Yes, an ISD can be worthy of historical reflection. Lanham begins an article in "The Facts," on Brazosport ISD Retired teachers produce history of BISD
CLUTE — Frederick Holder and a group of retired teachers weren't finished giving history lessons when they left the classroom. Holder is presenting copies of the first volume of a three-book series, "The Antecedent and Early History of the Brazosport Independent School District." The first edition covers 1821 to 1917. Many times people are asked questions about the history of the school, but no one has the answer, said Francis Snelgrove, a retired teacher. Holder's books will be able to answer any questions people might have, she said. "We can know something about what happened years ago," she said. The project began in the 1980s when members of the Brazosport Association of Retired Teachers began researching the book, then searched for a writer to compile all of the information. Eventually, they found Holder, a Freeport native and 1948 graduate of Freeport High School." |
6/17/2009
Brazosport ISD - Holder
Summer Reading
Claire Abraham at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram comments on several (mostly new) Texas books suitable for young readers over the summer, "Read It: Cool Books for a Hot Lone Star Summer." |
6/15/2009
Isabel's Texas Two-Step - Bryant
Challenging the Bookworm Blog introduces a YA novel of a Isabel's family reunion and her sister's quinceanera on a Texas ranch with chickens, horses, and the like in Isabel's Texas Two-Step by Annie Bryant. It's one of a series, "Beacon Street Girl" series. Read more about it at |
5/28/2009
Buffalo Music - Fern and Castillo - DRT Naylor Award
The DRT announces:"The Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library Committee is pleased to announce that the 2008 June Franklin Naylor Award for the Best Book for Children on Texas history is awarded to author Tracey E. Fern and illustrator Lauren Castillo for Buffalo Music, published in 2008 by Clarion Books in New York. The announcement was made Friday evening, May 15, by Connie Impelman, Chairman of the DRT Library Committee, at the 118th Annual Convention of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in Killeen, Texas." |
Texas History Mystery
This interesting option self-describes itself as: "Welcome to the Texas History Mystery video conference project. This project is designed for 4th and 7th grade students studying Texas History. Through video conference technology students are able to meet other students while learning about important historical events and figures. Prior to the video conference each classroom will create a presentation with clues about their ONE mystery event, person, location, or invention. The other classrooms, using maps, the Internet, textbooks, and other resources, will try to discover the mystery event presented by each of the participating classrooms. Quick Links for Teachers and Building Coordinators
See more at http://texashistorymystery.pbworks.com/ |
Posting Powerpoints on Texas History - Freese
Todd B. Freese demonstrates the adaptability of one electronic format (powerpoint) into another (his blog). His presentation on the latter half of Texas history is embedded into one of his blog postings, "Texas History Review," at http://www.toddbfreese.com/2009/05/19/texas-history-review/ The 30 slides combine summarizing narrative (often bulleted) with photographs. The viewer advance from slide to slide at their own pace. To press the possibilities, one could create a separate, fuller powerpoint for each slide in the review. That may be what he's doing in the day-to-day classroom. |
5/21/2009
Texas Online History Exhibits - Texas State Library & Archvies
Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides several documented lessons on Texas history via their online exhibits. Other depositories would serve Texas well by similar works that integrated their holdings into learning opportunities. Self-described from http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/index.html
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5/07/2009
Texas history curriculm - Bastrop
Mrs. Cheshire, of Bastrop's Middle School, has posted her summary curriculm of Texas history online at |
Texas Curriculum - Galena Park ISD
Galena Park ISD has posted its 35 weeks (59 pages) of Texas history curriculum with attention to TAKS and TEKS at |
5/02/2009
Last Mango in Texas by Ray Blackston
Mike Kearby and Hypocrisy of Culture
Texana Mike Kearby, Spur winning novelist of the Free Parks trilogy, offers an insightful article on the "Hypocrisy of Culture" at Isnare. Kearby's novels' plots are set in Texas' multi-cultural frontier times after the Civil War. |
4/24/2009
Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texas
