This book goes over the battle of the Alamo and the key figures that impacted this battle. It also goes over why this battle was significant in the Texan Revolution. I believe this would be great to introduce the content when going over the Texas Revolution.

What Was the Alamo? was written by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso. This book is historical, informational, and interesting. This book is not written from any one specific view point, it is written from a historical stand point but instead of a textbook, it is an actual book. If I was teaching the Alamo to 4th graders I would give them a few excerpts and talk about different things about the book and reading comprehension skills. As well their ability to retain the knowledge they read to understand key facts and important details about the Alamo. The book helps with the following teks, it will give information about different names and different significant events.
4th grade tek:
(3) History. The student understands the importance of the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas, and the annexation of Texas to the United States. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the causes, major events, and effects of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of the Alamo, the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Runaway Scrape, and the Battle of San Jacinto;

(B) summarize the significant contributions of individuals such as William B. Travis, James Bowie, David Crockett, Juan N. Seguín, Plácido Benavides, José Francisco Ruiz, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Susanna Dickinson, and Enrique Esparza;

(C) identify leaders important to the founding of Texas as a republic and state, including José Antonio Navarro, Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar, and Anson Jones;

(D) describe the successes, problems, and organizations of the Republic of Texas such as the establishment of a constitution, economic struggles, relations with American Indians, and the Texas Rangers; and

(E) explain the events that led to the annexation of Texas to the United States and the impact of the U.S.-Mexican War.

If I was teaching the Alamo to 7th graders I would have them do a combination of things over the course of several days. Day one, I would give them some readings and questions. Day two/day three I would give them an active learning strategy like matching plate that allows them to discuss with a partner or the class what they learned from the book, I would also like to do a newspaper activity or an I am poem regarding people in the Alamo.

(3) History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues related to the Texas Revolution shaped the history of Texas. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the chain of events that led to the Texas Revolution, including the Fredonian Rebellion, the Mier y Terán Report, the Law of April 6, 1830, the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, and the arrest of Stephen F. Austin;

(B) explain the roles played by significant individuals during the Texas Revolution, including George Childress, Lorenzo de Zavala, James Fannin, Sam Houston, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Juan N. Seguín, and William B. Travis; and

(C) explain the issues surrounding significant events of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales; the siege of the Alamo, William B. Travis's letter "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World," and the heroism of the diverse defenders who gave their lives there; the Constitutional Convention of 1836; Fannin's surrender at Goliad; and the Battle of San Jacinto.

I love this book because it is not a textbook, it is a little bit more personal, there are pictures, and it is easy to understand. My favorite part about the book, and one I think will be really useful when I teach history is this book includes people. People that are significant to the battle of the Alamo, or people that fought in it. (Compound)

This book was copyrighted after 2010. ( )

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I learned so much from reading this book and I am an adult. Kids can do so much with this; I can remember when I had to research the Alamo myself, and I WISH I had this book back then, now. ( )

The Alamo is something this northeasterner only knew the vague details about, so I was pleased to read this children's history book with my son. Interesting details include the infighting and poor planning of the "heroes" of the Alamo that contributed to their defeat, as well as a broader picture of the conflicts among the Mexicans and American settlers in Texas. ( )