TEACHER:
CLASS: 7th Social Studies
DATE: November 2
M T W TH F
Topic 4 , Lesson 2 : From Reform to Revolution
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline Verb=Italicize
Content Standards
1A: identify the major eras in Texas history, describe their defining characteristics, and explain
why historians divide the past into eras, including Natural Texas and its People; Age of Contact;
Spanish Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic; Early Statehood; Texas in the Civil
War and Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads; Age of Oil; Texas in the Great Depression
and World War II; Civil Rights and Conservatism; and Contemporary Texas
1C: explain the significance of the following dates: 1519, mapping of the Texas coast and first
mainland Spanish settlement; 1718, founding of San Antonio; 1821, independence from Spain;
1836, Texas independence; 1845, annexation; 1861, Civil War begins; 1876, adoption of current
state constitution; and 1901, discovery of oil at Spindletop
2D: identify the individuals, issues, and events related to Mexico becoming an independent
nation and its impact on Texas, including Texas involvement in the fight for independence, José
Gutiérrez de Lara, the Battle of Medina, the Mexican federal Constitution of 1824, the merger of
Texas and Coahuila as a state, the State Colonization Law of 1825, and slavery
3A: 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
3B: 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
3C: 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
3D: explain how the establishment of the Republic of Texas brought civil, political, and religious
freedom to Texas
4A: 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 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
4B: analyze the causes of and events leading to Texas annexation
8A: create and interpret thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases representing
various aspects of Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries
9A: locate the Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, and Coastal Plains
regions and places of importance in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries such as
major cities, rivers, natural and historic landmarks, political and cultural regions, and local points
of interest
11A: analyze why immigrant groups came to Texas and where they settled
11B: analyze how immigration and migration to Texas in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries have
influenced Texas
14B: compare the principles and concepts of the Texas Constitution to the U.S. Constitution,
including the Texas and U.S. Bill of Rights
18A: identify the leadership qualities of elected and appointed leaders of Texas, past and
present, including Texans who have been president of the United States
Process Standards
21A: 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
21B: 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
21C: organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including
graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
21D: identify points of view from the historical context surrounding an event and the frame of
reference that influenced the participants
22B: use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and proper citation of
sources
22D: create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information
23B:use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather
Resources:
U.S. History Textbook Colonization
through Reconstruction
pp. (175-182)
Online Editable presentation (p.175)
Start Up Activity (p. 175)
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p.
175)
Analyze Charts, Information,
(p. 176, 178, and 180)
Interactive Timeline: Building to the Texas
Revolution (p.179)
Active Classroom (p.180)
Digital Activity: When is War Justified?
(p.182)
Digital Lesson Quiz (p.182)
information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision
Objective/Key Understanding:
Introduce Vocabulary Activity (p. 175)
Federal system
Central Government
Delegate
 Explain the role of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in the
Mexican Civil War.
Ayuntamiento
Legislature
Dictator
 Describe the goals of the delegates to the Conventions
of 1832 and 1833.
Committees of Safety and Correspondence
 Understand how suspending the Mexican Constitution
of 1824 impacted Mexico and Texas.
 Understand how the arrest of Stephen F. Austin caused
relations between Texas and Mexico to worsen .
Informal Assessment Questions 1-5 (p. 182)
 Which aspect of a federalist government did Texas like?
 What was wrong with the Convention of 1832?
 Why was Stephen F. Austin’s arrest troubling?
 In what sense was Santa Anna influenced by the Catholic Church?
 What were the committees of safety and correspondence?
Stop & Check for Understanding—High Level Questions
 Why did the settlers of Texas prefer a federalist form of government to a centralist government?
 Why were the Conventions of 1832 and 1833 significant?
 How did the Catholic Church play a role in increasing tensions between Mexico and Texas?
 Even Santa Anna’s drastic actions failed to push many Texas settlers to war. Why were the demands of Cos the straw?
Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems
Unrest in Mexico (p.176-177)
 Assign a pair of students the task of summarizing the role of de Santa Anna in the Mexican civil war.
