Days of Little Rain - Nelson

Publishers Weekly:  Children's Book Reviews: Week of 7/6/2009  Days of Little Texas  by RA Nelson. Knopf, $16.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-375-85593-1 The review begins  "Ronald Earl, at the center of this multidimensional coming-of-age/ghost story, earned the moniker "Little Texas" at age 10, after performing a spontaneous healing while touring with his great-aunt's tent-revival ministry. But at 16, burgeoning sexual feelings and the apparition of a girl named Lucy, who died when he failed to heal her, cause Ronald to question his integrity as a spiritual leader."   Read more at http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6668315.html?industryid=47141

Middle School Texas History Text - Willoughby

The Austin Community College offers a press release on their professor's book on Texas history by Austin Community College Professor Larry Willoughby. It begins "State's middle-schoolers use ACC professor's textbook Austin Community College Professor - Larry Willoughby Austin Community College Professor Larry Willoughby does more than teach Texas history. He also writes about it. A four-time author, Willoughby has written two history textbooks including one that's used in more than half of all Texas seventh-grade public school classrooms. "Texas!" has sold more than 300,000 copies and is in its third printing. A self-proclaimed civil rights historian, Willoughby tries to write the textbooks from multiple perspectives. He especially revels in the underrepresented characters of history and tries to expose their stories."  Read more at http://www.austincc.edu/newsroom/index.php/2009/06/29/acc-professor-wrote-the-book-on-texas-history/

TEA Social Studies Expert Reviews

Social Studies Expert Reviewers http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/teks/social/experts.html     David Barton, President, WallBuilders Review of Current Social Studies TEKS   Jesus Francisco de la Teja, Professor and Chair, Department of History, Texas State University Review of Current Social Studies TEKS   Daniel L. Dreisbach, Professor, American University Review of Current Social Studies TEKS   Lybeth Hodges, Professor, History, Texas Woman's University Review of Current Social Studies TEKS   Jim Kracht, Associate Dean and Professor, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University Review of Current Social Studies TEKS   Peter Marshall, President, Peter Marshall Ministries Review of Current Social Studies TEKS    Read de la Teja, Hodges, and Kracht for commentary buttressed by their pro-public school, secular, social studies orientations.  Read Marshall, Dreisbach, and Barton for other focal points.  Contact the Curriculum Division at (512)463-9581 with any questions you may have or for an accessible version of the content on this page. And for the inquisitive: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/social/index.html

Brazosport ISD - Holder

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 By Katlynn Lanham The Facts ,  Published May 19, 2009 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." Read more at http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=033fd57af38a58f7

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." http://www.star-telegram.com/yourlife/story/1424107.html

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 http://challengingthebookworm.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/isabels-texas-two-step/

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." Read more at http://drtlibrary.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/fern-and-castillo-win-the-2008-june-franklin-naylor-award/

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   Project Information Schedule of Presentations Photo Gallery Sample Student Presentations FAQ Evaluation Form Read about Texas History Mystery Connections 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.

