You may already know that Texas leads the nation in the sale of
              pickup trucks. This Texas History project provides opportunities to
               discuss other fun facts such as: Texas historical people and places,
                regional geographical information as well as trivia that is special to
                our great state.

               Mentors help students learn fun, interesting information about Texas.

          Teachers may choose to have students complete a technology project
       for a mentor to review.
.

Step 1
Students research one or more of the tourist attractions to gather information. Send questions
to your mentor about specific information you need help finding out about a tourist attraction.

Step 2
Pick one of these projects to complete. Create a brochure about one or more of the sites.
Include important information about location, price, hours open and why it would be a fun
place to visit. Make a poster using a word processor to advertise the tourist attraction of
your choice. Create a database of tourist attractions that can be sorted by type of attraction
and other factors.

Step 3
Send a response to your mentor and attach your project file. Follow these steps
to add a file to response:

1. Click respond.
2. Write a note to your mentor in the response box.
3. Click on the browse button on your computer and locate your project file
      on your computer. (Ask for help if you've never done this before.)
4. Select your project file and click Open.
5. Click Save.

Create a table or spreadsheet that includes information about the cultures represented in
your class. Include cultural heritage, special foods, customs, hoilidays and other information
that you think is important.

If you need some help finding facts, send a note to your mentor.

When your table or spreadsheet is finished, send a response to your mentor and attach
your culture file. Follow these steps to add a file to response:

1. Click respond.
2. Write a note to your mentor in the response box.
3. Click on the browse button on your computer and locate your project file
      on your computer. (Ask for help if you've never done this before.)
4. Select your culture file and click Open.
5. Click Save.

If your city has a web page, visit it. Find out interesting facts about your city. If there are graphics,
copy and paste them into a word processing document. Create a picture page with captions
that tell why your community is so unique.

Write a persuasive letter using a word processor to your Chamber of Commerce explaining why
your city should be added to the state list of "Places to Visit in Texas". Support your reasons with
at least 3 specific examples of why your city is so special.

If you need some help finding a web site or facts about your city, send a note to your mentor.

When your letter is finished, send a response to your mentor and attach your letter file.
Follow these steps to add a file to response:

1. Click respond.
2. Write a note to your mentor in the response box.
3. Click on the browse button on your computer and locate your letter file
     on your computer. (Ask for help if you've never done this before.)
4. Select your letter file and click Open.
5. Click Save.

Each state has it's own set of symbols. Do you know the Texas State bird, flower, gemstone,
tree, insect or song? If you don't, visit the Lone Star Junction web site and be sure to scroll down
to the bottom of the page to see all of the Texas symbols.

Once you have seen the true Texas symbols, think of some of your own that you think represent
Texas in a different way. Would you choose another bird, flower, tree or insect? Discuss your choices with one another and describe why you would choose the things you would.

Example: The Texas bird is the Mockingbird but if I were to choose, I would choose
the _____________ because __________________________________________.

Using a word processor create a riddle about your new symbol to share with your mentor.
To make this fun for your mentor be sure and send your riddles before you let them know what
new symbols you have chosen.

Instead of sending your whole word processing file to your mentor use your cut and paste skills to
put just your riddle in the response box. Don't send the answer see if your mentor can figure it out.

In 4th grade, Texas students learn about the four regions in Texas, the Mountains and Basins,
the North Central Plains, the Great Plains and the Coastal Plains. These four regions of Texas
are each different and distinct. In the Panhandle, it is often cold and snowy. East Texas is filled
with lush trees and vegetation. South Texas is warm and tropical while West Texas is dusty,
dry and even mountainous. Sounds like you could actually be in 4 states not 1!

Think about one of the regions and write a poem describing it. The type of poem you should
write is a cinquain. Below is a short description of how to write one. It contains 5 lines, and uses
different parts of speech to paint a word picture. Try it! Share your cinquains with one another
when you have finished.

Writing a Cinquain.
Line 1 - a one word title
Line 2 - a 2 word phrase that describes your title or you can just use two words
Line 3 - a 3 word phrase that describes an action relating to your title or just actions words
Line 4 - a 4 word phrase that describes a feeling relating to your topic or just feeling words
Line 5 - one word that refers back to your title

Another description of how to write a cinquain.
Name of Poem (one noun or naming word)
How it looks (two adjectives or describers)
What it does (three verbs or action words)
Your thoughts about it (four words)
Synonym for name (one noun)

Texas
Rowdy, Rough
Riding, Roping, Driving
Proud to be Texan
Home!

