Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: book list, History, LIving Books, Texas

This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by cdm2kk.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

Author
Posts
January 25, 2015 at 8:10 pm
TX-Melissa
Participant
So I guess I need to hear from my fellow Texas CM peeps. 🙂 I am planning to spend part of the year, next year, covering Texas history. My ds will be 12. I’d love to hear what you did for Texas history, especially books we should aim to read. Here is a list I have of what to cover (based on TEKS):
- Regions of Texas and Native Americans
- Exploration and Colonization
- The Texas Revolution
- Government
- Republic of Texas/Statehood
- The Civil War and Reconstruction
- Expansion 1865-1920
- The Modern Era
We’re in central TX, so will be able to hit the Texas History museum in Austin and the Alamo in San Antonio . . .
I’m all ears. 🙂
Thanks!
Melissa
January 26, 2015 at 1:20 pm
wbbeachbum
Participant
We did a road trip through Texas collecting books along the way with my older kids. Nowadays, I suspect that each of those sites have an online store with their best seller books to help you get started. Have fun!
January 26, 2015 at 8:04 pm
TX-Melissa
Participant
That sounds like a wonderful way to do Texas History – any history for that matter. 🙂 We’ll definitely go as far as we can to surrounding areas to see as much as we can. I’ll be using the TEKS list to search out books on the various topics. If you think of any we shouldn’t miss, let us know. We do have a copy of Johnny Texas and will probably read that again. 🙂
Thanks,
Melissa
January 27, 2015 at 6:00 pm
cdm2kk
Participant
I’m doing Texas History along with our US history same time period and here are a few books we have used and liked.
The Story of Texas by John Edward Weems — Our Library has it, but I found it at a library sale for a dime
Texas Sampler by Lisa Waller Rogers — Our library has a copy and I was a little iffy on this resource, but the kids really like it.
Let’s Remember When Texas Belonged to Spain by Betsy Warren — Our library had a copy of this and it is a quick read for sure.
Walk the World’s Rim by Betsy Warren
I had kids check out various books at the library on Stephen F. Austin
Johnny Texas by Carol Huff — my kids loved this one!
Make Way for Sam Houston by Jean Fritz — library had this one
Johnny Texas on the Road to San Antonio by Carol Huff – library came through again for me with this one
Lone Star: A Story of the Texas Rangers by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
This is as far as I have scheduled, but am keeping my eyes out for any other suggestions…. I also have them doing map work learning rivers and towns and the geography of the state (panhandle plains, Big Bend Country, Piney Woods, Gulf Coast, Sout Texas Plains, Hill Country, Prairies & Lakes) and what kinds of Indians lived where….etc. We study the nature in Texas such as common trees, grasses, flowers, birds, insects, and animals (armadillos, horny toads), stones & gems.
We went to the George Ranch, Alamo, and a rodeo
Next year I plan on studying cattle trails and maybe going to the cowboy hall of fame in fort worth and while in that area go to the dinosaur museum too. The year after I plan to go to NASA and the story of Texas discusses the development of the space program….
I also wasn’t quite sure what all they needed to know, so I bought from ACE the school of tomorrow their Texas History Course (this school is all about workbooks, so the opposite of CM, but it was like $5.00 and I felt it would be a great outline for me in scheduling and picking books to cover the material. They mention several Texas heroes some that I haven’t heard of and so I will have kids check out books from the library on these individuals …. Juan Seguin, George Childress, William B. Travis, Mirabeau Lamar, Lorenzo de Zavala, Captain John Harris Rogers…
Anyway, maybe this will help a little bit. I don’t even remember studying Texas history in school at least not in depth and I am really enjoying taking a leisurely stroll through it.

January 28, 2015 at 10:50 am
TX-Melissa
Participant
Great book list and other ideas. Thank you both for helping me get my list started. 🙂
Melissa
July 13, 2015 at 7:26 pm
Heather
Participant
There was a book I loved in late elementary school called “A Paradise Called Texas”. It was about German immigrants sailing into Galveston and settling central Texas.
This website has more info than you would ever care to know about Texas History, including some links to prepared curriculum at the bottom. http://www.classichousewife.com/2012/08/09/ultimate-guide-to-texas-history-homeschool-curriculum/
July 14, 2015 at 10:27 am
TX-Melissa
Participant
Thank you, Heather. I’ll look that up. I am in the thick of planning the school year now. Perfect timing. 🙂
Melissa
May 12, 2016 at 3:10 pm
Victoria Robertson
Participant
I know this is an old post, but I was searching around for TX history recommendations for us to use this year. I found A Paradise Called Texas in a box of books I had in my garage just the other day! My sister in law had given me books from when she taught. Glad that it’s recommended!
May 13, 2016 at 9:25 am
beccawalker2000
Participant
One of my high school teachers has written a wonderful book on Texas history, Sam Houston’s Republic. It is written in a story form, and I would definitely classify it as a living book.
You can find it on Amazon, and there are also teaching materials to go along with the book at http://christianreading.com/ltagawa. They are copyrighted but can be reproduced for home/classroom use.
Hope this helps someone!!
May 18, 2016 at 8:16 pm
cdm2kk
Participant
Well, this year we read the following:
Camels for Uncle Sam by Diane Yancy
Caleb’s Choice by G. Clifton Wisler — highly recommend this one!
Hats are for watering Horses: Why the Cowboy Dressed that way by Mary Blount Christian – could do without…kinda redundant if you are a true Texan and cowboy already, which we are…

These are on my list for next year…..
The Galveston Hurricane by Kristine Brennan
Spindletop by Sibyl Hancock
Search for the Shadowman by Joan Lowery Nixon
Bluebonnet at Johnson Space Center by Mary Casad

Here is a site that I have been using to research and narrow down what to buy or borrow etc. I found an old book that had stories of Texas and it included a lot of the towns around us. The publisher was W S Benson and so when I researched them to see if they had any more I found this site and they are a publisher out of Austin Texas. Kinda cool how it all came about. Just click on the index of products to see all the books about Texas. You can click on a title and it will give you a summary of the book and price and then I do a search on amazon etc. to get the best deal and I have even checked worldcat.org to find if it is located in any of our local libraries.
http://www.wsbenson.com/
Hope this helps.