COL Unit Lessons

Texas Song List
The following list is a modest sample of songs that have been identified as relating to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS.) It is the hope of this website that this list will grow. If you know of a tune not on the following list that could be used to enhance the teaching of Texas, please email us with the song title, artist and CD title. Any contributions to this list are gladly appreciated. We would also like to post any lesson plans or ideas on using Texas music in the Texas history classroom as well.

(Hyperlinked song titles indicate lessons posted on this website.)

Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 5 | Unit 6 | Unit 7 | Unit 8 | ITIT Contributor

Unit One: Regional Geography
Celebrating Texas Chapters 1 - 3
The geography unit will introduce the five themes of geography (location, place, human-environment interaction, movement and region) Students will examine in detail the four natural regions of Texas. Basic geography tools and skills with be reviewed and expressed. Students will continue to use these basic geography tools and demonstrate the skills throughout the year. (Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Ohio (Come Back to Texas) by Bowling for Soup from Who Likes Pizza?
• The Brazos by Katy Moffatt from Travelin' Texas Volume 3
  or Texas River Song by Townes Van Zandt from Rear View Mirror Volume Two
• Galveston by Glenn Campbell from All the Best
• Get Your Kicks on Route 66 by Asleep at the Wheel from Live at Billy Bob's Texas
• Gulf of Mexico by Clint Black from Put Yourself in My Shoes
• Panhandle Sunset by Luke Olson from Texas Road Trip
• I've Been Everywhere in Texas by Brian Burns from The Eagle and the Snake
• San Antonio Girl by Lyle Lovett from My Baby Don't Tolerate
• Somewhere Between Texas and Mexico by Pat Green from Lucky Ones
• South Coast of Texas by Guy Clark from Keepers
• Viva Luckenbach by Jerry Jeff Walker from Gypsy Songman
• What I Like About Texas by Gary P. Nunn from What I Like About Texas

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Unit Two: The First Texans
Celebrating Texas Chapter 4
This unit focuses on the Native American cultures in Texas prior to European colonization. Students will analyze the early history, culture and environmental interactions of native peoples. Students will compare and contrast the tribal characteristics such as location, housing, clothing, tools, political, economic and social development.(Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Man Walks Among Us by Brian Burns from The Eagle and the Snake
• Kiowa War Dance Song by Koomsa Tribal Singers from Kiowa: Traditional Kiowa Songs
• Comanche Moon Song from Comanche Flute Music

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Unit Three: Exploration and Colonization
Celebrating Texas Chapter 5, 7, and 8
Students will study reasons for, and locations of, Spanish and French expeditions to develop lasting settlements. An analysis of the Spanish Mission system will be a focus. Early life in Spanish Texas and the process of Mexico's gaining independence from Spain will be addressed as well as the impact of filibusters and emperasios such as Stephen F. Austin. Students will differentiate Spanish and Anglo purposes for settlement in Texas.  (Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Cancio Mixteca by Sisters Morales from Travelin' Texas Volume 3
• Indianola by Brian Burns from Heavy Weather
• Mi Ranchito by Los Super Seven from Los Super Seven
• Sail Cortez by Terry Allen from Juarez
• The Texian Boys by John A. Lomax Jr. from Cowboy Songs on Folkways
  (See page 185 Celebrating Texas)
• The Texas River Song by Townes Van Zandt from Rearview Mirror Volume 2 or
  Lyle Lovett from Step Inside This House

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Unit Four: Texas Revolution
Celebrating Texas Chapter 9 and 10
This unit covers the Texas Revolution. Early conflicts between the Anglo settlers and the Mexican government will be analyzed and the chronicle of events leading to the Declaration of Independence from Mexico. Key battles and individuals who added to the rich fabric of Texas during this era will be studied. (Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Ballad of Davy Crockett by Asleep At The Wheel from AATW Remembers the Alamo
• The Ballad of the Alamo by Brian Burns from The Eagle and the Snake
• Goliad by Brian Burns from The Eagle and the Snake
• Remember the Alamo by Asleep at the Wheel from Remember the Alamo
• Santa Anna by Hermes Nye from Ballads of the Civil War
• Travis's Letter by Brian Burns from The Eagle and the Snake

