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The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.
Here are the teacher pack items for Austin's Texas Colony:
Overview In this experience, students read a quote by Stephen F. Austin and rewrite it in their own words. Then they learn about the Austin Colony and mark it on a map of Texas and its rivers. Next they analyze the requirements the Mexican government set forth for immigrants and explain why Austin considered it important for his colonists to be of good moral character. Finally students examine how the colonists interacted with the environment. Students will collaborate in small groups for scene 1 to scene 4. Divide them into their small groups before beginning the experience. Note that there are three interrelated experiences that deal with settlement of Texas in the period of 1821–1830: There are two general resources provided in the Student Pack in all three experiences: a timeline of events in Texas history from 1826–1842 and a video (30 minutes). You can refer students to these resources at any point during these experiences. If you have access to leveled readers about Stephen F. Austin or the Old Three Hundred colony, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience. Estimated duration: 40-50 minutes Vocabulary words: Objectives
Stephen Fuller Austin is called “the Father of Texas,” but it was actually his own father, Moses Austin, who first had the dream of colonizing Texas. In this lesson, you will learn about their roles in the settlement of Texas.
Objectives
Stephen F. Austin, “Father of Texas”
Read the following quotation by Stephen F. Austin. View a glossary of the words in bold.
A few years back Texas was a wilderness, the home of the uncivilized and wandering Comanche and other tribes of Indians, who waged a constant warfare against the Spanish settlements…. In order to restrain these savages and bring them into subjection, the [Mexican] government opened Texas for settlement. Foreign emigrants were invited and called to that country. American enterprise accepted the invitation and promptly responded to the call.
— Stephen Fuller Austin
Discuss the quote with your small group. Then choose a group note taker to rewrite the message in your group’s own words.
Sample answer: Until recently, Texas was a wilderness. Comanche and other Indian tribes roamed around it. They were always at war with the Spanish settlements. The Mexican government decided to invite settlers to Texas in order to bring the Indians under control. It called for foreigners to come, and adventurous Americans decided to answer the call. Ask students: Based on the quote, what do you think was the attitude of the Mexican government and Austin himself toward the native Indian tribes in Texas?
