‹ July 5 & Black Freedom Holidays
Activity Correlation Guide · Grades 3–12

Standards Correlation Guide

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).

About these citations — please read. Alignments are given at the knowledge-and-skills strand level and describe content that is aligned to the Texas Social Studies and English Language Arts TEKS and the Common Core literacy standards. They are supporting resources, not reproductions of official standard statements. TEKS numbering shifts between the 2018 and 2022 Social Studies standards and continues to be reviewed by the State Board of Education, so confirm the exact student-expectation codes against your district’s adopted version. Historical summaries are written for each grade band; verify names, dates, and sources against the linked references before classroom use.
Texas framing (TEC §28.0022). These activities present slavery and racism as deviations from, betrayals of, or failures to live up to the authentic founding principles of the United States — liberty and equality, consistent with Texas Education Code §28.0022(a)(4)(A)(viii). They foreground primary-source evidence and the gap between the nation’s stated ideals and its practice — the same argument Frederick Douglass made on July 5, 1852 — and are written to be explored objectively and free from political bias (§28.0022(a)(2)). Teachers retain discretion over any discussion of related controversial topics; this guide is a supporting resource, not legal advice.
Grades 3–5 · Remembering Freedom Days
ActivityLocksTEKS alignment (strand level)Common Core literacyCLEAR focus
The Day After the Fireworks Date Lock · Evidence Lock · Word Lock · Evidence Sort Gr 5 History/Citizenship — key individuals and the meaning of freedom and equality in U.S. history; the idea that national ideals were not shared by all. CCSS RI.3–5.1 — use text details to support explicit statements and inferences. Claim · Evidence — state what the source shows and support it from the text.
Freedom’s Eve Word Lock · Date Lock · Evidence Lock · Order Lock Gr 5 History — events and documents that expanded freedom, including the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of slavery. CCSS RI.3–5.3 — describe relationships between events across time using the text. Evidence · Response — sequence events and conclude what the night meant.
The Pinkster Celebration Evidence Lock · Word Lock · Evidence Lock · Evidence Sort Gr 5 Citizenship — customs, celebrations, and contributions of diverse groups to American culture and identity. CCSS RI.3–5.1 — use explicit text details to answer questions. Evidence · Alternatives — select supported facts and reject distractors.
Juneteenth: Freedom Reaches Texas Date Lock · Evidence Lock · Word Lock · Evidence Sort Gr 5 History — the end of slavery; Texas’s connection to Juneteenth as a national observance. CCSS RI.3–5.3 — explain the connection between historical events using the text. Claim · Evidence — verify each claim against the clues.
Grades 6–8 · Community, Voice & Evidence
ActivityLocksTEKS alignment (strand level)Common Core literacyCLEAR focus
The Corinthian Hall Address Central Claim [Evidence] · Word Lock · Date Lock · Evidence Sort Gr 8 History — the abolition movement and analysis of primary sources; American beliefs reflected in and challenged through founding-era rhetoric. 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.
The First of August Date Lock · Word Lock · Evidence Lock · Evidence Sort Gr 8 History — the abolition movement; the expansion of freedom and its transnational connections. CCSS RH.6–8.1 — cite textual evidence; RH.6–8.5 — analyze cause/effect and sequence. Evidence · Alternatives — separate this observance’s features from those of others.
Election Day Festivals (hist. “Negro Election Day”) Evidence Lock · Word Lock · Evidence Lock · Evidence Sort Gr 8 History/Government — colonial life and the development of civic participation and self-government. CCSS RH.6–8.2 — determine central ideas and summarize; RH.6–8.6 — identify purpose/point of view. Claim · Evidence — summarize accurately and support with evidence.
Freedom Calendars Evidence Sort · Date Lock · Evidence Lock · Word Lock Gr 8 skills — evaluate the reliability of sources, distinguish fact from opinion, and identify bias. CCSS RH.6–8.8 — distinguish fact from reasoned judgment; RH.6–8.1 — cite evidence. Lens · Evidence — judge claims by the strength of their support.
Grades 9–12 · Public Memory & Argument
ActivityLocksTEKS alignment (strand level)Common Core literacyCLEAR focus
Contested Meaning: Whose Holiday? Define [Evidence] · Word Lock · Judge the Argument [Evidence] · Evidence Sort HS U.S. History / Government — analysis of primary sources and the development of American civic ideas and public memory. CCSS RH.11–12.2 — analyze central ideas; RH.11–12.8 — evaluate premises, claims, and evidence. Claim · Lens · Alternatives — hold competing meanings accountable to evidence.
Recovering Lost Observances Evidence Sort · Word Lock · Evidence Lock · Evidence Lock HS U.S. History skills — historiography: how historians interpret the past and evaluate primary vs. secondary sources. CCSS RH.11–12.3 — evaluate explanations and gaps; RH.11–12.9 — integrate diverse sources. Lens · Evidence · Alternatives — read silence in the record critically.
The Rhetoric of Civic Speech Name the Appeal [Evidence] · Word Lock · Spot the Reasoning [Evidence] · Evidence Sort HS ELA — analyze ethos/pathos/logos and identify irony and fallacy; HS U.S. History — the persuasive purpose of civic texts. CCSS RI.11–12.6 — analyze style/rhetoric; RH.9–10.6 — identify point of view/purpose. Lens · Evidence · Response — name the technique and tie it to the text.
Designing a School Observance Evidence Sort · Evidence Lock · Word Lock · Order Lock HS U.S. History/Government skills — construct evidence-based arguments and address counterarguments. CCSS W.11–12.1 — write arguments with claim, evidence, and counterclaims; RH.11–12.8 — evaluate an argument. Claim · Evidence · Response — build and order an evidence-based case.

Selected sources & further reading