Our country, the wonderful place we have today, was made by lots of people of various backgrounds and cultures.  Here is a little information about some of these people.
 

African Americans

Black cowboys played an indispensable role in the "Real West".  They rode the range and drove cattle.  The pay was low and the work was dangerous & lonely; not like the portrayal in movies.  Even though the black cowboy worked hard, proved he was equal, and helped build the West, this era of our history is mostly forgotten.  To learn more about the black cowboy.
 

Have you ever heard of the "Yellow Rose of Texas"?  This phrase is not about "what" it is about a "who".  The who is Emily West Miller.  Emily was a mulatto indentured servant of James Morgan.  Her actions helped determine the path of the Mexican American war.  See The Rose for more information.

Will Rogers is a cowboy legend.  Did you know that a black rodeo star performed with him in Madison Square Gardens in 1905?  Bill Pickett helped to save the crowd at the show when a bull steer got lose and terrified the crowd.  Bill Pickett became a rodeo star and in 1971 he was the first African American inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.  Click here to learn more about Bill Pickett.

African Americans served in other areas of the West.  They worked as fur traders and frontiersman.  They helped to chart the famous expeditions of Lewis and Clark across the continent.  Click here for more about the fur trade.
 

Chinese Americans

The Southern Pacific railroad brought the majority of early Chinese immigrants to the West.  They came to build the railroad.  They were paid $1.00 per day for the hard back-breaking work.  This was .50 less than Anglo workers received.  After the railroad was completed, most of the immigrants were sent back to California.  Others stayed by seeking employment in the mines.  (Click picture to learn more).

Native Americans

We have learned about the natives who were here in America when it was "discovered"  During the frontier days what were they doing?  Here you can find some interesting information about some well known leaders of the past: (click on name)

• Sitting Bull
• Geronimo
• Crazy Horse

Other groups of people who could be found in the west due to immigration included: Germans, Gypsies, Irish, Jewish, Norwegian, Russian and Swedish.  You can learn more about these groups by clicking here.
 
 

Famous women of the west

                        click on the picture for information
 
 

ACTIVITY # 1
 
 

1.  Grade Level	Fifth grade activities.  Students with special needs can use the headphones and/ or can work with an assigned partner.
2.  Approximate Time of Activity	Students will spend 30 minutes exploring the sites. The reminder of the class period will be used to complete the worksheet about "Women of the Frontier ".
3.  Integrating Subject Areas	Students will integrate social studies and communication skills (reading & writing) in this activity.
4.  Rationale for this Activity	The activity is valuable because it will give the student knowledge about our country during another time period.  This information can be used to give the student background knowledge on some of the various cultures of people in the United States today.

5.  NC Standard Course of  Study Objectives	SKILL I:   The learner will acquire information from a variety of sources.  SKILL III: The learner will develop skills in constructive interpersonal relationships and in social participation.  Competency Goal 1      The learner will analyze the characteristics of the people of the Western Hemisphere.  Competency Goal 5      The learner will evaluate ways the people of the Western Hemisphere use, modify and adapt to the physical environment.
6.  Activity Sequence	1. Click on the pictures of each woman above and complete the worksheet.
7.  Assessment Criteria	The worksheet should be completed during the 45 minute class period  Information should be correct.

ACTIVITY # 2
 
 
 

1.  Grade Level	Fifth grade activities. Students with special needs can use the headphones and/ or can work with an assigned partner.
2.  Approximate Time of Activity	Students will spend 30 minutes exploring the sites.  The next class activity will be used for finding the article and writing a short 100 word essay about their opinion.
3.  Integrating Subject Areas	Students will integrate social studies and communication skills (reading, handwriting and spelling) in this activity.  They will also need to use critical thinking skills.
4.  Rationale for this Activity	The activity is valuable because it will give the student knowledge about our country during another time period.  This information can be used to give the student background knowledge on some of the various cultures of people in the United States today.
5.  NC Standard Course of  Study Objectives	SKILL I:   The learner will acquire information from a variety of sources.  SKILL II:  The learner will use information for problem solving, decision making, and planning.  SKILL III: The learner will develop skills in constructive interpersonal relationships and in social participation.  Competency Goal 2     The learner will assess the influence of major religions, ethical beliefs, and aesthetic values on life in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.  Competency Goal 5      The learner will evaluate ways the people of the Western Hemisphere use, modify and adapt to the physical environment.
6.  Activity Sequence	1.  During the great western movement and frontier times, children learned to shoot guns and there were many ways that violence were a part of everyday life.  Today people disagree about violence in everyday life and about how guns should be used. Find articles about the use of guns or violence in the media.  2.  Complete your article worksheet summarizing the article & include whether the article for or against guns?  3.  Punctuation and capitalization must be correct. Please write in your best cursive writing.
7.  Assessment Criteria	Worksheet will state contents of the article without plagiarizing (article must be included). The worksheet must also include the students opinion and why they feel this way.

 
 

Checklist:

NAME______________________________________________
 
 
 
 

4	3	2	1
Follows instructions exactly and all answers  correct.	Answers in cursive and  mostly correct.	Answers not in cursive  and at least two correct.	Answers not in cursive and one or less correct.

 

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RUBRIC

NAME______________________________________________
 
 

Article Information	Article information is stated correctly in the worksheet.  Actual article is present.	Article information is stated incorrectly.  Actual article is present.	Article information is stated incorrectly; no article present.	Article information is not stated; no article present.
Opinion & Supporting Information	Opinion is stated and supported with detail information.	Opinion is stated and supported.	Opinion is stated; not supported.	Opinion not stated nor can be determined.
Punctuation & Capitalization	Punctuation and capitalization are correct.	There is one error in punctuation &/or capitalization.	There are two or three errors in punctuation &/or capitalization.	There are four or more errors in punctuation &/or capitalization.
	4	3	2	1

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