FRAME THE LESSON
TEACHER:
CLASS: 7th Grade
DATE: August 31
M T W TH F
Texas Geography
Resources/Materials:
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
19A: 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
9B: compare places and regions of Texas in terms of physical and human characteristics
21C: organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and
maps
U.S. History Textbook
Colonization through
Reconstruction
pp. (13-31)
Online Editable
presentation (p. 13)
Start Up Activity:
Analyze Maps (p. 13)
Reading and Note
Taking Study Guide
(p. 13)
Interactive Map:
Exploring Texas Using
Maps
(p. 14, 15, 24, 25,
27,28, 29)
Interactive Reading
Notebook (p. 15)
Analyze Diagrams &
Maps s(p. 17, 18, 22,
23, 25, 27, 28, 29)
Objective/Key Understanding:


Digital Activity:
Describe
(p. 31)
Identify how geography helps people understand and organize information about a place.
Compare the physical and human characteristics of Texas and the lands around it.
Digital Lesson Quiz:
(p. 31)
Introduce Vocabulary Activity (p. 13)
Landform
Latitude
Relief
.
plate tectonics
longitude
scale
climate
equator
physical map
Rigor & Relevance: (Real World Connection)
vegetation
meridian
political map
culture
globe
map
physical geography
prime meridian
projection
human geography
absolute location
drought
Informal Assessment Questions 1-5 (p. 31)





