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Texas Beyond History
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Teacher's Guide to Texas Beyond History

Teaching about Texas Indians? Early Explorers? European settlers? African American freedmen? Here's a handy list of lessons and interactive student activities on Texas Beyond History that correspond to these topics. And for geography, look below for links to virtual field trips and galleries of natural resources on TBH. The guide provides guidance for level (elementary and secondary) but many lessons can be adapted to work for both.

E = Elementary grade level, S = Secondary grade level

Texas Geography

All exhibits on Texas Beyond History have numerous color photos showing landscapes and environmental contexts across the state. In addition, see these specific resources:

Texas’ Natural Resources: Galleries of Plants, Animals, and Rocks and Minerals
South Texas South Texas Plains: Nature's Harvest
Central and Southwest Texas Plateaus and Canyonlands: Nature's Harvest
Trans Pecos Mountains and Basins Trans Pecos Mountains and Basins: Nature's Harvest
Coastal Prairies and Marshlands Coastal Prairies and Marshlands: Nature's Harvest
Take a Virtual Field Trip to See Texas Landscapes and Rivers
South Texas Plains Lay of the Land
Central and Southwest Texas Plateaus and Canyonlands Lay of the Land
Trans Pecos Mountains and Basins Lay of the Land
Coastal Prairies and Marshlands Lay of the Land
Pineywoods (East Texas) Aldridge Sawmill: The Forests of East Texas
Lower Pecos Canyonlands (Southwest Texas) Hinds Cave: Natural Setting
Lower Pecos Canyonlands: Natural World
Central Texas Kincaid Shelter: The Site and its Natural Setting
Richard Beene: Natural Setting
Central North Texas Camp Bowie: The Environment, Past and Present
Learn about How Rivers Change Landscapes over Time
Stratification in Action Richard Beene: Digging Through Layers of Time

Texas Indians (historic)

Lesson Plan Elementary or Secondary Subject & Skills Related Interactive Related Exhibit
Drawing Our Lives: Plains Indian Ledger Art E writing, drawing The Schild Ledger Book
Whose Buffalo? S writing, drawing, geographpy How Many Ways Can You Use A Buffalo? Red River War

Early Spanish

Early French

Lesson Plan Elementary or Secondary Subject & Skills Related Interactive Related Exhibit
Death on Board La Belle E S science, math Clues From the Bones La Belle Shipwreck
The French in Texas E research, writing La Belle Shipwreck
Ft. St. Louis: Grading a Settlement and an Explorer S research, writing Ft. St. Louis: La Salle in South Texas

Mexican-Americans

Lesson Plan Elementary or Secondary Subject & Skills Related Interactive Related Exhibit
Immigration to Texas in the 18th Century: Canary Islanders S Texas, American, or World History, writing John William and María Jesusa Curbelo-Delgado Smith House
Living on A Cotton Farm E S geography, economics Osborne Farm

Civil War & Reconstruction

Lesson Plan Elementary or Secondary Subject & Skills Related Interactive Related Exhibit
Writing Protest Songs S research, writing, music Ransom & Sarah Williams Farmstead
Life on an African American Farm X art, charts, drawing, drama Life After Slavery Ransom & Sarah Williams Farmstead
Life in Texas Freedom Colonies S geography, charts, research Ransom & Sarah Williams Farmstead
After Slavery: Exercising the Rights of Citizenship in 19th-Century Texas S government, research Ransom & Sarah Williams Farmstead

Texas Frontier

Lesson Plan Elementary or Secondary Subject & Skills Related Interactive Related Exhibit
A Day in the Life E research, writing Ft. Griffin and the Flat Texas Frontier Forts
Whose Business? E geography, economics Ft. Griffin and the Flat Ft. Griffin
Moving West With the Forts S geography, mapping U.S. Army on the Texas Frontier
Timeline for the Western Texas Frontier E S sequencing, drawing Texas Frontier Timeline
Two Ways of Life sequencing, cause and effect Passing of the Indian Era
Whose Buffalo? S writing, drawing Red River War

20th Century

Lesson Plan Elementary or Secondary Subject & Skills Related Interactive Related Exhibit
Teaching about Logging & Sawmills S geography, math, economics Aldridge Sawmill
Living on a Cotton Farm E S geography, economics Osborne Farm