Ultimate Homeschool Guide to Texas History

The Ultimate Homeschool Guide to Texas HistoryTexas History is a HUGE subject. Tackling Texas History is almost as big a task as tackling American History! To make it a little bit easier, Texas history can be divided into three basic time periods: exploration and development, revolution and development of the Republic, and becoming a state and beyond.

Not surprisingly, searching for Texas History resources on the internet is also a huge task. Digging through them can be daunting! (Did you know that searching for resources on Stephen F. Austin can be a bit tricky, since there are so many search results for the city of Austin, the Stephen F. Austin university and other Stephen F. Austin cemeteries, park and whatnot? Oy!)

A panoramic view of bluebonnets in a field between Bastrop and Giddings, Texas.

 

I’ve scoured the internet, dug through the unrelated resources and the broken links, and come up with a huge, no, ULTIMATE list of links to help homeschoolers study Texas History at home. To help you dig through the information a little easier, I’ve decided it into three main categories:

Dogtrot log cabin at Witte, San Antonio, TX IMG 3131

Dogtrot log cabin at Witte, San Antonio

You can go straight to one of the following sections:

 

 

 

 

General Texas History Information

I haven’t provided *every* source I found with Texas History information, but I have tried to include a large variety of sources for comparison and research. Some of these are very similar, some of them provide additional information.

Screenshot: TexasHistory.com

General History Information

Obtain an overview of Texas History from early explorers to modern day:

Famous People from Texas History

Stephen f austin

Stephen F. Austin

Here you’ll find lists and lists of key figures from Texas history. Many of these overlap, but each list has a different focus so most of the lists also contain additional historical figures.

Additionally, you can find even more information about the following key figures. Many books, movies and websites have been dedicated to these famous men.

Trying to decide who to include here is like trying to decide what kind of fudge to buy in a fudge shop – I want them all! Did I leave out someone that you think should have made the cut? Tell me who.

Davy Crockett by John Gadsby Chapman

Davy Crockett by John Gadsby Chapman

Stephen F. Austin

Jim Bowie

Davy Crockett

Sam Houston

Sam Houston at San Jacinto

Sam Houston at San Jacinto

Anson Jones

Anson Jones

Mirabeau B. Lamar

Z.N. Morrell

Jose Antonio Nevarro

Thomas J. Rusk

Juan Seguin

William B. Travis

Lorenzo de Zavala

Important Events & Places in Texas History

There are MANY significant events in Texas history, many battles fought along the path to freedom and then annexation with the United States. Many significant events have occurred since then, too. I could have chosen to include more current events, such as the assassination of John Kennedy. However, for this section I chose to focus on events significant to the story of becoming an independent country and then a state in the nation.

1854 Alamo

Battle at the Alamo

Battle of Concepcion

Battle of Fort Velasco

Gonzales cannon 2005

 

Battle of Gonzales

Battle of Salado Creek

Goliad MassacreIntroduccion Constitucion de 1824

Mexican-American War

The Constitution of 1824

Texas Facts & Symbols

Bluebonnets in the state of Texas.

There are many symbols and icons that Texans hold dear to their hearts – everything from armadillos to cowboy hats, bluebonnets to Mockingbirds. Do you know the state tree, food or insect? Here you’ll find interesting state symbols but also trivia, facts and maps.

The Natives of Texas

Screenshot from Texas Beyond History

Yes, when the explorers arrived, this land was not empty! There were many Indian tribes living in this large area we now call our home state. Indian arrowheads can still be found in some areas. Find out which Indian tribes lived in your part of Texas.

Interesting Native Indians from Texas’ past:

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Existing curriculum and unit studies for Texas History

 

There are actually several existing Texas History options already — though I wasn’t able to find as much curriculum as I thought I would. I’ve included them and also unit study type resources, as well as DIY unit studies from some homeschool bloggers.

Screen Shot from Discover Texas website.

Texas History Curriculum

Texas History & State of Texas Unit Studies

Texas Materials from Currclick.com

Mission Concepcion, San Antonio

Texas History Studies Compiled by Other Bloggers

One room schoolhouse, Deaf Smith County Historical Museum, Hereford, TX

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How to craft your own DIY Texas Homeschool Curriculum

Creating your own Texas History can seem daunting — okay it can BE daunting!! But it really isn’t as difficult as it seems. You just need a plan of action.

I’m including several articles on how to craft your own unit study to give you a helping hand.

I’ve already given you TONS and TONS of history information so far in this post. You don’t have to include it all.. in fact, I wouldn’t! Start small, next time you repeat Texas History, dig deeper. And so on, and so forth.

I’ve also included several pre-packaged curriculum and unit studies created by other people. But if you don’t want to use any of those, here’s an additional list of resources that you can add to the history information above and come up with a Texas History unit study all your own.

Books about Texas and Texas History

Screenshot from Hendrick Long Publishing Company

Hendrick-Long Publishing Company – a publishing company dealing only with books about Texas, categorized by age group and fiction, non-fiction.

Younger

Middle

Older

Movies About Texas and Texas History

Other Websites, Printables, Etc.

Screenshot: The Portal to Texas History

Texas capitol day

The Texas State Capitol

Field Trips

One of the neatest things about the digital age is the ability to take virtual field trips! From our laptop we can view the world around us. There are several virtual field trip sites available for Texas.

Screenshot: National Park Service

If you’re local enough to visit some historical landmarks in person, that’s even better! One of my favorite “Texas History” places to visit is the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. It’s 3 stories of Texas history!

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What a list! This list can be updated periodically. Please email me with additions, corrections, broken links, etc. Thanks!

You can find this and a whole slew of other “Ultimate Guide” posts at iHomeschool Network. Art? Science? Geography? How about cooking, parenting or marriage? There’s a little bit of everything! ALSO: In addition to all the wonderfulness you’ll find in these posts, every commenter will be entered into a drawing to win either Rachael Carman’s How to Have a HEART for Your Kids or Debra Bell’s The Ultimate Homeschool Planner. Apologia is giving away 2 copies of each. Every comment on each Ultimate Guide post you comment on is another chance to win. The more you comment, the better your odds! Have fun!

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