Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09
Lesson: 01
Suggested Duration: 6 days
Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads
Lesson Synopsis:
Cotton, cattle, and railroads were the industries that changed Texas and were the foundation to the development of
modern Texas. In this lesson, students will describe how these industries influenced the expansion of Texas. Students will
examine each of these industries in a learning station activity to create a trifold.
TEKS:
7.1
7.1A
7.6
History. The student understands the traditional historical points of reference in Texas history. The student is
expected to:
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.
History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas from
Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century. The student is expected to:
7.6A
Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century,
including the factors leading to the expansion of the Texas frontier, the effects of westward expansion on American
Indians, the buffalo soldiers, and Quanah Parker.
7.6B
Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century,
including the development of the cattle industry from its Spanish beginnings and the myths and realities of the
cowboy way of life.
7.6C
Identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century,
including the effects of the growth of railroads and the contributions of James Hogg.
7.6D
Explain the political, economic, and social impact of the agricultural industry and the development of West Texas
resulting from the close of the frontier.
7.8
Geography. The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The student is expected to:
7.8A
Create and interpret thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases representing various aspects of Texas
during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
7.8B
Analyze and interpret geographic distributions and patterns in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
7.9
Geography. The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of Texas. The student is
expected to:
7.9C
Analyze the effects of physical and human factors such as climate, weather, landforms, irrigation, transportation,
and communication on major events in Texas.
7.10
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:
7.10A
Identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment and analyze the positive and negative
consequences of the modifications.
7.10B
Explain ways in which geographic factors such as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Dust Bowl, limited water
resources, and alternative energy sources have affected the political, economic, and social development of Texas.
7.12
Economics. The student understands the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to an urban society.
The student is expected to:
7.12B
Trace the development of major industries that contributed to the urbanization of Texas such as transportation, oil
and gas, and manufacturing.
7.20
Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and technological
innovations on the political, economic, and social development of Texas. The student is expected to:
7.20A
Compare types and uses of technology, past and present.
7.20C
Analyze the effects of various scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the development of Texas
such as advancements in the agricultural, energy, medical, computer, and aerospace industries.
Social Studies Skills TEKS:
7.21
7.21B
©2012, TESCCC
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a
variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing,
contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences
and conclusions.
05/08/13
page 1 of 8
7.21C
7.22
Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals including graphs, charts, timelines,
and maps.
Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
7.22C
Transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual,
using computer software as appropriate.
7.22D
Create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Performance Indicator(s)
•
Cotton, cattle and railroads influenced Texas economically, politically and socially. Create a flip book or a three
column paper organizer that explains how cotton, cattle and railroads influenced Texas. (7.1A; 7.6A, 7.6B, 7.6C,
7.6D; 7.22D)
5B
Key Understandings and Guiding Questions:
•
Transportation and agriculture influence the economy, policy and society.
— How did cotton, cattle, and railroads lead to the expansion of the Texas frontier?
— Who were the significant individuals, events, and issues that influenced Texas from Reconstruction to the
20th century?
Vocabulary of Instruction:
•
•
•
commercial agriculture
junction
sharecropper
•
•
•
expansion
land grant
tenant farming
•
•
•
extermination
myth
subsistence agriculture
Materials:
•
See Notes for Teacher section for materials
Attachments:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Handout: Station One: The Removal of American Indians (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Station One: The Removal of American Indians KEY
Handout: Station Two: Cattle Call Strips (2 sets)
Handout: Station Two: Cattle Call Pattern Puzzle Analysis (1 per student)
Handout: Station Three: Texas Cowboys – Myth or Reality (6 for Learning Station Folder)
Handout: Station Three: Myth or Reality – Texas Cowboy Comparison Matrix (1 per student)
Handout: Station Four: Cotton and Agriculture in Texas (6 per Learning Station Folder)
Handout: Station Four: Agriculture-PEGS Impact on Texas (1 per student)
Handout: Station Five: Railroads Across Texas
Teacher Resource: Station Six: Cause and Effect Matching Game KEY
Handout: Cause and Effect Big Ideas Summary (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Cause and Effect Big Ideas Summary KEY
Handout: Cattle Industry Picture Note Review (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Lesson Activities KEY
Handout: OPTIC Analysis (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: OPTIC Analysis KEY
Resources and References:
•
•
•
•
Texas Beyond History: http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/stlouis/index.html
TSHA- Texas Online Handbook: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
Portals to Texas History: http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6103/
Teaching Texas: www.teachingtexas.org
©2012, TESCCC
05/14/13
page 2 of 8
Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Texas Almanac: http://www.texasalmanac.com
Amon Carter Museum – Texas Bird’s Eye View: Galveston 1885: http://www.birdseyeviews.org/zoom.php?
