British Travelers: Journaling
Objective:
TLW identify the purposes of travel journaling by British travelers. TLW write about their
experiences as a British visitor.
Subject: Social Studies/Texas History
Grade Level: Seventh
Time: Four 15-20 min sessions
TEKS:
History 7.6, Social Studies 7.22, Mathematics 7.13, English 7:15, English 7:16, English 7:17
Materials:
Notebook paper or other paper for Journal
Building Background:
• Ask the students if they keep journals. Then ask for examples of what they write in
them.
• Discuss how the travelers kept journals of their journeys and wrote about the people
they say and the things they did.
Journal Activity
1. TLW design their own journal using construction paper, notebook paper, or anything else
they choose. Tell them a day or two before the lesson to put together their own mini journal
using any materials they desire and to bring it to class. Each journal should include enough
paper for three to four journal entries of about a half page.
2. Discuss how the British kept journals of their travels in order to show family members and
others about what they did and saw.
3. First, TLW describe whom they are (investor, manager, owner, or cowboy/girl) and to which
ranch they are going to visit. The learner should explain their decisions.
4. Instruct the learner to imagine they just arrived in New York and are traveling west to Texas.
Explain there where many modes of transportation west at the time: train, wagon, and horseback;
also tell them how most of the time travelers went from New York to St. Louis and then on to
their destination. Instruct them to write one journal entry on the type of travel they will take the
West (train, wagon, etc) and why they choose that one. Along with this, they should calculate
how many days they traveled (their trip must include stops) using their specific mode of travel,
and how much the trip cost them.
5. For the second journal entry, they should write about what they observed on the way-the land,
the people, and other things they may have seen during their couple of days of travel. TLW
describe in detail the landscape and the citizens they meet (i.e. did they see Native Americans,
other immigrants, etc). They should also explain whether they participated in any activities
along the way (i.e. trains made stops in towns so travelers could eat, buy supplies, men could
also join hunting parties).
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6. For their last entry, they should write about their first impressions of the ranch. TLW identify
the type of ranch they are visiting (cattle, sheep, etc). They will also describe the region they are
in and how many people work on the ranch.
Assessment:
1. Their journal entries should be well-written, using complete sentences. (Grade according to
TEKS-English 7:16 and 7:17)
2. Make sure they know to include detail and to use their descriptive words.
Extension:
Important People and their Ranches
Discuss Richard King, Charles Goodnight, John Adair, Thomas Bugbee, Matador Land and
Cattle Company. Could also consider: Dave McCormick
John George Adair
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Adventures out West
By:
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Date:
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