 Give them time to prepare their summary and then present it in an appropriate form to their fellow students.
The Conventions of 1832 and 1833 (p.177-178)
 Present the events below in random order and hav students sequence them properly.
- Mexican civil war begins
- Convention of 1832
- Santa Anna victorious
- Convention of 1833
- Stephen F. Austin sets out for Mexico City
Austin in Mexico City (p.179-180)
 Have students explain how suspending the Mexican constitution of 1824 impacted Mexico and Texas.
 How do you think Texans will react to Santa Anna’s actions?
Reaction in Texas (p.181-182)
 Remind students that Stephen F. Austin had been jailed in Mexico for almost a year and guarded for six months before he
was able to return to Texas. He was never charged with a crime.
 How did his arrest contribute to the development of events that led to the Texas Revolution?
Online Resources, Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
Online Editable Presentation (p. 175)
 Use the Editable Presentation found on the Digital Course to present the main ideas for this lesson
Start Up Activity (p. 175)
Project the Start Up Activity (p. 175). Discuss with students:
 What words or phrases would you use to describe the mood in San Antonio?
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p. 175)
Students can preview Key Terms and Academic Vocabulary using the Interactive Reading Notebook on the Digital Course or preview
of the lesson in the Reading and Note taking Study Guide
Analyze Charts (p. 176)
Review the chart on page 176.
 How would Texans likely have benefited from a Federalist government?
Analyze Information (p. 178)
Review the graphic, Coahula y Tejas 1833, on page 178.
 How might the changing population of Texas have increased settlers’ frustration with the Mexican government?
 Why are the circles different sizes and colors?
Interactive Time: Building to the Texas Revolution (p.179)
With student input, place each tile in its correct place on the timeline.
Analyze Information (p. 180)
Review the table, The Changing Views of Santa Anna, on page 180.
 What key differences existed among Texas’s three most populated areas?
Digital Activity: When is War Justified? (p. 182)
Project the Digital Activity: When is War Justified? (p. 182). As a class, generate an image-a timeline, a cause and effect chain, a
series of drawings-that traces the development of events that led to the Texas Revolution.
 Do you think the Texans were justified in their decision given the events that came just before?
 Why or Why not?
Digital Lesson Quiz: (p. 182)
Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz (p. 182). Discuss with the class: In the class, From Reform to Revolution, you traced the development
of events that led to the Texas Revolution.
 Do you think conflict would have been avoided if Texans were given their own state in Mexico? Why do you think this?
 What drove Stephen F. Austin to say, “War is our only resource”?
Lesson Plan
*Have students preview the lesson objectives and the list of key terms (p.175). Use the Editable Presentation
found on the digital course to present the main ideas of the lesson (p. 175).
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Start Up Activity (p. 175)
Project the Start Up Activity (p. 175). Discuss with students:
 What words or phrases would you use to describe the mood in San Antonio?
*Tell students that in this lesson they will trace the development of events that led to the Texas Revolution,
including the arrest of Stephen F. Austin.
*Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with
the class.
 Unrest in Mexico (p.176-177)
 The Conventions of 1832 and 1833 (p.177-178)
 Austin in Mexico City (p.179-180)
 Reaction in Texas (p.181-182)
*Students are to read assigned sections and use the Note Taking Study Guide to help them take notes and
understand the text as they read.
*Tell students that in this lesson they will trace the development of events that led to the Texas Revolution,
including the arrest of Stephen F. Austin.
Unrest in Mexico (p.176-177)
 This unrest in Mexico was due to unresolved issues from the end of Spanish rule in 1821. Different groups
in Mexico had opposing ideas about how the young country should be governed. This fact would have a
direct impact on Texas.
The Conventions of 1832 and 1833 (p.177-178)
 Texas settlers followed the news of events in Mexico City with interest. They hoped that Santa Anna
would win. Most believed a new Federalist government would be more responsive to their needs. On
October 1, 1832, they held a convention to discuss their problems. At a convention, delegates discuss
issues and decide on a course of action. A delegate is a person who is chosen to represent a group. Then
the delegates met in San Felipe de Austin, they chose Stephen F. Austin as their leader.