city=Galveston&year=1885&extra_info
Resources 4 Educators – Ranching: http://education.texashistory.unt.edu/lessons/psa/Ranching/index.html
Resources 4 Educators – Cattle Branding:
http://education.texashistory.unt.edu/lessons/notebook/RanchingCattleBranding/index.html
Resources 4 Educators – Cattle Kingdom:
http://education.texashistory.unt.edu/lessons/newspapers/cattleKingdom/index.htm
Resources 4 Educators – Cotton Farming in Texas:
http://education.texashistory.unt.edu/lessons/newspapers/cottonFarmingTexas/index.htm
Texas Beyond History-Texas Frontier Timeline: http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/forts/66-75.html
Texas Beyond History: http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/kids/forts/meet.html
Red River Wars-Texas Beyond History: http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/redriver/
Texas Parks & Wildlife: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/webcasts/texas/buffalo.phtml
CYNTHIA ANN PARKER: Dallas History Society: http://www.dallashistory.org/history/texas/people.htm
Oklahoma Historical Society’s-Chronicles of Oklahoma:
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v012/v012p163.html
Texas State Library & Archives Commission-Quanah Parker:
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/treasures/indians/parker.html
Indian Relations in Texas – Texas State Library & Archives:
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/indian/statehood/page1.html
Texas State Library & Archives Commission – The Railroads Come to Texas:
https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/railroad/beginnings/page3.html
Railroad Commission of Texas: http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/about/railroads/railroads.php
Texas Transportation Archive: http://www.ttarchive.com/
Advance Preparation:
1. Teachers will need to become familiar with the content and procedures for this lesson.
2. Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.
3. Choose appropriate sections in the textbook and other classroom and library resources to support learning about
historical eras and geography.
4. Preview websites according to district guidelines.
5. Prepare attachment(s) as necessary.
Background Information:
Unlike other southern states, Texas rebounded quickly after the Civil War and laid the foundation for a modern Texas.
The United States quieted the western frontier of the state by removing Indian tribes from the Texas Plains onto
reservations. The cattle and agriculture industry grew with cotton emerging as the primary crop. By the turn of the 20th
century, railroads and ports connected Texas and its products to the rest of the world. Between 1865 and 1900, Texas
recovered from the devastation of the Civil War and prepared for exerting a powerful influence on the nation during the
20th century and 21st centuries.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION SUPPLEMENTAL PLANNING DOCUMENT
Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners.
The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus
Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page.
All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1 – 20 minutes
Resources:
• Amon Carter Museum – Texas Bird’s
ENGAGE – The Texas Frontier
1. Organize students into groups of 2 or 3.
©2012, TESCCC
05/14/13
page 3 of 8
Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
2. Ask students to draw the graphic organizer below on a sheet of paper.
Eye View: Galveston 1885:
http://www.birdseyeviews.org/zoom.php?
city=Galveston&year=1885&extra_info=
Purpose:
Students will explain how cotton, cattle, and
railroads led to the expansion of the Texas
frontier.
