Every activity in the suite by grade band, its lock types, its alignment to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and Common Core literacy standards, and how it maps to the CLEAR thinking process (Claim · Lens · Evidence · Alternatives · Response).
| Activity | Locks | TEKS alignment (2022, impl. 2024–25) | Common Core literacy | CLEAR focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Secret of Independence Hall | Count Lock [Number/Date] · Evidence Lock [Evidence (MC)] · Word Lock [Word] · Date Lock [Number/Date] | Gr 5 History — conflict between the American colonies and Great Britain leading to independence; Gr 5 Government/Citizenship — the Declaration of Independence and its key elements. (Celebrate Freedom Week, TEC §29.907.) | CCSS RI.3–5.1 — refer to details/examples in a text to support explicit statements and inferences. | Claim · Evidence — state what the source shows and support it from the text. |
| The Flag Maker's Workshop | Count Lock [Number/Date] · Evidence Lock [Evidence (MC)] · Word Lock [Word] · Order Lock [Order] | Gr 5 Citizenship — important symbols, customs, celebrations, and landmarks that represent American beliefs and contribute to national identity (the U.S. flag). | CCSS RI.3–5.1 — use explicit text details to answer questions. | Claim · Evidence — identify what each symbol represents from the clue, not assumption. |
| The Liberty Bell's Long Journey | Word Lock [Word] · Evidence Lock [Evidence (MC)] · Year Lock [Number/Date] · Evidence Sort [Evidence-sort] | Gr 5 History — changes in the U.S. across the 19th–21st centuries; the study of the Declaration linked to abolition and women’s suffrage (per the TEKS Declaration-study requirement). | CCSS RI.3–5.3 — describe the relationship between events/ideas across time using text. | Evidence · Alternatives — weigh true steps against unsupported claims. |
| Fireworks Over the Harbor | Date Lock [Number/Date] · Evidence Lock [Evidence (MC)] · Word Lock [Word] · Order Lock [Order] | Gr 5 Citizenship — symbols, customs, and celebrations that represent American beliefs (Independence Day); connecting the holiday to 1776. | CCSS RI.3–5.3 — explain the cause/effect connection between historical events. | Claim · Response — conclude why we celebrate, grounded in the clue. |
| Activity | Locks | TEKS alignment (2022, impl. 2024–25) | Common Core literacy | CLEAR focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Draft in the Statehouse | Central Claim [Evidence (MC)] · Source of Power [Word] · Date Lock [Number/Date] · Argument Structure [Order] | Gr 8 Government — American beliefs/principles reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution [strand (15)]; colonial grievances in the Declaration [≈(15)(C)]. | CCSS RH.6–8.1 — cite textual evidence; RH.6–8.2 — determine central ideas of a primary source. | Claim · Lens · Evidence — read the source as a structured argument. |
| Case File: Cause & Effect | Root Cause [Evidence (MC)] · The Protest [Word] · Order of Events [Order] · Causes vs. Not-Causes [Evidence-sort] | Gr 8 History — causes and effects of the American Revolution and events of the revolutionary era; Gr 8 skills — identify cause-and-effect and sequence chronologically. | CCSS RH.6–8.3 — analyze how events unfold; RH.6–8.5 — cause/effect text structure. | Evidence · Alternatives — distinguish causes from mere sequence (avoid correlation≠causation). |
| The Unfinished Promise | Ideal vs. Reality [Evidence (MC)] · Abolition Year [Number/Date] · Extending the Vote [Word] · What Extended the Promise [Evidence-sort] | Gr 8 Government/Citizenship — the promises of the Declaration and protections of the Constitution and Bill of Rights; expansion of rights via amendments (13th, 19th) and the suffrage/abolition connection required in the Declaration study. | CCSS RH.6–8.1 — cite evidence; RH.6–8.6 — distinguish stated ideals from documented outcomes. | Claim · Evidence · Alternatives — hold the ideal and the reality side by side. |
| Signal in the Archives | Check the Facts [Evidence (MC)] · Adoption Day [Number/Date] · Weakest Source [Word] · Red Flags [Evidence-sort] | Gr 8 skills — differentiate valid/invalid sources, primary vs. secondary sources, and identify bias; understand the adoption/signing of the Declaration. | CCSS RH.6–8.8 — distinguish fact from opinion/reasoned judgment; evaluate source reliability. | Lens · Evidence · Response — weigh sourcing before deciding to share. |
| Activity | Locks | TEKS alignment (2022, impl. 2024–25) | Common Core literacy | CLEAR focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Philosophy Vault | The Source of Rights [Evidence (MC)] · The Substitution [Word] · Influence vs. Invention [Evidence (MC)] · Trace the Lineage [Evidence-sort] | HS U.S. Government / U.S. History — Enlightenment ideas (natural rights, social contract, consent of the governed) reflected in the Declaration; HS skills — analyze primary sources and the development of political ideas. | CCSS RH.9–10.9 — compare primary sources; RH.11–12.2 — analyze how ideas develop. | Lens · Evidence — trace ideas to their sources; separate influence from invention. |
| Ratification Deadlock | Identify the Position [Evidence (MC)] · Count the Amendments [Number/Date] · The Series of Essays [Word] · Sequence the Resolution [Order] | Gr 8 / HS Government — analyze the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists [Gr 8 strand (17)(A), incl. Hamilton, Henry, Madison, Mason] and the reasons for the Bill of Rights. | CCSS RH.11–12.6 — evaluate differing points of view on the same question. | Lens · Alternatives — represent each side accurately before judging. |
| The Historian's Dilemma | Fact vs. Interpretation [Evidence (MC)] · Name the Lens [Word] · Judge the Argument [Evidence (MC)] · Sort the Statements [Evidence-sort] | HS U.S. History skills — NEW (28) historiography strand: how historians interpret the past; distinguish fact from interpretation and evaluate a source’s argument (2022 TEKS, implemented 2024–2025). | CCSS RH.11–12.8 — evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence. | Lens · Evidence · Alternatives — judge interpretations by evidence, not appeal. |
| The Rhetoric Lab | Name the Appeal [Evidence (MC)] · The Emotional Appeal [Word] · Spot the Fallacy [Evidence (MC)] · Match the Techniques [Evidence-sort] | HS ELA — analyze rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) and identify logical fallacies; HS U.S. History — analyze the persuasive purpose of founding documents. | CCSS RI.11–12.6 — analyze how style/rhetoric advance purpose; RH.9–10.6 — identify aspects of a text that reveal point of view. | Lens · Evidence · Response — name the technique; flag the fallacy. |