Austin in Mexico City (p.179-180)
 After the Convention of 1833, Austin traveled to Mexico City. His task was to present the work of the
Texas convention to the Mexican government. He wanted to convince the new Federalist government to
make Texas a separate Mexican state.
Reaction in Texas (p.181-182)
 Most Texas settlers were displeased with Santa Anna’s actions. Many of them still felt that it was best to
try to keep the peace. Others were ready to fight. A few took matters into their own hands.
*Guided Reading and Discussion Questions
 See Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
 See Online Resources from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Active Classroom
 Provide the list below to students. Challenge them to rank the items from most important to least
important in leading to the Texas Revolution.
- Fredonian Rebellion
- Mier y Teran Report
- Dictatorship of Santa Anna
- Arrest of Stephen F. Austin
*Topic of Inquiry
Examine primary source documents to answer the following questions.
Evaluate
 How did Anglo and Tejano Texans justify revolution and set up their new government?
Examining why Texans went to war will contribute to students understanding the Essential Question
 When is war justified?
*Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz for this lesson (p. 182). Teachers can also opt to have students demonstrate
mastery by responding to the following questions on paper:
 Which aspect of a federalist government did Texas like?
 What was wrong with the Convention of 1832?
 Why was Stephen F. Austin’s arrest troubling?
 In what sense was Santa Anna influenced by the Catholic Church?
 What were the committees of safety and correspondence?
TEACHER:
CLASS: 7th Social Studies
DATE: November 3-5
M T W TH F
Topic 4, Lesson 3: The Start of Revolution
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline Verb=Italicize
Content Standards
1A: identify the major eras in Texas history, describe their defining characteristics, and explain
why historians divide the past into eras, including Natural Texas and its People; Age of Contact;
Spanish Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic; Early Statehood; Texas in the Civil
War and Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads; Age of Oil; Texas in the Great Depression
and World War II; Civil Rights and Conservatism; and Contemporary Texas
1C: explain the significance of the following dates: 1519, mapping of the Texas coast and first
mainland Spanish settlement; 1718, founding of San Antonio; 1821, independence from Spain;
1836, Texas independence; 1845, annexation; 1861, Civil War begins; 1876, adoption of current
state constitution; and 1901, discovery of oil at Spindletop
2D: identify the individuals, issues, and events related to Mexico becoming an independent
nation and its impact on Texas, including Texas involvement in the fight for independence, José
Gutiérrez de Lara, the Battle of Medina, the Mexican federal Constitution of 1824, the merger of
Texas and Coahuila as a state, the State Colonization Law of 1825, and slavery
3A: 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
3B: 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
3C: 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
3D: explain how the establishment of the Republic of Texas brought civil, political, and religious
freedom to Texas
4A: 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 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
4B: analyze the causes of and events leading to Texas annexation
8A: create and interpret thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases representing
various aspects of Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries
9A: locate the Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, and Coastal Plains
regions and places of importance in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries such as
major cities, rivers, natural and historic landmarks, political and cultural regions, and local points
of interest
11A: analyze why immigrant groups came to Texas and where they settled
11B: analyze how immigration and migration to Texas in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries have
influenced Texas
14B: compare the principles and concepts of the Texas Constitution to the U.S. Constitution,
including the Texas and U.S. Bill of Rights
18A: identify the leadership qualities of elected and appointed leaders of Texas, past and
present, including Texans who have been president of the United States
21A: 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
21B: 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
21C: organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including
graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
21D: identify points of view from the historical context surrounding an event and the frame of
reference that influenced the participants
22B: use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and proper citation of
sources
22D: create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information
23B: use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather
information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision
Resources:
U.S. History Textbook Colonization
through Reconstruction
pp. (183-192)
Online Editable presentation (p. 183)
Start Up Activity (p. 183)
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p.
183)
Analyze Maps, Tables, Visuals,
Information
(p. 184, 186, 188, and 190)
Interactive Gallery (p.187)
Digital Activity: Events That Led to the
Texas Revolution (p.192)
Digital Lesson Quiz (p.192)
Objective/Key Understanding:
Introduce Vocabulary Activity (p. 183)
 Compare and contrast the Texas Revolution with the
Alcalde
Compromise
Siege
American Revolution.