Did you know that there are 6,736 lakes in Texas, 4,959 square miles of inland water?
This fact makes Texas # 1 in square miles of inland water in the 48 contiguous states?
Did you know that Texas leads the nation in the sale of pickup trucks?
Did you know that Ft. Hood in Killeen, Texas is the largest military base in the world?
Did you know that an average of 123 tornadoes touch down in Texas each year?

Well whether or not you knew any of those facts try your hand at this trivia. Work together
to see how many of these questions you can answer!

1. Two of the three largest universities in the US are located in Texas? Can you name them?
2. The state pepper of Texas is the _____________________.
3. Why is the statue of Lady Liberty on the state capitol facing south?
4. The state large mammal is the ______________________.
5. What is the Texas state motto?
6. Who is the Alamo named for?
7. How many flags has Texas flown under?
8. Name two products that Texas ranks #1 in producing.
9. The state dance of Texas is the ___________________.
10. What is the state dish of Texas?

If you need to search for these answers, try these sites:
Senate Kids
Texas Trivia

Texas has many colleges and universities! Everyone knows that the longhorn is the
University of Texas mascot? How many more can you match?

Baylor University
Waco, Texas
Mascot?

Rice University
Houston, Texas
Mascot?

Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas
Mascot?

SMU - Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
Mascot?

Southwestern University
Georgetown, Texas
Mascot?

Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
Mascot?

Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas
Mascot?

Texas A & M University
College Station, Texas
Mascot?

TCU - Texas Christian University
Ft. Worth, Texas
Mascot?

Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas
Mascot?

Here are your matching choices: Aggies, Bears, Bearkats, Bobcats,
Horned Frogs, Lumberjacks, Mustangs, Owls, Pirates, Red Raiders

Send your answers to your partner and compare.

Have you ever visited Cooperstown and seen the Baseball Hall of Fame? This place
honors those who have made baseball what it is today. Imagine baseball without Babe Ruth,
Lou Gehrig or Mickey Mantle? These men made baseball America's game. If you have never
visited a Hall of Fame, or don't really know what they are, take a few minutes to visit some of
these famous places.

Football Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Baseball Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Now that you have seen one for yourself, it is time to create one of your own! Together you
will research some famous Texans and put together a list of the top ten. They should all be
Texans or have made a difference to Texas in some way. First, decide on the categories
you want to include in your Hall of Fame. Think about including Presidents, athletes,
famous historical figures or maybe entertainers. To begin your research, start with one
of these web sites:

Famous Texans
Famous Texas People
Notable Texans Before 1900

Make a list of the people that you think should be included in your Hall of Fame.
Compare the list with one another, be certain to give reasons that your choices
should be included. Now, together come up with a combined top ten list. Who did
you choose and why?

Choose one of the projects:

* Create a table or spreadsheet that includes the following information: name, hometown,
     what they are famous for, reason they were included in your Hall of Fame.

* Create an ad for your Texas Hall of Fame using a word processor and appropriate graphics.

* Choose one famous Texan and create a page in PowerPoint about them, combine the pages
    of all the students and show your famous Texan slide show… graphics and sound can be
    added to enhance the presentation.

When your project is finished, send a response to your mentor and attach your project file.
Follow these steps to add a file to response:

1. Click respond.
2. Write a note to your mentor in the response box.
3. Click on the browse button on your computer and locate your project file
     on your computer. (Ask for help if you've never done this before.)
4. Select your project file and click Open.
5. Click Save.

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to have a conversation with a famous
historical figure? Well here is your chance! Choose a famous event in Texas history.
To see a timeline of events go to one of these web sites:

Texas History Timeline
Texas Timeline History Almanac

Discuss an event that interests both of you and then identify two people that might have
witnessed that event first hand. Each of you take on one person's role and write back and
forth, just like they might have. Tell one another what is happening in your life. Here are some
suggestions of friends that may have written to one another during a famous Texas event!

Sam Houston - President Andrew Jackson
President Jackson wanted Sam to come to Texas so that he could help win the revolution and
make Texas part of the United States. What might they write to one another?

Stephen F. Austin - Santa Anna
These two men started out as friends, but later fought against one another. What might they
write to one another?

Two oil workers at Spindle Top
If these two men could talk to one another (via email) after a long hard day out in the oil fields,
what might they say? To make it even more fun, what might they IM (Instant Message) one another?

If you need some other ideas of people to choose, visit Notable Texans before 1900.

Discuss what Texas might be like if Sam Houston, Santa Ana, Davy Crockett, William Bowie
or William Travis had never come to Texas? How would your life be different today?

Create a script using a word processor between the two historical figures that you and your
mentor have chosen. Use different color fonts to distinguish between the figures conversations.

Create a list of websites that provide historical information about Texas independence. Write a
short annotation about why it is a valuable resource.