② Deep · Connect & organize

Phase 2 — Connect & organize

Now students take the facts from Phase 1 and relate them: mapping how tension built, questioning real sources, and comparing points of view. Deep learning is where knowledge becomes usable — the bridge to the problem.

🎯 By the end of Phase 2 students can organize the causes and effects of rising tension, read a primary source for its author and point of view, and defend a claim with evidence — the exact moves the problem will demand.

Concept mapping · d 0.64§113.15(c)(3)(A), (c)(12)(B), (c)(19)(A)

1 · Cause → effect concept map of rising tension

Build a class concept map with “Rising tension in Texas, by 1835” in the center. On the left, cluster the causes; on the right, the effects. Draw arrows and say each cause-and-effect sentence aloud. Along the way, compare how Spanish colonial government ran Texas with the early Mexican government after 1821 (§(c)(12)(B)).

Causes (what built the tension)	Effects (what happened)
far-off government changing the rules	colonists and Tejanos feel unheard
the Law of April 6, 1830 (limits on settlement & new taxes)	anger, smuggling, and protest
Mexico shifts from a shared republic toward stronger central control	calls for reform — and, for some, for independence
disagreements over rights, land, and self-government	Texas moves toward revolution

Talk move: draw an arrow from any cause to an effect and say the cause-and-effect sentence aloud. This rehearses §113.15(c)(3)(A).

📚 Background: Handbook of Texas · Texas Revolution ↗ · Handbook · Law of April 6, 1830 ↗

Elaboration & organization · d 0.72§113.15(c)(13)(A), (c)(19)(A–B)

2 · Primary sources — read for author & point of view

Give pairs one or two real (district-approved) primary sources. Two fit this unit especially well:

Travis's “Victory or Death” letter (1836) — William B. Travis, defending the Alamo, writes to “the People of Texas & all Americans in the world” asking for help. Read a short excerpt only (for example his signature line, “Victory or Death”).
The Texas Declaration of Independence (March 2, 1836) — the document in which Texas declared itself free of Mexico. Read only the opening idea: that a government should protect the rights of the people.

Use a four-question source routine:

Source: Who wrote this, when, and why?
Observe: What does it actually say? (facts only)
Point of view: Whose side does it tell — and whose is missing?
Question: What does it make you want to find out?

Credibility check (c)(19)(B): is this a first-hand record from 1836, or someone's later retelling? How do we know?

📚 Primary sources: Texas State Library & Archives · Travis's “Victory or Death” letter ↗ · TSL · Texas Declaration of Independence ↗ · Handbook of Texas · Declaration of Independence ↗ · National Archives · Texas Declaration record ↗

Argumentation · d 0.86§113.15(c)(3)(B–C), (c)(19)(A–B)

3 · Points of view — compare three Texans, then make a claim

The same year looked very different depending on who you were. In trios, students study three points of view, then each writes a structured claim about which concerns were strongest. Then they state the other sides' strongest points (civil discourse).

🌾 An Anglo colonist farmer

Came for cheap, rich farmland under Mexican law. Worries about new taxes, distant courts, and rules made far away in Mexico City.

🐎 A Tejano rancher

Family has ranched Texas land for generations. Wants Texas to prosper and to keep its voice — some Tejano leaders wanted reform, and some joined the fight for independence.

🏛️ A Mexican government official

Loyal to the law and to Mexico. Sees the colonists breaking rules and worries Texas could be pulled away from the nation.

Claim question: In 1835, which concern do you think was strongest — rights, loyalty, land, or community? Give your claim, one piece of evidence from Phase 1 or the sources, and your reasoning.

Sentence stems (ELPS support): “My claim is ______.” · “My evidence is ______.” · “This matters because ______.” · “Someone who disagrees might say ______, but ______.”

Note: founders such as José Antonio Navarro, Juan Seguín, and Lorenzo de Zavala — Tejano and Mexican-born leaders — helped shape Texas independence. Their choices show this was not a one-sided story (§(c)(3)(C)).

📚 Founders: Handbook · Juan Seguín ↗ · Handbook · José Antonio Navarro ↗ · Handbook · Lorenzo de Zavala ↗

✅ Deep check before the problem: can students name a cause and an effect of rising tension, read one source for its author and point of view, and state a claim with evidence? Those three abilities are exactly what Phase 3 will ask them to transfer.

‹ Phase 1 — Surface Phase 3 — Transfer ›

Aligned to (not reproduced from) 19 TAC Ch.113 §113.15; effect sizes from Visible Learning MetaX.