Cowboys, Cowgirls, and the West
At Home on the Range
How ranchers on the western frontier helped saved the bison from extinction.
Red Dirt Groundbreaker: Bill Pickett, Bull Doggin' Cowboy
Students will be introduced to Pill Pickett, An Oklahoma rodeo personality, who pioneered the rodeo act of bulldogging.
Black Mesa: Where the Rocky Mountains Meet the Short Grass Prairie
Students read about the history, topography and environment of Black Mesa, develop experiments to demonstrate erosion and formation of a mesa, find land features on maps and research related topics.
Don't Fence Me In
Students learn the history of barbed wire and its impact on the development of the west and practice identifying geometric terms using examples of some common styles of barbed wire.
The Farmer And The Cowman
Students make booklets showing the difference between a ranch and a farm.
Get the Point
Students will read about longhorn cattle and answer comprehension questions. Students will measure the spans of longhorn horns from pictures included with this lesson and convert the measurements. Students will answer questions from a chart about numbers of cattle driven to market between 1867 and 1881 and graph the information.
A Handy Measure
Students are introduced to the method used for measuring horses.
Hit the Trail
Student draw three cattle trails that passed through Indian Territory, using a written description of the trails.
Red Dirt Groundbreaker: Lucille Mulhall
Students read about Lucille Mulhall, a famous Oklahoma cowgirl, and participate in activities to strengthen comprehension and vocabulary.
Oklahoma Stone Soup
Students learn about soups around the world and make Oklahoma Stone Soup while acting out an Oklahoma version of the story.
- Smart Board Activity: Sequencing
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Plows on the Hunting Grounds: The Indian Allotment Act of 1887
Students read about the Indian Allotment Act of 1887 and discuss its impact on Oklahoma's Native American tribes and agriculture. Students interpret a map of Indian lands in Indian Territory in 1889.
Red Dirt Groundbreakers
Short bios of some groundbreakers in the history of Oklahoma agriculture, with activites.
Stick Horse Rodeo
Students will learn about the rodeo and hold their own rodeos with age-appropriate activities like "Pig Herding" ( herding balloons or balls), barrel racing with a stick horse, "Wild Cow Milking," "Scatter Square Dancing," etc.
What's Your Brand?
Grades 1-3: ELA, Art
Students will read about the history and purpose of branding cattle and answer comprehension questions. Students will design their own brands and write essays explaining them.
Woods, Lake, Rocks: Art of the Wild West at Woolaroc
Students will learn about the western art on display at Woolaroc museum near Bartlesville, research and write reports on some of the art and artists, and examine the elements of select works of art. Students will study the process for selecting the Pioneer Woman statue.