Comprehensive 7th Grade Texas History Curriculum (2023-24)

Are you teaching seventh grade Texas history this year?

If so, then you probably already know just how challenging teaching the history of Texas to middle schoolers can be! Unlike other social studies topics, of any grade level, that are often much more broad in scope and depth, such as U.S. history or world history for example, Texas history is ALL about, well, TEXAS! And that means teachers of Texas history have a much more narrow scope of content that they must cover, and are required to go much deeper when it comes to that content.

So, whether your a new social studies teacher teaching 7th grade Texas history or a seasoned veteran, the curriculum can be a struggle for ANY teacher. And if that's you and you're already struggling, even just the slightest bit, you’re not alone; many teachers are just like you and struggle to teach their students all about the history of Texas, especially as the school year goes on. And that includes ME!

I've been in your shoes, and it doesn't matter if you're planning on creating your own lesson plans as you go through the school year, purchasing some resources here and there from teacher-author sites like Teachers pay Teachers, or already have your own lesson plans that plan on recycling through once again, or maybe you're thinking of using a combination of these strategies to fulfill your lesson plan needs. Ultimately though, IT DOESN'T MATTER what you're planning on doing because the simple fact is: we're all human and LESSON PLANNING IS EXHAUSTING! In particular, when it comes to such a "niche" subject like Texas history!! You might have all the energy in the world right now to build out your own lesson plans, or to spend countless hours combing through Teachers pay Teachers in search of the perfect resources, or to pull out those drab lesson plans you've used year after year -BUT- as you move through the school year, rest assured (believe me on this!), you'll start to feel the burn:

• The pressure and stress of having to continually create your own lesson plans
• Anxiety over your lessons following the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills)
• Consistently figuring out how to incorporate primary and secondary sources of information into your resources and teachings
• Searching for creative solutions on how to keep your students engaged and learning throughout the entire school year
• Figuring out how you're going to jumble together, in somewhat of a cohesive manner, all of the $4 and $5 resources you've purchased from numerous teach-authors on Teachers pay Teachers
• Continually finding ways to make sure that your students don't dread their Texas history class, but LOOK FORWARD TO IT! 

With all of that said, that's exactly why I've created an entire year's worth of engaging, interactive, and easy-to-use lesson plans specifically catered to 7th Grade Texas history to help teachers like YOU.

As a teacher, I've sacrificed more evenings, weekends, holidays, lunch periods, conference time/prep period name it than I care to admit

ALL at the expense of my family, friends, and sanity, lol.

Seriously though, I firmly believe that the less time a teacher has to spend on lesson plans, or even just thinking about lesson plans, the more time they have to spend actually teaching their students, and the more time they have to spend actually being a teacher, with their family and friends, enjoying holiday breaks, the time to refuel and eat a healthy lunch during their lunch period (as opposed to quickly running off to the staff vending machine to grab a Snickers and a Diet Coke and then rushing back to the classroom to get back to lesson planning... not that I've ever done that before ;p)!

And that's what's led me to create these lesson plans. I want to do whatever little part I can to help teachers attain and maintain a HEALTHY work/life balance.

I've personally created 12 user-friendly units curated and designed to cover ALL of the 7th grade TEKS social studies standards! I have rolled the dice on myself. I've stepped out of the classroom and away from the predictability of a steady paycheck, in order to undertake this endeavor, offer my lesson plans and resources so that I can help fellow educators.  We didn't become teachers to get rich quick and it certainly doesn't appear that teachers will be receiving a fair compensation any time soon. This is why I make every effort to offer my resources at a fair and affordable price. In addition, I offer multiple payment options to help make it easier for teachers to purchase my resources and achieve a healthy work/life balance ASAP! 

My 7th grade Texas History Bundle comes with resources that are meant to contextualize the history of Texas within United States history and provide a foundation for students as they move into high school for every day of the school year!