 Explain the significance of the Battle of Gonzalez.
Regular Army
Calvary
Infantry
 Understand why Presidio La Bahia was an important
fort.
Culture
Provisional Government
 Identify the structure of the first independent
government in Texas.
Juan Seguin
 Explain the importance of the Texan capture of San
Antonio.
Informal Assessment Questions 1-5 (p. 192)
 For what kind of government were Texans fighting?
 What incident sparked the first shot of the Texas Revolution?
 According to the Consulation why were Texans fighting?
 What was the “Grass Fight”?
 Why did Cos surrender at San Antonio?
Stop & Check for Understanding—High Level Questions
 Why were Texans fighting?
 Why did the Mexican government order the return of the cannon at Gonzales?
 Why was a regular army important?
 Was the siege of San Antonio successful?
Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems
Comparing the Texas Revolution to the American Revolution (p.184-185)
 Compare and contrast the Texans and American revolutions using a two column chart.
 How do the lengths of the Texas and American Revolution differ.
 What is the impact of this difference?
The Battle of Gonzales (p.186-188)
 Discuss the battle of Gonzales.
 What is the significance of the cannon for the Battle of Gonzales?
 Why did the role of the “Old Eighteen” played in the Battle of Gonzales require so much courage?
 Why was it so critical for Texans to control the Presidio La Bahia?
 Describe the events that led up to the fighting at Goliad.
 Why was Presidio La Bahia such an important fort?
Establishing a New Government (p.18-190)
 Discuss the conflict that arose among Texans as a result of the revolution.
 Describe what made Juan N. Seguin a significant individual in the Texas Revolution.
 How did Tejanos generally feel about Santa Anna?
The Siege and Capture of San Antonio (p. 190-192)
 Help student better understand the significant events of the siege and capture of San Antonio.
 Why was San Antonio such an important victory?
 Write the following events in random order and have students apply relative chronology to put them in the proper
sequence:
- Stephen F. Austin leads Texans from Gonzales to San Antonio.
- Cos’s men attacked the Texan force near the Mission Conception.
- Texans lay siege to San Antonio.
- The Grass Fight occurs.
- Austin plans but then calls of an attack.
- Mexican soldier tells Burleson that the rebels could easily seize Sand Antonio.
- “Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio? Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?”
- Texans attack San Antonio.
- Cos surrendered the town, the Alamo, and his army.
Online Resources, Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
Online Editable Presentation (p. 183)
 Use the Editable Presentation found on the Digital Course to present the main ideas for this lesson
Start Up Activity (p. 183)
Project the Start Up Activity (p. 183).
 Why might some residents, like Castaneda, have remained loyal to Mexico even if they disagreed with its policies?
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p. 183)
Students can preview Key Terms and Academic Vocabulary using the Interactive Reading Notebook on the Digital Course or preview
of the lesson in the Reading and Note taking Study Guide
Analyze Information (p. 184)
Review the table, Similarities Between the Texas and American Revolutions, on page 184.
 What were some of the main aspects that led both American colonists and Texas settlers to seek independence?
Analyze Maps (p. 186)
Review the map on page 186.
 Why was the location of the Battle of Gonzales significant to the overall Texas Revolution?
Interactive Gallery (p.187)
Analyze Charts (p. 188)
Review the chart on page 188.
 What was the main goal of the Consulation?
Analyze Information (p. 190)
Review the table, Armies of the Texas Revolution, on page 190.
 What disadvantages did the Texas army have?
 What advantages likely allowed the Texans to overcome their setbacks?
Digital Activity: Events That Led to the Texas Revolution (p. 192)
Project the Digital Activity: Events That Led to the Texas Revolution (p. 192). Direct students to complete the graphic organizer.
 Review words and phrases that indicate cause-and-effect relationships, including because, due to, therefore, and as a result.
 Use the information from the graphic organizer to write a paragraph about the events that led up to the Texas Revolution.
