Alamo de Parras' Teacher's Guide
Suggested Questions/Study Guide Outline
Grade Level 7 - 12
 
The Battle of the Alamo &
The Texas War for Independence
Developed by William Chemerka,Publisher of The Alamo Journal
Any appreciation of the Battle of the Alamo must include a thorough understanding of the history of Texas and the many peoples who inhabited it over the centuries. This outline allows teachers and students to explore the story of the Alamo through a series of questions that reflect various levels of sophistication via Bloom's Taxonomy. These questions are designed to be answered by individual students or groups of students and can be answered in a number of ways: a classroom essay, an oral report or a group project, for example.

 
Most of the following questions can be answered by fully exploring "The Second Flying Company of Alamo de Parras" and its related links.

 
A. The Native American Background
B. The Spanish Background
C. The Mexican Background
D. The Texas Revolution
E. OtherQuestions Concerning The Texas Revolution

How to cite things you find on the Internet in bibliographies.

A. The Native American Background
Knowledge Level
 1. Identify the various Native American tribes that at one time lived in Texas.
Comprehension Level
 2. Explain how Native Americans used the resources indigenous to Texas.
Application level
 3. Develop a chart that shows the location of Native American tribes prior to Spanish colonization.
Analysis Level
 4. Inspect areas of your community that reflect Native American culture.
Synthesis Level
 5. Compile a list of Native American contributions to the culture of Texas in the 19th century and today.
Evaluation Level
 6. Appraise the Native American perception of the environment.
 
B. The Spanish Background
Knowledge Level
 1. Locate on a map of North America the Spanish claims prior to 1821.
Comprehension Level
 2. Define "The Second Flying Company of Alamo de Parras."
Application level
 3. Relate the reasons for Spanish colonization in North America with Great Britain's motives for colonization in North America.
Analysis Level
 4. Compare New Spain's economic objectives with other European nations that established colonies in North America.
Synthesis Level
 5. Compile a list of accomplishments/failures of New Spain.
Evaluation Level
 6. Assess the impact of New Spain on the Native American population, the promotion of Christianity, and the growth of towns and cities.
C. The Mexican Background
Knowledge Level
 1. Identify the territorial boundaries of Mexico in 1821; in 1836, in 1848.
Comprehension Level
 2. Explain the causes of the 1821 Mexican Revolution.
Application level
 3. Relate the Mexican Revolution's initial goals with that the American Revolution in 1776.
Analysis Level
 4. Uncover common elements in the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and the U. S. Constitution.
Synthesis Level
 5. Build a model of the Alamo as it looked in 1835.
Evaluation Level
 6. Appraise the Santa Anna administration in 1835.
 
D. The Texas Revolution
Knowledge Level
 1. Quote key passages from William B. Travis' famous letter of
February 24, 1836.
Comprehension Level
 2. Outline the major military events of the Texas Revolution.
Application level
 3. Relate the causes of the Texas Revolution with those of the
American Revolution.
Analysis Level
 4. Scrutinize passages in Texas' Declaration of Independence that reflect similarities in the United States' Declaration of Independence.
Synthesis Level
 5. Compile a list of Tejano Alamo defenders.
Evaluation Level
 6. Judge the military leadership of Gen. José Urrea during the Texas
Revolution.
 
E. Additional Questions Concerning The Texas Revolution
1.
At the Alamo, weapons were one factor that dictated battle tactics.
  1. Explain how weapons dictated Mexican tactics?
  2. Explain how weapons dictated Texian tactics?
2. List the appropriate steps in loading a flintlock musket.
3. Assess the validity of the following statement:
William B. Travis' correspondence of February 24, 1836 is
"one of the truly remarkable letters of history."
4. Explain the reasons why the Texians occupied the Alamo and the
Presidio La Bahía.
5. Assess Santa Anna's decision to assault the Alamo on March 6.
6. Identify and explain four enduring myths of the Alamo. Justify or discount each one according to existing evidence.