GALVESTON
TEKS: 7.1A, 7.21B, 7.21C
3. Project the Bird’s Eye View of Galveston so all students see the image
using the URL below:
Amon Carter Museum – Texas Bird’s Eye View: Galveston 1885
http://www.birdseyeviews.org/zoom.php?
city=Galveston&year=1885&extra_info=
4. Student groups work together to brainstorm four reasons why
Galveston was the largest city in Texas at this time by examining the
bird’s eye view.
5. Each group shares at least one reason Galveston was the largest
Texas city at the time, justifying their answers in a class discussion.
(Possible answers may be that Galveston is a port, it has a railroad, a
thriving downtown, a large population, it had a cotton exchange,
tourism, and an education system, etc.)
6. After the discussion, explain that between the Civil War and 20th
century the Texas population recovered economically, politically, and
socially more quickly than other southern states because of the growth
of agriculture, specifically cotton and cattle, and the railroads.
7. Post the following questions on the wall and tell students that in this
lesson, they will be able to answer the following guiding questions
about the Texas era of cotton, cattle, and railroads
• How did cotton, cattle, and railroads lead to the expansion of
the Texas frontier?
• Who were the significant individuals, events, and issues that
influenced Texas from Reconstruction to the 20th century?
EXPLORE – The Texas Frontier Learning Stations
1. Organize students into groups of 3.
2. Each group will work cooperatively to complete the task at each
learning station.
3. Organize each station materials into a “Learning Station” folder.
4. Provide written instruction at each Learning Station.
STATION ONE - THE REMOVAL OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS
• Provide each Learning Station folder with the following:
• Handout: Station One: The Removal of the American
©2012, TESCCC
05/14/13
Suggested Day 1 (continued) – 30 minutes
Suggested Day 2 – 50 minutes
Suggested Day 3 – 50 minutes
Attachments:
• Handout: Station One: The Removal of
American Indians (1 per student)
• Teacher Resource: Station One: The
Removal of American Indians KEY
• Handout: Station Two: Cattle Call
Strips (2 sets)
• Handout: Station Two: Cattle Call
Pattern Puzzle Analysis (1 per student)
• Handout: Station Three: Texas
Cowboys – Myth or Reality (6 for
Learning Station Folder)
page 4 of 8
Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
•
Indians (1 per student)
•
Instructions:
• Students work cooperatively using their textbook and teacherdetermined resources to complete the blank cells on the
graphic organizer.
STATION TWO – CATTLE INDUSTRY
• Provide each Learning Station folder with the following:
• Handout: Station Two: Cattle Call Strips (1 per group) (strips
should be cut apart, mixed, and placed in a baggy.)
• Handout: Station Two: Cattle Call Pattern Puzzle Analysis
(1 per student)
•
Instructions:
• Students organize the Cattle Call strips into a logical timeline
sequence.
• Students use the information in the Cattle Call strips to
complete the Handout: Station Two: Cattle Call Pattern
Puzzle Analysis (1 per student)
STATION THREE – TEXAS COWBOYS: MYTH OR REALITY
• Provide each learning station folder with the following:
• Handout: Station Three: Texas Cowboys – Myth or Reality
(6 for Learning Station Folder)
• Handout: Station Three: Myth or Reality – Texas Cowboy
Comparison Matrix (1 per student)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Handout: Station Three: Myth or
Reality – Texas Cowboy Comparison
Matrix (1 per student)
Handout: Station Four: Cotton and
Agriculture in Texas (6 per Learning
Station Folder)
Handout: Station Four: AgriculturePEGS Impact on Texas (1 per student)
Handout: Station Five: Railroads
Across Texas
Handout: Station Six: Cause and
Effect Matching Game (2 sets per
Learning Station Folder)
Teacher Resource: Station Six: Cause
and Effect Matching Game KEY
Handout: Cause and Effect Big Ideas
Summary (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Cause and Effect
Big Ideas Summary KEY
Purpose:
• Students will explain how cotton, cattle,
and railroads led to the expansion of the
Texas frontier.
