Texas TEKS 4.4

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

• 4.4.A

  describe the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Texas

• 4.4.B

  explain the growth, development, and impact of the cattle industry such as contributions made by Charles Goodnight, Richard King, and Lizzie Johnson

• 4.4.C

  explain the effects of the railroad industry on life in Texas, including changes to cities and major industries

• 4.4.D

  explain the effects on American Indian life brought about by the Red River War, building of U.S. forts and railroads, and loss of buffalo.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students explain how war, emancipation, Reconstruction, ranching, and railroads changed Texas communities and the economy. They connect Goodnight, King, and Johnson to cattle industry growth. They also explain how warfare, forts, railroads, and buffalo destruction displaced American Indian communities.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students can build an accurate cause-and-effect timeline of major changes in late 1800s Texas. They can use specific people, events, and industries to explain changes in jobs, towns, transportation, government, and American Indian life.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think Texas changed little after the Civil War because few major battles happened there. They may confuse the roles of Goodnight, King, and Johnson, or think railroads ended ranching rather than expanding its markets. They may view American Indian displacement as voluntary or blame buffalo loss only on natural causes.

04

How to Assess It

Give students a four-box exit ticket labeled Reconstruction, cattle, railroads, and American Indian life. In each box, they write one change, its cause, and one supporting detail.

1. 01

   Build a floor timeline with event cards, then connect causes and effects using colored yarn.

2. 02

   Write: Which changed Texas life more, cattle drives or railroads? Use two facts about towns, jobs, or trade.

3. 03

   Play a card sort matching Goodnight, King, Johnson, Reconstruction, forts, railroads, and buffalo loss to their effects.

4. 04

   Compare a historic rail map with a current Texas map, then identify one town whose growth reflects railroad access.

• 7.7

  History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas during the late 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. The stude...

• 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. ...

• 4.5

  History. The student understands important issues, events, and individuals of the 20th century in Texas. The student is expected to:

• 5.4

  History. The student understands political, economic, and social changes that occurred in the United States during the 19th century. The student is expected to: