Understanding By Design – Unit Template
Teacher__Luke Borders Grade__ 7
Date 10/17/13 Subject Texas History
Title: The Revolution and The Republic (6 Week Block)
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Content Standard(s):
§113.19.3 History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues related
to the Texas Revolution shaped the history of Texas.
§113.19.4 History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped
the history of the Republic of Texas and early Texas statehood.
§113.19.16 Citizenship. The student understands the rights and responsibilities of Texas
citizens in a democratic society.
§113.19.21 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 technology.
§113.19.22 Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual
forms.
Essential Question(s):
• What is a revolution and why did Texas revolt?
• Evaluate the cost of war and gauge costs versus benefits. Apply costs and
benefits on a number of battles in the Texas Revolution and to a few modern
wars. What justifies a war
• What does it mean to be a State and a citizen? Is there a difference between
the concept of citizenship in a State and a Republic?
• Leaders – who are they, what do they do and what are the made of
Student outcomes/expectations:
§113.19.3 - (A) trace the development of events that led to the Texas Revolution,
including the Fredonian Rebellion, the Mier y Terán Report, the Law of April 6, 1830, the
Turtle Bayou Resolutions, and the arrest of Stephen F. Austin; (B) explain the roles
played by significant individuals during the Texas Revolution, including George Childress,
Lorenzo de Zavala, James Fannin, Sam Houston, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Juan N.
Seguín, and William B. Travis; (C) explain the issues surrounding significant events of
the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales, William B. Travis's letter "To the
People of Texas and All Americans in the World," the siege of the Alamo and all the
heroic defenders who gave their lives there, the Constitutional Convention of 1836,
Fannin's surrender at Goliad, and the Battle of San Jacinto; and (D) explain how the
establishment of the Republic of Texas brought civil, political, and religious freedom to
Texas.
§113.19.4 - (A) identify individuals, events, and issues during the administrations of
Republic of Texas Presidents Houston, Lamar, and Jones, including the Texas Navy, the
Texas Rangers, Edwin W. Moore, Jack Coffee Hays, Chief Bowles, William Goyens, Mary
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Maverick, José Antonio Navarro, the Córdova Rebellion, the Council House Fight, the
Santa Fe Expedition, public debt, and the roles of racial and ethnic groups; (B) analyze
the causes of and events leading to Texas annexation; and (C) identify individuals,
events, and issues during early Texas statehood, including the U.S.-Mexican War, the
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, population growth, and the Compromise of 1850.
§113.19.16 (A) identify rights of Texas citizens; and (B) explain and analyze civic
responsibilities of Texas citizens and the importance of civic participation.
§113.19.21(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; (B) 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; (C) organize and interpret information from
outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps;
(D) identify points of view from the historical context surrounding an event and the
frame of reference that influenced the participants; (E) support a point of view on a
social studies issue or event; (F) identify bias in written, oral, and visual material;
(G) evaluate the validity of a source based on language, corroboration with other
sources, and information about the author; and (H) use appropriate mathematical skills
to interpret social studies information such as maps and graphs.
§113.19.22 (A) use social studies terminology correctly; (B) use standard grammar,
spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and proper citation of sources; (C) transfer
information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to
written or visual, using computer software as appropriate; and (D) create written, oral,
and visual presentations of social studies information.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s):
Other Evidence:
• Tell your history in Texas (family
• Match the person to the description
and personal narrative) – Write like
(quiz)
an historian. Parents will be invited
• Battle short answers (quiz of
to hear their children read the
where/why/outcome of battles of
narratives aloud.
the Texas revolution
• Podcast Project – Small groups will
• What is a war, a revolution, a battle
select a battle from the revolution
(pre-assessment)
and produce a 90 second excerpt
• Decision making – how to fight this
on the battle. The battles from the
war prompt (short essay response)
class will be combined in
• Revolution and the changing
chronological order to create a
boundaries of Texas (geography of
podcast that covers the battles of
boundaries and battles)
the revolution. The podcast will be
• Costs/benefit analysis of statehood
shared with other Texas History
• Daily Do Now and Exit Tickets (7
classes in AISD.
minutes most days to check for
• Revolution/Statehood/Notable
understanding)
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figures newspaper – students will
work throughout the course of the
6 week block on producing a whole
section newspaper. Students will
develop a Google Doc to which
they can add topics and self-assign
what they will cover. The final
result will be a high-quality and
easily accessible. The final product
will live on a Wordpress newspaper
template. The link will be sent to
school districts across the state as
well as to news outlets (PBS, KUT,
KVUE…) and Texas
museums/universities as well as to
historical societies (for critique).
The goal will be to produce a
quality product that gets some
news coverage.
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Oral quizzes where a student has to
answer a pre-assigned question
(homework) aloud, with no notes in
front of the class in a given time
frame with accuracy and conviction
Class presentations of narratives
written in the voice of historical
figures in Texas
Defending your script. The student
must be able to defend the script
that they draft for the podcast.
These meetings will be done one
on one with each member of each
group to determine participation in
the group podcast project.
Students will have to explain why
certain language and facts were
chosen in place of others.
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
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Read primary sources leading up to the revolution of Texas and one or two from
the American revolution to get an idea of both leadership and what it means to
sound like a historian
Read personal narratives from the time of the revolution
Draft a narrative in the voice of a significant person from the time of the
narrative and share with class.
Study newspapers from Texas around the time of the Revolution and Statehood
Learn how to use Google Docs and the Wordpress site so that students can
begin to work on their weeks long project
Watch excerpts from quality historical programming so students can HEAR what
it sounds like to talk like a historian
Podcast exploration and software/recording techniques unit (students must
understand the way their voice sounds when recorded and effect that proximity
has on a microphone
Short presentations in the voice of an historian on various topics covered.
Q. Why did Stephen F. Austin lose the presidency to Sam Houston? What does it
take to be a leader.
Examine other notable figures and events leading up to the Revolution and
Statehood
Discuss Revolutions as an idea and revolutionaries – who was the leading
revolutionary in the Texas Revolution?
6 days on the Battles of the Revolution
Drafting a 90 second speech – how many words are 90 seconds? What effect do
pacing and spacing have on the final product
Come and take it game at the end of the study of the Revolution (what is the
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significance of the object be it tea, a cannon or some every day object like a
pen)
Discuss the costs of wars (historical and current) and the effects on culture.
Examine defense spending over time in the US and Texas
Guided small group discussion on the costs of war. Develop thesis for short
essay on revolution and the costs of war
Reflect on the history we have covered so far. The voice and scope of primary
lasting texts and build the foundation for the Personal Narrative of Your Texas
history.
Compare/contrast primary source documents to secondary and tertiary source
documents.