Digital Lesson Quiz: (p. 192)
Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz (p. 192). Discuss with the class: In The Start
 How do you think Santa Anna will respond to the Texans running his forces out of Texas?
 Significant individuals, including Juan N. Seguin, Stephen F. Austin, and James Fannin, played a variety of roles during the
Texas Revolution. Do you especially admire any one particular? Who, and for what reason?
Lesson Plan
*Have students preview the lesson objectives and the list of key terms (p.183). Use the Editable Presentation
found on the digital course to present the main ideas of the lesson (p. 183).
Start Up Activity (p. 183)
Project the Start Up Activity (p. 183).
 Why might some residents, like Castaneda, have remained loyal to Mexico even if they disagreed with its
Engage
policies?
*Tell students that in this lesson they will learn about the roles played by significant individuals and the issues
surrounding significant events of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales, which marked the start of
the war.
*Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with
the class.
 Comparing the Texas Revolution to the American Revolution (p.184-185)
 The Battle of Gonzales (p.186-188)
Explore
 Establishing a New Government (p.188-190)
 The Siege and Capture of San Antonio (p.190-192)
*Students are to read assigned sections and use the Note Taking Study Guide to help them take notes and
understand the text as they read.
*Tell students that in this lesson they will learn about the roles played by significant individuals and the issues
surrounding significant events of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales, which marked the start of
the war.
Comparing the Texas Revolution to the American Revolution (p.184-185)
 Many of the issues that led to the Texas and American revolutions were the same. For the most part,
British rulers took little interest in the affairs of their American colonies. The individual colonies
developed mostly on their own.
The Battle of Gonzales (p.186-188)
 The Anglos’ uprising at Anahuac in June 1835 made Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea nervous in San
Antonio. In late September, he sent a small group of soldiers to Gonzales to bring the cannon back.
Establishing a New Government (p.188-190)
Explain
 In August, 1835, some Texans called for a meeting to discuss the future of Texas. This meeting was
called the Consultation. Ninety-eight delegates from all parts of Texas were to gather in Washingtonon-the-Brazos in October.
The Siege and Capture of San Antonio (p.190-192)
 General Cos reached San Antonio on October 9, 1835. Cos had about 80 troops under his command.
He placed some in the town and some in a nearby abandoned mission now used as a fortress. The
Elaborate
Evaluate
mission has been known as San Antonio de Valero, but Texans knew it better by another name- the
Alamo.
*Guided Reading and Discussion Questions
 See Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
 See Online Resources from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Active Classroom (p.186)
To better understand the issues surrounding the Battle of Gonzales guide students as they Act It Out. Assign
students the roles of the significant individuals and groups who took part in the battle. Select a student narrator,
or narrate the events leading up to, of, and after the battle as students literally move around the classroom to
reenact this event.
*Topic of Inquiry
Examine primary source documents to answer the following questions.
 How did Anglo and Tejano Texans justify revolution and set up their new government?
Examining why Texans went to war will contribute to students understanding the Essential Question
 When is war justified?
~Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz for this lesson (p. 192). Teachers can also opt to have students demonstrate
mastery by responding to the following questions on paper:
 For what kind of government were Texans fighting?
 What incident sparked the first shot of the Texas Revolution?
 According to the Consulation why were Texans fighting?
 What was the “Grass Fight”?
 Why did Cos surrender at San Antonio?