TEKS: 7.1A, 7.6A, 7.6B, 7.6C, 7.6D, 7.8A,
7.8B, 7.9C, 7.10A, 7.10B, 7.12B, 7.20A,
7.20C, 7.21B, 7.21C, 7.22C, 7.22D
•
Instructions:
Instructional Note:
• Students “buddy read” the Handout: Station Three: Texas
• Depending on the number of students in
Cowboys – Myth or Reality
the class, there may be two different
• Students use the information to complete the Handout: Station
groups at one Learning Station.
Three: Myth or Reality – Texas Cowboy Comparison Matrix
(1 per student)
Instructional Note:
• When student groups “buddy read,” they
STATION FOUR – COTTON AND AGRICULUTRE IN TEXAS
take turns quietly reading aloud as the
• Provide each learning station folder with the following:
other group members follow along with
• Handout: Station Four: Cotton and Agriculture in Texas (6
the text.
per Learning Station Folder)
• Handout: Station Four: Agriculture-PEGS Impact on Texas
(1 per student)
•
Instructions:
• Students “buddy read” reading the Handout: Station Four:
Cotton and Agriculture in Texas (6 per Learning Station
Folder)
• Student use the information in the handout above to
cooperatively to complete the Handout: Agriculture-PEGS
Impact on Texas (1 per student)
Misconception:
• Cowboys did not lead a glamorous life
but one of hard work, low pay, and great
risk.
STATION FIVE – RAILROADS ACROSS TEXAS
• Provide each learning station folder with the following:
• Handout: Station Five: Railroads Across Texas.
•
Instructions:
©2012, TESCCC
05/14/13
page 5 of 8
Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Instructional Procedures
•
•
Notes for Teacher
Students “buddy read” read the text.
Students work cooperatively to answer the question about the
importance of railroads to the growth of Texas.
STATION SIX – GEOGRAPHY AND TECHNOLOGY CAUSES & EFFECT
• Provide each learning station folder with the following:
• Teacher Resource: Station Six: Cause and Effect Matching
Game KEY (separated in resealable bags as well as a
complete copy placed on the teacher’s desk)
•
Instructions:
• Students play a Cause and Effect Matching Game:
• Students Pass out or “deal” the cards in the deck to your
group members.
• Taking turns, read one card from the hand you have been
dealt and place it on top of the table. Note if it is a CAUSE
or an EFFECT card.
• For the card that was just played, students search their
cards to see if they have its matching cause or effect. If
they think they have a match, they read their card and
place it beside its “match” on the desk.
• Once all cards are played, students may choose to
rearrange their matches and then check the KEY on the
Teacher’s Desk.
• Students collaborate to complete the Handout: Cause and
Effect Big Ideas Summary (1 per student)
5. Exit Ticket:
• Ask students to answer the following question on notebook paper
as an “exit ticket”. How did cotton, cattle, and railroads lead to
the expansion of the Texas frontier?
EXPLAIN – The Texas Frontier
1. Provide each student the Handout: Cattle Industry Picture Note
Review.
2. Students use the notes that were gathered from each learning station
to describe how each visual influenced the factors that led to the
expansion of the Texas frontier.
Suggested Day 4 – 30 minutes
Attachments:
• Handouts: Cattle Industry Picture Note
Review
• Teacher Resource: Lesson Activities
KEY
Purpose:
• Students will explain how cotton, cattle,
and railroads led to the expansion of the
Texas frontier.
TEKS: 7.1A, 7.6A, 7.6B, 7.6C, 7.6D
ELABORATE – Texas Cities
©2012, TESCCC
Suggested Day 4 (continued) – 20 minutes
05/14/13
page 6 of 8
Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
1. Provide each student the Handout: OPTIC Analysis and access to a
computer to analyze the webpage below.
