Irene Berger

Texas History is facinating to me! I've been teaching this subject for 7 years now and still find I know just a tiny bit of its history. I first became interested in Texas History in college when I took a required TX Hist course. The professor presented the information in such an entertaining way it was more like listening to a history comedian, but he also had high expectations about teachers truly understanding the topic before teaching it. I try to model my teaching style the same way, in that I have high expectations of all my students and I try to make it entertaining and interesting for them.

I want students to use visualization to imagine how Texas used to be to understand it's history. I believe in students learning with a hands on approach so that they can dig deeper into topics that may seem boring to them. What kind of projects or methods do I use? Here are some examples:

Create online posters for an 1857 governors election using music, videos, images and text to present each political view and platform.
Create and produce a "CD" about the oil industry which includes music track titles, song lyric writing and performance.
Create a menu reflecting either the old or new world foods which trace where the foods came from.
Create an infographich on the Native American groups that lived in Texas and how they were impacted by Spanish and Anglo American colonization.
Create videos or audio recordings of their oral histories as they interview family members to learn about their own history in Texas.
Role play during an Empresario Fair where they compete to recruit the most settlers by convincing them their land grant settlements have the most to offer.
Play games online to understand the feelings, thoughts and issues involved during the Texas Revolution
Play online games to learn about the US Bill of Rights, the legal process , the Constitution and more!

As you can see I offer more to students than just lecture, notes, and worksheets. Students get as much as they put into it, and I only want them to give me their best effort and I will push for their best every day! Technology plays an important role in many of these projects. Students should expect to spend time in class and at home working online. Some applications we use are listed below. Feel free to check them out!