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Unit Five: Forming the Republic and Early Statehood
Celebrating Texas Chapters 11-13, 27, and 28
The government should be integrated to coincide with both the formation of the new Texas Republic and Texas as the 28th state. Examine the Texas Constitution with an emphasis on the three branches of government and the Bill of Rights. After examining Texas government continue to deal with Texas history from the early days as a republic through the early days of statehood. Problems of the new republic are analyzed, with a special focus on the leadership of Houston and Lamar. The causes and results of the conflicts with Mexico are studied. (Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Immigrant Eyes by Guy Clark from Old Friends
• Levelland by James McMurtry from Live in Aught-Three
• Texas Rangers by Michael Martin Murphy from Cowboy Songs
• The Yellow Rose of Texas by Asleep at the Wheel from Remember the Alamo
• Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child by Pete Seeger from American Favorite  Ballads Volume 3

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Unit Six: Civil War and Reconstruction
Celebrating Texas Chapters 14-15
This unit will address the key events/issues that led to Texas' seceding from the Union, the different perspectives about joining the Confederacy and the conditions for Texans on the home front. A look at reconstruction and the social, political and economic conditions facing Texans after the Civil War are also included. (Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Bonnie Blue Flag by The Harvesters with Elizabeth Knight from Songs of the Civil War
• Clear the Track by Pete Seeger from Songs of the Civil War Disc 1
• John Brown's Body by Pete Seeger from Songs of the Civil War
• Old Susannah by Ruthie Foster from Texas Music History Unplugged 2004
• Stayed on Freedom by Ruthie Foster from Texas Music History Unplugged 2004
• Two Brothers by the Harvesters from Songs of the Civil War

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Unit Seven: Texas Frontier and the Impact of Industry
Celebrating Texas Chapters 16-21
Students will explore Texas history from the period following Reconstruction through the turn of the 20th century. Students will analyze the defeat of the Plains Indians and the development of the cattle industry in Texas - including the importance of the cattle trails and large ranches to Texas' economy. The development of the farming, oil and railroad industries will also be examined. The oil and railroad industries will be studied as they developed through the 1920s and 1930s in this unit. Students will also be given the opportunity to evaluate the various social and political reform movements of this period. (Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Boll Weevil by Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter from The Best of Lead Belly
• Buffalo Skinners by Woody Guthrie from Cowboy Songs on Folkways
• The Crash at Crush by Brian Burns from The Eagle and the Snake and The Crush Collision March by Scott Joplin from The Best of Scott Joplin
• The Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream) by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band from Plain Dirt Fashion
• Hayseed Like Me and The Farmer is the Man by Pete Seeger from American Industrial Ballads
• Little Joe the Wrangler by Cisco Houston from Cowboy Songs on Folkways
• The Old Chisholm Trail by Michael Martin Murphy from Cowboy Songs
• Red Headed Stranger by Willie Nelson from Red Headed Stranger
• Seven Cent Cotton and Forty Cent Meat by Pete Seeger from American Industrial Ballads
• Some Cowboy Brag Talk by Harry Jackson from Cowboy Songs on Folkways

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Unit Eight: 20th Century Texas
Celebrating Texas Chapters 22-26, 29-31
This unit examines Texas from World War I to the present. Emphasis is placed on social, economic, and political issues such as the oil crisis, urbanization, the environment and cultural diversities as they relate on a national and international level. A special focus on social and cultural history will be stressed as the students examine key Texans, their leadership abilities, and key events that shaped our world in the twentieth century. Issues explored will include economics, science and technology. (Community of Learners, CFB-ISD)

• Beans, Bacon and Gravy by Pete Seeger from American Industrial Ballads
• Bob Wills is Still the King by Aleep at the Wheel from Ride with Bob
• Hard Road Alejandro Escovedo from By The Hand Of The Father
• Keep Texas Beautiful by Jerry Jeff Walker from Travelin' Texas Volume 3
• Legend of Bonnie and Clyde by Merle Haggard from For the Record
• The Great Dust Storm by Woody Guthrie from Dust Bowl Ballads
  (See page 479 Celebrating Texas.)
• Mariano by Robert Earl Keen from No. 2 LIVE Dinner
• Mexico Americano by Alejandro Escovedo from By The Hand Of The Father
• Play Chicken with the Train by Cowboy Troy from Loco Motive
• That Will Be the Day by Buddy Holly from Buddy Holly's Greatest Hits
• Wartime Blues by Blind Lemon Jefferson from The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson

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The Brook@Blalack | Table of Lessons | Song List

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