Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06
Lesson: 03
Suggested Duration: 4 days
Grade 04 Social Studies Unit 06 Exemplar Lesson 03: Heroes of the Texas Revolution
This lesson is one approach to teaching the State Standards associated with this unit. Districts are encouraged to customize this
lesson by supplementing with district-approved resources, materials, and activities to best meet the needs of learners. The
duration for this lesson is only a recommendation, and districts may modify the time frame to meet students’ needs. To better
understand how your district may be implementing CSCOPE lessons, please contact your child’s teacher. (For your convenience,
please find linked the TEA Commissioner’s List of State Board of Education Approved Instructional Resources and Midcycle State
Adopted Instructional Materials.)
Lesson Synopsis
Students examine the contributions to the Texas Revolution made by individuals.
TEKS
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) listed below are the standards adopted by the State Board of Education,
which are required by Texas law. Any standard that has a strike-through (e.g. sample phrase) indicates that portion of the
standard is taught in a previous or subsequent unit. The TEKS are available on the Texas Education Agency website at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
4.3
History. The student understands the importance of the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas,
and the annexation of Texas to the United States. The student is expected to:
4.3B
Summarize the significant contributions of individuals such as Texians William B. Travis, James
Bowie, David Crockett, George Childress, and Sidney Sherman Tejanos Juan Antonio Padilla,
Carlos Espalier, Juan N. Seguín, Plácido Benavides, and José Francisco Ruiz Mexicans Antonio
López de Santa Anna and Vicente Filisola non­combatants Susanna Dickinson and Enrique
Esparza.
4.17
Citizenship. The student understands the importance of active individual participation in the
democratic process. The student is expected to:
4.17D Identify the importance of historical figures and important individuals who modeled active participation in the
democratic process such as Sam Houston, Barbara Jordan, Lorenzo de Zavala, Ann Richards, Sam Rayburn, Henry B.
González, James A. Baker III, Wallace Jefferson, and other local individuals.
Social Studies Skills TEKS
4.21
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information
acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected
to:
4.21D Identify different points of view about an issue, topic, historical event, or current event.
4.22
Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is
expected to:
4.22D Create written and visual material such as journal entries, reports, graphic organizers, outlines,
and bibliographies.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Performance Indicators
Last Updated 05/07/13
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 1 of 13 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06
Lesson: 03
Suggested Duration: 4 days
Grade 04 Social Studies Unit 06 PI 03
Create an illustrated booklet about several heroes of the Texas Revolution describing who they were and their contribution(s) to the revolution.
Standard(s): 4.3B , 4.17D , 4.21D , 4.22D
ELPS ELPS.c.1C , ELPS.c.5F
Key Understandings
The actions of individuals affect the course of history.
— What were contributions of individuals during the Texas Revolution?
— How did their actions affect the course of history?
— Who are historical figures that modeled active participation during the Texas Revolution?
Vocabulary of Instruction
hero
dictator
Materials
Refer to Notes for Teacher section for materials
Attachments
All attachments associated with this lesson are referenced in the body of the lesson. Due to considerations for grading or
student assessment, attachments that are connected with Performance Indicators or serve as answer keys are available in the
district site and are not accessible on the public website.
Handout: Heroes Notes (1 per student)
Handout: Biography Cards (at least 1 set per group)
Teacher Resource: Hero Trading Card Template
Handout: Hero Checklist (1 per student)
Resources
None identified
Advance Preparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson.
Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.
Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.
Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines.
Prepare materials and handouts as needed.
Background Information
Heroes of the Texas Revolution consisted of Anglo-Americans, Tejanos, and Mexicans. War is a horrible event, and both sides of war have heroes
whether people agree for the cause or result of the war. This lesson will examine the contributions by all the people listed whether they were on the
Texas side or the Mexican side.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Teachers are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to meet the needs of learners. These
lessons are one approach to teaching the TEKS/Specificity as well as addressing the Performance Indicators associated with
Last Updated 05/07/13
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 2 of 13 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06
Lesson: 03
Suggested Duration: 4 days
each unit. District personnel may create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab. All originally authored
lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
ENGAGE – Visual analysis
NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1 – 20 minutes
1. Display the painting Surrender of Santa Anna, by William H. Huddle.
Materials:
2. Facilitate a class discussion of the painting. Use it to review the events
of the Texas Revolution and to introduce some of the significant
individuals. Use questions such as those below:
What event does this painting depict?