Why should a person who wants to know about plant and animal life study the climate in that region?
Explain how physical and human geography interact in places such as the Rio Grande Valley.
How does the geographic theme of movement help explain how cultures change and become more diverse?
Describe a situation in Texas in which the boundaries of a physical region and an economic region could overlap.
Explain the strategy a geographer could use to study a boundary dispute between Texas and Mexico.
Stop & Check for Understanding—High Level Questions
 What does culture include?
Critical Writing Prompt:
 How would you define a region?
 What is the purpose of a physical map?
 What factors influence the physical geography of Texas?
 What physical feature serves as the border between Texas and Mexico?
 What is a mesa?
 What physical characteristics make the Great Plains region a good place for gazing animals and farming?
 What physical characteristics define West Texas?
Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems
What is Geography? (p. 14-17)
 Which region of Texas has the most rainfall?
 How does the climate of southern Texas differ from that of the Panhandle?
 Where are mountains located in Texas?
Thinking Like a Geographer (p. 17-21)
 Use the diagram, The Five Themes of Geography, on page 17 to answer the following: which of the five themes involves the relationship of humans to the
environment?
 Using the map on page 18, what is the location of Texas within the Americas?
Geographer’s Tools (p. 21-24)
 Using the picture on page 21, identify two more ways to view digital maps.
 Using the map on page 22, which area of Texas has the highest elevation? What general pattern in elevation can you identify from the map?
 Using the map on page 23, about how large is Texas in comparison to the complete United States?
The Physical and Human Characteristics of Texas (p. 24-25)
 Using the map, The Location of Texas, on page 23, what is one physical characteristic of Texas shown on the map?
 How do regions of Texas compare in terms of physical characteristics?
 How do regions of Texas compare in terms of human characteristics?
 To what larger regions does Texas belong?
Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems Continued
The Coastal Plains (p. 25-27)
 Using the map, The Coastal Plains Region of Texas, on page 25, describe the relative location of the region.
 Identify and locate cities found in this region.
 What city is the farthest south?
 Which major river flows along the southern edge of the coastal plain and forms part of the border of Mexico?
 What other major rivers flow through this region and where are they located?
 What major natural landmark demarcates the western edge of this region?
The North Central Plains (p. 27-28)
 Using the Coastal Plains Region of Texas Map on page 25 and the North Central Plains Region Map on page 27, how do the two plains regions differ?
 What type of major natural landmark do both regions have?
 Using the North Central Plains Region Map on page 27, what major natural landmark forms part of the western boundary of the North Central Plains
Region?
 What major river forms its northern boundary?
 What major towns and cities are found in this region?
 What other major natural landmark lies along part of the western boundary of this region?
The Great Plains (p. 28-29)
 What major natural landmarks divide this region from the other plains regions?
 In terms of physical characteristics, how does this region compare with the other two plains regions?
 What physical features most distinguish this region from the others?
 What major cities are located in this region?
 What major rivers flow through this region?
 What major historical landmarks are located in the Panhandle region?
The Mountains and Basins (p. 29-31)
 Using the map The Mountains and Basins Region of Texas on page 29, how does the Mountains and Basins region compare with the other regions in terms
of physical and human characteristics?
 Using the map The Mountains and Basins Region of Texas on page 29, what major natural landmarks are found in this region, and where are they located?
 Using the map The Mountains and Basins Region of Texas on page 29, what major historical landmarks are found in this region, and where are they located?
Online Resources, Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
Start Up Activity: Analyze Maps (p. 13)
 Teachers may also project the Start Up Activity from the course
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p. 13)
 Teachers may also project the Start Up Activity from the course
Interactive Map: Exploring Texas Using Maps
 (p. 14) Based on the infographic, what generalizations can you make about the physical geography of the state of Texas?
 (p. 15) Name two features that are characteristic of the Texas climate.
 (p. 18) What is the location of Texas within the Americas?
 (p. 22) Which area of Texas has the highest elevation? What general pattern in elevation can you identify from the map?
 (p.23) About how large is Texas in comparison to the complete United States?
 (p.25) What is the relative location of the Coastal Plains region?
 (p.27) How does the North Central Plains region compare in size to the Coastal Plains region?
 (p.28) What states border the Great Plains region on the north and west?
 (p.29) How have the physical features of the Mountains and Basins region of Texas likely affected its settlement?
Interactive Reading Notebook (p. 15)
 Students can preview key terms and academic vocabulary using the Interactive Reading Notepad on the Digital Course or preview a summary of the lesson in
the Reading and Note Taking Guide.
Analyze Diagrams (p. 17)
 Which of the five themes involves the relationship of humans to the environment?
Digital Activity: Describe (p. 31)
Project the Digital Activity: Describe (p. 31). Have students record their ideas about the maps. Then have students share their answers with partners or in groups.
Draw a concept web and discuss what and how maps and other geographic tools have helped them learn about Texas.
 What historical information can you learn from maps?
 How can geographic information help you understand historical events?
Digital Lesson Quiz: (p. 31)
Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz (p. 31). Pose these questions to the class: In Texas Geography, you learned how physical and human characteristics affect a place and
