Jenny Edwards
PURPOSE:
The purpose in studying the War of the Alamo is to better educate the students about Texas History. What took place at the Alamo so many years ago is what formed Texas into what it is today. By studying this war, students will gain knowledge of the past while exploring the Internet and having dress-up and Pinata day.
CONNECTION
TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
No. 1: How to use maps
and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire,
process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
The students will
locate Texas on a map and also locate San Antonio. This will teach
the students how to locate things on a map and will give them a visual
of where the events of the Alamo took place.
No. 13: How the forces
of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control
of earth’s surface.
This standard is appropriate
because what took place at the Alamo resulted in conflict. The students
will be able to see the results of a land in conflict by studying the Battle
of the Alamo.
No. 17: How to apply
geography to interpret the past
After studying the
Battle of the Alamo and where the events took place, the students will
have a greater understanding of what took place in the past and where these
important events took place. By looking at the location of the battle,
the students will be able to have a better visual of the battle itself
and the land that was affected during this time.
APPLICABLE
TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLDEGE AND SKILLS:
The student understands the location and patterns of settlement and the geographic factors that influence where people live
Identify and describe the types of settlement and pattern of land use in the United States
Explain the geographic factors that influence patterns of settlement in the United States, past and present.
OBJECTIVES LIST:
The students will be able to demonstrate their ability to:
This project is designed to educate students about an important part in Texas History while also incorporating geography. This was designed to focus mainly on the historical events of the Alamo, but it is essential to teach the students where all of the events took place.
There are not many books incorporated into this lesson plan, however, I would highly recommend that as many books as possible be displayed in the room for silent reading or center time. There are numerous books designed for children regarding the Alamo and as many as possible should be reserved for the students during this time of study.
I would also recommend a theme decorated classroom during this week. It would be beneficial to have to reading corner set up like a fort and have Alamo type decorations around the room. History and geography are not always the easiest lessons to teach, so the more fun the classroom and lessons appear, the greater the attention span will be.
PROCEDURES:
DAY 1:
Sponge Activity: Have a Wordsearch using words about the Alamo on each student’s desk. The Wordsearch puzzle will be used to introduce the students to the area of study for the next week.
Opening: Introduce the study of the Alamo to the students. Find out what they already know as far as what took place at the Alamo. Spend several minutes discussing what the students already know.
Guided Practice: Show the movie "The Cost of Freedom". This is an educational video that lasts a total of 40 minutes. Provide a worksheet to be filled out while viewing the video. Then, go over the answers to the worksheet answering any questions they may have. This is the time mainly used for lecturing of the Alamo. Spend time going over the discussion questions on the sheet provided. This will help the students better understand how the War of the Alamo applies to their lives.
Independent Practice: Introduce the "Alamo Diary" to class. Discuss what a diary is and the purpose of keeping one. Give every student at least 3 pieces of construction paper. Have them fold each piece in half and stack together to make a book. Staple the book in the middle. Allow them time to decorate the cover of their book. This will be used as their diary. Then, give the students plenty of time to write in their diary. The topic needs to be: "If you were living during the War of the Alamo, either as a soldier or a towns person, how would you be feeling right now? What is happening that you don’t understand? How would you react to what is going on?"
Closure: Ask if there are any questions from the video or about the war that they still don’t understand. Emphasize the importance of the dates of the battle and ask a few students to share their ideas on how to remember these dates. Have students turn in their diaries. Close by introducing the book, "A Promise at the Alamo," by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. Read the first chapter and explain that you will read a chapter at the end of each day this week.
Day 2:
Sponge: Have construction paper and markers on each student’s desk. Have the vocabulary words and meanings on the board. Have each student copy the words and create their own sentence using that word. They should copy one word and write one sentence on one piece of construction paper. Hang all of these on the wall for future use.
Opening: Students should be told what they will be learning today. The main focus of today will be locating San Antonio, Texas on a map and understanding why this battle was so important to Texas history.
Guided Practice: Show a map, or a transparency map, of the World. Ask students to point out where Texas is. Next, ask students if they know where San Antonio is. Let as many students that want to take a guess. Mark down each student’s guess and reveal the winner, or the closest one, at the end. After everyone has had a chance to guess, point out exactly where San Antonio is and have students name things that are in San Antonio (Sea World, Riverwalk, Alamo).
Independent Practice: Discuss the importance of the War of the Alamo. A summary of the war and its’ effects can be found at http://www.thehistorynet.com/WildWest/articles/02962_text.htm. During this lecture, be sure to point out William B. Travis. Also, emphasize, once again, where the war took place on the map.
Closure: Allow a few students to tell, in their own words, the significance of the War on Texas History. Remind the students to be studying the vocabulary words for a quiz on Thursday. Allow a few minutes for students to write their feelings and questions in their diary. End the class by reading Chapter 2 of "A Promise at the Alamo."
DAY 3:
Sponge: Have construction paper and crayons on every student’s desk. Have each student draw their image of the Alamo or the war. Encourage them to be very creative and very detailed. Display these pictures around the room.
Opening: Discuss the use of computers in the learning process. Go over the specific rules for the computer lab and explain that they will be working in groups on the computers today.
Guided Practice: Using the computer and LCD in the classroom, show the students how to log-on and use the Internet. Show the students how to get to the specific website they will be using. For this activity, use the website http://numedia.tddc.net/sa/alamo/ Look under the Table of Contents at the site to get the answers for the worksheet. Answer any questions that may come up during this instruction time.