Where on the timeline of the Texas Revolution did this event
take place?
What made these men heroes?
How does this painting portray these men as heroes?
Were there women heroes of the Texas Revolution? What do
you think they did for the Texas Revolution? Why are there
few pictures of them?
Painting Surrender of Santa Anna, by
William H. Huddle
Instructional Note:
Use a visual analysis strategy such as People, Objects,
Activities, or another strategy. (see below)
People, Objects, Activities:
List the People, Objects, and Activities. Make inferences
and draw conclusions based on what is in the image.
People
Objects
Activities
EXPLORE – Contributions of significant people
Suggested Day 1 (continued), Day 2 – 50 minutes
1. Each student chooses 6 numbers between 1 and 16, writing the
numbers on a slip of paper with their names and handing in the slips.
Materials:
index cards (6 unlined cards per student)
2. Display the list of significant individuals in Texas history. (Their numbers
will coincide with this list.)
Attachments:
Texians
1. William B. Travis
2. James Bowie
Handout: Heroes Notes (1 per student)
Handout: Biography Cards (at least 1 set
per group, cut apart)
3. David Crockett
4. George Childress
5. Sidney Sherman
6. Sam Houston
7. Lorenzo de Zavala
Tejanos
8. Juan Antonio Padilla
9. Carlos Espalier
10. Juan N. Seguín
11. Plácido Benavides
12. José Francisco Ruiz
Mexicans
13. Antonio López de Santa Anna
14. Vicente Filisola
non-combatants
Last Updated 05/07/13
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 3 of 13 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06
Lesson: 03
Suggested Duration: 4 days
15. Susanna Dickinson
16. Enrique Esparza
3. Return students’ slips of paper so they can match the numbers they
chose to the names of individuals they will investigate.
4. Distribute the Handout: Heroes Notes for students to use when they
gather information about the people significant to the Texas Revolution.
5. With students in groups of 3 or 4, distribute at least one set of the
Handout: Biography Cards to each group.
6. Students use information from the Handout: Biography Cards and
other appropriate sources (such as the textbook, other classroom
materials, and approved online sources) to note information about their
6 people on the Handout: Heroes Notes.
7. Monitor students to clarify information and provide additional information
as needed.
EXPLAIN –Trading Cards
Suggested Day 2 (continued) – 30 minutes
1. Distribute at least 6 unlined index cards to each student.
Materials:
2. Display the Teacher Resource: Hero Trading Card Template.
3. Students follow the template to create a Hero Trading Card for each
person they are investigating (the 6 numbers they chose, above).
4. Distribute the Handout: Hero Checklist.
5. In groups of four, students compare the information on their cards (Allow
5 minutes). They keep track of heroes they have learned about by
checking them on the Handout: Hero Checklist and add information to
their Handout: Heroes Notes.
Index cards (6 per student)
Attachments:
Handout: Heroes Notes
Teacher Resource: Hero Trading Card
Template
Handout: Hero Checklist (1 per student)
6. Students move to another group, to learn more about other people, and
again compare cards (allow 5 minutes), adding notes to the Handout:
Heroes Notes. (Note: All students need to learn about Santa Anna and
Houston.)
7. Students mark on their Handout: Hero Checklist the new people they
learned about.
8. Students find others whose trading cards they have not yet learned
about. Make sure to include Santa Anna and Houston.
EXPLORE – Houston, de Zavala, and the democratic process
Suggested Day 3– 20 minutes
1. Review with students the democratic process.
Materials:
2. Display a picture of the signers of the Texas Declaration of
Independence.
3. Display the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Signers of the Texas Declaration of
Independence
Texas Declaration of Independence
U.S. Declaration of Independence
What were the signers looking for when they signed the
Texas Declaration of Independence?
4. Display the U.S. Declaration of Independence and help students recall
what they have learned about the Declaration of Independence.
5. Compare the principles of government in the U.S. Declaration of
Independence with those in the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Display a simplified comparison by using a Venn diagram sketched on
the board. Students read the similarities and write a statement based on
their deductions.
