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Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)

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Since the time my kids were little we’ve always incorporated some of our Texas heritage and history. Today, I’m sharing a few links for a Texas Native American history unit study.

Studying about Texas history has so many topics to choose from, but studying about Native Americans will help to keep Texas history in a manageable chunk.

Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School). Click here to grab it!

First, look at ten of the tribes native to Texas. I’ve tried to hone in on these in this roundup so this topic doesn’t become overwhelming.

10 Tribes Native to Texas.

  • Apache
  • Atakapa
  • Caddo
  • Coahuiltecan Region
  • Comanche
  • Jumano
  • Karankawa
  • Kiowa
  • Tonkawa
  • Wichita

Glancing at the geography of Texas will help your kids to understand how each group adjusted to their surroundings.

Geography of Texas

The Geography of Texas.
Learn about the plant and animal life.

Texas Native American History Lesson Plans/Guides/Resources/

Download these lesson plans for activities and background information.
Download this 17 page free guide for background information about Texas Native Americans: The Texas Revolution: Exactly Who Where the Texans.
Brief overview of the major tribes that existed at the time of the first European exploration.

Fascinating background information about the Karankawa. A free 10 page download.

Heads up: You’ll want to look this over and glean the points you want to teach your child because it addresses all issues the Karankawa faced including very intimate ones.

And no, there are no pictures, just text. But I’ve listed it because it is so comprehensive in helping us to understand their every day life and one of the better resources I found.

This 19 page download covers background information about the Jumano, Karankawa, Caddo, Apache and Comanche. Even though it’s says it’s a fourth grade lesson plan, it really is helpful for comparing tribes.
Free 26 page download with great pictures and facts which list just about every tribe.

Understand the importance of the buffalo to the Comanche. Grab this free curriculum guide.
Learn about smoke signals like the Karankawa used.

Free Native Tribes of Texas 26 page download with facts and pictures.
Texas Indians: Southeastern and Gulf Cultures. 4 page reference on Caddo, Coahuiltecan, Karankawa, and Wichita.
Background information on Jumano, Caddo, Karankawa, and Comanche.

Texas Native American Hands-on Ideas

Make a grinding tool from a flat rock.
Cook corn soup like the Caddo.
Make teepee cupcakes like the Comanche and Apache (okay maybe not cupcakes)
If you’re real adventurous make this wiki-up like the semi-permanent homes of the Coahuiltecans and Karankawa.		Paint on pebbles.
Make a Caddo circle book.
Make a pipecleaner wigwam.
Eat prickly pear like the Coahuiltecans.
The Comanche dominated the Plains of Texas and were great warriors and horsemen. Grab this free horse lapbook.

Download this awesome 73 page free Idea Book all about activities for Native Americans. Great for hands-on activities.
More than a free whoppping 52 page coloring book about Texas Indians, but great background information and activities.

Also, grab my free Plains Indians unit study and lapbook.

▼ Exploring to Revolution - Plains Indians lapbook and HUGE homeschool unit study.

Interactive.

Examine the interactive images about the Apache and Caddo.
YouTube about Coahuiltecan.
YouTube about Caddo.

YouTube about Karankawa.
YouTube about Comanche.
YouTube about Apache.

YouTube about burn out canoes like Karankawa used.

Texas Beyond History – Virtual Museum of Texas’ Cultural Heritage. From an interactive map, to games to lesson plans to history, this site is one of the ones we have enjoyed most and spent hours on. Prepare to stay here on this site for days.

From the website: Texas Beyond History covers not only the prehistory and history of Texas’ true native peoples, but also much of the early history of the Spanish, French, Mexican, and Anglo explorers, missionaries, soldiers, miners, traders, and settlers who lived and often died in Texas. And later history, too—that of German farmers, Black freedmen, and Mexican-American laborers among many others.

Caddo. Be sure to click through to learn their history and how they live today. Also, click on the games page and download this printable free board game.

Language Arts

Plains Indians Free Writing Prompts. For Elementary, Middle and High School Homeschooled Kids

Books

Indians Who Lived in Texas – A beautiful story of the 10 native tribes of Texas.

A History of Texas and the Texans – An outstanding history of Texas for a serious budding Texas history buff.

Legend of the Bluebonnet.

