Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 113 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES
Subchapter A - ELEMENTARY
Section 113.15 - Social Studies, Grade 4, Adopted 2022
Universal Citation: 19 TX Admin Code ยง 113.15
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Implementation. The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.
(b) Introduction.
(1) In Grade 4, students examine the history
of Texas from the early beginnings to the present within the context of
influences of North America. Historical content focuses on Texas history,
including the Texas Revolution, establishment of the Republic of Texas, and
subsequent annexation to the United States. Students discuss important issues,
events, and individuals of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Students conduct
a thorough study of regions in Texas and North America resulting from human
activity and from physical features. The location, distribution, and patterns
of economic activities and settlement in Texas further enhance the concept of
regions. Students describe how early American Indians in Texas and North
America met their basic economic needs. Students identify motivations for
European exploration and colonization and reasons for the establishment of
Spanish settlements and missions. Students explain how American Indians
governed themselves and identify characteristics of Spanish colonial and
Mexican governments in Texas. Students recite and explain the meaning of the
Pledge to the Texas Flag. Students identify the contributions of people of
various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to Texas and describe the impact
of science and technology on life in the state. Students use critical-thinking
skills to identify cause-and-effect relationships, compare and contrast, and
make generalizations and predictions.
(2) To support the teaching of the essential
knowledge and skills, the use of a variety of rich primary and secondary source
material such as documents, biographies, novels, speeches, letters, poetry,
songs, and artworks is encouraged. Where appropriate, local topics should be
included. Motivating resources are available from museums, historical sites,
presidential libraries, and local and state preservation societies.
(3) The eight strands of the essential
knowledge and skills for social studies are intended to be integrated for
instructional purposes. Skills listed in the social studies skills strand in
subsection (c) of this section should be incorporated into the teaching of all
essential knowledge and skills for social studies. A greater depth of
understanding of complex content material can be attained when integrated
social studies content from the various disciplines and critical-thinking
skills are taught together. Statements that contain the word "including"
reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase
"such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(4) Students identify the role of the U.S.
free enterprise system within the parameters of this course and understand that
this system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market
system.
(5) Throughout social
studies in Kindergarten-Grade 12, students build a foundation in history;
geography; economics; government; citizenship; culture; science, technology,
and society; and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the
grade level or course, enables students to understand the importance of
patriotism, function in a free enterprise society, and appreciate the basic
democratic values of our state and nation as referenced in the Texas Education
Code (TEC), §28.002(h).
(6)
Students understand that a constitutional republic is a representative form of
government whose representatives derive their authority from the consent of the
governed, serve for an established tenure, and are sworn to uphold the
constitution.
(7) State and federal
laws mandate a variety of celebrations and observances, including Celebrate
Freedom Week.
(A) Each social studies class
shall include, during Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the TEC, §
29.907, or during
another full school week as determined by the board of trustees of a school
district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent, meaning, and
importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution,
including the Bill of Rights, in their historical contexts. The study of the
Declaration of Independence must include the study of the relationship of the
ideas expressed in that document to subsequent American history, including the
relationship of its ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of
immigrants, the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution,
and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and
the women's suffrage movement.
(B)
Each school district shall require that, during Celebrate Freedom Week or other
week of instruction prescribed under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph,
students in Grades 3-12 study and recite the following text from the
Declaration of Independence: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all
Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of
Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
(8) Students discuss how and
whether the actions of U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal
governments have achieved the ideals espoused in the founding
documents.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) History. The student
understands the origins, similarities, and differences of American Indian
groups in Texas before European exploration. The student is expected to:
(A) explain the possible origins of American
Indian groups in Texas;
(B)
identify and compare the ways of life of American Indian groups in Texas before
European exploration such as the Lipan Apache, Karankawa, Caddo, and
Jumano;
(C) describe the cultural
regions in which American Indians lived such as Gulf, Plains, Puebloan, and
Southeastern; and
(D) locate
American Indian groups remaining in Texas such as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo,
Alabama-Coushatta, and Kickapoo.
(2) History. The student understands the
causes and effects of European exploration and colonization of Texas. The
student is expected to:
(A) summarize
motivations for European exploration and settlement of Texas, including
economic opportunity, competition, and the desire for expansion;
(B) identify the accomplishments and explain
the impact of significant explorers, including Cabeza de Vaca; Francisco
Coronado; and René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, on the settlement
of Texas;
(C) explain when, where,
and why the Spanish established settlements and Catholic missions in Texas as
well as important individuals;
(D)
identify Texas' role in the Mexican War of Independence and the war's impact on
the development of Texas; and
(E)
identify the accomplishments and explain the economic motivations and impact of
significant empresarios, including Stephen F. Austin and Martín de
León, on the settlement of Texas.
