| (a) Implementation. The provisions of this section
shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2024-2025
school year.
(b) Introduction.
(1) In Grade 7, students study the history of Texas
from early times to the present. Content is presented with more depth
and breadth than in Grade 4. Students examine the full scope of Texas
history, including Natural Texas and its People; Age of Contact; Spanish
Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic; Early Statehood;
Texas in the Civil War and Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads;
Age of Oil; Texas in the Great Depression and World War II; Civil
Rights and Conservatism; and Contemporary Texas eras. The focus in
each era is on key individuals, events, and issues and their impact.
Students identify regions of Texas and the distribution of population
within and among the regions and explain the factors that caused Texas
to change from an agrarian to an urban society. Students describe
the structure and functions of municipal, county, and state governments,
explain the influence of the U.S. Constitution on the Texas Constitution,
and examine the rights and responsibilities of Texas citizens. Students
use primary and secondary sources to examine the rich and diverse
cultural background of Texas as they identify the different racial
and ethnic groups that settled in Texas to build a republic and then
a state. Students analyze the impact of scientific discoveries and
technological innovations on the development of Texas in various industries
such as agricultural, energy, medical, computer, and aerospace. Students
use primary and secondary sources to acquire information about Texas.
(2) To support the teaching of the essential knowledge
and skills, the use of a variety of rich primary and secondary source
material such as biographies, autobiographies, novels, speeches, letters,
diaries, poetry, songs, and images is encouraged. Motivating resources
are available from museums, historical sites, presidential libraries,
and local and state preservation societies.
(3) The eight strands of the essential knowledge and
skills for social studies are intended to be integrated for instructional
purposes. Skills listed in the social studies skills strand in subsection
(c) of this section should be incorporated into the teaching of all
essential knowledge and skills for social studies. A greater depth
of understanding of complex content material can be attained when
integrated social studies content from the various disciplines and
critical-thinking skills are taught together. Statements that contain
the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while
those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative
examples.
(4) Students identify the role of the U.S. free enterprise
system within the parameters of this course and understand that this
system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system.
(5) Throughout social studies in Kindergarten-Grade
12, students build a foundation in history; geography; economics;
government; citizenship; culture; science, technology, and society;
and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the grade
level or course, enables students to understand the importance of
patriotism, function in a free enterprise society, and appreciate
the basic democratic values of our state and nation as referenced
in the Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.002(h).
(6) Students understand that a constitutional republic
is a representative form of government whose representatives derive
their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established
tenure, and are sworn to uphold the constitution.
(7) State and federal laws mandate a variety of celebrations
and observances, including Celebrate Freedom Week.
(A) Each social studies class shall include, during
Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the TEC, §29.907, or
during another full school week as determined by the board of trustees
of a school district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent,
meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in their historical
contexts. The study of the Declaration of Independence must include
the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document
to subsequent American history, including the relationship of its
ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants,
the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution,
and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation
and the women's suffrage movement.
(B) Each school district shall require that, during
Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study
and recite the following text from the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That
to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
(8) Students discuss how and whether the actions of
U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have achieved
the ideals espoused in the founding documents.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) History. The student understands traditional historical
points of reference in Texas history. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the major eras in Texas history, describe
their defining characteristics, and explain the purpose of dividing
the past into eras, including Natural Texas and its People; Age of
Contact; Spanish Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic;
Early Statehood; Texas in the Civil War and Reconstruction; Cotton,
Cattle, and Railroads; Age of Oil; Texas in the Great Depression and
World War II; Civil Rights; and Contemporary Texas; and
(B) explain the significance of the following dates:
1519, mapping of the Texas coast and first mainland Spanish settlement;
1718, founding of San Antonio; 1821, independence from Spain; 1836,
Texas independence; 1845, annexation; 1861, Civil War begins; 1876,
adoption of current state constitution; and 1901, discovery of oil
at Spindletop.
(2) History. The student understands how individuals,
events, and issues through the Mexican National Era shaped the history
of Texas. The student is expected to:
(A) compare the cultures of American Indians in Texas
prior to European colonization such as Gulf, Plains, Puebloan, and
Southeastern;
(B) identify important individuals, events, and issues
related to European exploration of Texas such as Alonso Álvarez
de Pineda, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, the search
for gold, and the conflicting territorial claims between France and
Spain;
(C) identify important individuals, events, and issues
related to European colonization of Texas, including the establishment
of Catholic missions, towns, and ranches, and the contributions of
individuals such as Fray Damián Massanet, Antonio Margil de
Jesús, and Francisco Hidalgo;
(D) identify the individuals, issues, and events related
to Mexico becoming an independent nation and its impact on Texas,
including Father Miguel Hidalgo, Texas involvement in the fight for
independence, José Gutiérrez de Lara, the Battle of
Medina, the Mexican federal Constitution of 1824, the merger of Texas
and Coahuila as a state, the State Colonization Law of 1825, and slavery;
(E) identify the contributions of significant individuals,
including Moses Austin, Stephen F. Austin, Erasmo Seguín, Martín
De León, and Green DeWitt, during the Mexican settlement of
Texas; and
(F) contrast Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo purposes for
and methods of settlement in Texas.
(3) History. The student understands how individuals,
events, and issues related to the Texas Revolution shaped the history
of Texas. The student is expected to:
(A) describe the chain of events that led to the Texas
Revolution, including the Fredonian Rebellion, the Mier y Terán
Report, the Law of April 6, 1830, the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, and
the arrest of Stephen F. Austin;
(B) explain the roles played by significant individuals
during the Texas Revolution, including George Childress, Lorenzo de
Zavala, James Fannin, Sam Houston, Antonio López de Santa Anna,
Juan N. Seguín, and William B. Travis; and
(C) explain the issues surrounding significant events
of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales; the siege
of the Alamo, William B. Travis's letter "To the People of Texas and
All Americans in the World," and the heroism of the diverse defenders
who gave their lives there; the Constitutional Convention of 1836;
Fannin's surrender at Goliad; and the Battle of San Jacinto.
Cont'd... |