Angela Valenzuela (based at UT) founded the "Educational Equity, Politics & Policy in Texas" blogsite. It is self-described as "This blog on Texas education contains posts on accountability, testing, dropouts, bilingual education, immigration, school finance, race, class, and gender issues with additional focus at the national level. This blog reflects the work and contributions of both University of Texas Professor Angela Valenzuela and UT Education, Policy and Planning graduate student, Patricia Lopez." Some recent posts include Read more at http://texasedequity.blogspot.com/ |
4/15/2009
African Texas - Children, Young Adults
Skywriting: African Texana for Children and Young Adults http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/WillHoward48/lists Your Assistance Is Requested Skywriting, a bibliography for young readers is being developed on the topic of the Texas African experience – non-fiction and fiction– in-print and out-of-print - with very few adult titles included. The preliminary stage numbers about 300 titles. About a third includes modern athletes and singers. About a third relates to the 19th century. The large number of titles mandates a classification scheme. Art and Dance – 2 Astronauts – 34 Barbara Jordan – 15 Bessie Coleman – 29 Beyonce and Destiny's Child – 13 Colonial to Reconstruction – 20 Cowboy and Western Life – 15 Cowboy and Western Life – Bill Picket – 7 Cowboy and Western Life – Fiction – 10 Estevanico – 9 Folklore (mostly adult) – 7 General – 5 Juneteenth – 17 Modern Life – 15 Modern Life – Fiction – 33 Music (including Scott Joplin) – 15 Sports – 62 The list is quite preliminary. Please contact Will Howard with any suggestions or offers to help in the editorial phase. Skywriting should be finished by December. If you wish to peruse a Word document copy of the list, as it stands now, request it by email. |
4/13/2009
SFA Tides Blog
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David Davis Youtube Channel
David Davis, Texana children's author of several books, e.g., Texas Aesop's Fables, Texas Mother Goose, Texas Zeke, etc. has gone and gotten himself a chanel on Youtube where librarians and his other favorite folks will find a enjoyable visit. The Channel is called Tomftwain - http://www.youtube.com/user/tomftwain |
Rivera Book Award
The Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award which originated in 1995 in San Marcos at Texas State University has a website at http://www.riverabookaward.info/ . Its purpose is Soon the 2009 winners will be posted to augment their site. This year it was a tie. Both Benjamin Alire Sáenz, author of He Forgot to Say Goodbye, and Carmen Tafolla, author of The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans received the award. Tafolla's website http://www.carmentafolla.com/ says of the author "One of the most anthologized of Latina writers, Carmen Tafolla has published work for both children and adults in more than two hundred anthologies, magazines, journals, textbooks, and readers. Long considered one of the madrinas of Chicana Literature and a master of bilingual code-switching, Tafolla is the author of more than fifteen books, seven screenplays, and numerous articles and essays." Saenz's website http://www.benjaminaliresaenz.com/ where his biographical sketch begins "Benjamin Alire Sáenz was born in 1954 in his grandmother's house in Old Picacho, a small farming village on the outskirts of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was the fourth of seven children and was raised on a small farm near Mesilla. He graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1972. That fall, he entered St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, Colorado where he received a B.A. degree in Humanities and Philosophy in 1977. He studied theology at the University of Louvain in Louvain, Belgium from 1977 to 1981. Living in the Belgium rain made him desperate to return to the desert—but he also fell in love with Paris and Spain and Italy. During those years, he spent a summer working in a home for the homeless in Kilburn (in what was, at that time, the Irish slums of North London). The home was operated by the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Theresa. He also spent another summer living in Tanzania. It was during that summer that he discovered the meaning of the word, "colonialism." " |
3/26/2009
Republic and Statehood Lessons Plans 4th grade
Cary-Anne Koenig teaching portfolio offers 4th graders guidance |
Lone Ranger - Graphic Novel
The students at Dominican University's Library School offer a review of the re-prinited, melodramtic version of the Lone Ranger, 2 vols.Author: Matthews, Brett (writer) and Cariello, Sergio (illustrator). Their commentary includes: "Readers who turn to this incarnation of The Lone Ranger because of a childhood affection for the 1950s TV series will be pleased with the detail and care given to the characters but may be surprised by the graphic violence portrayed. The Lone Ranger's no-kill code does not entirely prevent him from committing other acts of violence, and most of the other characters have no qualms about killing. This is a comic meant for teens and adults, not children. The series won the 2006 Eisner Award winner for Best New Series and Best Cover Artist, and True West magazine's awarded the series the "Best Western Comic Book of the Year" in their 2009 Best of the West Source Book." Read more ator see more at Comic Book Resources at |