(3) History. The student understands the
importance of the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas, and the annexation
of Texas to the United States. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the causes, major events, and
effects of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of the Alamo, the Texas
Declaration of Independence, the Runaway Scrape, and the Battle of San
Jacinto;
(B) summarize the
significant contributions of individuals such as William B. Travis, James
Bowie, David Crockett, Juan N. Seguín, Plácido Benavides,
José Francisco Ruiz, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Susanna
Dickinson, and Enrique Esparza;
(C)
identify leaders important to the founding of Texas as a republic and state,
including José Antonio Navarro, Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar, and Anson
Jones;
(D) describe the successes,
problems, and organizations of the Republic of Texas such as the establishment
of a constitution, economic struggles, relations with American Indians, and the
Texas Rangers; and
(E) explain the
events that led to the annexation of Texas to the United States and the impact
of the U.S.-Mexican War.
(4) History. The student understands the
political, economic, and social changes in Texas during the last half of the
19th century. The student is expected to:
(A)
describe the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Texas;
(B) explain the growth, development, and
impact of the cattle industry such as contributions made by Charles Goodnight,
Richard King, and Lizzie Johnson;
(C) explain the effects of the railroad
industry on life in Texas, including changes to cities and major industries;
and
(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.
(5) History. The student understands
important issues, events, and individuals of the 20th century in Texas. The
student is expected to:
(A) explain the impact
of various events on life in Texas such as the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl,
and World War II and notable individuals such as Audie Murphy, Cleto
Rodríguez, and Bessie Coleman and other local individuals; and
(B) explain the development and impact of the
oil and gas industry on industrialization and urbanization in Texas, including
Spindletop and important people such as Pattillo Higgins.
(6) Geography. The student understands the
concept of regions. The student is expected to:
(A) identify, locate, and describe the
physical regions of Texas (Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central
Plains, Coastal Plains), including their characteristics such as landforms,
climate, vegetation, and economic activities; and
(B) compare the physical regions of Texas
(Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, Coastal
Plains).
(7) Geography.
The student understands the location and patterns of settlement and the
geographic factors that influence where people live. The student is expected
to:
(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; and
(B) identify and explain patterns of
settlement such as the location of towns and cities in Texas at different time
periods.
(8) Geography.
The student understands how people adapt to and modify their environment. The
student is expected to:
(A) describe ways
people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and
present, such as timber clearing, agricultural production, wetlands drainage,
energy production, and construction of dams;
(B) explain reasons why people have adapted
to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present, such as the use
of natural resources to meet basic needs, facilitate transportation, and
enhance recreational activities; and
(C) compare the positive and negative
consequences of human modification of the environment in Texas, past and
present.
(9) Economics.
The student understands the basic economic activities of early societies in
Texas. The student is expected to:
(A) explain
the economic activities various early American Indian groups in Texas used to
meet their needs and wants such as farming, trading, and hunting; and
(B) explain the economic activities early
settlers to Texas used to meet their needs and wants.
(10) Economics. The student understands the
characteristics and benefits of the free enterprise system in Texas. The
student is expected to:
(A) describe how the
free enterprise system works, including supply and demand;
(B) identify examples of the benefits of the
free enterprise system such as choice and opportunity; and
(C) describe the development of the free
enterprise system in Texas such as the growth of cash crops by early colonists
and the railroad boom.
(11) Economics. The student understands
patterns of work and economic activities in Texas. The student is expected to:
(A) identify how people in different regions
of Texas earn their living, past and present;
(B) explain how physical geographic factors
such as climate and natural resources have influenced the location of economic
activities in Texas;
(C) identify
the effects of exploration, immigration, migration, and limited resources on
the economic development and growth of Texas; and
(D) explain how developments in
transportation and communication have influenced economic activities in
Texas.
(12) Government.
The student understands how people organized governments in different ways
during the early development of Texas. The student is expected to:
(A) compare how various American Indian
groups such as the Caddo and the Comanche governed themselves; and
(B) compare characteristics of the Spanish
colonial government and the early Mexican governments in Texas.
