Texas Almanac (Paperback: 2002-2003)

The Almanac is the handiest source for such Texas information as the words to the state song, the pledge to the Texas flag, and the text of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Special features in this edition include: a comprehensive study of the routes of the Camino Real -- also called the King's Highway, the Royal Road, and the Old San Antonio Road -- explains where it went and why and why it was designated "royal"; the story behind the recent excavation near Victoria of French explorer La Salle's ill-fated seventeenth-century colony, popularly called Fort St. Louis; the newest population count, done in 2000 by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, including county and town counts, plus an analysis of the numbers by experts at Texas' State Data Center; the little-known story of an offer made by Samuel F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph, to officials of the Republic of Texas and what the Republic's surprising response was; how and why Italians and Jews came to the Lone Star State and what they have added to the diverse cultural mix that is Texas; and a list of more than 16,000Texas place names -- expanded from the last edition -- including more than 5,800 existing cities, town and communities, as well as more than 10,000 others that no longer exist.

The Texas Almanac Teacher's Guide is a one hundred-plus-page professionally written teaching tool to help teachers use this factually dense Texas resource in classrooms from the third grade through high school, with suggested interdisciplinary activities based on information found in the Texas Almanac 2002-2003. Each lesson is coded to indicate how it helps fulfill TAAS and TEKS objectives. Students use the Almanac to complete the assignments, which include questions, puzzles, and team research projects. Available in October.