Railroads in Texas


Reconstruction and Frontiers Railroads in Texas
Students brainstorm the greatest invention of all time. Then they learn how Texas benefitted from the arrival of the railroads and create a chart of three effects of rail line expansion across the state. Next they learn about boomtowns and cities that grew along the tracks. Finally they analyze how the railroads affected wildlife, especially the buffalo, and how that affected the American Indian tribes.

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Here are the teacher pack items for Railroads in Texas:

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Overview

In this experience, students brainstorm the greatest invention of all time. Then they learn how Texas benefited from the arrival of the railroads and create a chart of three effects of rail line expansion across the state. Next they learn about boomtowns and cities that grew along the tracks. Finally they analyze how the railroads affected wildlife, especially the buffalo, and how that affected the American Indian tribes.

If you have access to leveled readers about early railroads, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 35-45 minutes

Vocabulary words:

  • invention
  • shallow
  • reliable
  • depot
  • crossing
  • habitat
  • pollution

Objectives

  • Describe the effects of the growth of railroads on settlement and the Texas frontier.
  • Explain the impact railroads had on the Texas economy.


Engage


The construction of railroads contributed to the economic growth of Texas as they brought people, new businesses, and new towns across the state. The first tracks were laid before the Civil War, but the most significant growth of Texas railroads happened after the war. In this lesson you will learn how railroads helped change life in Texas.

Objectives

  • Describe the effects of the growth of railroads on settlement and the Texas frontier.
  • Explain the impact railroads had on the Texas economy.


an old train engine

Locomotive “Sabine” of Morgan's Louisiana & Texas line


What do you think is the greatest invention of all time? To list multiple inventions, separate them with a comma, like this: bread, butter.

Post your answer

Student answers will vary and may include items like electricity, computers, telephone, or the printing press. Many scholars put control of fire and the wheel at the top of the list.

Tell students: The wheel was invented in Mesopotamia over 5000 years ago. The first wheels were probably used in the making of pottery. Then people realized they could put a wheel onto an axle on a chariot. The wheel enabled many early forms of transportation.


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