These incredible resources:

• Come in BOTH PRINT and DIGITAL FORMATS
• May be used any textbook -OR- no textbook at all
• Feature immersive and colorful presentations with exit tickets at the end of every presentation
• A wide-variety of student exercise assignments that accompany each presentation (all with teacher answer key)
• CROSS CURICULAR ASPECTS (resources that support and promote reading and writing skills!)
• Include individual and collaborative team-based ACTIVITIES and PROJECTS
• Links to a whole slew of supplemental videos on YouTube created by various individuals and organizations such as: the Texas History Commission, PBS, TED-Ed, and many others
• Fun, interactive, and easy-to-use unit review activities such as Jeopardy
• Unit Assessment with each unit (with teacher answer key and grading rubric!)
• Unit outlines with lesson-by-lesson overviews
• Lesson plans and resources organized into clear and easy-to-use files

From the geographic regions of Texas and the diverse cultural background of Texas, to the Texas Revolution and contemporary Texas, my social studies curriculum bundle for 7th graders has got the FULL scope of Texas history COMPLETELY covered!

• Texas geography and natural Texas
• The contributions and history of the Native American peoples of Texas
• Development of Texas from Spanish control to statehood
• Spanish missionaries in Texas
• Early key settlements of Texas such as San Antonio and Austin
• Role of key individuals such as Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Lorenzo de Zavala, Mirabeau Lamar, and many others
• Causes and effects of the Texas Revolution
• Major battles and figures of the Texas Revolution
• Birth of the Republic of Texas
• Influence of the U.S. Constitution on the Texas Constitution
• Annexation of Texas
• Early statehood of Texas
• Political systems of Texas
• How the Civil War impacted Texas and Texans
• The Texas Frontier and role of the Buffalo Soldiers and many others
• The Age of Oil
• The Rise of Cotton
• The impact of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression in Texas
• Effects of world war on Texans and within Texas
• Influx of various ethnic groups into Texas during the 19th and 20th centuries
• Distribution of population in Texas (and how it has shifted and continues to evolve to this day!)
• Role of urbanization in Texas
• Civil Rights Movement in Texas
• Texans that have shaped US history (such as Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush)

If you want to succeed at teaching 7th grade Texas history, you can.

It will require a a tremendous amount of commitment, time, preparation. 

You'll have to make sure you know the seventh grade Texas history curriculum inside and out so that you can stay on track with your lessons, ensure that they follow the TEKS, incorporate numerous primary and secondary sources into the lessons, are able to not only hold your students attention but able to assist in your students learning and comprehension of this very niche subject matter. And the fact remains that we're all given just 24 hours in a day. I don't know about you, but I need a reprieve from my daily profession, whether that was when I was teacher, or today as I work in my lesson plan business. It's absolutely crucial that I allow myself the time to "escape" from work, re-energize and re-invigorate myself by stepping away so that I don't burn myself out. If we allow ourselves to become burned out, not only do we suffer from a lack of motivation and inspiration, but so too do our loved ones, those that we care the most about, and so too do our students. Don't let that happen to you.

If there's ONE THING you take away from my little diatribe of mine, it's this:

PLEASE DEVOTE SOME TIME TO FINDING AN APPROPRIATE SOLUTION FOR YOUR LESSON PLANS NEEDS 

Whether or not you decide to purchase resources from me or someone else, it'll be WELL worth it - your future self, your family, your friends, and your students will ALL thank you for it.

Attaining and maintaining a HEALTHY WORK/LIFE BALANCE by eliminating the stress, anxiety, and pressure of lesson planning, in my humble opinion, is the absolute key to success for ANY teacher.

As you teach seventh grade Texas history, it's my most sincere hope that the resources and lesson plans you use will be both helpful and enjoyable for you and your students. That they will make teaching the subject matter easier and more rewarding than you ever thought possible.

Texas history is fascinating and complex-- help bring it to life for your students without having to sacrifice your personal needs or relationships outside of the classroom!

I'm proud to offer a FULL-YEAR of 7th Grade Texas History Lesson Plans and Resources. Please click HERE to learn more!