TEACHER:
CLASS: 7th Social Studies
DATE: November 6
M T W TH F
Topic 4, Lesson 4: The Fall of the Alamo and the Goliad Massacre
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline Verb=Italicize
Content Standards
1A: identify the major eras in Texas history, describe their defining characteristics, and
explain why historians divide the past into eras, including Natural Texas and its People;
Age of Contact; Spanish Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic; Early
Statehood; Texas in the Civil War and Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads;
Age of Oil; Texas in the Great Depression and World War II; Civil Rights and
Conservatism; and Contemporary Texas
1C: explain the significance of the following dates: 1519, mapping of the Texas coast
and first mainland Spanish settlement; 1718, founding of San Antonio; 1821,
independence from Spain; 1836, Texas independence; 1845, annexation; 1861, Civil
War begins; 1876, adoption of current state constitution; and 1901, discovery of oil at
Spindletop
2D: identify the individuals, issues, and events related to Mexico becoming an
independent nation and its impact on Texas, including Texas involvement in the fight
for independence, José Gutiérrez de Lara, the Battle of Medina, the Mexican federal
Constitution of 1824, the merger of Texas and Coahuila as a state, the State
Colonization Law of 1825, and slavery
3A: 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
3B: 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
3C: 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
3D: explain how the establishment of the Republic of Texas brought civil, political, and
religious freedom to Texas
4A: 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
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
4B: analyze the causes of and events leading to Texas annexation
8A: create and interpret thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases
representing various aspects of Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries
9A: locate the Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, and Coastal
Plains regions and places of importance in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st
centuries such as major cities, rivers, natural and historic landmarks, political and
cultural regions, and local points of interest
11A: analyze why immigrant groups came to Texas and where they settled
11B: analyze how immigration and migration to Texas in the 19th, 20th, and 21st
centuries have influenced Texas
14B: compare the principles and concepts of the Texas Constitution to the U.S.
Constitution, including the Texas and U.S. Bill of Rights
18A: identify the leadership qualities of elected and appointed leaders of Texas, past
and present, including Texans who have been president of the United States
Process Standards
21A: 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
21B: analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect
Resources:
U.S. History Textbook Colonization
through Reconstruction
pp. (193-204)
Online Editable presentation (p.193)
Start Up Activity (p. 193)
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p.
193)
Analyze Maps, Tables, Visuals,
Information
(p.195, 196, 197, and 199)
Interactive 3-D Model: The Alamo (p.195)
Active Classroom (p.196)
Interactive Gallery (p.198)
Digital Activity: “Victory or Death” (p. 204)
Digital Lesson Quiz (p. 204)
relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making
generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions
21C: organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals,
including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
21D: identify points of view from the historical context surrounding an event and the
frame of reference that influenced the participants
22B: use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and proper
citation of sources
22D:create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information
23B: use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision,
gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to
implement a decision
Objective/Key Understanding:
Introduce Vocabulary Activity (p. 193)
 Describe the causes of the collapse of the Provisional
Reinforcements
Bayonet
Barracks
Government.
 Describe the siege of the Alamo and identify the heroic
Tactical Retreat
Atrocity
James Fannin
defenders of the fort who gave their lives there.
 Identify why Texans were eager to join Sam Houston’s
William Travis
retreating army after the Alamo.
 Describe the significance of the events that occurred
after James Fannin’s surrender of Goliad.
 Explain why Texan settlers fled during the Runaway
Scrape.
Informal Assessment Questions 1-5 (p.204)
 What issues were at the center of the dispute between Governor Smith and General Council?
 What was an argument that contradicted the Texans’ decision to defend the Alamo?
 Compare and contrast the varying roles of Tejanos in the Battle the Alamo?
 Use the information to answer the question “Santa Anna was surprised….He did not think defenders would still be at the
Alamo. Tejanos in town told him that the Texans were low on supplies. “Based on the information, what were Santa Anna’s
expectations about a possible battle at the Alamo?
 What role did physical geography play in Sam Houston’s decisions to order a retreat of the army to the part of Texas
controlled by Anglos?
Stop & Check for Understanding—High Level Questions
 What happened when Governor Smith and General Houston rejected James Grant’s plan to attack Matamoros?
 How was Jim Bowie persuaded to defend the Alamo?
 What happened to the defenders of the Alamo who survived the Mexican assault?
 How did Sam Houston respond when he realized that is army at Gonzales lacked sufficient training to challenge Santa
Anna’s forces?
 What happened at Goliad that changed Texans’ perception of Santa Anna?
Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems
Trouble with Texas Government (p. 194-195)
 Review key players in the government and army.
 What roles were played by specific individuals during the Texas Revolution, including James Fannin?
 What eventually caused the collapse of the provisional government?