Last Updated 05/07/13
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 4 of 13 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06
Lesson: 03
Suggested Duration: 4 days
EXPLAIN - Complete the topic sentence
Suggested Day 3 (continued)– 15 minutes
1. Students expand on the topic sentence:
Good citizens model active participation in the democratic
process.
ELABORATE – Summarize learning
Suggested Day 3 (continued) – 15 minutes
1. Facilitate a discussion where students use what they have learned
about the Texas Revolution and significant individuals to answer the
guiding questions:
The actions of individuals affect the course of history.
- What were the contributions of individuals during the Texas Revolution?
- How did their actions affect the course of history?
- Which historical figures modeled active participation during the Texas
Revolution?
EVALUATE – Contributions of heroes of the Texas Revolution
Grade 4 Social Studies Unit06 PI03
Create an illustrated booklet about several heroes of the Texas Revolution describing
who they were and their contribution(s) to the revolution.
Standard(s): 4.3B , 4.17D , 4.21D , 4.22D
ELPS ELPS.c.1C , ELPS.c.5F
Last Updated 05/07/13
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
Suggested Day 4 – 50 minutes
Materials:
paper (2 pages of white unlined paper per
student)
page 5 of 13 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
Heroes Notes
Participant
Side
Supported
Contribution
Interesting Fact
Sam Houston
Visual Representation
Antonio López
de Santa Anna
Visual Representation
©2012, TESCCC
08/01/12
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Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
Participant
©2012, TESCCC
Side
Supported
Contribution
08/01/12
Interesting Fact
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Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
Biography Cards
1. William B. Travis was from South Carolina. He moved to Texas in 1831 becoming a citizen
of Texas and living in Stephen F. Austin’s colony. Trouble began between Texas and Mexico
before he was able to send for his wife and young son. Travis was one of the first Texans to
join the army. He and a group of men went to San Antonio to help any way they could. He
and James Bowie became the leaders of the Alamo when Santa Anna attacked. Travis wrote
his Victory or Death letter asking for help. His letter is considered a symbol of courage and
heroism. On March 6, the Alamo fell to Santa Anna and the Mexican army. Travis died at the
age of 26.
2. James Bowie was born in Kentucky but lived throughout the South. In 1828, he moved to
Texas and became a citizen. Bowie liked adventure. While living in Texas, he spent time with
Indians looking for gold and silver. He finally settled down and married a Mexican woman
from a wealthy family. She and their two children died during a cholera epidemic. Bowie was
very upset by these events and decided to join in the fight for Texas independence. He
fought in the Grass Fights and the Battle of San Antonio. He was in command of the San
Antonio forces when William Travis came to San Antonio. Travis and Bowie were both
leaders when the Alamo was attacked by the Mexican army. Bowie became sick with
pneumonia and was killed on his cot still defending the Alamo when it fell on March 6, 1836.
3. David Crockett was known for his backwoods lifestyle and as a Congressman from
Tennessee. In Texas, he is remembered as a hero of the Battle of the Alamo. After being
defeated for a fourth term in Congress, he headed to Texas in the fall of 1835. There he was
treated like a celebrity. While he was in San Antonio, Santa Anna and his army attacked.
Crockett and his fellow Tennesseans were among the defenders that sacrificed their lives at
the Battle of the Alamo.
4. George Childress came to Texas from Tennessee in 1836. Childress moved to his uncle
Sterling Robertson’s colony. Once in Texas, he became involved in the independence
movement and became a delegate to the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos.
Childress called the convention to order and organized a committee to write the declaration
of independence. He was named the chairman of the committee and is the primary author of
the document. After the Revolution, Childress remained involved in the organization of the
Republic of Texas.
5. Sidney Sherman was from Kentucky. With other men, he went to fight for Texas
independence in 1835. Sherman joined Sam Houston in Gonzales and became a lieutenant
colonel in the Texas army. At the Battle of San Jacinto, Sherman and the men from
Kentucky carried the only flag that the Texans had at this battle. Sherman is also given
credit with the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” After the battle, he
helped distributed captured property to soldiers who fought in the Revolution.