Texas Field Trips

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
San Jacinto Museum. Also grab the HUGE 449 page free Educator’s Guide with lesson plans, pictures, and activity ideas.
Washington on the Brazos Historic Site. We’ve been many times because it’s a great place to visit. It is the final home of the last president of the Republic of Texas along with a hands on history room and museum. Be sure to download the educator’s guides at the bottom of the page.

Also, you may love to use my 10 Westward Expansion History Fun Coloring Pages! You know the quality of my work here and I don’t use baby-ish clip art. The coloring pages are suitable for middle school even in high school.

Here is what the 10 page download contains. I put a few key words to explain each picture on the page. This way you can use the coloring pages as title pages too.

Page 3:  Native American on horseback,
Page 4: Lewis and Clark Trek,
Page 5: Lewis and Clark and The Piegan,
Page 6: Lewis and Clark Exploring Rivers,
Page 7: The Plains Indians,
Page 8: Pioneer Life,
Page 9: Moving West,
Page 10: Westward Ho,
Page 11: Settlers, and
Page 12: Fur Trappers and Mountainmen

You can grab them below!

Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School). Your middle school kids will love this free AWESOME unit study to learn about the first Native Americans of Texas. Click here to grab it!

You may also love these hands-on ideas that can bring this unit study alive!

This is suppose to be a quick unit study but we love studying about Texas history. So I hope you’ll find a few of these resources inspiring and helpful.

Hugs and love ya,

8 World War II Historical Fiction Books for Middle School

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I debate constantly at this age whether I should include World War II historical fiction books to teach middle school or stick only with nonfiction. I end up mixing both types of genre.

On one hand I don’t want to gloss over the ugly side of war at the middle school age, but on the other hand there is still so much time left in a child’s life to get the real facts.

With Mr. Senior 2013, I tended to swing to brutal and real when choosing books and only used nonfiction references. But now, I realize that even at middle and high school level, a young adult is entitled to enjoy reading about history without having to read about all the cruel facts.

Besides, there is so much time as they are older to wrestle with all the issues.

Mixing both types of literature keeps learning about war topics balanced. Fiction can bring the time period alive while nonfiction reminds kids that this part of history is real.

WORLD WAR II HISTORICAL FICTION

Look at these 8 World War II historical fiction books I rounded up for middle school. I think you’ll love them.

Alex, Who Won His War (Walker’s American History Series for Young People)  This paints a vivid picture of the events of World War II as Alex tries to solve a crime. A bit of a stretch in the plot, but the details for the historical time period are there for an enjoyable read.

Night Crossing This book is about a girl living in Austria having to leave her home when the Nazis come and brings to life the feelings of those that had to leave their home with just what they could carry.

The Shadow Children A summer visit to his grandfather’s farm turns into an adventures staged during World War II. The charcoal drawings are beautiful which makes this book good for an art study.

The Spy Who Came From the Sea. A teen tells the kids at school that he stumbles upon a spy, but nobody believes him.

Journey to America. A family fleeing Nazi Germany is reunited after being separated and enduring different trials along the way with some adventure.

Behind the Bedroom Wall. This one we haven’t read it, but sounds so fascinating because it’s from a different perspective. A local teen girl is part of the Nazi party thinking it’s going to be good for her community but her parents are part of the underground movement to protect Jews. Sounds great and we can’t wait to read it.

Stepping on the Cracks. Margaret’s brother is overseas fighting, but learns about a deserter in her midst. It’s a good book to teach about pacifism because teaching complex war issues can be hard.

Under a War-Torn Sky. When a nineteen year old pilot’s plane is shot down,he finds himself behind enemy lines.

I hope you find one or two to use as a history spine or just as a way to bring this time period alive.

I think you’ll also love this free unit study and World War II history unit study.

World War II lapbook and homeschool history unit study.
8 World War II historical fiction books for middle school. If you're looking to bring history alive, your homeschooled middle school kids will love these books. Click here to see this AWESOME list!

If you’re looking for more book lists, you may like:

Hands-On History: Make a Coat of Arms Activity (Middle Ages History)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Written by Selena at Look! We’re Learning!

I’m extremely fascinated by the Middle Ages. I know that the reality of that time was far less romantic than novels and films make it seem, but the castles and the jousting tournaments and the costumes are just wonderful to think of.

