The Diary of Col. William Fairfax Gray
Instructional Objectives (4th Grade)
1. The students will learn facts and opinions
given by William Fairfax Gray in his diary.
2. The students will use prior knowledge to compare/contrast ideas
expressed in his diary.
3. The students will use higher level thinking skills to express
opinions using correct language arts skills.
4. The students will calculate answers to given mathematical problems.
TEKS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND READING (GRADE 4)11.
D, 14.A, 15.C, 18
MATHEMATICS (GRADE 4) 3A, 4D
The students will use several excerpts from William Fairfax Gray’s
diary to reason, compare, calculate, and express opinions and
facts in writing.
Getting Ready for the Lesson
Background Information:
William Fairfax Gray (1787-1841) soldier, lawyer,
and author, was born in Fairfax County, Virginia. He served in
the Virginia Militia and was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel.
After leaving the militia he generally engaged in the practice
of law. In 1835 as land agent for Thomas Green and Albert T. Burnley
of Washington, D. C., Gray visited Mississippi and Texas. Upon
arriving in Texas he attended the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos
and attempted to obtain the position of secretary. He failed in
this, but in his diary he kept a faithful record of the convention’s
proceedings, in some cases more complete than the official journal.
In 1837 he moved his family to Texas and settled in Houston. In
addition to practicing law, he served in several political offices
until his death in 1841.
(Source-The New Handbook of Texas)
Teaching Activities
The following are several activities each dealing
with separate excerpts from William Fairfax Gray’s diary.
The activity will begin with the date of the entry. Next you will
find the quote from the diary and the activity. These are written
for fourth and seventh grade students, but because seventh graders
have more knowledge and maturity, they will be able to take these
discussions to a higher level.
Thursday and Friday, February
11-12, 1836
Sunday, February 14, 1836
Sunday, March 20, 1836
Friday, April 8, 1836