©2012, TESCCC
08/01/12
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Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
6. Sam Houston grew up in Tennessee. As a young man, he lived with the Cherokee Indians
living off the land. During the War of 1812, Houston enlisted as a soldier where he learned
to follow instructions and lead men. This experience led him to become a lawyer and
governor of Tennessee. In 1832, Houston moved to Texas becoming a citizen of Mexican.
The rights of Texas citizens were threatened by the government of Mexico. Santa Anna had
become the dictator of Mexico. Mexico was no longer a representative democracy. Texans
wanted to become independent. Houston was elected to the Convention of 1836 at
Washington-on-the-Brazos. There he signed the Declaration of Independence and was
elected commander-in-chief of the armies of Texas. His first decision was for the men at San
Antonio to burn down the Alamo before Santa Anna got to San Antonio. These men did not
burn the Alamo down. Houston heard about the loss at the Alamo while at Gonzales. His
next decision was to head southeast until he had enough men to fight Santa Anna. This
would occur at San Jacinto. At the Battle of San Jacinto, Houston and his men were able to
beat the unprepared Mexicans in eighteen minutes. Texas was now an independent nation.
7. Lorenzo de Zavala was a native of Mexico. Zavala supported a representative government
in Mexico. When Santa Anna became dictator of Mexico, Zavala moved his family to Texas
and supported Texas independence. He was a delegate to the Convention of 1836 at
Washington-on-the-Brazos. Zavala was appointed to the committee to help write the
Declaration of Independence because of his education and experience. He was a signer of
the Declaration of Independence and supported Sam Houston as the leader of the Texas
army. Another decision made at Washington-on-the-Brazos was who would be the
temporary leaders of the new Texas government. Zavala was elected as Vice President and
chosen to escort Santa Anna back to Mexico. Santa Anna remained in Texas longer than
planned. Zavala resigned as Vice President and died shortly after that.
8. Juan Antonio Padillo was a Mexican native who was an official in the government of
Coahuila y Texas. Padillo supported Anglo-American colonization and the Texas Revolution.
His views about Anglo-American colonization caused him to be treated badly by the Mexican
government under Santa Anna. In 1835, he joined the Texas army and participated in the
Texas Revolution. He died in Houston in 1839 while on a business trip.
9. Carlos Espalier was born in Texas in 1819. Espalier was a friend and supporter of James
Bowie. He followed James Bowie into the Alamo and died there during the Battle of the
Alamo on March 6, 1836 at the age of seventeen.
©2012, TESCCC
08/01/12
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Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
10. Juan Seguin was born in Texas in 1806 the son of a prominent Tejano family. Seguin’s
father helped Stephen F. Austin colonize Texas with Anglo-Americans. Seguin was very
involved in local government and supported Mexico’s democratic government. When Santa
Anna became a dictator, he joined the Texas army and scouted for Sam Houston. He was a
defender at the Battle of the Alamo escaping death. Travis sent Seguin to Gonzales for help
the night before the Alamo fell. In Gonzales, he organized a Tejano army unit and fought for
Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto. After the Revolution, he went back to San Antonio
making sure the Alamo dead were properly buried. Later, he will be elected mayor of San
Antonio and the city of Seguin will be named after him.
11. Placido Benavides was a native of Texas. Benavides helped with the settlement of Victoria
and married a daughter of Martin De Leon. In October 1835, he organized men to fight at the
Battle of San Antonio and captured Goliad from Mexican forces. After these events, he
decided he could not fight against his country. He returned to Victoria with his family to
isolate himself from the war. Benavides still was willing to hide men who had escaped from
the Goliad Massacre. After the Revolution, he was treated badly by Mexican Texans.
Benavides spent the remainder of his life in Louisiana.
12. Jose Francisco Ruiz was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1783. He served as a government
leader for the city and a member of the Mexican military. His job in the military was to stop
the Fredonian Rebellion and assist General Manuel de Mier y Teran while he was reporting
on Texas. During this time, he gained the trust of the Indians and was known as their friend.
In 1832, he was granted leave from the military. In 1835, Ruiz decided to support the Texas
cause and was a delegate to the Convention of 1836. Ruiz and his nephew Jose Antonio
Navarro signed the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. They were the
only native Texans who signed the document. After the Revolution, Ruiz served in the
government of the Republic of Texas and worked with the Indians to help keep peace.
13. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna as a young man was trained as a soldier. Santa Anna
supported the new democratic government. In 1833, he was elected president of Mexico. He
soon decided that Mexico was not ready for democracy and made himself dictator. As
dictator, he had heard that Texans were unhappy. Santa Anna decided to send his soldiers
to Texas to get all the cannons that the government had given Texas towns. These cannons
protected towns from Indians. The citizens of Gonzales refused to hand over their cannon.
This was the beginning of the Texas Revolution. Santa Anna and his army headed to Texas.
He and his army took the Alamo killing all the Texas soldiers that fought against them. Santa
Anna then went after Sam Houston. They met at San Jacinto. Sam Houston attacked Santa
Anna and his men while they were taking a siesta or nap. The Battle of San Jacinto ended in
a loss for Santa Anna. He tried to escape before the battle was over but he was captured.
Sam Houston decided not to kill Santa Anna if he agreed to go back to Mexico and allow
Texas to be independent. He agreed, but it Santa Anna would not give up on Texas until
after the U.S. – Mexican War.
©2012, TESCCC
08/01/12
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Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
14. Vicente Filisola spent most of his life in the Mexican army. He was given a land grant in
East Texas to settle Hispanic families, but he did not fulfill the contract. When Santa Anna
decided to organize an attack on Texas, he made Filisola second in command. After Santa
Anna was captured at the Battle of San Jacinto, Filisola’s job was to withdraw the Mexican
army from Texas. Filisola carried out his orders by the time he got new orders from the
Mexican government to counterattack. He continued the retreat after considering the
condition of the Mexican army. When he got back to Mexico, he was replaced as
commander and resigned his command. The Mexican government saw him as a traitor, but
he did not agree. He wrote a book defending his actions and describing the events of the
Texas Revolution.
15. Susanna Dickinson and her husband Almaron moved to Gonzales from Tennessee in the
1830s. They had one daughter named Angelina. After the Battle of Gonzales, the Dickinsons
moved into the mission known as the Alamo in San Antonio for safety. They got caught in
the Alamo when Santa Anna and his army attacked it. Almaron Dickinson lost his life in the
Alamo, but Susanna and Angelina survived. Prior to the battle, William Travis gave Angelina
his ring which is now on display at the Alamo. Susanna was interviewed by Santa Anna after
the battle. Santa Anna sent Susanna and the other families that survived the Alamo to
Gonzales to tell Sam Houston about the events of the Alamo and that he was coming after
them. She lived until 1883 never forgetting when the Alamo fell to the Mexicans.
16. Enrique Esparza was a young boy who witnessed the fall of the Alamo. He was the son of
Gregorio and Ana Salazar who were in the Alamo during the attack. His father Gregorio died
defending the Alamo. His uncle, Gregorio’s brother, fought in the Mexican army at the Battle
of the Alamo. In 1907, a reporter for the San Antonio Express interviewed Esparza which
was the first time he told his story. He remained in the San Antonio area raising a family and
as a businessman.
©2012, TESCCC
08/01/12
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Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
Hero Trading Card Template
Front
Picture or symbol representing person in the
Texas Revolution:
Back
Facts:
Contributions to the Texas Revolution and
Significance



Name of the person
©2012, TESCCC
08/01/12
page 1 of 1
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 06 Lesson: 03
Hero Checklist
As you meet with other students to share your Hero Trading Cards, put a check on the
line to indicate you have learned about this person. Try to learn about as many people
as you can.
Texians
1. William B. Travis
1. _____
2. James Bowie
2. _____
3. David Crockett
3. _____
4. George Childress
4. _____
5. Sidney Sherman
5. _____
6. Sam Houston
6. _____
7. Lorenzo de Zavala
7. _____
Tejanos
8. Juan Antonio Padilla
8. _____
9. Carlos Espalier
9. _____
10. Juan N. Seguín
10. _____
11. Plácido Benavides
11. _____
12. José Francisco Ruiz
12. _____
Mexicans
13. Antonio López de Santa Anna 13. _____
14. Vicente Filisola
14. _____
non-combatants
15. Susanna Dickinson
15. _____
16. Enrique Esparza
16. _____
©2012, TESCCC
08/01/12
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