Curated OER
Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans
Seventh graders examine Cabeza de Vaca's journal and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They, in groups, design posters that portray the culture of the Coahuiltecan Indians in Texas during the 16th century.
Curated OER
Cabeza de Vaca
Fourth graders observe the 1529 map of the Gulf of Mexico and describe the accuracy of the map, including the unknown landscape that Cabeza de Vaca would traverse. They read the discuss the excerpt of his journey including his treatment...
Curated OER
Digging Deeper in Mission San Saba
Seventh graders explain Spanish motives for establishing Mission San Sab?? and the reasons for the mission's failure. This lesson should be used when students already have an understanding of the Spanish mission-presidio system in Texas.
Curated OER
In the News
Fourth graders will use AlphaSmarts/Neos to create a one page newspaper in Word which features an early explorer. This lesson can be done entirely in the classroom. The students will perform research about the explorer prior to the...
Curated OER
Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans
Young scholars examine the difference between primary and secondary sources by examining the journal of Cabeza de Vaca and creating a poster about the Coahuitecan Indian groups. They portray a scene of the groups in 16th Century south...
Curated OER
Coronado: Misfortune's Explorer
Fourth graders discuss the importance of Coronado's expedition through Texas and the trials his men endured during the journey. They view and discuss a map of Coronado's route, the effects of weather on the Great Plains, and Buffalo....
Curated OER
Death On Board La Belle: Finding Clues from Old Bones
Students practice analyzing skeletal remains for clues by using the Internet. In this scientific investigation lesson, students research the La Belle shipwreck using the Internet and written materials, later completing a Skeletal...
Curated OER
Context Clues that Define Pretest
In this context clues worksheet, students define context clues and use them to define words in a reading passage.
Curated OER
What do Bison Eat?
Young scholars identify the three major categories of food eaten by bison. In groups, they collect examples of grass and forbs and press them. They complete a chart of the percentages of each type of food the bison eat in a day. They...
Curated OER
AT HOME ON THE RANGE
The student will learn how ranchers on the western frontier helped saved the bison from extinction.Hand out student worksheets. Have young scholars read the information about bison on Student Worksheet A before completing Student...
Curated OER
A TOUGH NUT TO CRACK
Based on a set of criteria, middle schoolers will evaluate the quality of pecans.1. Bring a gram scale and papershell pecans. Provide five pecans for each student. 2. Divide the class into groups of five and provide each member with five...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Cabeza De Vaca
Explorer Cabeza de Vaca is considered the first true Chicano writer, having been born in Spain and then absorbed into the Native American culture, highlighting this new culture in his writings. Click on "Cabeza de Vaca Activities" for...
PBS
Pbs the West: Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
A biography of this Spanish explorer who was born in 1490. Click on "route" for a map of his travels, and click on "account" for a translation of his published account of his experiences.
Other
Texas Bob: The First Europeans in Texas: 1528 1536
One of the first Europeans to penetrate the interior of Texas, read Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's account of his shipwreck and eventual return to the Spanish Court.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Native American Relations in Texas: Introduction
How did a Spanish explorer become a "medicine man and the first European trader in Texas"? Who authored the "first ever written description of Texas Indians"? Read this brief article to begin learning about the early relations between...
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas: Exploration and Settlement Before 1675
A great map showing the explorations of Spanish, French, and English explorers in North America between 1530 and 1675. A detailed key identifies each explorer and route. From the Perry-Castaneda Collection
PBS
Pbs: New Perspectives on the West
This in-depth resource presents a history of the American West from pre-Columbian times until World War I with profiles, documents, and images. It encourages visitors to link these into patterns of historical meaning for themselves....