3/16/2009
Texas Beyond History Lesson Plans
![]() Texas Beyond History, as well as being an excellent site for general purposes, also has lesson plans, keyed to TEKS from the categories Language Arts | Social Studies | Math/Science | ArtSamples include A Day in the Life Students explore the roles of a variety of people who lived or worked at a nineteenth-century Texas frontier fort or in a nearby frontier town. By writing about a character in his/her own voice, students reach a greater understanding of life on the Texas frontier. Suggested for grade levels 4-7. View TEKS and download page. Archeology 2500: Texano Weapons Students work in small groups to write a creative, descriptive report about a "mystery" artifact. Hypothesis building and creative writing suitable for upper elementary and above. Suggested for grade level 7. View TEKS and download page. Making a Caddo Circle Book Students write, draw, and use mathematics to create a short booklet about the Caddo Indians. This interdisciplinary lesson is suitable for grades 4 and 7. View TEKS and download page. Aldridge Sawmill - The Story in Numbers This lesson plan provides 7th-grade students an opportunity to practice math skills while becoming familiar with Texas' "Boom & Bust" economy and the natural history and geography of the east Texas Piney Woods. The student handout is illustrated with historic photos of logging in East Texas. View TEKS and download page. |
Texas Council for the Social Studies
The Texas Council for the Social Studies has a website of interest to teachers and other folks. It's navigational options include Home | The Social Studies Texan is self-described as"The Texan is the official publication of the Texas Council for the Social Studies, an affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies. The Social Studies Texan is published three times per year and is available as a benefit to all members of TCSS. The Social Studies Texan publishes articles of interest to social studies educators at all levels. This juried journal includes professional articles relating to social studies education and lesson plans, teaching ideas, or teaching activities that have been used successfully in the classrooms of Texas. It contains information about opportunities for professional growth and the latest resources available for use in the classroom. The journal provides up to date information about the Texas Council for the Social Studies and pertinent social studies information important to social studies teachers."
TCSS encourages the submission of lesson plans as part of their service. |
3/14/2009
Women in Texas History Lesson Plans
| Self description: "Welcome to the portal for all things historical about women in Texas. Students, teachers, researchers, and Texas history lovers will discover stories about all kinds of women, and find links to many sites for more information related to Texas women's history. Students and teachers will find:
Lesson Plans – Texas Women's History 4th Grade Social Studies7th Grade Texas History8th Grade U.S. HistoryHigh School U.S. HistoryRead more of this excellent website's offerings at http://www.womenintexashistory.org/ |
Battle Report Newsletter & This Week in Texas History
The State Parks & Wildlife folks over at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site offer a weekly email newsletter, rather well done. The Battle Report focuses on current events happening there, it's a lot - the Monument, the Battleship, and the grounds. Occasional strategic affairs are addressed. Public, volunteer, and staff activities are covered. Conservation and public service are the principal elements. Remember that it also includes the Battleship Texas. Archeological notes are included from time to time.The Battle Report bills itself as: ""The purpose of this newsletter is to communicate the site's day-to-day natural and cultural resource management activities. Our goal is to inform and educate our staff, partners, and friends – and those we have yet to meet – Welcome!" I can't see the Monument from my window so its nice of Russ Kuykendall, Park Complex Superintendent, to have added me to their mailing list. He can add you too! Just ask him. Call 281/479-2431 . One of the regular columns is "This Week in Texas History." The photography is good! Visit their websites at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/san_jacinto_battleground/ |
3/13/2009
Heart of Texas Literature Center - Brownwood
and "The Heart of Texas Literature Center is dedicated to making current children's and teenagers' literature available for public viewing and informing the public of the literature through providing evaluative reviews. The current collection consists of books and book related media that are published and/or made available for sale for the first time in the Professionals read and evaluate books and write reviews. We publish the reviews in our quarterly journal, the Lorgnette."
