End of the Missions

Students brainstorm buildings included in a mission compound. Then they learn about the physical structure of a mission, including the role of the church and the irrigation system. Next they watch a video about new skills learned by the Indians in the missions and they read about the missions’ role in Texas ranching. Finally they write two diary entries—one from the viewpoint of a friar and one from the viewpoint of an Indian.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for End of the Missions:

Attributions

Overview

In this experience, students first create a chart summarizing what they have learned about the Spanish missions in Texas. Then they examine the factors that led to the closing of the missions. Next they give the missions a pass/fail grade and explain the grade. Finally, they create a poster celebrating Spanish culture in Texas.

Estimated duration: 30–40 minutes, unless you want to allow more time to summarize the unit and to let students be creative with the activity in scene 4.

Vocabulary words:

immunity
culture

Objectives

Explain why mission activity was stopped.
Describe the Spanish cultural contributions found in Texas.

Engage

In this unit you have learned a lot about the Spanish missions in Texas. Now you will learn why the Spanish stopped their support of the missions.

Objectives

Explain why mission activity was stopped.
Describe the Spanish cultural contributions found in Texas.

Map of the Spanish Missions in Texas, 1659–1795

First, as a class summarize what you know about missions. If someone has already listed what you know, try to think of something else to post.

Use student posts to correct any misconceptions before this concluding experience about the Texas missions.

Students do not need to post in the table in order to proceed to the next scene.

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

The Complete List of Learning Experiences in European Exploration and Settlement Unit.