Austin Strands
Making Local Connections to US History
Introduction
While viewing the Austin Past and Present DVD, one is struck by the many aspects of Austin life
and community that it represents. It truly gives the viewer a complete picture not only of the
history of Austin, but also of its people, its land, its struggles and its personalities.
This complete picture is something that can be lacking for students when they study American
History. Students may become so bogged down by learning dates, famous people and concepts
that they forget that people just like them lived through these times just as they are living in
history today.
This unit is meant to reinforce that idea for students by allowing them to make local connections
to historical events. It’s also meant to give a complete picture by focusing on the strands in the
TEKS (history, geography, economics, government/citizenship, culture, science & technology and
social studies skills). There are six lessons in this unit (one for each content strand) that utilize
social studies skills.
This unit can be taught in two different ways. If the teacher wishes, the entire unit can be taught
at once moving through each strand. It could either be taught at the beginning of the year, or at
the end of the year as a cumulative activity. Alternatively, this unit could be broken up and taught
at various points throughout the year and paired with U.S. History content. Suggested pairings
are as follows:
History: Six Weeks 1 as an introduction to the course.
Geography: Six Weeks 2 paired with comparison of colonial regions
Economics: Six Weeks 3 Paired with Free Enterprise system or Six Weeks 5 paired with 19 th
Century commerce
Government/ Citizenship: Six Weeks 3 paired with Freedom Week or Six Weeks 4 paired with
U.S. Constitution
Science, Technology, and Society: Six Weeks 4 paired with Industrial Revolution
Culture: Six Weeks 5 paired with Writers and Artists of the 19th Century