Blazing the Western Trails

Subject Area: Social Studies

Grade Level(s): 5

Duration of Activity: 6 days

Description of Activity:

This activity will capture students’ attention and transport them in their imaginations to the cowboy way of life. While reading the book Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World students will explore the ways of the old West. They will use various types of software packages such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel XP, to complete fun and educational activities.

Objectives:

• The students will learn how to navigate a Web site.
• The students will download pictures off the World Wide Web and use Microsoft PowerPoint to create group presentations about different rodeo events.
• The students will create spreadsheets to find averages for each rodeo event using Microsoft Office XP Excel or other spreadsheet software.
• The students will compare and contrast the old West to the new West.

Materials/Equipment:

• Computers with Internet access
• Large monitor or projector
• Television and VCR
• A video of a rodeo. NFR [National Finals Rodeo] 2000 Highlights may be purchased at http://www.rodeovideo.com
• Microsoft Office XP Excel or other spreadsheet software
• Printer
• Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walter ISBN #0688066453
• Bill Pickett : Rodeo-Ridin’ Cowboy by Andrea D. Pinkney and Brian Pinkney ISBN #015200100X
• Guts : Legendary Black Rodeo Cowboy Bill Pickett by Cecil Johnson ISBN #1565301625
• Handout 1: Bill Picket Scavenger Web Search
• Handout 2: Cattle Brand Example Sheet
• Handout 3: Making Your Own Western Cattle Brand
• Handout 4: Rodeo Score Sheet
• Handout 5: Past and Present Comparisons
• Handout 6: Writing Rubric for Grade 4

Prerequisites (skills or background needed):

• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office XP Excel or other spreadsheet software
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint or other presentation software
• Completion of reading chapters 1-4 of Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World before beginning the first day’s activities

Procedure

Teacher Component: The teacher will

1. bookmark sites for the students to use prior to class.
2. review Chapters 1- 4 of Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World with the students.
3. show each Web site on the large monitor/projector and explain how to move around each site.
4. distribute Handout 1: Bill Pickett Scavenger Web Search.
5. discuss the students’ findings after completing Handout 1: the Bill Pickett Scavenger Web Search.
6. discuss how and why brands were used using Handout 2: Cattle Brand Example Sheet.
7. distribute Handout 3: Making Your Own Western Cattle Brand and allow students to create their own brands.
8. display each brand as the students complete their drawings.
9. distribute Handout 4: Rodeo Score Sheet.
10. explain Handout 4: Rodeo Score Sheet to the students.
11. show a rodeo video such as NFR 2000 Highlights to the students.
12. guide the students as they create spreadsheets using the information gathered from Handout 4: Rodeo Score Sheet to find averages for the scores in the rodeo events.
13. discuss the various events that take place during a rodeo, such as bull riding, barrel racing, roping, team roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, and bulldogging.
14. review how to create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.

15. assign students a partner

16. assign a rodeo event to each group.
17. guide the students in creating presentations on the different rodeo events using Microsoft PowerPoint or other presentation software.
18. lead a discussion on the differences between the time of the western migration and the present day, using examples such as transportation, housing, food, clothing, and so forth.
19. distribute Handout 5: Past and Present Comparisons.

Student Activities: The students will

1. read Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World on a daily basis in pairs, in small groups, as a class, or independently, reading chapters 1-4 before beginning the lesson activities
2. participate in a class discussion at the end of each chapter.

Day 1

1. navigate through the bookmarked sights about Bill Picket as the teacher goes through them using the large-screen monitor or projector.
2. complete Handout 1: Bill Pickett Scavenger Web Search.
3. share his/her findings from Handout 1: the Bill Pickett Scavenger Web Search.

Day 2

1. read chapters 5-7 of Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World
2. participate in a class discussion about how and why brands were used on animals in the West.
3. complete Handout 3: Making Your Own Western Brand.

Day 3

1. read chapters 8-9 of Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World
2. watch a rodeo video and take notes of the different events, including each participant’s name and score or time, using Handout 4: Rodeo Score Sheet.

