Arrival of People in Texas

Students brainstorm what they can learn from looking at artifacts. Then they examine two theories of how people first arrived in North America. Next they take a closer look at artifacts found in Texas and they explain what historians might learn from them. Finally they compare and contrast two Indian creation stories—one from a sedentary tribe and one from a nomadic tribe.

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 Arrival of People in Texas:

Attributions
When, How Did the First Americans Arrive? It’s Complicated.
Background Reading

Overview

In this experience, students brainstorm what they can learn from looking at artifacts. Then they examine two theories of how people first arrived in North America. Next they take a closer look at artifacts found in Texas and they explain what historians might learn from them. Finally they compare and contrast two Indian creation stories—one from a sedentary tribe and one from a nomadic tribe.

If you have access to leveled readers containing Indian folktales, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 45-55 minutes

Vocabulary words:

ancient
theory
shelter
migrate
ancestors
culture

Objectives

Describe theories of when and how the first people arrived in Texas.
Explain how historians learn about ancient people.

Engage

So far in this unit you have learned mainly about the physical geography of the regions of Texas. When and how did people first arrive? In this lesson, you will learn how historians try to answer that question.

Objectives

Describe theories of when and how the first people arrived in Texas.
Explain how historians learn about ancient people.

Photograph of arrowheads of different sizes and shapes

Indian artifacts found in east Texas

Look at the Indian artifacts shown in the photograph above. What is something that you can learn about Texas Indians from these items? If you don’t have any ideas, use your imagination.

Accept any answers to get students engaged. They will take a closer look at artifacts from the Lower Pecos Canyons in scene 3.

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

The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Texas Geography and Its Indigenous People Unit.