How to run One Star or Many? 1845 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 costs-and-benefits map and source routine; model claim + evidence and steelmanning. | Giving your own verdict on whether Texas should have joined. |
| 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 (The Republic at a crossroads) — 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 (articles) live on the Surface page, one set per topic. Confirm access through your district before class.
Before teaching, brainstorm every direction the annexation 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… |
|---|---|
| how individuals, events, and issues shaped the Republic and its annexation | §113.19(c)(3), (c)(4) |
| the Republic's debt, trade, and changing economy | §113.19(c)(11)(A–C) |
| how the Texas economy was tied to the United States | §113.19(c)(12) |
| the principles and structure of Texas government and the vote to annex | §113.19(c)(13), (c)(14) |
| different points of view and what responsible leadership chose | §113.19(c)(16), (c)(17) |
| using and questioning sources; claim + evidence; communicating conclusions | §113.19(c)(20), (c)(22) |
| defining the problem, weighing options, choosing & evaluating a solution | §113.19(c)(23)(B) |
Confirm access through your district's approved catalog before class. Vetted, free, Texas-focused starting points:
Aligned to (not reproduced from) 19 TAC Ch.113 §113.19.