Days 4 and 5

1. read chapters 10 and 11 of Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World
2. work with a partner to download pictures from the World Wide Web and create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation of an assigned rodeo event.
3. share their presentations with the rest of the class.
4. print out handouts for their classmates using the options in Microsoft PowerPoint to print the slides as notes pages with 3 slides per page

Day 6

1. read the remaining chapters in the book.
2. discuss the differences between the time of the western migration and the present day, using examples such as transportation, housing, food, clothing, and so forth.
3. complete Handout 5: Past and Present Comparisons.

Accommodations:

1. The teacher can bookmark sites for easy access.
2. Hard copies may be printed for students who have trouble using the computer. If Microsoft PowerPoint software is not available, HyperStudio, Microsoft Works or Microsoft Word, or other appropriate software may be used.
3. For the one-computer classroom, students can take turns doing research on the computer and reading Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World at their seats or listening to the book at the listening center.

Extension Activities:

• Make biscuits from scratch and stress the importance of accurate measurement.
• Bring in resource people such as a rancher to discuss how branding is done or a cowboy to discuss rodeo life.
• Have the students research St. Louis, Missouri, the setting for the book.
• Have a school cowboy day with roping and/or a greased pig contest and/or bring a horse and cow to school.
• Trace the route of the western migration using software such as Road Atlas or Trip Maker to enhance mapping skills.
• Have the students create spreadsheets using the information gathered from Handout 4: Rodeo Score Sheet to find averages for the scores in the rodeo events
• Have the students try their hand at writing ballads about cowboys to go with their Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.
• Find a class in the West where a lot of cattle are raised (Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas, for example) and correspond with that class electronically.
• Have the students browse the Web site American Cowgirl / http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/cowgirl/ and write a paragraph about what they learned from the site.

Integration:

• Social Studies
• Technology
• Language Arts

Assessments:

1. Students will complete comprehension questions taken from their Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.
2. Students will write individual paragraphs comparing the lifestyle of the Old West to today's lifestyles. They will be scored according to Handout 6: Writing Rubric.

URLs:

• Bill Pickett
  http://www.famoustexans.com/billpickett.htm
• Bill Pickett
  http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9713/bwcowboys.html
• Bill Pickett
  http://www.billpickettrodeo.com
• Bill Pickett - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pickett
• Bill Pickett
  http://library.thinkquest.org/2667/Pickett.htm
• Library of Congress—American Memory—Rodeo
  http://www.loc.gov/
• Cowboy Hall of Fame
  http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/
• Professional Bull Riders (PBR)
  http://www.pbrnow.com

Curriculum Frameworks

Mississippi:

Fifth Grade

1. Examine the historical development of the United States of America. (H, G)
3. Analyze the formation of and territorial expansion of our nation (e.g., founding of the original thirteen English colonies, Westward Expansion, addition of states and territories, etc.).
3. Analyze spatial and ecological relationships between people, places, and environments utilizing social studies tools (e.g., timelines, mental and physical maps, globes, resources, graphs, a compass rose, political cartoons, charts, primary and secondary sources, technology, and other geographical representations). (C, H, G, E)
7. Analyze spatial and ecological relationships between people, places, and environments utilizing social studies tools (e.g., timelines, mental and physical maps, globes, resources, graphs, a compass rose, political cartoons, charts, primary and secondary sources, technology, and other geographical representations). (C, H, G, E)
1. Analyze the effects of different types of technology on places (e.g., railroads in the 19th Century, satellite communications in the 20th Century, etc.).
2. Use social studies tools to determine how changing technology has affected the relationship between people and places.

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS):

5. Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, Web tools, digital cameras, and scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)

TerraNova:

26 Historical and Cultural Perspectives (Level 11-21/22)

Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and process skills related to the study of time, continuity, and societal change throughout history.

Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and process skills related to the study of the contributions, influences, and interactions of various cultures

Construct answers and create solutions or products using inquiry skills and knowledge related to historical and cultural perspectives.

Link and Feedback to Author(s):

Amanda Holder, Hunter Middle School, Drew, Ms.
holderamanda@hotmail.com