In those years (and in the years since), royal and noble families have had a coat of arms to show what they’ve accomplished in their history. And, while the coat of arms is often associated with Medieval Europe, it’s actually been used all over the world – from China to Senegal.

To learn more about how these designs were used and passed down through families, we decided to make our own coat of arms! See how you can do the same for a hands-on history lesson!

Hands-On History: Make a Coat of Arms

A coat of arms is a special design made for a distinguished person or family. The design varies, depending on the family’s (or person’s) accomplishments, titles, and positions.

Each part of the coat of arms actually has a name. The top third is called the “field” and the bottom two-thirds is called the “escutcheon”, which is actually a small shield within the larger shield.

Everything on a coat of arms is significant and meaningful. The colors, symbols, choice of animals, patterns, and designs can all denote something different.

The design of a coat of arms can vary greatly, according to family or country. For example, this is the coat of arms of the country of Botswana.

Coat of arms of Botswana

Now compare that one to this one that belongs to the Duke of Westminster.

Coat of Arms of the Duke of Westminster without Order of Garter

There’s a lot going on there, right?

For our coat of arms, we went with a much, much simpler design, but it incorporates some of the significant colors, symbols, and patterns we read about.

To do the activity yourself, you’ll need the following:

Simple Coat of Arms Activity

Start by printing out the coat of arms and the animal symbols.

Coat of Arms Printable Craft

I didn’t have white cardstock, so I printed ours on a white piece of printer paper and then glued it on the grey cardstock we had. Then we cut it out.

If you have white cardstock, you can skip that step and just print the coat of arms directly on that.

Making a Coat of Arms

Now, it’s time to choose your animal symbols! I only included four in this printable, but there are truly scores of different animals that have been used on coats of arms through the years. And they all have a different meaning.

The animals in the printable mean the following:

  • Griffin – means valor & bravery
  • Pegasus – means poetic genius (as an English major, I had to include that one)
  • Horse – means ready for battle
  • Bird – means peace & affection
Creating a Coat of Arms

Then it was time to choose our coat of arms colors! As we learned, blue means truth & loyalty, so we colored the “field” blue.

Choosing Animals for a Coat of Arms

Then we added our animals.

Choosing Colors for a Coat of Arms

And we surrounded them with orange, which means “worthy ambition & work”. Also because it looked cool.

DIY Coat of Arms Craft

Finally, we learned that furs denoted nobility, so you could add a fur-like pattern to your coat of arms to show that you were of the upper class of society. One of those fur patterns was white with black spots – like a Dalmatian. We went with that.

As I kept looking at it, though, it just didn’t look right. Then it hit me! The animals are supposed to be facing each other!

Finished Coat of Arms Craft

Ahhhh….that’s better! Be sure to print both pages of the animal symbols so that you can choose two animals that will face one another on the coat of arms.

This was so neat to do! We didn’t know that the coat of arms was so full of meaning, so this was a great hands-on lesson to learn about that.

Looking for an easy hands-on middles ages history activity? Your kids will love making their own coat of arms. Scoot by and download the activity at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus!

Check out these other hands-on history projects kids can do!

Fun Hands-On History: Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Written by Selena of Look! We’re Learning!

Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations to experience genuine prosperity. Because the people lived near a reliable water source, food was abundant for farming. And that left them plenty of time to indulge in a few luxuries, including elaborate hairstyles, culture, and jewelry.

One of the most famous forms of jewelry worn by the ancient Egyptians was the Usekh collar. Rich Egyptians often wore these broad necklaces on a daily basis. Even though Egyptian men often went shirtless, they still liked to wear the Usekh. That’s how commonly it was worn.

So – for a fun, hands-on history activity, we decided to make our own Ancient Egyptian collar craft! See how we designed ours!

Hands-On History: Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft

To design our Egyptian collar, we studied some examples of actual Usekh collars that have been found by archaeologists. This one was found on the mummified body of Pharaoh Amenemhat III’s daughter, Neferuptah.

Neferuptah’s Necklace 2012

Naturally, a collar worn by a member of the royal family would be gorgeous and this one is. Look at all those individual beads that were hand-strung! It must have taken quite a while to make. Archaeologists have even found images of collars inscribed in relief inside burial tombs.

Ours isn’t quite that ornate. But it was a lot of fun to craft!

Egyptian Collar Craft

We used the following supplies to make our Ancient Egyptian collar craft:

  • A rectangular piece of posterboard (about 12 inches by 18 inches)
  • Yarn
  • A ruler
  • A pencil
  • Hole punch
  • Assorted color markers
  • Scissors
Tracing a Paper Egyptian Collar

Start by tracing the shape of your collar onto the posterboard. I used a saucer and laid half of it on the posterboard edge to form the neckline.

Making a Paper Ancient Egypt Collar

Then I laid a dinner plate near the other end of the posterboard to form the outer edge of the collar.

Drawing a Paper Egyptian Collar

Trace both edges like so and you have the shape of your collar.

Designing an Ancient Egypt Collar

Then we cut the collar out and used the hole punch to put a hole in each of the top edges. That’s where you will string the yarn later.

Making an Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft

Easy Hands-on Homeschool History

Use the ruler to draw several horizontal pencil lines across the collar with a pencil. Our lines were about an inch and a half apart, but you can use whatever measurement you like. The goal is to create a different design on each line. That gives the collar the “look” of an elaborate design.

Drawing Designs for an Ancient Egyptian Collar

Then start using your colored markers to add color and shapes as you work down the collar. After adding your colors, go back and use a black marker to outline the different designs you made. It makes them stand out more.

Making an Egyptian Collar Craft

See? Adding the black outline really defines the individual designs. Continue working down the collar, alternating designs as you think of them. The kids will love to come up with their own ideas for collar decorations!

Colorful Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft

All done! We went with bright colors, but if you have metallic markers, you can make a collar that actually looks like it’s made out of precious metals – just like the Egyptians would have made.

Finished Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft

Cut about a three-foot length of yarn and string it through the holes at the top of the collar. Tie it to your child’s neck and let them feel like a rich Egyptian for a day!

This was such a fun activity. It took us about 45 minutes to make our collar, so it was an eye-opening experience to see how much more time and effort the Egyptians put into making theirs. It’s no wonder these necklaces were reserved for the elite!

You’ll also love how we used Home School in the Woods to learn about Ancient Egypt. We love their hands-on Ancient Egypt lapbooks.

Be sure to read even more hands-on history ideas for studying Ancient Egypt!

Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations to experience genuine prosperity. Because the people lived near a reliable water source, food was abundant for farming. And that left them plenty of time to indulge in a few luxuries, including elaborate hairstyles, culture, and jewelry. Click here to make this fun collar craft!

6 Unit Study Resources: Mountain Men – Explorers of the West

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Whether you’re studying about the American Frontier, fur trade or mountain living, you’ll bring history alive through studying the tough life of mountain men.

Today, I rounded up six unit study resources to grab for a mountain men unit study. Besides explorers and fur traders, they were some of America’s first trail blazers.

Whether you're studying about the American Frontier, fur trade or mountain living, you'll bring history alive through studying the tough life of mountain men.

Mountain Men Trailblazers

This 3 page teacher’s guide has vocabulary words like ploo and rendezvous along with teaching skills of self-sufficiency and hardiness. I also like that it incorporates learning about the importance of rivers to mountain men. So, you can add a bit of geography, history, and science.

Next, this super helpful 39 page free teacher’s guide is chock full of information.

It has a unit on fur trade, mountain men lifestyle, and legends of the mountain men. And even though it mentions items in a trunk, it’s really helpful in understanding artifacts and every day items used by mountain men. Read about the items they used and a few them look like they could be easily made.

This next fun free 51 page guide talks about the importance of being able to identify animal tracks along with the animal tracks labeled.

It has a handwritten letter which is a primary source and a lesson about beavers.

Hands-on History and Geography

More units like the Language of a Trapper, Rendezvous, Mountain Man Tales, and Indian Wives of the Mountain Men are a few of the fun and interesting units in this expansive free 57 page guide.

This is an interesting read for your middle or high school kid. While it doesn’t have pictures, it’s the diary of Jedediah Strong Smith, a mountain men. It describes the perils he faced each day.

Lastly, this website Mountain Men: Pathfinders of the West has a lot of background information about the fur trade and the ways of the mountain men.

Download them and add to them a unit study about geography or use them for a mini unit study.

Also, you’ll like my posts:

Whether you're studying about the American Frontier, fur trade or mountain living, you'll bring history alive through studying the tough life of mountain men. Click here to grab these fun and free 6 resources!

Hugs and love ya,