Texas TEKS 4.11

4.11 is a TEKS knowledge and skills statement. These are the student expectations under it.

• 4.11.A

  identify how people in different regions of Texas earn their living, past and present

• 4.11.B

  explain how physical geographic factors such as climate and natural resources have influenced the location of economic activities in Texas

• 4.11.C

  identify the effects of exploration, immigration, migration, and limited resources on the economic development and growth of Texas

• 4.11.D

  explain how developments in transportation and communication have influenced economic activities in Texas.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students match Texas regions with the kinds of work people did in the past and do now. They use maps and evidence to connect jobs with climate, resources, population changes, scarcity, transportation, and communication.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can explain why ranching grew on broad plains, oil work clustered near deposits, and port trade developed along the Gulf Coast. The student can describe how exploration revealed routes and resources, while immigrants and migrants added workers, skills, businesses, and customers. The student can explain how scarce water or land limits growth and how roads, ports, railroads, telephones, or internet access expand trade.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may assume the same industries fit every Texas region or that natural resources exist everywhere. They may confuse immigration with migration, treat exploration as settlement, or list transportation tools without explaining their effects. They may think limited resources stop all growth rather than change where and how businesses operate.

04

How to Assess It

Give students a Texas map showing rainfall, oil fields, highways, ports, and major cities. Ask, “Choose one region and explain which economic activity would grow there, using one geographic clue and one change in population, resources, transportation, or communication.”

1. 01

   Give groups a Texas outline map and cards for cotton, cattle, oil, fishing, and technology, then require a written reason beside each placement.

2. 02

   Have students answer, “Why might a business choose Houston instead of Amarillo?” using one geographic factor and one transportation link.

3. 03

   Play Region Match: teams pair Texas place cards with job, resource, transportation, and time period cards, earning points when their explanation fits.

4. 04

   Examine a current Texas job posting and identify how its location depends on nearby resources, workers, roads, ports, or internet access.

• 4.9

  Economics. The student understands the basic economic activities of early societies in Texas. The student is expected to:

• 4.10

  Economics. The student understands the characteristics and benefits of the free enterprise system in Texas. The student is expected to:

• 5.12

  Economics. The student understands patterns of work and economic activities in the United States. The student is expected to:

• 7.12

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