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      Texas Treasures  This exhibition highlights the greatest treasures of the Texas State Library and Archives, from Travis' Letter from the Alamo to the original Ordinance of Secession, from historic flags to wanted posters for Sam Bass and Clyde Barrow. New treasures and topics will be added on a periodic basis.   Portraits of Texas Governors Biographies of all of the governors of Texas, complete with official portraits, timeline of events, revealing documents, and rare photos. The McArdle Notebooks Henry McArdle's battle paintings, Dawn at the Alamo and The Battle of San Jacinto, have become Texas icons. The painstaking detail of the paintings was reflected in exhaustive research. McArdle's notebooks are packed with letters, notes, and photographs documenting the paintings and the events they depict. Forever Free Fifty-two African-American men served Texas as either state legislative members or Constitutional Convention delegates during the last half of the 19th century, representing the first significant political achievement by the African-American citizens of this state. Votes for Women! Diaries and letters of Texas women, political cartoons, government documents, and photographs and postcards tell the little-known story of the women activists who fought to overcome societal attitudes and entrenched power and won the rights of full citizenship. Pioneer Texas Architects In the years from 1877 to 1900, the �Gilded Age� in American history, F. E. �Ernst� and Oscar Ruffini were part of the first wave of professional architects to practice in Texas. A large collection of their drawings, specifications, and correspondence can be viewed on site at the Texas State Library and Archives. Representative examples of their work are included in this exhibit. Hazardous Business: Industry, Regulation, and the Texas Railroad Commission Government documents, photographs, political cartoons, and other artifacts help tell the story of the agency founded in 1891 on a tide of populist resentment of the railroads that went on in the 20th century to wield legendary power over the supply and price of oil and natural gas. Indian Relations in Texas For more than three centuries, relations between whites and Indians occupied a central place in Texas life. The Texas State Library and Archives is home to a massive collection called the Texas Indian Papers. These and other documents and photographs from our collections tell the story of an epic clash of cultures. Fortune Favors the Brave: The Story of the Texas Navy The sailors of Texas were vital to the survival of the Republic; they defended the coastline, ensured Texas supply lines, and brought in much-needed revenue from prizes and captures. In this exhibit, adventure in the Gulf is paired with a political blood feud which brought the Navy crashing down amidst charges of piracy, mutiny, and murder. Triumph and Tragedy: Presidents of the Republic of Texas For the next ten years, four very different men led the Republic of Texas down a difficult and unknown path as an independent nation. Although these men were different--sawmill operator, soldier, poet, doctor--they were also much alike. To a man they had known crushing failure. Each had the heart and nerve to take the helm of a penniless, lawless land and dream of the mighty Texas it might one day become. Each of them, for good and for ill, shaped that destiny. This is their story. Hard Road to Texas: Texas Annexation 1836-1845 At the time of the Texas Revolution, most Texans and Americans assumed that the Republic of Texas would be swiftly annexed to the United States. Instead, the process of annexation took nine long and bruising years. In hindsight, Texas annexation seems inevitable. But it all could have been so different. To Love the Beautiful: The Story of Texas State Parks Created in 1923, the State Parks Board struggled until the New Deal poured millions of federal dollars into creating state parks for Texas. In the decades to follow, Texans who loved the outdoors promoted state parks as a public good that provides fun and serenity to the public while preserving the natural beauty of Texas. But always the parks have competed with other state needs and priorities. Under the Rebel Flag: Life in Civil War Texas Though Texans had fought for many years to achieve annexation to the United States, they voted decisively to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy in 1861. From the embattled cotton port of Galveston to the besieged Indian frontier, from the Louisiana border to the Rio Grande, Texans would spend the next four bitter, desperate years learning the reality of war.   http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/annexation/index.html

Texas history curriculm - Bastrop

Mrs. Cheshire, of Bastrop's Middle School, has posted her summary curriculm of Texas history online at http://198.214.252.201/~kcheshire/Texas%20History%20Curriculum

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 http://www.galenaparkisd.com/scopesequence/sstudies/Texas%20History%207th%20curriculum.pdf

Last Mango in Texas by Ray Blackston

Sherrie at her Just Books  reviews the Last Mango in Texas by Ray Blackston.  A splice from her comments include this "This is a very good book.   Sometimes funny, sometimes serious, Kyle's pursuit of Gretchen takes him to the desert of Texas, the coast line of Alaska, a bed and breakfast in France and a small village in Africa. The whole time Kyle is chasing Gretchen he still has his oil wells and they are causing some trouble with his romance of Gretchen."

Texas History in the 1st grade

Nat and Leslie show how its done one day.  And the rewards.   http://paramountoutreach.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/teaching-texas-history-at-casis-elementary/

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. http://www.isnare.com/?aid=373250&ca=Culture

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 Success Obscured by Controversy Sacramento-area schools use race-based assemblies ... Study Cites Dire Economic Impact of Poor School Universities asked to establish more Center for Me... 'Pathways' option for dropouts Court weighs state's duty to English learners Read more at http://texasedequity.blogspot.com/

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 Buffalo Soldiers – 23 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.

SFA Tides Blog

Stephen F. Austin State University's successful TIDES program to assist teachers and students now has its own blog at http://tidessfasu.blogspot.com/ in addition to its regular site http://tides.sfasu.edu/ TIDES: Teaching, Images, & Digital Experiences Its self-description : "Providing a free database of primary source documents, lesson plans for educators, and virtual expeditions while building community partnerships and preserving the history and culture of East Texas and beyond."

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 To recognize and honor authors and illustrators that create quality children's literature depicting the Mexican American experience. To enhance awareness among librarians, teachers, parents and children of this literature so it will take its place in libraries, classrooms and homes to educate, inspire, and entertain all children. 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." "

Republic and Statehood Lessons Plans 4th grade

Cary-Anne Koenig teaching portfolio offers 4th graders guidance   http://ckoenig1.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/texas-history.doc

Mrs. Rogers Projects

Mrs. Rogers offers over two dozen Texas history projects for students. http://mdrogers61.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/project-ideas/

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 at http://ra763.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/the-lone-ranger-volumes-1-and-2/ or see more at Comic Book Resources at http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10351

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 | Art Samples 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. More at http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/teach/lessons.html#social

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 | Awards | Conference | Membership | Opportunities | Publications | Resources .  The TCSS dues are only $15 a year and the benefits are extensive.  It's interests are broadly based, but occasional attention is paid to Texana.  The Resources pays attention to the Portal to Texas History (UNT), Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine, and Beyond Texas History (UT), The George Ranch and other resources and applicable links. 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.

