Natural Texas and it's People

7.1A identify the major eras in Texas history, describe their defining characteristics, and explain why historians divide the past into eras, including Natural Texas and its People

7.2A compare the cultures of American Indians in Texas prior to European colonization such as Gulf, Plains, Puebloan, and Southeastern

7.8A locate and compare the Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, and Coastal Plains regions

7.8B locate and compare places of importance in Texas in terms of physical and human characteristics such as major cities, waterways, natural and historic landmarks, political and cultural regions, and local points of interest

7.20A differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to acquire information about Texas

7.20B analyze information by applying absolute and relative chronology through sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions

7.20C organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps

7.20D identify bias and points of view from the historical context surrounding an event that influenced the participants

Essential Questions

What geographic factors caused Native American groups in Texas to develop different cultures?

What economic systems did Native American groups develop to adapt to the relative abundance or scarcity of resources in their geographic regions?

What characteristics define a region?

What defines a culture?

Academic Vocabulary:

adobe: a mix of wet clay and straw that is made into bricks and dried in the sun

agriculture: the work of preparing the soil, producing crops and raising livestock

aquifer: an underground layer of porous rock that yields water through springs or wells

climate: the average weather of a place over a period of 20-30 years

escarpment: a steep cliff

nomads: people who wander from place to place in search of food

plains: large tracts of level or almost level, treeless land

plateaus: an elevated, level expanse of land

prairies: level treeless plains

rural: countryside

sedentary: living in one place

urban: area with cities

weather: the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a specific place and time