It's a remarkable endeavor. They collect children and young adult books from across the nation and review dozens in each issue of their online Lorgnette periodical. Their dozens of reviewers from the region are teachers, librarians, university professors, and the sort who've have genuine experience with the kids. Carrie Harding is Director; Blanche Byrd is Assistant Director; Patsy Weeks is Director of Outreach; and Marsha Harper is editor of the Lorgnette. Their interests are very wide, and there is some Texana in each issue. Read more at http://ww1.hputx.edu/Hotlit/ |
3/12/2009
Young Readers at TCU Press
High School students - YA at TCU
Texas Christian University Press has an extensive list of volumes. Many of those have been gathered and categorized as suggestions for classroom adoptions for college students. High school librarians may wish to view their list for titles applicable to enrich their collections. Their Texana appears in several categories other than those specified by "History" and "Literature."The categories are
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3/11/2009
Trail Riding Kids
The Westerner brings news of children on a special trail ride. The posting begins "Thirty youngsters from three north and west Texas school districts will spend their Spring Break rolling through the rugged expanses of West Texas in covered wagons to get a taste of what their pioneering forebears experienced some 150 years ago. The youth outreach trail ride, sponsored by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association, will cover roughly 75 miles from Marfa to Big Bend Ranch State Park outside Presidio. " Read more at |
3/10/2009
Sam Houston - Wade
Mary Wade, author of many children's books, inaugurates Bright Sky's new series, Texas Heroes for Young Readers. Joy Fisher has also illustrated Miss Ladybird's Wildflowers. Here's the life of The work steadily develops Sam's trait of standing firm, aka aloofness or stubbornness or arrogance or blindness, as may have been alleged over time by Sam's non-supporters. But for the youngest kids Mary gracefully tends toward the positive adjective "firm." http://www.wadeco.com/author.htm http://www.joyfisherhein.com/ |
Last Renegade - Kearby
Mike Kearby brings young readers another well- paced Western novel set in Young-Man-Listens, a nine-year old Comanche, is captured by slavers and sold to a travelling circus where the nefarious Shelly McDuff cages him and bills him to gawkers as "The Last Renegade – Chief Raging Bull" for two years. Then the show rolls into Sheriff Miller's Territory. Miller's eleven-year-old son, Jake, immediately sees through the injustice of the imprisonment and sets the young Comanche free whereupon the two plus Marty scat on a trail of hiding, hunting, capture, a fight (partially aided by Walter the dog), and ultimate salvation by Jake's father. Young-Man-Listens eventually relents on the impulse of worst vengeance and rides off toward home in Mack White's illustrations seem influenced by Nast cartoons and Hank the Cowdog. |
3/06/2009
Alamo Lesson Plans
![]() 4th and 7th grade lesson plans for the Alamo are available from the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, each about 40 pages long. Other uninspected Alamo lesson plans are Lessonplan.com has over a hundred connected plans |
3/05/2009
El Paso History Day
Dr. Keith A. Erekson, Assistant Professor of History and Director of the Teaching Social Studies in El Paso Initiative , UTEP, directs you to the UTEP History Department hosting of a website on "El Paso History Day." At the moment it includes a wonderful list of its contest winners from the local schools. YTR hopes this list will be archived on the same site next year as the 2010 winners are announced. The many titles of the projects themselves are inspiring. The local sponsor is Dr. Charles H. Martin. El Paso History Day
Self-described as: "El Paso History Day is a yearly event sponsored by the Department of History. It serves as the local (regional) qualifying event for Texas History Day and National History Day. National History Day is an educational program devoted to improving the teaching and learning of history in American schools. It is designed to provide a meaningful way for middle and high school students to study historical issues, ideas, people, and events by engaging in project based learning and research. The theme for this year's contest is "The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies." The twelfth annual El Paso History Day contest will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2009, on the UTEP campus. Last year some 224 middle school and high school students registered for the event. Approximately 260 students from 24 schools are expected to participate in 2009. The categories in which students may enter are: Exhibits—individual and group entries Documentaries—individual and group entries Performances—individual and group entries Interpretive Web Sites—combined entries Papers—individual entries only " See the winning projects at http://academics.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=55305
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Teaching of Texas History Award
Humanities Texas offers Teaching awards, one is the Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History AwardSelf described as "The Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award was established in memory of Ms. Howell, former chair of the Humanities Texas Board of Directors, as a lasting tribute to her service to the organization and her commitment to the study of Texas history. The winning teacher receives a $5,000 cash award, with an additional $500 for his or her school for the purchase of instructional materials supporting Texas history." Read more at http://www.humanitiestexas.org/education/awards/ |
