Primary sources are texts like diaries, memoirs, laws, and other documents that record events happening at a particular moment in time. Sources like the memoir of Mary Adams Maverick can give students an insightful look at what it was like to live in the past. Have students read parts of her memoir to see her perspective on life as a Texas settler. Students can then write letters back to her from our own time to show what life is like now, draw illustrations for her writings, or write journal entries about what they would have missed most living in her time period, for instance.
Early Americans journeyed to Texas for a variety of reasons. Some had outstanding debts or were wanted for crimes, others had suffered personal tragedies, and some simply wanted a new adventure. When many of these people left their own homes, they didn't tell anyone -- they just carved the letters "GTT" into their doors, for "Gone to Texas."
Ask students what they would need to take with them if they had to flee in the middle of the night without detection, and if they wanted to start a new life with no trace of the old one. Ask them to make a list and then start a group discussion about what they would really "need" as opposed to "want," and what hidden problems, such as the GPS trackers in many cell phones, might go with them.
Book the school's computer lab for your Texas history classes and prepare students for a virtual tour of Texas' settlements. The Texas Beyond History website offers an interactive map where your students can click on dozens of the places where the original Texans settled. Have students pick their favorite settlement and develop a WebQuest on it, with introductions to at least five other websites with information about that settlement and a short report on the settlement's history.
In the era of Texas settlement, many women would gather together in the small communities to quilt together, sewing fragments of fabric together to make the quilts that would go on their beds. As time went by, this became a popular craft. When learning about the lifestyles of the new settlers, have each student bring a piece of cloth that represents something important. This could be the front of an old T-shirt or a piece of fabric that the student has painted with an important emblem, logo or phrase. Have the class work to sew these pieces together, so that each of your history sections produces a quilt.