(13) Government. The student
understands important ideas in historical documents of Texas and the United
States. The student is expected to:
(A)
identify the purposes and explain the importance of the Texas Declaration of
Independence and the Texas Constitution;
(B) identify and explain the basic functions
of the three branches of government according to the Texas Constitution;
and
(C) identify the intent,
meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S.
Constitution, and the Bill of Rights (Celebrate Freedom Week).
(14) Citizenship. The student
understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations of Texas. The student
is expected to:
(A) explain the meaning of
various patriotic symbols and landmarks of Texas, including the six flags that
flew over Texas, the Alamo, and the San Jacinto Monument;
(B) sing or recite "Texas, Our
Texas";
(C) recite and explain the
meaning of the Pledge to the Texas Flag; and
(D) describe the origins and significance of
state celebrations such as Texas Independence Day and Juneteenth.
(15) Citizenship. The student
understands the importance of active individual participation in the democratic
process. The student is expected to:
(A)
identify important individuals who have participated voluntarily in civic
affairs at state and local levels such as Adina de Zavala and Clara
Driscoll;
(B) explain how
individuals can participate voluntarily in civic affairs at state and local
levels through activities such as respectfully holding public officials to
their word, writing letters, and participating in historic preservation and
service projects;
(C) explain the
duty of the individual in state and local elections such as being informed and
voting;
(D) identify the importance
of historical figures and important individuals who modeled active
participation in the democratic process such as Sam Houston, Barbara Jordan,
Lorenzo de Zavala, Ann Richards, Henry B. González, Wallace Jefferson,
and other local individuals;
(E)
explain how to contact elected and appointed leaders in state and local
governments; and
(F) use voting as
a method for group decision making.
(16) Citizenship. The student understands the
importance of effective leadership in a constitutional republic. The student is
expected to:
(A) identify leaders in state,
local, and national governments, including the governor, local members of the
Texas Legislature, the local mayor, U.S. senators, local U.S. representatives,
and Texans who have been president of the United States; and
(B) identify leadership qualities of state
and local leaders, past and present.
(17) Culture. The student understands the
contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to
Texas culture. The student is expected to:
(A)
identify customs, celebrations, and traditions of various cultural, regional,
and local groups in Texas such as Cinco de Mayo, Oktoberfest, and Fiesta San
Antonio; and
(B) summarize the
contributions of artists of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the
development of Texas culture such as Lydia Mendoza, Chelo Silva, and Julius
Lorenzo Cobb Bledsoe.
(18) Science, technology, and society. The
student understands the impact of science and technology on life in Texas. The
student is expected to:
(A) identify famous
inventors and scientists such as Gail Borden, Joseph Glidden, Michael DeBakey,
and Millie Hughes-Fulford and their contributions; and
(B) describe how scientific discoveries and
innovations such as in aerospace, agriculture, energy, and technology have
benefited individuals, businesses, and society in Texas.
(19) Social studies skills. The student
applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from
a variety of valid sources, including technology. The student is expected to:
(A) differentiate between, locate, and use
valid primary and secondary sources such as technology; interviews;
biographies; oral, print, and visual material; documents; and artifacts to
acquire information about Texas;
(B) differentiate and compare the information
about a specific issue or event provided in primary and secondary
sources;
(C) 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;
(D)
organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and
visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps;
(E) identify different points of view about
an issue, topic, historical event, or current event;
(F) identify the central claim in a primary
or secondary source; and
(G)
develop and communicate a claim and supporting evidence visually, orally, or in
writing related to a social studies topic.
(20) Social studies skills. The student uses
geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The student is
expected to:
(A) apply mapping elements,
including grid systems, legends, symbols, scales, and compass roses, to create
and interpret maps; and
(B)
interpret geographic data, population distribution, and natural resources into
a variety of formats such as graphs and maps.
(21) Social studies skills. The student
communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
(A) use social studies terminology
correctly;
(B) incorporate main and
supporting ideas in verbal and written communication;
(C) express ideas orally based on research
and experiences;
(D) create written
and visual material such as journal entries, reports, graphic organizers,
outlines, and bibliographies; and
(E) apply foundational language skills to
engage in civil discourse about social studies topics, including those with
multiple perspectives.
(22) Social studies skills. The student uses
problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with
others. The student is expected to:
(A) use
democratic procedures to simulate making decisions on school, local, or state
issues; and
(B) use problem-solving
and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list
and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and
implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Texas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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