Curriculum Materials

Future Civil War Major General and President Ulysses S. Grant, started developing his leadership skills as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. Grant’s Memoirs, written 39 years after the battle, mentioned his experience in the battle. Students review a primary and secondary document about the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. The primary document is part of Grant’s Memoirs. The secondary document is a lithograph of the Battle. Afterwards, they answer questions about the documents.

How did Grant’s observations on Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor prepare him for future leadership roles as a Civil War General and President?

During the Battle of Palo Alto, U.S. and Mexican soldiers experienced the thunder of cannon and the sight of cannonballs in the air. You can also discover the sights, sounds, and sensations soldiers experienced during the battle. Students will read primary and secondary quotes about the battle and use them to fill out a graphic organizer. They will convert the weight of cannonballs from pounds to ounces and discuss how the quotes and cannonball weights affected the outcome of the battle.

In wartime, women traditionally served either on the home front or as nurses and laundresses. During the U.S.-Mexican War, most women played these traditional roles while others aided the military in non-traditional ways. Read primary documents about female soldiers, war correspondents, and spies.

Parts of the country opposed the U.S.-Mexican War and viewed it as an unjust war fought to extend slavery. Students divided into groups to review one of three documents from Massachusetts written about the War. One document is Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience. Next, they present the document to the class. At the end, students discuss what actions they would take to stand up for their beliefs.

What would you do if you found a Texas tortoise in the middle of the road? Or if your friend broke the law? In this lesson, students discuss their own values and ethics as well as the importance of respecting the values of others. Next, students learn about laws protecting the state-threatened Texas tortoise. Afterwards, they discuss how their values influence their behavior in various situations.

Simple, fun coloring page activity.

How do the artifacts tell the stories of the soldiers and camp women who served in the Civil War? In this lesson, students: Compare and contrast what Civil War soldiers used during their free time and what you use today Learn how artifacts tell us about the life of a Civil War soldier

Projectiles come in all shapes and sizes. Projectiles are objects with an initial velocity that are only affected by gravity after initial velocity has been obtained. You see projectiles every day – in sports and even dropped from birds. In this lab, you will analyze the physical properties of a water balloon in flight, aka a projectile, over multiple trials.

In this activity, students will learn about nine key participants in the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma and the Siege of Fort Brown. They will discover how the personalities of these key leaders helped them during these clashes and influenced their outcome. Students them compare their own personality traits to discover how they are like or different from these leaders.