star_anim.gif (7359 bytes)Essential Elements for 7th Grade Texas History Curriculum Continued...star_anim.gif (7359 bytes)
(highlighted areas indicate essential elements which can be implemented using history trunk)

(7.6) History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century. The student is expected to:

(A) identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century, including the factors leading to the expansion of the Texas frontier, the effects of westward expansion on Native Americans, the development of the cattle industry from its Spanish beginnings, the myth and realities of then cowboy way of life, the effects of the growth of railroads, the buffalo soldiers, James Hogg, Cynthia Parker, and Spindletop; and

(B) explain the political, economic, and social impact of the cattle and oil industries and the development of West Texas resulting from the close of  the frontier.

(7.7) History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas during the 20th century. The student is expected to:

(A) define the impact of "boom and bust" and trace the boom-and-bust cycle of leading Texas industries throughout the 20th century, including farming, oil and gas, cotton, cattle ranching, real estate, and banking;

(B) evaluate the Progressive and other reform movements in Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries;

(C) trace the civil rights and equal rights movements of various groups in Texas in the 20th century and identify key leaders in these movements, including James Farmer, Hector P. García, Oveta Culp Hobby, and Lyndon B. Johnson;

(D) analyze the political, economic, and social impact of major wars, including World War I and World War II, on the history of Texas;

(E) trace the emergence of the two-party system in Texas during the second half of the 20th century.

(7.8) Geography. The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The student is expected to:

(A) create thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases representing various aspects of Texas during the 19th and 20th centuries; and

(B) pose and answer questions about geographic distributions and patterns in Texas during the 19th and 20th centuries.

(7.9) Geography. The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of Texas. The student is expected to:

(A) locate places and regions of importance in Texas during the 19th and 20th centuries;

(B) compare places and regions of Texas in terms of physical and human characteristics; and

(C) analyze the effects of physical and human factors such as climate, weather, landforms, irrigation, transportation, and communication on major events in Texas.

(7.10) Geography. The student understands the effects of the interaction between humans and the environment in Texas during the 19th and 20th centuries. The student is expected to:

(A) identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment and analyze the consequences of the modifications; and

(B) explain ways in which geographic factors have affected the political, economic, and social development of Texas.

(7.11) Geography. The student understands the characteristics, distribution, and migration of population in Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze why immigrant groups came to Texas and where they settled;

(B) analyze how immigration and imigration to Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries have influenced Texas;

(C) analyze the effects of the changing population distribution in Texas during the 20th century; and

(D) describe the structure of the population of Texas using demographic concepts such as growth rate and age distribution.

(7.12) Economics. The student understands the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to an urban society. The student is expected to:

(A) explain economic factors that led to the urbanization of Texas;

(B) trace the development of major industries that contributed to the urbanization of Texas; and

(C) explain the changes in the types of jobs and occupations that have resulted from the urbanization of Texas.

(7.13) Economics. The student understands the interdependence of the Texas economy with the United States and the world. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the impact of national and international markets and events on the production of goods and services in Texas;

(B) analyze the impact of economic phenomena within the free enterprise system such as supply and demand, profit, government regulation, and world competition on the economy of Texas; and

(C) analyze the impact of significant industries in Texas such as oil and gas, aerospace, and medical technology on local, national, and international markets.

(7.14) Government. The student understands the basic principles reflected in the Texas Constitution. The student is expected to:

(A) identify how the Texas Constitution reflects the principles of limited government, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights; and

(B) identify the influence of ideas from the U.S. Constitution on the Texas Constitution.

(7.15) Government. The student understands the structure and functions of government created by the Texas Constitution. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the structure and functions of government at municipal, county, and state levels;

(B) identify major sources of revenue for state and local governments; and

(C) describe the structure and governance of Texas public education.

(7.16) Citizenship. The student understands the rights and responsibilities of Texas citizens. The student is expected to:

(A) summarize the rights guaranteed in the Texas Bill of Rights; and

(B) identify civic responsibilities of Texas citizens.

(7.17) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of the expression of different points of view in a democratic society. The student is expected to:

(A) identify different points of view of political parties and interest groups on important Texas issues;

(B) describe the importance of free speech and press in a democratic society; and

(C) express and defend a point of view on an issue of historical or contemporary interest in Texas.

(7.18) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of effective leadership in a democratic society. The student is expected to:

(A) identify the leadership qualities of elected and appointed leaders of Texas, past and present, including Texans who have been President of the United States; and

(B) analyze the contributions of Texas leaders such as Henry B. González, Phil Gramm, Barbara Jordan, and Sam Rayburn.

(7.19) Culture. The student understands the concept of diversity within unity in Texas. The student is expected to:

(A) explain how the diversity of Texas is reflected in a variety of cultural activities, celebrations, and performances;

(B) describe how people from selected racial, ethnic, and religious groups attempt to maintain their cultural heritage while adapting to the larger Texas culture; and

(C) identify examples of Spanish influence on place names such as Amarillo and Río Grande and on vocabulary in Texas, including words that originated from the Spanish cattle industry.

(7.20) Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the political, economic, and social development of Texas. The student is expected to:

(A) compare types and uses of technology, past and present;

(B) identify Texas leaders in science and technology such as Roy Bedichek, Walter Cunningham, Michael DeBakey, and C.M. "Dad" Joiner;

(C) analyze the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, such as barbed wire, the windmill, and oil, gas, and aerospace industries, on the developments of Texas;

(D) evaluate the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the use of resources such as fossil fuels, water, and land;

(E) analyze how scientific discoveries and technological innovations have resulted in an interdependence among Texas, the United States, and the world; and

(F) make predictions about economic, social, and environmental consequences that may result from future scientific discoveries and technological innovations.

(7.21) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

(A) differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software, databases, media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to acquire information about Texas;

(B) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions;

(C) organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps;

(D) identify points of view from the historical context surrounding an event and the frame of reference that influenced the participants;

(E) support a point of view on a social studies issue or event;

(F) identify bias in written, oral, and visual material;

(G) evaluate the validity of a source based on language, corroboration with other sources, and information about the author; and

(H) use appropriate mathematical skills to interpret social studies information such as maps and graphs.

(7.22) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

(A) use social studies terminology correctly;

(B) use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation;

(C) transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate; and

(D) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.

(7.23) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:

(A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution; and

(B) use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision.