Cowboys & Ranches
Rodeo. Boots, Stetsons. Bulls. Chaps. Spurs. Reigns. Cowboy Hats. Wild Rag. Mustangs. Longhorns. Wranglers. Buckaroos. Wild, Wild West!
Although we tried to just do "cowboys" we ended up also studying outlaws, gun fighters, lawmen, etc. We have included some of the other famous people of the Wild, Wild West.
Please see the General History page for more books and links.
The other units that go along with this unit are:
| Resources--books | Resources--websites | Projects | Writing assignments |
Resources
Books
Non-Fiction--Information books:
- A Cowboy in the Wild West by Adam Woog (KidHaven 2002; ISBN 0737709901)
- Black Cowboys by Ryan P. Randolph (Rosen, 2003; ISBN 0823962946)
- Cowboy, an Album by Linda Grandfield (Ticknor & Fields, 1993; ISBN 0395684307)
- Cowboy Cooking by Mary Gunderson (Capstone, 2000; ISBN 073680353X)
- Cowboy Culture, A Saga of Five Centuries by David Dary (University Press of Kansas, 1981; ISBN 0700603905)
- Cowboy; How Hollywood Invented the Wild West by Holly George-Warren (Reader's Digest, 2002; ISBN 0762103752)
- Cowboy Way by Mimi Altree, Photographs by Don Contreras (Longstreet, 2002; ISBN 1563526883)
- Cowboy Poets and Cowboy Poetry by David Stanley & Elaine Thatcher (University of Illinois Press, 2000; ISBN 025206836X)
- Cowboyin' II by John McQuarrie (ISBN 0969976143)
- Cowboys by Joan Anderson, photographs by George Ancona (Scholastic, 1996; ISBN 0590484249)
- Cowboys by Leonard J. Matthews (Rourke, 1989; ISBN 0866253637)
- Cowboys by Martin W. Sandler (Harper Collins, 1994; ISBN 0060233184)
- Cowboys of the Frontier by Charles W. Sundling (ABDO, 2000; ISBN, 157765045X) KR
- Cowboy; the illustrated History by Richard W. Slatta, Ph.D. (Sterling, 2006; ISBN 10402718004)
- Draw; The greatest gunfights of the American West by James Reasoner (Penguin, 2003, 0425191931)
- He Was Singin' This Song by Jim Bob Tinsley (University Presses of Florida, 1981; ISBN 081300683X)
- In the Days of the Vaqueros by Russell Freedman (Clarion Books, 2001; ISBN 0395967880)
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Old West by Mike Flanagan (Alpha, 1999; ISBN 0028629450)
- The Cowboy Hero by William W. Savage, Jr., (University of Oklahoma Press, 1979; ISBN 0806119209)
- You Wouldn't Want to Live in a Wild West Town! by
Peter Hicks, illustrated by David Antram (Franklin Watts, 2002; ISBN
0531146065) KR
Black and White Hats:
No study about cowboys would be complete without telling the story of the men who wore the black hats and those who wore the white hats (aka. the outlaws and the lawmen). Sometimes the true color of their hats was gray. Here is a list of books we enjoyed.