how geography can help people understand this effect. You also learned about Texas’s four major geographic regions: Coastal Plains, North Central Plains, Great
Plains, and Mountains and Basins.
 Consider the landscape, waterways, and climate patterns of the different regions. How do you think these geographic factors impacted early human settlement
in Texas?
 What about later European exploration and colonization?
 Based on what you have learned, on what resources do you think the first people to live in Texas depended?
 In what economic activities do you think the early peoples in different regions engaged?
Engage
~Have students preview the lesson objectives and the list of key terms (p.13). Use the Editable Presentation found on the digital course to present the main ideas of the
lesson (p. 13).
Complete the Start Up Activity on p 13. Project the Start Up Activity: Analyze Maps. Ask students to study the map and write their responses. Draw students attention
to features of the map, including the title bar, he scale, the compass, rose, and the subject and non-subject areas of the map.
 What are the four geographic regions of Texas?
 What information might you learn by using the scale?
 What information does the inset map of the United States give you?
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Tell students that in this lesson they will be examine the significance of Texas geography, compare places and regions of Texas in terms of their physical and human
characteristics, and interpret information from visuals, including maps.
~Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with the class.
What is Geography? (p. 14-17)
Thinking Like a Geographer (p. 17-21)
Geographer’s Tools (p. 21-24)
The Physical and Human Characteristics of Texas (p. 24-25)
The Coastal Plains (p. 2527)
The North Central Plains (p. 27-28)
The Mountains and Basins (p. 29-31)
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 be examine the significance of Texas geography, compare places and regions of Texas in terms of their physical and human
characteristics, and interpret information from visuals, including maps.
What is Geography? (p. 14-17)
 So, how do you answer the question? It takes a lot of thought and study, and it is an ongoing process. When answering such big questions, it helps to have a
special way of looking at things. Geography is one special way of looking at and describing things.
Thinking Like a Geographer (p. 17-21)
 Suppose that your school is creating a time capsule that will be opened one hundred years from now. Your teacher has asked you to describe yourself in writing
to the students of the future. What will you say?
Geographer’s Tools (p. 21-24)
 Geographers, like other professionals, use tools to investigate their subject. Think about other professions. You can probably picture the tools they use.
Carpenters use familiar tools such as hammers and saws, wrenches, and screwdrivers to build things. Doctors use tools to find out about their patients’ health.
After your doctor takes a measurement an conducts many tests, he or she would have a good overall picture of the state of your health.
The Physical and Human Characteristics of Texas (p. 24-25)
 Texas is part of the United States, which makes up part of the continent of North America. Geographers divide North America into several natural regions. For
example, the Coastal Plan of Texas is part of a large region that wraps along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
The Coastal Plains (p. 25-27)
 The Coastal Plains region of Texas covers the eastern and southern part of the state. It is the largest region in Texas. It is also home to more Texans than any
other region.
The North Central Plains (p. 27-28)
 North and west of the Coastal Plains of Texas is the North Central Plains region. It is part of a region that begins in Canada and covers much of the central
United States.
The Mountains and Basins (p. 29-31)
 The Mountains and Basins region makes up the westernmost par t of Texas. This is a part of a larger region known as the Basin and Range Providence that
extends from Mexico and covers much of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.
~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.
~Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz for this lesson (p. 31). Teachers can also opt to have students demonstrate mastery by responding to the following questions on paper:
 Why should a person who wants to know about plant and animal life study the climate in that region?
 Explain how physical and human geography interact in places such as the Rio Grande Valley.
 How does the geographic theme of movement help explain how cultures change and become more diverse?
 Describe a situation in Texas in which the boundaries of a physical region and an economic region could overlap.
 Explain the strategy a geographer could use to study a boundary dispute between Texas and Mexico.
TEACHER:
CLASS: 7th Grade
DATE: September 1-3
M T W TH F
FRAME THE LESSON
The Americans Indians of Texas
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
Resources/Materials:
19A: 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
9B: compare places and regions of Texas in terms of physical and human characteristics
21C: organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines,
and maps
U.S. History Textbook
Colonization through
Reconstruction
pp. (32-55)
Online Editable presentation
(p. 32)
Start Up Activity: Analyze
Maps (p. 32)
Reading and Note Taking
Study Guide (p. 32)
Analyze Maps and Timelines
(p. 33, 37, 38, 42, 47, 49)
Interactive Chart: Texas
Indian Cultures (p. 53)
Objective/Key Understanding:
 Describe what life was like for the early peoples in Texas.
 Explain how different American Indian groups lived indifferent regions of Texas.
 Compare the cultures of the Gulf, Plains, Puebloan, and Southeastern American Indians in Texas prior to European
colonization.
 Analyze the role of American Indians in Texas today.
Introduce Vocabulary Activity (p. 32)
Tipi
atlatl
ice age
Pueblos
missionaries
migrate
Beringer
hunter-gatherers
artifacts
indigenous people
pictographs
archaeologists
Digital Activity: Synthesize
(p. 55)
Digital Lesson Quiz: (p. 55)
petroglyphs
mammoths
Informal Assessment Questions 1-5 (p. 55)
