Module 5-Mexican American War-Social Studies 4A - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module students will describe Mexican rule in California, describe daily life in early California, be able to give the who, what, when, where, why of the Mexican American War, identify Mexican settlements, Fort Ross, and Sutter's Fort, and recognize Spanish and Mexican influence in present day California and Texas.

Module Materials:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Material(s)
1	Mexican Rule	pen or pencil;
2	Early Life	pen or pencil;
3	Mexican-American War	pen or pencil;
4	Historical Settlements	scissors glue pen or pencil
5	Spanish and Mexican Influences	crayons or colored pencils (optional) pen or pencil

Module Objectives:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Objective(s)
1	Mexican Rule	Describe Mexican rule in California.
2	Early Life	Describe daily life in early California.
3	Mexican-American War	Give the who, what, when, where, and why of the Mexican-American War.
4	Historical Settlements	Identify the locations of the Mexican settlements Fort Ross and Sutter's Fort.
5	Spanish and Mexican Influences	Recognize Spanish and Mexican influences in present-day California and Texas.

Module Key Words:

Key Words	Vocabulary Words
Mexico California rule government life Mexican American war Texas rights independence treaty annexation cession settlements maritime trade agricultural capital Spanish influences	Rancho Tallow Pueblo Presidio Padre American Indian Treaty Annexation Cession Maritime Trade Agricultural Capital Influence Tex-Mex Architecture

Module Assignments:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Page #	Assignment Title
1	Mexican Rule	6	Friendly Letter
2	Early Life	4	A Day in the Life Activity
2	Early Life	6	Letter to Pen Pal
3	Mexican-American War	5	Mexican-American War Facts
4	Historical Settlements	6	California Settlements Activity
5	Spanish and Mexican Influences	5	Spanish and Mexican Influences Activity

Learning Coach Notes:

None

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title	Question
Mexican Rule	What country ruled California before it was a state? What were the Spanish Missions? What happened to the Spanish Missions established in early California? Who were ranchos? What was life-like when California was a part of Mexico?
Early Life	What is a presidio? What was the purpose of the presidios in Early California? What was life-like for people in missions, pueblos, presidios, and ranchos in early California?
Mexican-American War	What was the cause of the Mexican-American war?
Historical Settlements	What kinds of settlements were there in early Californian history?
Spanish and Mexican Influences	What does it mean to influence something? What is Tex-Mex? What are some Spanish and Mexican influences in Texas and California today?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title	Video	Question
Mexican-American War	Mexican American War	When did the Mexican American War take place? Why was there a war between Mexico and America? What did Texans do when they started to disagree with the Mexican government? Where did the Mexican American War take place? Who won the war?
Spanish and Mexican Influences	Spanish and Mexican Influence	What do all these state names have in common: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah? What is cowboy in Spanish? What religion did Spain bring to America? What type of Mexican food do you see in America? What is adobe?

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

What is the main idea?
What are three things new you learned?
How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

#	Book	Author	Lexile Level
1	The Spanish Missions of California	Megan Gendell
2	The Mexican-American War	Nick Rebman

Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

#	Outing
1	Find an authentic Mexican Restaurant where you live and take your student to lunch or dinner there to experience authentic Mexican food. Discuss Mexican influence on California and Texas.