Texas Stories website
Texas Stories has an admirable variety of useful options for teachers of Texas history. Self-description: "TEXAS STORIES is a Texas History Audio Series, Web Site and Weekly e-Newsletter about the Lone Star State. Hosted by Timothy Patrick Miller, TEXAS STORIES will present 30- to 90-second audio programs and interviews about people, places and events in Texas History using music, sound effects, actualities and the art of storytelling. OUR TOWN: Audio Postcards and Audio Snapshots from the Past will feature 30- to 90-second stories about local and regional history for web site and e-Newsletter presentation. TEXAS STORIES Weekly Audio Series will be podcast, available online and distributed via the Weekly e-Newsletter. The Web Site will feature story and interview audio clips, transcripts, historical images and links to online Texas History resources. Expanded City and County web pages are in development and will showcase the OUR TOWN programming. A free, subscriber-based, email Newsletter -- TEXAS STORIES WEEKLY -- will present the Project's weekly audio feature, a weekly audio contest called What's My Story?, audio interviews and fascinating facts about Texas History. A Story Forum and Classroom Activities for Grades 4 and 7 are also in development." Audio Shows Podcasts Audio Postcards Audio Snapshots Weekly e-Newsletter Classroom Activities Texas History Resources Stories Music Adventure |
Texas History Teachers Bulletin 1912
3/04/2009
DRT Elaine Davis Award
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas begin a new award honoring Elaine B. Davis. The first award goes to Debra Winegarten who plans a juvenile book on Clara Driscoll. This inaugural award is self-described as "The Elaine B. Davis Research Award, endowed by the 2007-2009 Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library Committee chaired by Connie Impelman and sponsored by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, is awarded to bring scholars to San Antonio, Texas, to work with the unique materials housed at the DRT Library. Mrs. Davis served as Director of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library from 1998-2008." |
3/03/2009
Declaration of Independence
March 2, 1836 - Texas Declaration of Independence from the Convention of 1836. Take a digital tour, chase a few rabbits, learn a little.Texas State Library Handbook of Texas Online Texas Almanac UT Tarleton Law Library Yale University's Avalon Project Humanities Texas traveling and online exhibit Portal to Texas History lesson plan Dawn Bishop's lesson plan Texas Tides lesson plan http://tides.sfasu.edu/Teachers/Tides/docs/LessonPlans/MiddleSchool/social/MurphreyIndependence.html Texas State Cemetery Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library Weblog Lone Star Junction commentary Wkipedia, of all places Books Greatness to Spare: The Heroic Sacrifices of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence by T.R. Fehrenbach Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by Benson J. Lossing The Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence by Louis Kemp The Texas Declaration of Indepedence in Exact Facsimile by Anson Jones Press Articles Greer, James K. "The Committee on the Texas Declaration of Independence," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 30 and 31 (April and July 1927), 239-251, 33-49. Shuffler, R. Henderson. "The Ark of the Covenant of the Texas Declaration of Independence." Southwestern Historical Quarterly 65 (July 1961), 87-100. Shuffler, R. Henderson. "The Signing of Texas' Declaration of Independence: Myth and Record." Southwestern Historical Quarterly 65 (Jan. 1962), 310-332. |
Challenging the Bookworm Blog introduces a YA novel of a Isabel's family reunion and her sister's quinceanera on a Texas ranch with chickens, horses, and the like in Isabel's Texas Two-Step by Annie Bryant. It's one of a series, "Beacon Street Girl" series. Read more about it at
The DRT announces:
This interesting option self-describes itself as: "

















The Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award which originated in 1995 in San Marcos at Texas State University has a website at
The students at Dominican University's Library School offer a review of the re-prinited, melodramtic version of the Lone Ranger, 2 vols.


The State Parks & Wildlife folks over at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site offer a weekly email newsletter, rather well done. The Battle Report focuses on current events happening there, it's a lot - the Monument, the Battleship, and the grounds. Occasional strategic affairs are addressed. Public, volunteer, and staff activities are covered. Conservation and public service are the principal elements. Remember that it also includes the Battleship Texas. Archeological notes are included from time to time.

Texas Christian University Press has an extensive list of volumes. Many of those have been gathered and categorized as suggestions for classroom adoptions for college students. High school librarians may wish to view their list for titles applicable to enrich their collections. Their Texana appears in several categories other than those specified by "History" and "Literature."
The Last Renegade.