 Which types of artifacts did archaeologists likely discover to explain why early American Indians migrated to Texas?
 How did the year A.D. 900 mark a turning point for American Indians in Texas?
 Why is Cabeza de Vaca useful for learning about early Texas Indians?
 The Coahuiltecans ate many things. They ate snakes, lizards, armadillos, worms, snails, spiders, and insects. When times were especially difficult, they even
resorted to eating rotten wood.” What does this quotation tell us about the Coahuiltecan people?
 How were alliances helpful to the Texas Indians?
Stop & Check for Understanding—High Level Questions
 What affects did the Ice Age have on American Indians’ way of life?
 What responsibilities did a Caddo woman have?
Critical Writing Prompt:
 What factors were key to Puebloan culture?
 Why did many Karankawas die after contact with the Spanish?
 In what ways did the Comanche depend on the buffalo?
 How is American Indian culture represented in Texas today?
Small Group Purposeful Talk Question Stems
Indigenous Peoples of Texas (p. 33-37)
 Review the time periods: ice age, Archaic Era, and Late Prehistoric Period. In which of these periods did American Indians see the most change?
 How did American Indians survive during the ice age?
 How did American Indians adapt to the changes that occurred when the ice age ended?
 What was significant about the year 900 in the development of American Indian culture in Texas?
Southeastern Peoples (p. 37-42)
 How did the environment shape the cultures of the Western Gulf peoples differently than the cultures of the Southeastern and Puebloan peoples?
 Compare the cultures of American Indian groups among the Southeastern peoples of Texas. How were the cultures of the Caddo, the Wichita, and the
Atakapan alike and different?
Puebloan People (p. 42-46)
 What American Indian groups make up the Puebloan people of Texas?
Western Gulf Peoples (p. 46-49)
Plains People (p. 49-54)
 Which groups made up the Plains peoples of Texas?
 On what significant resources did many of the Plains peoples depend?
 With which other cultures of American Indians in Texas did the Plains peoples most closely compare?
Texas American Indians Today (p. 55)
 How might the population of Texas be different today had the Spanish not colonized the region?
 Why does it matter which American Indian groups lived in Texas prior to European colonization?
 What do you gain from knowing this history?
Online Resources, Analyzing Maps and Charts & Digital Activity
Online Editable presentation (p. 32)
 Use the Online Editable presentation (p. 32) found on the digital course to present the main ideas for this lesson.
Start Up Activity: Analyze Maps (p. 32)
 Teachers may also project the Start Up Activity from the course
Reading and Note Taking Study Guide (p. 32)
 Teachers may also project the Start Up Activity from the course
Analyze Maps and Timelines (p. 33, 37, 38, 42, 47, 49)
 (p. 33) About how much distance did the early peoples of the Americas cover in crossing the Bering Land Bridge?
 (p. 37) Which event represented the most important turning point in the history shown on the timeline? What reasons support your evaluation?
 (p. 38) What determined the borders of the territories occupied by the Atakapan, Caddo, and Wichita peoples?
 (p. 42) Describe the location of the Tigua Territory in relation to the Jumano Territory.
 (p. 47)Which group do you think depended more on fish for food?
 (p.49) Based on their location, which Plains culture do you think had the most contact with Atakapans?
Interactive Chart: Texas Indian Cultures (p. 53)
Project the Interactive Chart: Texas Indian Cultures (p. 53) and review the instructions. Have students taking turns matching the answers from the answer bank to the
appropriate American Indian cultures in Texas.
 How did the cultures of these four groups of American Indians in Texas differ as a result of their environments?
 How did Europeans change the cultural make up of American Indians in Texas?
Digital Activity: Synthesize (p. 55)
Project the Digital Activity: Synthesize (p. 55). Allow three to five minutes to write their paragraphs. Share and discuss with groups when done.
 Describe how the geography of Texas led different American Indian groups to develop different cultures and life ways.
 What were the key features of the regional geography?
 What were the key features of the People’s culture?
 How did the geographical features give rise to the characteristics of the culture?
Digital Lesson Quiz: (p. 55)
Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz (p. 55). Pose these questions to the class: In American Indians of Texas, you learned about the four main regional groups of American
Indians who lived in Texas prior to European colonization. You studied how they relied on natural resources to survive, and how they adapted their cultures to their
environments.
 Why did Europeans, especially the Spanish, have such a dramatic impact on the American Indians of Texas?
 How did human-environment integration shape the cultures of American Indians in Texas prior to European colonization?
Engage
~Have students preview the lesson objectives and the list of key terms (p.32). Use the Editable Presentation found on the digital course to present the main ideas of the lesson (p. 32).
Complete the Start Up Activity on p 32. Project the Start Up Activity: Ask students to think what it might be like to live during a time when there were not grocery stores, highways, or
computers. Have them think about how their interactions with the environment would be different and how they would meet basic needs.
Discuss how people today get the things they need as well as how they communicate and share information.
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Tell students that in this lesson they will compare the cultures of American Indians in Texas prior to European colonization.
~Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with the class.
Indigenous Peoples of Texas (p. 33-37)
Southeastern Peoples (p. 37-42)
Puebloan People (p. 42-46)
Western Gulf Peoples (p. 46-49)
Plains People (p. 49-54)
Texas American Indians Today (p. 55)
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 compare the cultures of American Indians in Texas prior to European colonization.
Indigenous Peoples of Texas (p. 33-37)

