A username and password is required to view the copyrighted material.
Ongoing TEKS
Knowledge and Skills
with Student
Expectations
(1) History. The student
understands traditional historical
points of reference in Texas
history. The student is expected
to​:*​ (A) identify the major eras
in Texas history, describe their
defining characteristics, and
explain why historians divide the
past into eras, including ​Natural
Texas and its People; Age of
Contact; Spanish Colonial;
Mexican National; Revolution
and Republic; Early Statehood;
Texas in the Civil War and
Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle,
and Railroads; Age of Oil; ​Texas
in the Great Depression and
World War II; ​Civil Rights and
Conservatism; and
Contemporary Texas;
CISD 2016, Updated 12/6/16
District Specificity/
Examples
Recurring
Vocabulary
Instructional
Strategies
ELPS: 1D, 2C,
2I, 3C, 3D, 3E,
3F, 3G, 3H, 3I
-Orally
describe the
causes and
effects of the
World Wars by
using
reciprocal
teaching.
-Student
created map
of Europe
before and
Suggested Resources
Resources listed and categorized to indicate suggested
uses. Any additional resources must be aligned with
the TEKS.
(1) History. The student
understands traditional historical
points of reference in Texas
history. The student is expected
to: (B) apply absolute and
relative chronology through the
sequencing of significant
individuals, events, and time
periods;
after World
War I and
World War II.
(8) Geography. The student uses
geographic tools to collect,
analyze, and interpret data. The
student is expected to:
(A) create and interpret thematic
maps, graphs, charts, models,
and databases representing
various aspects of Texas during
the 19th, 20th, and 21st
centuries;
(8) Geography. The student uses
geographic tools to collect,
analyze, and interpret data. The
student is expected to:
(B) analyze and interpret
geographic distributions and
patterns in Texas during the
19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Recurring
(7) History. The student
understands how individuals,
events, and issues shaped the
history of Texas during the 20th
and early 21st centuries. The
student is expected to:
(E) analyze the political,
economic, and social impact of
major events, including World
War I, the Great Depression, and
World War II, on the history of
Texas; and
Bloom’s Level-Analyzing
CISD 2016, Updated 12/6/16
Describe the causes of WW I​ :
Extreme nationalism, system of
Europe. Zimmerman Telegraph
-Student
created
journal entries
on the
formation of
alliances or life
in the
trenches.
Analyze the effects of ​World War I
in Texas​: ​German Texans were
persecuted. The German newspaper
published in San Antonio
-Students
create maps of
Texas showing
World War I
Political,
Economic
Social
Stocks
Soup kitchen
Breadlines
Scrip
proration
KACV WWII Panhandle War Stories- Each campus
received a book and CD
Texas in the World War II brochure
Lesson from ESC 13 over life in Texas during WWII,
it connects you to Austin’s library where they have a
photo exhibit titled Red Points and Ration Cards.
Fighting the Good Fight
http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php/Lesson
_Plan_-_Texas_at_War_-_The_Home_Front_During_
WWII_(Gr_7)
discontinued publication. Texas
experienced economic boom because
of oil and gas needs and production.
Many Texans served in the armed
forces, including many in the officer
corps. Texans were exposed to
"outside" influences and ideas which
broadened their perspectives.
Great Depression​ ​The severe
worldwide economic crisis that began
in October 29, 1929 when the stock
market crashed. The world was
plunged into a economic depression
as personal income, tax revenue,
profits and prices dropped and
international trade plunged.
Political
Economic
Social
World War II​:
Political
Economic-Texas manufacturing
quadrupled, wages went up, people
began moving from rural areas to
urban centers to get high paying jobs.
Women entered the work force. In
Amarillo, Pantex was opened.
Social
Describe the course of the war:
Hitler began World War II by
invading Poland in September of
1939. Within the first year Hitler and
the Germans dominated all of Europe
except for England. On December 7,
1941, Japan attacked the United
States at Pearl Harbor and the U. S.
entered the war. World War II was
fought in two theaters, Europe
(Africa) and the Pacific. On May 7,
1945 Germany surrendered to end the
war in Europe. In August, 1945 the
United States dropped the first
Atomic bomb on Japan and on Sept.
CISD 2016, Updated 12/6/16
the locations
of POW and
training
camps.
-Student
created maps
of Europe
illustrating the
Allies and Axis
powers.
-Research
based
biography of
an important
Texan during
World War II
Video over Texas in World War II, it is a bad quality
video, however has great information
Texas in World War II
Editorial Cartoons about Texas in WWII
http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/
(10) Geography. The student
understands the effects of the
interaction between humans and
the environment in Texas during
the 19th, 20th, and 21st
centuries. The student is
expected to: (B) explain ways
in which geographic factors such
as the G
​ alveston Hurricane of 1900​,
the Dust Bowl, limited water
resources, and ​alternative energy
sources​ ​have affected the
political, economic, and social
development of Texas.
2, 1945, Japan surrendered. World
War II was over.
Analyze the effects of World War
II in Texas​: Economic boom because
of supplying war needs (munitions,
military bases, oil)
Site for Japanese ​internment camps
and prisoner of war camps
Texans fought with bravery and were
widely decorated. ​Admiral Chester
Nimitz​ was head of the U.S. Pacific
Fleet; ​Oveta Culp Hobby​ - the
Women's Army Corps.
Bloom’s Level- Understanding
Dust Bowl​ ​in the second half of the
1930’s the Texas panhandle and parts
of the surrounding states were in a
prolong period of severe drought
combined with unusually hot
temperatures and strong winds turned
the region into a veritable dessert. In
1935 in Amarillo there was a total of
908 hours of severe dust storms! 7
times that year the visibility dropped
to 0. One blackout lasted 11 hours.
Limited Water Resources​.
(12) Economics. The student
understands the factors that
caused Texas to change from an
agrarian to an urban society. The
student is expected to:
(C) explain the changes in the
types of jobs and occupations
that have resulted from the
urbanization of Texas.
(21) Social studies skills. The
student applies critical-thinking
skills to organize and use
information acquired through
established research
CISD 2016, Updated 12/6/16
Bloom’s Level- Understanding
Urbanization i​s the process of more
of the population moving to larger
population areas.
-Student
created skits
or posters
illustrating
1920’s slang
words
depicting the
state of the
economy and
different
industries
during the
Great
Depression
Suggested Student Literature
Out of the Dust By Karen Hesse
Dust Bowl Photographs
Farming in the 1930’s
Library of Congress
Dust Bowl Migrations
https://tshaonline.org/tools/lessonplans/plans
/109.html
Texas Politics : No Longer Country, But Not All City
Either
The Texas Experience- Sally Ride Presents the
Urbanization of Texas
TAMU Lesson
Urbanization in Texas
methodologies from a variety of
valid sources, including
electronic technology. The
student is expected to:
(A) differentiate between,
locate, and use ​valid primary
and secondary sources ​such as
computer software, databases,
media and news services,
biographies, interviews, and
artifacts to acquire
information about Texas​;
(21) Social studies skills. The
student applies critical-thinking
skills to organize and use
information acquired through
established research
methodologies from a variety of
valid sources, including
electronic technolog​y.​ The
student is expected to:
(F) identify bias in written, ​oral,
and visual ​material;
(22) Social studies skills. The
student communicates in written,
oral, and visual forms. The
student is expected to:
(D) ​create ​written​, oral,​ and
visual presentations of social
studies information.
CISD 2016, Updated 12/6/16