The Alamo (p.195-197)
The Siege and Battle of the Alamo (p.197-201)
 What roles were played by specific individuals, including Antonio Lopez de Santa anna and William B. Travis, during the
Texas Revolution and at the Alamo?
Houston’s Tactical Retreat (p.201-202)
 What made Houston’s retreat a smart military maneuver?
 Houston was a significant individual who played a vital role during the Texas Revolution by organizing his tactical retreat.
 Houston was roundly criticized for his retreat by Texans who wanted an immediate victory. Yet Houston kept his decision.
 What leadership qualities did Houston exhibit?
The Goliad Massacre (p.202-204)
 What were two direct effects of the Goliad Massacre?
 What was the Runaway Scrape?
Online Resources, Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
Online Editable Presentation (p. 193)
 Use the Editable Presentation found on the Digital Course to present the main ideas for this lesson
Start Up Activity: “Answered with a Cannon Shot”(p.193 )
Project the Start Up Activity: “Answered with a Cannon Shot”(p.193 ). Ask students to read Travis’s quotation and answer the
following question. Have students share their answers with a partner.
 What is the tone of Travis’s letter?
 What likely motivated Travis to hold his ground?
 What can you predict about the outcome of the siege at the Alamo?
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p. 193)
Students can preview Key Terms and Academic Vocabulary using the Interactive Reading Notebook on the Digital Course or preview
of the lesson in the Reading and Note taking Study Guide
Analyze Maps (p. 195)
Review the graph on page 195.
 How did the Alamo’s location in relation to San Antonio make it an important place for an army to control?
Analyze Visuals (p.196)
Review the visual, Alamo, on page 196.
The perimeter of the Alamo was almost one quarter mile long.
 What were the strongest and weakest points in the Alamo’s defenses?
Analyze Visuals & 3-D Interactive Map (p.197)
Review the illustration on page 197.
This engraving dramatically shows the Alamo as Mexican forces attempt to destroy it. The image was created in 1887; 51 years after
the battle took place.
 What did the Mexican army use to gain an advantage at the Alamo?
Analyze Illustrations & Interactive Gallery (p. 198)
Review the illustration on page 198.
During the siege, Travis drew a line in the dirt at the Alamo and asked those who wished to stay and fight to cross it. Only one
defender chose not to.
 Why did the defenders choose to stay if there was little chance of success?
Analyze Information (p.199)
Review the table, The Battle for the Alamo, on page 199.
 Compare the size of Texas and Mexican fighting forces in relation to the number of casualties they suffered. W
 What could have be the cause of such high Mexican casualties?
Digital Activity: “Victory or Death” (p. 204)
Project the Digital Activity: “Victory or Death” (p. 204). Have students read the activity and answer the question. Have students
share their responses with a partner. Then have all students participate in a discussion about this question:
 If there were one main idea about or lesson to be learned from the Texas Revolution, what would it be?
Digital Lesson Quiz: (p. 204)
Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz (p. 204). Discuss with the class: In, The Fall of the Alamo and the Goliad Massacre, you read about
disasters that afflicted Texans in 1836. The provisional government fell apart, the Alamo fell, Houston’s army was forced to retreat,
340 soldiers were massacred at Goliad, and Texas fled during the Runaway Scrape.
 How do think most Texans of the time felt?
 Which qualities do you find admirable in leaders such as, James Fannin and William B. Travis?
Lesson Plan
*Have students preview the lesson objectives and the list of key terms (p.193). Use the Editable Presentation
found on the digital course to present the main ideas of the lesson (p. 193).
Start Up Activity: “Answered with a Cannon Shot”(p.193 )
Project the Start Up Activity: “Answered with a Cannon Shot” (p.193). Ask students to read Travis’s quotation and
answer the following question. Have students share their answers with a partner.
Engage
 What is the tone of Travis’s letter?
 What likely motivated Travis to hold his ground?
 What can you predict about the outcome of the siege at the Alamo?
*Tell students that in this lesson they will learn about the fall of the Alamo and the Goliad Massacre. Explain that
these were terrible defeats for Texans that altered the course of Texas history.
*Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with
the class.