No one knows exactly when the first humans arrived in North America. Some scientists believe that they came from Asia at least 14,000 years ago. Other scientists believe that it
was as long ago as 30,000 years or more. When these first Americans arrived, the Earth was nearing the end of its last ice age.
Southeastern Peoples (p. 37-42)

In the texts in this lesson, you will read about several American Indian culture groups who lived in Texas prior to European colonization. As you read, take notes to compare
different aspects of each groups’ culture. For example, you can compare how they adapted to their environment, whether they lived nomadically or farmed, and what foods they
ate. By making these c comparisons, you can begin to see the rich variety of cultures that existed in Texas during this time period.
Puebloan People (p. 42-46)

On the western and southwestern edges of Texas lived a group of tribes who, like the Caddoes and Atakapans, shared many cultural traits and were farmers. These peoples were
often distant trade partners with the Caddoes. In1525, Cabeza de Vaca and his men entered Jumano village. They were the first Europeans these Indians had ever seen. Instead of
coming out to greet t heir visitors, they stayed inside their homes. Then the Spaniards witnessed a strange sight. One Spaniard reported later that the Jumanos “were all seated
with their faces turned to the wall, their heads down, the hair brought before their eyes, and their property placed in a heap in the middle of the house.” No one knows why they
thought the Spaniards were gods. They were not gods, of course, but the Indians of this region would later have good reason to fear them.
Western Gulf Peoples (p. 46-49)

Along the southern part of the Texas Gulf Coast, and spreading as far to the west s modern day DelRio, lived a group of people call Coahuiltecans. The Spanish explorer, Alvar
Numez Cabeza de Vaca described the Coahuiltecan people in 1528: “These people see and hear better, and have keener senses than any other in the world. They are great I
hunger, thirst, and cold, as if they were made for the endurance of these more than other men.”
Plains People (p. 49-54)

The horse was central to the way of life of the American Indians who lived on the Great Plains. However, it was not until Europeans arrived in the Americas that the indigenous
peoples began using horses. Scientists and historians are not certain how American Indians first came to use horses, but they do know that horses were first brought by the
Spanish. One theory is that they stole horses to aid their escape from working for the Spanish in New Mexico. From there they headed onto the Great Plains, where horses were
very useful to them.
Texas American Indians Today (p. 55)

Although about 100,000 American Indians live in Texas today, most are from tribes that originally came from outside Texas. Warfare or disease mostly destroyed the original
indigenous peoples of Texas; others merged into the Spanish-speaking population. The American Indians of Texas who did not disappear eventually were forced by the United
States government to settle on reservations in Oklahoma.
~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.
~Assign the Digital Lesson Quiz for this lesson (p. 55). Teachers can also opt to have students demonstrate mastery by responding to the following questions on paper:

Which types of artifacts did archaeologists likely discover to explain why early American Indians migrated to Texas?

How did the year A.D. 900 mark a turning point for American Indians in Texas?

Why is Cabeza de Vaca useful for learning about early Texas Indians?

The Coahuiltecans ate many things. They ate snakes, lizards, armadillos, worms, snails, spiders, and insects. When times were especially difficult, they even resorted to eating
rotten wood.” What does this quotation tell us about the Coahuiltecan people?

How were alliances helpful to the Texas Indians?
FRAME THE LESSON
TEACHER:
CLASS: 7th Grade
DATE: September 1-3
M T W TH F
TEKS Assessment and Practice
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
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
1B: apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time periods
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
2A: compare the cultures of American Indians in Texas prior to European colonization such as Gulf, Plains, Puebloan, and Southeastern
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
9B: compare places and regions of Texas in terms of physical and human characteristics
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
21F: identify bias in written, oral, and visual material
21G: evaluate the validity of a source based on language, corroboration with other sources, and information about the author;
22B: use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and proper citation of sources
22C: transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate
Objective/Key Understanding:
~ In this topic, students learned about the geography of Texas and the state’s earliest people. During these lessons and activities, students will be able to show what they know
by writing essays, holding discussions, and/or making presentations to the class.

Students will answer questions about every TEKS on the Topic Review and Assessment pages 56-63.
Resources/Materials:
U.S. History Textbook
Colonization through
Reconstruction
pp. 56-63