Past Institutes

Teaching Early Texas History, 1528–1821 (Fall 2025 In-Person Workshop)

On November 6, 2025, Humanities Texas held a one-day workshop in Dallas for social studies teachers on early Texas history from the Age of Contact through the Spanish Colonial period.

Curriculum

Content aligned with the TEKS, focusing on early Texas from the first encounters of American Indians and European explorers through the end of the Spanish Empire's hold on Texas. Team-taught by a historian and master teacher, the workshop offered new assessments of the era and provided a collection of curriculum materials geared toward bringing innovative perspectives into the classroom.

Like all Humanities Texas programs, the workshop featured close interaction with scholars, the examination of primary sources and texts, and the development of effective pedagogical strategies and engaging assignments and activities. Participating teachers received a set of curated primary source lessons that are classroom-ready.

Faculty

The faculty included Andrew Torget (University of North Texas) and Courtney Abubakar (Texas History For Teachers).

Location and Schedule

The workshop took place at the Region 10 Education Service Center. The workshop schedule is available here.

Sponsors

The workshop was made possible with major funding from the State of Texas with ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.