Independent Practice: Take the students to the computer lab. Help the student’s log onto the computer and find the correct Internet site. Then hand out the Internet worksheet and allow them to complete these in groups of two. Have one person from each group turn in a worksheet with both students’ names on it. Take a grade on this worksheet.
Evaluation: Go back to the classroom and play the game "Around the World" using the vocabulary words from the previous day. This will encourage the students to learn their vocabulary words for the quiz the next day.
Closure: Allow
the class several minutes to write in their diaries. Have them stress what
they have learned so far about the War of the Alamo and how it makes them
feel. Collect these and read to get a feel for what the students are thinking
and feeling. Read Chapter 3 in "A Promise at the Alamo."
DAY 4:
Sponge: Have a map of Texas on each student’s desk. Have directions on the handout that read, "Draw a small picture of the Alamo where San Antonio is located on this map. Then, color the map any color you choose. Label the map ‘The War of the Alamo’."
Opening: Tell the students that today they will be taking a quiz that will include vocabulary and a few general questions about what they have been studying. Also tell them they will be seeing pictures of the Alamo and the people involved there.
Guided Practice: Use pictures from the Internet and from books at the library to show real pictures of the Alamo and the people involved. This will help the events and places seem more real to the class. A couple of helpful Internet sites are: http://www.thehistorynet.com/WildWest/articles/02962_text.htm and http://numedia.tddc.net/sa/alamo/
The library should have many books about the Alamo. A great book to use is: Alamo Images, by Susan Prendergast Schoelwer.
Independent Practice: Create a class newspaper about the events of the Alamo. Have each student draw a picture and write a story about the Alamo, the war, or a specific person. Choose the best article to be the front page and allow the class to title the paper. Compose all of the articles together and display the paper for the class to read during centers or free time.
Evaluation: Before handing out quiz, ask the class questions that will be on the quiz. This will help the class be more relaxed while taking it. Hand out a quiz that includes vocabulary as well as questions about dates and the main leaders in the war.
Art Activity: Divide students into groups of 4 or 5. In this activity, the students will begin a pinata. Have these supplies ready: balloons, newspapers, flour and water mixture, scissors, string, and markers. Follow the direction sheet attached to this lesson plan.
Closure: Allow
the students time, once again, to write in their diaries. End the day by
reading Chapter 4 of "A Promise at the Alamo." Tell students to dress like
soldiers of people who lived during the War of the Alamo for tomorrows
activities.
DAY 5:
Sponge: Have construction paper, markers, ribbon, and buttons on the group’s desks. Allow the groups to make final decorations for their pinatas.
Opening: Read Chapter 5 of "A Promise at the Alamo." Discuss how the book and story relate to the actual War of the Alamo. Talk about what pinatas are and how they were used in the story. Tell students about the activities for the day which include: drama, a food party, and the breaking of the pinatas.
Guided Practice: Take the students outside to the sand at the playground. Draw a big line through the sand. Assign parts and have every student participate in the "Line in the Sand Play." A copy of this play can be found in the Appendix.
Independent Practice: Because today is a "fun" day, there will be no independent practice. Instead, follow the rest of the instructions in order to complete the pinatas. Once completed, discuss the type of food William Travis probably ate at lunch. There is not much information given here, but we do know that he had bushels of corn and beef cattle. To simplify things, bring cornbread. Also, discuss what the Mexican soldiers probably ate (Mexican food) and bring samples of tacos or similar foods. After the taste testing party is over, take the students to the gym, or outside somewhere, and have a pinata busting party.
Closure: Allow
the students a few minutes to wrap up their thoughts and feelings on the
War of the Alamo. They should be given time to write these in the diaries.
Allow them to take their diaries home today.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Movie "Cost of Freedom", construction paper, stapler, book "A Promise at the Alamo", markers and crayons, computer in classroom, LCD screen, overhead projector, student computer lab, pictures of the Alamo and people, food, balloons, newspaper, flour and water mixture, scissors, and string.
EXTENSIONS:
History: This lesson plan already incorporates history, but much more detail could be
added.
Art: Discuss the elements used to make the Pinata.
English: Use the diaries to practice correct English grammar and punctuation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
McCaleb, Walter. Alamo. San Antonio: Naylor, 1956.
Pena, Jose. With Santa Anna in Texas. Ed. Carmen Perry. College Station: Texas A&M Press, 1975.
Zavala, Adina de. The Alamo. San Antonio: Naylor, 1956.
Paul, Lee. "13 Days of Glory." The Alamo.
http://www.thehistorynet.com/WildWest/articles/02962_text.htm (2 Feb. 1999).
Schoelwer, Susan P. Alamo Images. Dallas: DeGolyer Library, 1985.
Wood, Lamont. "Five Hours That Changed History." The Alamo. 1996-1998.
http://numedia.tddc.net/sa/alamo/
(2 Feb. 1999).
Name: ____________________
INTERNET WORKSHEET
Directions: Listen to the teacher’s instructions and go to the site
http://numedia.tddc.net/sa/alamo/
Click the left mouse button on the Table of Contents.
With your partner, answer the questions below in complete sentences.
INTRODUCTION:
BACKGROUND:
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.
WILLIAM B. TRAVIS:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
UNDER ANY SECTION:
Name: _____________________
A. A citizen army B. A military car
C. A river D. A war
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