Curated OER
The Beginning of the War -- Two Views on Texas
Young scholars discuss the factors that can lead to war, and the motivations of countries going into war. They research two viewpoints on Texas during the Mexican War and participate in a debate with their classmates.
Smithsonian Institution
Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
Curated OER
Mexican Cessation
Eighth graders create a propaganda poster. In this US history instructional activity students research the various sides during the Mexican-American War. They present their poster and their position for or against the war.
Curated OER
The Alamo
Students study the Battle of the Alamo in depth. In this research skills instructional activity, students visit the Alamo de Parras website to examine issues related to the battle that took place in 1836. Students analyze comment strands...
American Battlefield Trust
Gettysburg Virtual Tour
Step into one of the most iconic battlefields of the American Civil War with an educational interactive resource. Young historians learn about key moments, locations, soldiers, and turning points in the battle with a clickable map and...
Curated OER
The Texas Revolution: Exactly Who Were The Texans?
Students examine the Texas Revolution. In groups, they use the internet to research who the Texans really were and the reasons behind the revolution. They discuss the need to discover the world outside of school and work with people...
Curated OER
Lincoln's Spot Resolutions
High schoolers take a closer look at historical relations between the United States and Mexico. In this Texas annexation lesson plan, students examine primary documents authored by Zachary Taylor, James Polk, and Abraham Lincoln to...
Curated OER
Immigration and Identity
Students will analyze four historical events: The Annexation of U.S. Southwest, The Mexican Revolution, The Great Depression, and World War II. They determine how each event affected immigration to the U.S. from Mexico and Central...
Curated OER
Mexican and American Views of Texas
Learners study the territorial status of Texas in 1830, 1840, and 1846 and interpret an historical timeline. They develop a general statement of Mexican and American views of Texas.
Curated OER
Corridos About the Mexican Revolution
Students explore the meaning behind Mexican corridos. In this Mexican Revolution lesson, students discover details about the war and its leaders as they read, analyze, and write their own corridos.
Curated OER
Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...
Curated OER
Moving West with the Forts: Using an Interactive Map
Students discern a map of Texas and it's forts in the early to mid-1800's. From this map they analyze movement from the moment Texas became a state to its involvement in the Civil War.
Curated OER
Capitol Visitors Center
Pupils complete a post-trip discussion after visiting the capitol building in Austin. As a class, they review how soldiers received their allotment of land for participating in the Texas Revolution. Individually, they write a letter...
Curated OER
Shelby County: The Regulator-Moderator War
Seventh graders comprehend the importance of the Regulator-Moderator War through John W. Middleton's memoir. They comprehend how the different motivations held by each faction began the conflict. Students are shown the map of Shelby...
PBS
Extranjeros and Expansion
A three-part lesson gives light to the Unites States expansion from the view of Texans, New Mexicans, and Californians. Through videos and written activities, scholars work collaboratively to research specific individuals and their...
Curated OER
Establishing Borders: U.S. Expansion
Pupils interpret historical maps and locate territories annexed by the United States in the 1840. In groups, they research the war with Mexico over Texas from both perspectives and answer on a worksheet about expansion.
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion
Pupils discover how manifest destiny and westward expansion are related. Using the Internet, they research the beginnings of the movement of manifest destiny and how it influenced people moving westward. They discuss the expectations and...
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny Lesson Plan
Learners examine how Americans justified Westward Expansion. In this American history instructional activity, your historians will watch a Manifest Destiny Powerpoint presentation and discuss each slide then participate in...
Curated OER
How the Great Depression Affected California and C¿¿sar E. Ch¿¿vez
Fourth graders examine the effect of the Great Depression on California. After reading a summary, they discover how the depression and Dust Bowl led to the immigration of great numbers of farm workers into California. They also...