How to run Fences on the Range as Problem-Based Learning: your role, the pre-planning maps, pacing, role cards, sources, and debrief prompts. The golden rule — guide, don't tell. In PBL the students should feel they, not you, planned the investigation.
| Phase | What you do | What you resist |
|---|---|---|
| ① Surface | Teach vocabulary and facts efficiently; run the jigsaw; check acquisition. | Rushing to the problem before facts are secure. |
| ② Deep | Facilitate the cause–effect map and source routine; model claim + evidence. | Giving your own interpretation of the sources. |
| ③ Transfer | Read the problem well; hold the KWHL chart; answer questions with questions; point to sources. | Answering the “Need to know” questions yourself. |
The Surface phase uses a four-topic jigsaw (How the range changed) — a high-leverage move (d ≈ 0.92) because every student must teach. The flow: expert groups each study one topic and take notes → students re-mix into home groups with one expert per topic → each expert teaches → an individual check for understanding holds everyone accountable.
The per-expert-group source links (Handbook of Texas entries and museum exhibits) live on the Surface page, one set per topic. Confirm access through your district before class.
Before teaching, brainstorm every direction the fence problem could branch — so you can steer discussion and decide, in advance, which threads are productive and which are too sensitive or off-topic for your class and community.
| If students investigate… | They are working toward… |
|---|---|
| the open-range cattle economy and cattle drives | §113.15(c)(4)(B) |
| the railroad's effect on towns, ranching & farming | §113.15(c)(4)(C) |
| how Texans modified the environment (fencing, windmills) & the consequences | §113.15(c)(8)(A–C) |
| supply & demand and the free-enterprise system | §113.15(c)(10)(A) |
| earning a living by region & the effect of limited resources | §113.15(c)(11)(A–D) |
| using and questioning sources; points of view; claim + evidence | §113.15(c)(19)(A–B) |
| defining the problem, weighing options, choosing & evaluating a solution | §113.15(c)(22)(B) |
Confirm access through your district's approved catalog before class. Vetted, free Texas-history starting points:
Aligned to (not reproduced from) 19 TAC Ch.113 §113.15.