Texas TEKS 4.7

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

• 4.7.A

  explain the geographic factors such as landforms and climate that influence patterns of settlement and the distribution of population in Texas, past and present

• 4.7.B

  identify and explain patterns of settlement such as the location of towns and cities in Texas at different time periods.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students use maps to find where Texans lived during different time periods. They explain how landforms, climate, water, and transportation routes shaped settlement and population patterns.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students compare historical and current settlement maps and describe changes accurately. They use map evidence to explain why towns or cities developed in particular locations.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think Texas has always had the same population pattern or that people are spread evenly across the state. They may also assume cities grew randomly, without links to water, climate, landforms, or transportation.

04

How to Assess It

Give students a Texas rainfall map and a population map. Ask, “Name one population pattern and explain how rainfall may have influenced it.”

1. 01

   Layer transparent Texas maps showing rivers, landforms, rainfall, and cities, then mark places where geographic features overlap with large settlements.

2. 02

   Ask students to write: “Why might settlers choose one Texas region over another during a specific time period?”

3. 03

   Sort Texas town cards by time period and region, then earn points by giving evidence for each placement.

4. 04

   Compare a historical Texas settlement map with current census data, then explain why one nearby city grew where it did.

• 2.4

  Geography. The student understands the location of places in their community, state, country, and the world. The student is expected to:

• 5.7

  The 5th Grade version of this standard.

• 1.3

  Geography. The student understands the relative location of places. The student is expected to:

• K.3

  Geography. The student understands the concept of location. The student is expected to: