Texas Resources for Teachers
PBS provides a digital library of classroom resources called PBS LearningMedia.org. We have begun to build a collection of these resources in PBS LearningMedia, click here.
Here are some ways to bring Texas History alive for students.
African-American History
Ruth Simmons, president of Brown University, grew up in Grapeland, Texas.
Harvard University Professor Skip Gates examines what it was like to grow up in Texas during the Jim Crow Era.
In this video segment from the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Ruth Simmons shares what life was like growing up in Grapeland, Texas, as the daughter of sharecroppers. Simmons’s family moved to Houston in the early 1950s. She says her family’s move to Houston was life-changing. Children were required to attend school in Houston; had the Simmons family stayed in Grapeland, Ruth would have been expected to quit school and help her family in the field.
Texas Independence
March 2, 1836 was the day Texas received its independence from Mexico
In 1836, Texas became independent from Mexico and later joined the United States. Each year on March 2nd, Texans celebrate their independence.
Check out this video about Texas Independence Day and discover some activities your class can do to celebrate.
Texas National Parks
There are 16 National Parks in Texas.
Did you know there are 16 National Park sites in Texas?
We learn all about them in this collection. You will find 2-3 minute videos of the parks, history lessons, discussion questions, and more.
Students can discover the stories of these special places which began millions of years ago and continue to develop today. Our parks offer many things: economic benefits for communities, access to recreation, protection for unique ecosystems and threatened species, and opportunities to experience our past.