- Allen Pinkerton by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, ; ISBN 0894908902)
- Bat Masterson by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, 1992; ISBN 0894903624)
- Bell Starr by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, 1992; ISBN 0894903632)
- Billy the Kid by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, 1992; ISBN 089490364)
- Billy the Kid by Daniel E. Harmon (Chelsea, 2002; ISBN 0791064832)
- Buffalo Bill Cody by Charles J. Shields (Chelsea House, 2002; ISBN 0791064972)
- Butch Cassidy by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, ; ISBN 0894905872)
- Doc Holliday by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, ; ISBN 0894905899)
- Gunfighters by Leonard J. Matthews (Rourke, 1989; ISBN 0866253610)
- Jessie James by Barbara Saffer (Chelsea House, 2002; ISBN 0791064999)
- Jesse James by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, 1992; ISBN 0894903659)
- Judge Roy Bean by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, ; ISBN 0894905910)
- Lawmen and Outlaws; the Wild, Wild West by Jess Bard (Scholastic, 2005; ISBN 0516251309)
- Outlaws of the American West by D.J. Herda (Millbrook, 1995; ISBN1562944495)
- The Dalton Gang by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, ; ISBN 0894905880)
- The Younger Brothers by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, 1995; ISBN 0894905929)
- Wild Bill Hickok by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, 1992; ISBN 0894903667)
- Wyatt Earp, by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford (Enslow, 1992; ISBN 0894903675)
- Wyatt Earp, the OK Corral and the Law of the American West by William Urban (Rosen, 2003; ISBN 0823957403)
Activity Books:
- Cattle Drive by Robynne Eagan (TLC, 2002; ISBN 1573103519)
- Cowboy Cooking by Mary Gunderson ( Blue Earth Books, 2000; ISBN 073680353X)
Fiction:
Audio/visual:
- Watch some western movies
- The Cowboys starring John Wayne
- All About Cowboys for Kids (2 disc) (2004)
- Cowboy Country (4 disc) (2006)
Websites
General Cowboy Sites:
- Lone Hand Western Music, food, chuck wagon and more!
- Cowboys from American West (lots of links)
- Cowboys from PBS
- Cowboys and Cowgirls from Wikipedia List of Cowboys and Cowgirls
- Cowboy Lore and Cowboy History from Cowboy Showcase (this site also has a great glossary)
Gear Sites:
- Cowboy Boot (history of)
- Stetson Cowboy Hat
- History of the Cowboy Hat
- Western Emporium a store that sells authentic Old West clothing (we used it just for looking)
Trails:
Famous Cowboy Names (cowgirls too) Famous Gunslingers
- Names of Cowboys, Indians, outlaws, Movie Legends and their horses!
- Cowboy lingo from North Pole West This site also have a Christmas Dinner menu
- Texaian Cowboy lingo page
- Western name generator
- Rodeo Terminology
- Diamond R Ranch from National Cowboy Museum don't miss the quiz
- The Overland Trail and their Personalities of the West (list of links)
- Cowboy Book "Gathering Remnants; A Tribute to the Working Cowboy"
- Western Slang and Phrases (no foul language here)
- Texas Cowboy Rodeo (this is a early elementary classes unit on cowboys in Texas and will show you some great ideas.)
- Buffalo Bill from PBS
- Buffalo Bill from America's Library
- Buffalo Bill from American West
- The Cattle Industry from American West (history on the net)
- Enchanted Learning worksheets from "rodeo"
- The Cowboy Photographer don't miss the clothing and the Animal and Gear pages--the other pages are great too!
- Cyber Rodeo
- Texas Longhorn
- Cowboy poetry list of links
- Dodge City History
- Kansas Gunfighters
- Brands
Unit studies:
- Wild, Wild West from Ed Helper
- Home on the Range from Oklahoma State
- Kicking Back Cowboy Style from Ed Helper
- Cowboy from abcteach
- Ride 'Em Cowboy (Buffalo Bill Cody) from Montana and PBS pdf
- Bill Picket, Bulldoggin' Cowboy from Oklahoma 4H
- Cowboys lesson plan from Discovery School
- Cowboy unit (5 lessons) from Jeffco Multicultural Lesson Plans
- The Cowboy Life from Education World
- Cowboy Gear from National Park Service
Projects
- Flapbook on the cowboys.
*design a unique brand
*report on a cowboy
*vocabulary
*cowboy poetry (one unique)
*equipment list
*map of the trails
food
report on the year in the life of a cowboy
label a cowboy
describe a cattle drive
parts of a cow
parts of a horse
cowboys from around the world
outlaw v cowboy
history of cowboys
history of a piece of equipment of clothing
cowgirl - eat like a cowboy for a week
- learn to ride a horse
- learn to rope a cow
- sing cowboy songs around the campfire
Writing assignments
- Flapbook writing
- report on ghost town
Completed: November 2006
Last update: May, 2007
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