TEACHER:

Alfredo Solis/ Johnny Ray

DATE
11/16/16
Villalobos
OBJECTIVE:
TEKS 113.19-3-C
GRADE LEVEL:
7th
Objective/Purpose: (The student expectations must be clearly defined and in line with the district/state standards. For the
students benefit, explain what students will be able to do by the end of the lesson and why these objectives are important to
accomplish
explain the issues surrounding significant events of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales, William B.
Travis's letter "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World," the siege of the Alamo and all the heroic defenders
who gave their lives there, the Constitutional Convention of 1836, Fannin's surrender at Goliad, and the Battle of San
Jacinto
The students will understand the major figures and events of the Texas Revolution and the importance of each. They will be
able to analyze primary documents and be able to think critically on the point of view of both the Mexican and Texan sides
of the war.
Materials/Resources/Equipment Needed:
PowerPoint presentation (to frame lesson), William Travis Letter (for Explore activity), primary documents from Texans
and Mexicans (for group activity), writing paper (for final assessment)
Instructional delivery (What information is essential for the student to know before beginning and how will this skill be
communicated to students? This is the section where you explicitly delineate how you will present the lesson. Direct
instruction? Small group? Centers? The instruction could include a variety of instructional delivery methods.)
This lesson will involve individual activities as well as small group work, class discussion, and direct instruction. The
first activity will be a video giving a brief look at the Texas Revolution; this will be followed by an activity in which
small groups analyze a primary document. The material itself will be delivered directly by the instructors, each
teaching half of the information from a PowerPoint presentation. The next activity will also be in small groups. The
students will be divided into four groups with two each receiving a primary document from the Texan/American side
and the other two groups each receiving a primary document from the Mexican side. The lesson will then continue as a
class discussion on the fact that a single war can be seen from many points of view. It will be mediated by the
instructors. The final assessment will be individual and involve the students each writing a letter home from the war
from the perspective of either a Texan, American, or Mexican. The letter will be brief, no more than half a page, and
will be open to the students imagination. Only a broad and imperfect prior knowledge of the Texas Revolution is
needed by the students.
Anticipatory Set (ENGAGE): (Before you dig into the meat of your lessons instruction, set the stage for your
students by tapping into their prior knowledge and giving the objectives a context. What activities will you use to
focus students on the lesson for the day?)
2 Minutes-The instructors will introduce themselves and the lesson. They will state the objective of the lesson and
the TEKS.
2.5 Minutes-The instructors will show a brief video in order to give a basic look at the Texas Revolution. This will
be to get the students interested in the material and will not go into detail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEDedU3dM3Q
The clip is Drunk History: The Alamo (mild language)

Modified Madelyn Hunter/5-E Lesson Planning Template (2-15/RLA)

(EXPLORE): students encounter hands-on experiences in which they explore the concept further. They receive
little explanation and few terms at this point, because they are to define the problem or phenomenon in their
own words.
8 Minutes-The students will be divided into small groups (the number of groups is not important but they
should be made of no more than 4 students each) and each student will receive a copy of the William Travis
Letter. The groups will read and analyze the letter and discuss their own understanding of its context and
significance, particularly in comparison to modern ideas of the context.
Model (EXPLAIN): (If you will be demonstrating the skill or competence, how will this be done and Guided
Practice: (Under your supervision, students are given the chance to practice and apply the skills you taught them
through the instructional delivery)
12 Minutes-The instructors will give a PowerPoint presentation on the major events and figures of the Texas
Revolution. The presentation will highlight the most vital material but will not go into detail for the sake of
time. Each of the 2 co-teachers will cover half of the information.
Independent Practice (ELABORATE): (List the assignment(s) that will be given to the students to ensure they
have mastered the skill without teacher guidance.)
7 Minutes-The students will be divided into four groups of 3-4 per group. Each group will receive copies of a
primary document from either a Texan, American or a Mexican who was involved in the war. The groups will
analyze and discuss the documents context and how it changes their views of the war. The purpose is to show
that the war was between real people and not simply a fairy tale of good vs evil.
8 Minutes- The groups will come together as a class and discuss the documents they read and their
interpretations of the significance of each. The instructors will mediate the discussion. The purpose of the
discussion is to see the documents in context to the others and to allow the students to state their own opinions
and ideas.
Check for Understanding (EVALUATE): (Identify strategies to be used to determine if students have learned
the objective FORMATIVE.)
3.5 Minutes-The students will each individually write a letter home from the perspective of an American, Texan
or Mexican involved in the conflicts. The students may write from the perspective of a real figure or a fiction
person. The students must take into account that the war was fought by real, 3-dimensional people with their
own motives and flaws. The letter will be written on writing paper provided and will not take up more than half
a page and will be turned in as the students leave the room at the end of the lesson.
Closure: (What method of review and evaluation will be used to complete the lesson? How will you wrap up
the lesson by giving the lesson concepts further meaning for your students?)
2 Minutes-The instructors will use direct instruction to end the lesson. They will give a brief review of the
content and the objective.
The Texas Revolution was a difficult struggle fought over differing views over the ownership of the area now
known as Texas. The conflict was not one sided in terms of numbers or equipment and effected civilians as well
as soldiers and leaders. As in every conflict throughout history, the war was not simply good vs evil, but rather a
war fought by real people each with their own hopes, motives, faults, and ideas of a better future.

Modified Madelyn Hunter/5-E Lesson Planning Template (2-15/RLA)

NAME:

The Travis Letter

Commandancy of the The Alamo
Bejar, Feby. 24th. 1836
To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World
Fellow Citizens & compatriots
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna I have sustained a continual
Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man The enemy has demanded a surrender at
discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken I have answered the demand
with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I
call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our
aid, with all dispatch The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four
thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible &
die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country Victory or Death.
William Barrett Travis.
Lt. Col. comdt.
P. S. The Lord is on our side When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three
bushels of corn We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into
the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
Diary of the Military Operations of the Division
which under the Command of General Jos Urrea
Campaigned in Texas February to March 1836
Modified Madelyn Hunter/5-E Lesson Planning Template (2-15/RLA)

These orders always seemed to me harsh, but they were the inevitable result of the barbarous and inhuman
decree which declared outlaws those whom it wished to convert into citizens of the republic. Strange
inconsistency in keeping with the confusion that characterized the times! I wished to elude these orders as far as
possible without compromising my personal responsibility; and, with this object view, I issued several orders to
Lieut. Col. Portilla, instructing him to use the prisoners for the rebuilding of Goliad. From time on, I decided to
increase the number of the prisoners there in the hope that their very number would save them, for I never
thought that the horrible spectacle of that massacre could take place in cold blood and without immediate
urgency, a deed prescribed by the laws of war and condemned by the civilization our country. It was painful to
me, also, that so many brave men should thus be sacrificed, particularly the much esteemed a fearless Fannin.
They doubtlessly surrendered confident that Mexican generosity would not make their surrender useless, for
under any other circumstances they would have sold their lives dearly, fighting to the last. I had due regard for
the motives that induced them to surrender, and for this reason I used my influence with the general-in-chief to
save them, if possible, from being butchered, particularly Fannin. I obtained from His Excellency only a severe
reply, repeating his previous order [Santa Anna to Urrea, Bxar, March 24, 1836; also Santa Anna to Urrea
Bxar, March 3, 1836], doubtlessly dictated by cruel necessity. Fearing, no doubt, that I might compromise him
with my disobedience and expose him to the accusations of his enemies, he transmitted his instructions directly
to the commandant at Goliad, inserting a copy of order to me [Santa Anna to Urrea, Bxar, March 23,
1836]. What was done by the commandant is told in his diary. Here, as well as in his communications, are seen
the motives that made him act and the anguish which the situation caused him. Even after this lamentable event,
I still received a letter of the general-in-chief, dated on the 26th, saying: "I say nothing regarding the prisoners,
for I have already stated what their fate shall be when taken with arms in their hands."

