Settling Texas

4
th
Grade
Social Studies


Table of Contents

TEKS & Strategies
Non-Fiction Picture Book
Fiction Picture Book
Non-Fiction Picture Book
Chapter Book
Chapter Book
Content Textbook
Content Textbook
TEKS
113.15. Social Studies
B1(A) Explain possible origins for American Indian
groups in Texas and North America

B3(A) Analyze the causes, major events, and effects of
the Texas Revolution , including the Battle of the
Alamo, the Texas Declaration of Independence, the
Runaway Scrape, and the Battle of San Jacinto


B4(C) Identify the impact of the railroads on life in
Texas, including changes to cities major industries

B7(B) Identify, locate, and compare the geographic
regions of Texas (Mountains and Basins, Great Plains,
North Central Plains, and Costal Plains), including their
landforms, climate, and vegetation

Strategies

Knowledge Rating Scale
Word Web
Verbal Visual Word Association
KIM
Learning Log
TOAST
Concept Ladder
Non-Fiction Picture Book


Grade Level: 4
Reading Level: 3


Tucker, Ben. (2001). Tobys Texas Tales. Paradise, TX: Lone Star Publishing

Knowledge Rating Scale
Toby the dog travels around Texas site seeing and shows the reader pictures
and important information about each location. Many include places that were
first settled as well as monuments of the founding fathers of Texas.
Since there are so many different places in this book, give your students
locations or names from the book and have them make a chart. At the top of
the chart have them put the words know it, kind of know it, and no idea
into three different sections. Have them then decide which category each
place or person goes in. After the story has been read see if they were right or
if they learned anything.





Fiction Picture Book


Grade Level: 4
Reading Level: 4





Crane, Carol. (2001). L is for Lonestar: A Texas Alphabet. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping
Bear Press.


Word Web
This book goes through the alphabet and matches something important to
Texas History with each letter. This teaches the students important facts and
historical events in Texas history.
After the story has been read have the students make a word web using some
of the words that were used for the letters. In the web have them put other
words that remind them of the main word. This strategy will help them
remember the main word.



Non-Fiction Picture Book



Grade Level: 4
Reading Level: 3




Turner, Robyn Montana. (1990). Texas Traditions: The Culture of the Lone Star
State. Toronto, Canada: Little, Brown & Company.

Verbal Visual Word Association
The Texas traditions book explains the different traditions that have been
passed down from generation to generation.
After the lesson, have the students go back through the book and pick out
words they dont know. Divide a piece of paper into four sections. In the first
square put the word you dont know. Underneath in the next box put the
definition. In the third box write a synonym of the word and in the forth box
draw a picture that describes the word.




Non-Fiction Chapter Book



Grade Level: 4
Reading Level: 3-4



MacLachlan, Patricia. (1994). Skylark. New York, NY: HaperCollins Publishers.

KIM
Skylark is about a family of a father, son and daughter. Sarah who was coming
to Maine to marry the father came that summer. As fires swept across the land
in the middle of the drought many animals died. Sarah took the kids back to
east for safety while the father stayed behind. The children wondered if they
drought never left, would they ever see their father again.
Have the students make a chart divided into three sections before you read.
Give them a set of vocabulary words in the first section and after they have
read the chapter have them write information they know about each word in
the next section. Lastly, have them draw a picture of something that will help
them remember the meaning in the last section.



Non-Fiction Chapter Book




Grade Level: 4
Reading Level: 3-4





MacLachlan, Patricia. (2001). Calebs Story. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Learning Log
Calebs Story is about a family who is living in Texas and they find a man living
in their barn. The father is not happy about the man but the rest of the family
wants to help him out. The story tells about their adventures and struggles.
After the students have read have them get out their journal and write a
learning log reflecting on what they learned in the story, or their thoughts of
the story. This will make them rethink what they have read and help
comprehend the information.



Content Textbook

Grade Level: 4
Reading Level: 4




Banks et al. (1997). Texas: Adventures in time and place. New York, NY:
Macmillian/ McGraw-Hill.


TOAST
This book explains the history of Texas throughout many chapters. How it was
discovered and how it was settled. One strategy that could be used is the TOAST
strategy. Out of any given lesson use the vocabulary words. After the lesson,
have the students write what they think the words mean. Then, give them the
actual meaning. Next, have them organize the words from best well known to
worst known word. Once they have done this, have them say the words with the
meanings out loud to anchor them in their minds. Finally, test them over the
words and their meanings.



Content Textbook


Grade Level: 4
Reading Level: 4






Garcia et al. (1997). Social Studies: Texas USA. Parsippany, NJ: Silver Burdett Ginn.

Concept Ladder
This book explains the history of Texas throughout many chapters. How it was
discovered and how it was settled. One strategy that can be used is the Concept
Ladder strategy. You could use this strategy as a pre-reading strategy. Have the
students write down a question about the chapter before they read it at the top
of the ladder and if they have others that are different or others that stem from
the first one underneath on the ladder. Hopefully this will get their brains working
and thinking about what they already know, and by the end of the lesson they will
hopefully have answered the questions they didnt know.