 Trouble with Texas Government (p. 194-195)
 The Alamo (p.195-197)
Explore
 The Siege and Battle of the Alamo (p.197-201)
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
 Houston’s Tactical Retreat (p.201-202)
 The Goliad Massacre (p.202-204)
*Students are to read assigned sections and use the Note Taking Study Guide to help them take notes and
understand the text as they read.
*Tell students that in this lesson they will learn about the fall of the Alamo and the Goliad Massacre. Explain that
these were terrible defeats for Texans that altered the course of Texas history.
Trouble with Texas Government (p. 194-195)
 The governor and the General Council did not get along. In January 1836, James Grant came to San Felipe
with a plant that split the government. Grant had served in the Coahuila y Tejas legislature. After
migrating from this native Scotland, he had become a major landowner in Coahuila, but lost his land after
joining the fight against Mexico. Much of the motivation for his plan came from his hope of regaining the
land.
The Alamo (p.195-197)
 While Houston was in Goliad, a message arrived from J.C. Neill, the Alamo’s commander. It asked the
general for reinforcement. There are extra soldiers sent to a place to make the force there stronger.
Houston needed someone he could trust to assess the situation. Among the volunteers at Goliad was Jim
Bowie. Bowie had lived in Texas since 1828 and had married into a leading Tejano family in San Antonio.
Houston respected Bowie’s judgment. He asked Bowie to take a few men and go to the Alamo. He told
Bowie to decide if the Texans should defend the fort or destroy it.
The Siege and Battle of the Alamo (p.197-201)
 Santa Anna was surprised, too. He did not think defenders would still be at the Alamo. Tejanos in the
town told him that the Texans were low on supplies. Santa Anna demanded that the Alamo surrender.
Travis replied with cannon shot. In response, Santa Ann flew a blood-red flag from the top of San
Fernando Cathedral as a signal that he would show no mercy to the rebels if they chose to fight.
Houston’s Tactical Retreat (p.201-202)
 Sam Houston and his “army” rode into Gonzales on March 11. The army numbered just four men. The
town was in an uproar, having heard that the Alamo had fallen and all its defenders were dead. Although
Houston seemed unconcerned, he feared that the story was true. He sent his trusted scout, Erastus
“Deaf” Smith, riding toward San Antonio. He planned to take charge of the volunteers gathering in the
town and ride to the Alamo to aid Travis.
The Goliad Massacre (p.202-204)
 For those Texans who had planned to attack Matamoros, things had not gone well. This group included
Francis W. Johnson, James Grant, and Colonel James Fannin. Many Tejano settlers of South Texas saw
these volunteers as foreign invaders. They supplied Mexican General Urrea with information about the
volunteers’ every move.
*Guided Reading and Discussion Questions
 See Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
 See Online Resources from the previous page for this portion of the lesson.
*Active Classroom (p.196)
Guide students into considering more deeply images related to the Alamo by conducting a See-Think-Wonder
exercise. For each image ask:
 What do you see?
 What does that make you think?
 What are you wondering about now that you’ve seen this?
Provide, or direct students to find an appropriate response to any issues or questions students “wonder about.”
Discuss students’ ideas as a class.
*Topic of Inquiry
Examine primary source documents to answer the following questions.
 How did Anglo and Tejano Texans justify revolution and set up their new government?
Examining why Texans went to war will contribute to students understanding the Essential Question
 When is war justified?
*Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz for this lesson (p. 204). Teachers can also opt to have students demonstrate
mastery by responding to the following questions on paper:
 What issues were at the center of the dispute between Governor Smith and General Council?
 What was an argument that contradicted the Texans’ decision to defend the Alamo?
 Compare and contrast the varying roles of Tejanos in the Battle the Alamo?
 Use the information to answer the question “Santa Anna was surprised….He did not think defenders would
still be at the Alamo. Tejanos in town told him that the Texans were low on supplies. “Based on the

information, what were Santa Anna’s expectations about a possible battle at the Alamo?
What role did physical geography play in Sam Houston’s decisions to order a retreat of the army to the
part of Texas controlled by Anglos?