The Story of
Enrique Esparza
As told in The San Antonio Light,
Saturday November 22,1902
"I remember Crockett. He was a tall, slim man, with black whiskers. He was always at the head. The Mexicans
called him Don Benito. The Americans said he was Crockett. He would often come to the fire and warm his
hands and say a few words to us in the Spanish language. I also remember hearing the names of Travis and
Bowie mentioned, but I never saw either of them that I know of.
"After the first few days I remember that a messenger came from somewhere with word that help was coming.
The Americans celebrated it by beating the drums and playing on the flute. But after about seven days fighting
there was an armistice of three days and during this time Don Benito had conferences every day with Santa
Anna. Badio, the interpreter, was a close friend of my father, and I heard him tell my father in the quarters that
Santa Anna had offered to let the Americans go with their lives if they would surrender, but the Mexicans would
be treated as rebels.

The Account of
Felix Nunez
Concerning the Fall of the Alamo
..A large majority of the officers were in favor of waiting until they could get more heavy cannon and, perhaps
by that time the garrison would be starved out and surrender and further bloodshed be avoided. But Santa Anna,
with his usual impetuosity, swore that he would take the fort the next day or die in the attempt. So on
Wednesday, the 6th day of March, 1836, and the fourth day of the siege, was the time fixed for the final
assault
Modified Madelyn Hunter/5-E Lesson Planning Template (2-15/RLA)

After all the firing had ceased and the smoke cleared away, we found in the large room to the right of the
main entrance three persons, two Mexican women named Juana De Melto and La Quintanilla and a negro boy,
about fifteen or sixteen years old who told us that he was the servant of Colonel Travis.47 If there had been any
other persons in the Alamo they would have been killed, for General Santa Anna had ordered us not to spare
neither age nor sex, especially of those who were Americans or American descent
San Augustin, Texas - January 9, 1836
David Crockett's Letter
to his Children
St Augustine Texas Jany 9 1836
My Dear Son & Daughter this is the first time I have had the opportunity to write to you with convenience I am
now blessed with excellent health and am in high spirits although I have had many difficultys to encounter I
have got through safe and have been received by every body with the open arm of friendship I am hailed with a
hardy welcome to this country a dinner and a party of Ladys have honored me with an invitation to participate
with them both in Nacogdoches and this place the cannon was fired here on my arrival and I must say as to what
I have seen of Texas it is the garden spot of the world the best land and the best prospect for health I ever saw is
here and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here there is a world of country to settle it is not
required here to pay down for your League of Land every man is entitled to his head right of 4000 - 428 acres
they may make the money to pay for it off the Land
I expect in all probability to settle on the Bodark or Choctaw Bayou of Red River that I have no doubt is the
richest country in the world good Land and plenty of timber and the best springs and good mill streams good
range clear water and ever appearance of good health and game plenty It is in the pass where the Buffalo passes
from the north to south and back twice a year and bees and honey plenty
I have a great hope of getting the agency to settle that country and I would be glad to see every friend I have
settle there It would be a fortune to them all I have taken the oath of the Government and have enrolled my
name as a volunteer for six months and will set out for the Rio Grand in a few days with the volunteers from the
United States all volunteers is entitled to a vote for a member of the convention or to be voted for and I have but
little doubt of being elected a member to form a constitution for this Province
I am rejoiced at my fate I had rather be in my present situation than to be elected to a seat in Congress for life I
am in hopes of making a fortune for my self and family bad as has been my prospects
I have not wrote to William but have requested John to direct him what to do I hope you show him this letter
and also your brother John as it is not convenient at this time for me to write to them
I hope you will do the best you can and I will do the same do not be uneasy about me for I am with my friends
I must close with great respects your affectionate Father Farewell
David Crockett

Modified Madelyn Hunter/5-E Lesson Planning Template (2-15/RLA)