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: Topics for research papers Ideas for teaching Texas women's history Ideas for including women's history in writing assignments Sources of primary materials and bibliographies Photographs and biographies of amazing Texas women Timeline of Texas women's history Lesson Plans – Texas Women's History 4th Grade Social Studies Capitol_Women Las Tejanas 7th Grade Texas History Capitol_Women Las Tejanas African American Women 8th Grade U.S. History 8th Grade U.S. History Through Reconstruction High School U.S. History High School U.S. History Since Reconstruction  Read 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/  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/battleship_texas/

Heart of Texas Literature Center - Brownwood

The Heart of Texas Literature Center in Brownwood describes itself as "The Heart of Texas Literature Center is a combination review/examination center.  Books sent by publishers are kept on display at the Center, and reviews are published in our quarterly journal, the Lorgnette. Our reviews can also be found on the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD).  Our facility is part of the Walker Memorial Library on the campus of Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas." 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 United States during 2006. 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/

Young Readers at TCU Press

Texas Christian University Press has several titles for its series "Chaparral Books for Young Readers."   See http://www.prs.tcu.edu/series_titles.html   War Pony Luke and the Van Zandt County War  Tame the Wild Stallion Lone Hunter's Gray Pony Lone Hunter and the Cheyennes  Duster Muddy Banks Stay Put, Robbie McAmis  Letters to Oma Have Gun--Need Bullets Josefna and the Hanging Tree You're an Orphan, Mollie Brown!

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." See http://www.prs.tcu.edu/classroom%20adoptions.html    The categories are African American Studies, Civil Rights Studies Studies of Aging Border Studies, Mexican History, and Mexican-American History Civil War Studies Drama Economics and Labor Relations Education German-American Studies History, American West History, Texas Hydropolitics Literature, Texas Native American Studies Philosophy Women's Studies

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 http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2009/03/west-texas-trail-ride-to-teach-school.html

Sam Houston - Wade

Sam Houston: Standing Firm by Mary Dodson Wade and illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein.  Albany and Houston: Bright Sky Press, 2009. 24 pages.  http://brightskypress.com/   Large picture book, colored drawings.  ISBN 978-1-933979-3-7.   $16.95 Hardback.   Reading level ages 5-7, grades k-2.   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 Houston in a hundred sentences, most quite short, spread over the two dozen pages, each of which is illustrated in four color form.   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."  Houston leaves school, home, traditional culture for the Cherokee ways, etc.  He goes into teaching, soldiering, and politics.  In Texas he signs the Declaration of Independence (although unnamed in the book), retreats from the Alamo trap, and wins at San Jacinto.  The presidency prepares him for another try at matrimony.  Then it's the Senate and the Governor's chair which is taken from him for his "refusal to be loyal to a new country."  He dies after moving into his Huntsville Steamboat House.  Most of the illustrations depict the out-of-doors, and most of the sentences use active verbs.  Pronunciation aids follow some words. http://www.wadeco.com/author.htm   http://www.joyfisherhein.com/ http://www.prbythebook.com

Last Renegade - Kearby

The Last Renegade.  By Mike Kearby.  Austin:  Trail's End Books, 2008.  paperback, illus, 180 pages.  ISBN 9780978842291 $14.95. Ages 14 and up.  http://www.mikekearby.us/   Mike Kearby brings young readers another well- paced Western novel set in South Texas 1877.  Codified retributive justice is first found in Hammurabi's Code from the ancient Mesopotamia river valleys – "an eye for an eye."  But here the story involves a couple of young boys and a girl and a dog. 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 Oklahoma.   A side plot that finally weaves it way in is about the scarcity of water and a new spring on the Miller's land that triggers a greedy plot of multiple murders. Mack White's illustrations seem influenced by Nast cartoons and Hank the Cowdog.

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. http://www.thealamo.org/lesson.html   Other uninspected Alamo lesson plans are http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/battleofthealamo/ http://texashistory.unt.edu/young/educators/alamo/lp8.shtml http://texashistory.unt.edu/young/educators/alamo/lp7.shtml   http://texashistory.unt.edu/young/educators/alamo/lp4.shtml http://www.readinga-z.com/newfiles/levels/lesson_plans/t/thealamo/thealamo_print.html http://www.historynow.org/03_2007/lp4.html   Lessonplan.com has over a hundred connected plans

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

Teaching of Texas History Award

Humanities Texas offers Teaching awards, one is the Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award Self 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. http://www.texasstories.com/    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