TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, TRIUMPHS – TEXANS 3

Master Teacher: Debra Duffy

Grade Level: 7  

Time Allotment: Three classes through one six weeks  

Overview: There are more heroes in the Lone Star State than Sam Houston, Davy Crockett and Stephen F. Austin. Students will become acquainted with three 20th century “movers and shakers” who had battled against great odds to secure the future of the Lone Star State.

Subject Matter: Social Studies, Language Arts

Learning Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

-           recognize and describe characteristics of heroes

-           define terms related to biographical studies

-          employ secondary research skills to locate information

-          compare and contrast lives of various characters

-          write a variety of complete well-elaborated sentences

Standards:

Language Arts TEKS:

 The learner is expected to:

 4(A) connect his/her own experiences, information, insights and ideas with the experiences of others through listening,

  9(C) use multiple reference aids, including a dictionary and software, to clarify meaning and usage,

13 (C) use multiple sources, including electronic texts, experts, and print resources, to locate information relevant to research questions,

17 (A) write in complete sentences, using appropriately punctuated independent and dependent clauses,

17 (D) use adjectives appropriately to make writing more precise,

22 (B) interpret events and ideas gathered from video segments or technology presentations,

23 (B) compare and contrast print, visual and electronic media,

24 (A) select, organize, or produce visuals to complement or to extend meaning.  

Social Studies TEKS:

The learner is expected to:

7( C) trace the civil rights and equal rights movement s of various groups in Texas in the 20^th century and identify key leaders in these movements, including James Farmer, Hector P. Garcia, Oveta Culp Hobby, and Lyndon Baines Johnson,

11( B ) analyze how immigration and migration to Texas in the 19^th and 20^th centuries have influenced Texas,

17( A) identify different points of view of political parties and  interest groups on important Texas issues,

17 ( B ) describe the importance of free speech and press in a democratic society,

18 ( B ) analyze the contributions of Texas leaders such as Henry B. Gonzalez, Phill Gramm, Barbara Jordan and Sam Rayburn.

Media Components:

Video

Hector P Garcia Story: Justice for my People

Web Sites:

http://trackstar.hprtec.org  
A teacher-made site with links to relevant information about Barbara Jordan, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Hector P. Garcia. Track number for that site is 46064.

   Links include:

-         www.beejae.com/bjordan.htm

-         www.infoplease.kids.lycos.com/bio/8-27lbjohnson

-         www.tea.state.tx.us/resources/ssced/teks/bio7.htm

-         www.dictionary.com

Materials:  
student test
student worksheet
videotape

Prep for Teachers:

Students will complete a pre-test, then grade their own test in class.

Teacher will tell students that when they are finished with this unit, they will know the answers to the questions about these famous Texans.

Teacher will write vocabulary terms on board or elsewhere.

Bookmark website; write the address on the board.

Cue videotape to starting spot.

Introductory Activity:

NOTE: Inform your school administrators about this portion of this activity, since there might be complaints from parents.

Step 1: Prepare room for viewing video about Hector P. Garcia. Before students enter the room, choose a characteristic that three or four share, (for example – blond hair, green eyes, etc.) so that the teacher may segregate them. Arrange the room so that the isolated seats are uncomfortable, perhaps stools or discarded chairs. The location of the chairs should also make it extremely difficult for the “chosen ones” to view the video.

Step 2: Have a special treat for the students to eat during this film. For example, have ”better” candy, such as Fireballs or small chocolate bars for the “regular” students at the front. Allow those students to choose two of these pieces, then produce less desirable candy pieces for the students in the back. Allow them to choose the same number of candy pieces. Expect complaints, but tell them that they have been given the same number of pieces at the rest. (This will aid their understanding of the concept “separate but equal”.)

Step 3: Focus for Media Interaction: “Look for examples of segregation.” Watch the video, interacting with the “regular” children at least four times for every time that the segregated students are addressed. At the end of each class, order the segregated students to pick up the candy wrappers from the other students.

Learning activities:

Step 1: Explain that the students will become acquainted with the life of more important Texans.

Step 2: Distribute the worksheets. Instruct students that they will be using primarily context clues to locate the definitions of the words and concepts on paper., as well as listening for information asked for in the worksheet.

Step 3: Allow students to visit the website about Barbara Jordan and LBJ and Dr. Garcia.

Culminating activity

Students can choose one of the following activities:
-write a report or biography about a  twentieth century Texan.
-design a posterboard or other display to be used in the halls, school library, etc.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

This is excellent for the Gifted students in class. Have the students write a play about these famous Texans A challenging setting would be the future in which a Texan in the year 2100 is speaking to the ghosts of famous Texans.  The play can incorporate early Texans such as Jane Long, Juan Seguin, to leaders not yet even born. Students may choose to write this to be performed live in front of their classmates, or they may choose to use the medium of videotape for this production.

Obviously, the class would need criteria to decide how this will be graded, whether teacher or student selected. A few thoughts: What will the “typical” Texan be like 100 years from now? This is a great place for students interested in statistics and demographics to do research.

Community Connections  
Students can perform this play for elementary schools or other interested organizations.

Activity Sheet  

Name: ________________________________________________________

                         Basic information about Texans Three

Directions: Use the Trackstar site #46064 to answer these questions.

Barbara Jordan:

Where was Barbara Jordan born?

What were her parents’ jobs?

In what did she excel in school?

Why could she not attend the University of Texas at Austin after she graduated from high school?

Lyndon Baines Johnson:

Where was he born?

What were three jobs of his family?

What is his wife’s nickname?

What was his most important accomplishment during WW II?

How did he become President?

What were three of the greatest triumphs of his Presidency?

What were the two biggest problems facing him at the end of his Presidency?

When did he die?

Hector P. Garcia:

Where was Hector P. Garcia born?

What was the organization that he started? When?

What was the purpose of that organization?

What award did he receive from the military during WWII?

What was his profession?

Now, think about what you learned about all three of these Texans. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

What are three things that they had in common?

What were two ways that they were different?

Why do you think that they are important to Texas?

TEXANS THREE TEST

Name:__________________________________________

T     F          Lyndon Baines Johnson was President of the United States during the Korean War.

T     F          Barbara Jordan was an African-American woman who was famous for her speaking ability.

T    F           Hector P. Garcia was born in Corpus Christi, Texas.

T    F           Hector P. Garcia was important because he founded the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars)

T     F          Lyndon Baines Johnson became President following the assassination of President Kennedy.

T    F          During the 1960s, the American Civil Rights Movement  had no impact on Texas.

T   F           In Texas, only African-Americans were segregated from Anglos in the 1940s and 1950s.

T    F          Lyndon Johnson was born in Johnson City, Texas.

T    F          Hector P. Garcia and Barbara Jordan both served in Congress while Lyndon Johnson was President.

T    F          A memorial to Hector P. Garcia can be found at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi.

Updated:  October 01, 2007