Materials:
• computer
•
Texas State Library & Archives – Cotton Season – A Busy Day in
Attachments:
Belton, Texas:
• Handout: OPTIC Analysis
https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/suffrage/battle/cotton-belton.html • Teacher Resource: OPTIC Analysis
KEY
2. Upload handout on a student computer for students to analyze and
complete.
TEKS: 7.6D, 7.12B, 7. 22C
3. OPTIC - The five letters in the word OPTIC (pertaining to the eye)
provide a system for remembering the five steps for analyzing a visual
or graphic (cartoons, pictures, graphs and charts.) As students view the
graphic they write their analysis on the Handout: OPTIC Analysis (1
per student).
4. After students analyze the illustration, students answer the following
question:
• How did major industry such as cotton production and cattle
ranching affect the growth of Texas cities?
ELABORATE – Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads
1.
Divide students into 8 groups.
2.
Using the district adopted textbook, locally-approved resources, and
the learning station materials, students complete the following task:
• Research the topic
• Create a poster that includes the following criteria:
• Explain the topic
• Why is the topic significant to the growth of cotton and cattle
industries in Texas?
• How does this topic impact population growth in Texas and the
disappearance of the frontier.
• An illustration or symbol representing the topic on chart paper
3.
Purpose:
Students will analyze how industries affected
Texas cities.
Instructional note:
• If available, provide access to the Texas
State Library & Archives – Cotton
Season – A Busy Day in Belton, Texas:
https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/suffra
ge/battle/cotton-belton.html
Suggested Day 5 – 50 minutes
Materials:
• chart paper
• markers
• learning station materials
TEKS: 7.1A, 7.6A, 7.6B, 7.6C, 7.6D, 7.8A,
7.8B, 7.9C, 7.10A, 7.10B, 7.12B, 7.20A,
7.20C, 7.21B, 7.21C, 7.22C, 7.22D
Purpose:
• Students work cooperatively to research
and present the major topics associated
with the growth of cotton, cattle, and the
railroad.
Topics:
• Group #1: Buffalo soldiers and the American Indians
• Group #2: The myths and realities associated with cowboy life in
Texas
• Group #3: Transportation – including the Railroad
©2012, TESCCC
05/14/13
page 7 of 8
Grade 7
Social Studies
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Instructional Procedures
•
•
•
•
•
Notes for Teacher
Group #4: Expansion of farming in Texas
Group #5: Military posts in West Texas
Group #6: Geography of Texas (scarcity of water, expanse of land)
Group #7: Barbed wire and windmills
Group #8: Significant figures in the expansion of Texas cattle and
cotton industries
4.
Students present their posters to the class in 3 minute presentations.
5.
The Teacher clarifies/verifies information during student presentations.
EVALUATE – The Texas Frontier
•
Cotton, cattle and railroads influenced Texas economically,
politically and socially. Create a flip book or a three column paper
organizer that explains how cotton, cattle and railroads influenced
Texas. (7.1A; 7.6A, 7.6B, 7.6C, 7.6D; 7.22D)
5B
1. Provide each student one white piece of paper.
Suggested Day 6 – 50 minutes
Materials:
• white paper (8 x11 or larger)
• notes from learning stations
Attachment:
• Teacher Resource: Lesson Activities
KEY
2. Students will fold the paper into three parts. On the crease, students
can draw the lines.
Purpose:
• Students will explain how cotton, cattle,
and railroads led to the expansion of the
3. Students will title it Influences on Texas 1865 – 1900 and organize it as
Texas frontier.
seen below.
TEKS: 7.1A; 7.6A, 7.6B, 7.6C, 7.6D; 7.22D
COTTON
Influence on Texas 1865 – 1900
CATTLE
RAILROADS
Political
Political
Political
Economics
Economics
Economics
Social
Social
Social
4. Students will use the information gathered during the Explore
portion/Stations to complete the trifold.
5. Students will include two examples for each category and a conclusion
statement.
6. There are many possible answers.
©2012, TESCCC
05/14/13
page 8 of 8