4. Descendants

Over the years your family has moved around the state and grown. Now your descendents lived in Copperas Cove.  Today we will learn about our small town's history.

When were are complete you will have a choice of work.  Each one will be produced electronically and professionally.  You will use your notes and the previous activities for your research.

Coppers Cove Downtown 1905

• write a quiz
• write a poem 
• write an essay
• create a media project (video, PP, Glog)
• browse "Wacky We-Search" for an idea

Once you have choosen the teacher will conference with you to come up with expectations.

3. Geography + History = Sociology

To help you visualize we will watch a video about the geography, history and culture of Texas.
Choose a map from Bing or Google images which shows all of Texas and as many geographical features as possible.  Print a copy of the map you have chosen and sketch your route through Texas on it. Write a clear plan for your family's trip, to include the following:

Where do you plan to enter Texas? This depends on your current location. From what country are you traveling?

How are you traveling—boat, wagon, horse, on foot? Or will you need a combination of transportation types?

How many rivers, mountains, deserts, plains (etc.) will you need to cross?

What do you plan to take with you and how will you transport it?

Looking at your map, what problems do you think (or fear) you will encounter?

2. Patterns of Settlement

If you were an immigrant you would need to decide where exactly in Texas you would settle. Use the collection of Texas Maps below, along with any other online resources, to help make your decision.

You will write a clear explanation for your decision—climate, geographic features, location of the native population, friends in the area, etc.

Do a Bing search for 'patterns of texans immigration'.  Also do a search for information about 'the geography of Texas'.

There are also some helpful links listed to the right of this post.  You are welcome to use these resources as well.

Texas Maps

Texas Land Grants, 1821-1836

Texas, 1887

German Element, 1850

Frontier Forts and Cattle Trails

Population Origin Groups in Rural Texas

Texas During the Republic (Click on the names of the cities below the map to take you to historical information about each location)

We can also use a short video to help us learn.

Leave a short summary of your written explanation for your choice of location.  Feel free to leave comments for classmates. 

1. Introduction

The mid 1800s welcomed a stream of immigrants into Texas. These early movers came from all over Europe. They had dreams of a better life. Often immigrants struggled. They faced hardship in this new place. These immigrants had a great influence on the shape and culture of early Texas. This influence can still be found today.

Your job is to study Texas from the point of view of a Historian, a Sociologist, and a Geographer.  In the end, you will know how immigration into Texas shaped the patterns of settlement and which geographic factors guided people where to live.

You will have several choices of products to complete at the end of this unit-each will require you to use your knowledge of these different fields of study.

By the end of this section you need to decide on a cultural group to focus on for the rest of this unit.


First, like a Historian, you will learn vocabulary to help with this unit and find out which people came to Texas and when by making a timeline in class.  You can visit this link for an online version as well.


We can find out more about who settled in Texas with the book "Texans One and All" and at this site.

We will take a quick trip to the library to find sources there as well. 


A video can help too.  We will watch "American Heritage:  Immigration to the United States".

When we are done today please leave a comment telling at least five new facts you learned today.  You may also leave comments in response to classmates.