Welcome, Teachers, to the Coastal Prairies and Marshes of Texas' past. Here native peoples, French and Spanish explorers, and others have left archeological evidence of their experiences along the Texas coast. The lessons below focus on the skeletal analysis of a sailor aboard the La Belle, European exploration in Texas, and the lifeways of native and historic peoples in the coastal environment of Texas.
 Death on Board La Belle: Finding Clues from Old Bones!
Students will analyze the skeleton found onboard the La Belle shipwreck by completing an illustrated online interactive and printed report form. Based on the actual analysis of the skeleton and the French shipwreck, the lesson enables students to learn about the sailor’s life during the voyage of La Salle to the New World. Suggested for grades 4th-7th.
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TEKS and download page.
 Fort St. Louis: A Do-It-Yourself History
For this social studies lesson, students will work in cooperative groups to gather primary and secondary source materials from the Texas Beyond History website. They will then incorporate these materials into an illustrated history book about Fort St. Louis, the first French settlement in Texas. Suggested for 7th-grade.
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 The French in Texas
This Social Studies lesson for 4th grade students is correlated to the Belle exhibit and other websites. Through researching, journal writing, and answering a variety of questions, students will gain a broad understanding of early French exploration and settlement in Texas. Suggested for the 4th grade.
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 Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans Using historic documents, students will learn to distinguish the difference between primary sources, such as Cabeza de Vaca's journal, La Relación, (The Account) and secondary sources, such as their history books or the posters they will create in this lesson. Suggested for grade level 4 (but easily adapted for 5th, 6th, or 7th).
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TEKS and download page.
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