Barbed wire may have made cattle farming easier, but it brought to an end the free-roaming days of the plains. No longer could Native American groups continue their nomadic lifestyle, and the days of cowboys herding large groups of...

Just how long was the Long Drive? Learners investigate the movement of cattle in the Great Plains during the mid-1800s. They incorporate photographic, newspaper, video, and primary source evidence into their posters, artwork, and written...

Middle Schoolers produce a class newspaper about the American cowboy and the times in which he lived with illustrations, feature stories and advertisements typical of the times. This is an ambitious, yet worthwhile project for youngsters...

Who was Bill Picket? Interested readers work through an informational passage to find out about a famous "bulldogger" from the old West. They answer several reading comprehension questions and use a seven step process to decode new...

Upper elementary learners read about jobs on a cattle drive and the lives of cowboy during U.S. Westward Expansion. They create a "Help Wanted" poster for one of the jobs. After reading primary source accounts of cowboys, they write...

Students explore the American cattle industry history. In this United States history and reading comprehension cross curriculum activity, students read an article about the history of longhorn cattle, then answer comprehension questions...

Students examine the image of the cowboy that is presented in popular culture. Students read about Native American, African American, Mexican, and Canadian Cowboys. For homework, they analyze a classroom textbook's depiction of cowboys.

Learners create "cowboy ballads" in this interactive, multi-day lesson. The cowboy is researched using various sources and class discussions. Students evaluate individual work at the end of the lesson.

Students examine how cowboys lives have changed over the years. They also explore what a tall tale is and create their own.

Students examine the types of foods eaten after the Civil War. They create their own cowboy style menu.

Students research the live of cowboys in 18th Century America. In this cattle drive lesson, students locate a variety of online resources and take notes.  Students compile notes and write a brief report. 

Students define cowboys and learn about their roles on rangelands. For this rangeland lesson, students define cowboys and cowgirls and complete a KWL chart. Students read Cattle Kids and Til the Cows Come Home. Students visit the Diamond...

In this word puzzle learning exercise, students locate and circle 20 cowboy-related words in a horse-shaped word search puzzle. A word bank is provided.

In this word recognition worksheet, students trace the word "cowboy," write the word independently, and color the picture of the cowboy.

Students participate in a variety of activities as they study cowboys and the cowboy culture. They read stories and sing songs about the cowboys. They study the area of the United States cowboys are from and review the tools cowboys...

Students examine how the image of the cowboy changed at the turn of the century. They read about cowboys' shifting reputation at the turn of the century and connect popular perceptions of the cowboy to a trend in popular culture that...

Students disucss the role the tourist industry played in popular perceptions of cowboys and Indians. They discuss the image of cowboys, as it is presented in fashion and contemporary advertisements. Students read about a town in Montana...

Students explore the concept of historical myth. They read speeches by two presidents who allude to the mythic cowboy and they answer questions about the purpose of each speech. For homework, they read two historian interpretations of...

Pupils study the rise of cattle ranching in the West and the economic conditions under which cowboys worked in the 19th century. They examine the economic changes that affected cowboys in the 1890s. They analyze the effects of the Cowboy...

Young scholars explore the daily life of the American Cowboy in the 1800's and compare it to the life of the Native Americans.

Students identify various art elements [line, shape, color, pattern, etc.] in creating original Western-theme design, focusing on variety, understanding importance of variety as part of an effective design.

In this cattle industry learning exercise, learners answer 11 essay questions pertaining to cowboys, ranching, and the history of the cattle industry in America. Prior knowledge or research will be needed.

Students are chosen to be either cowboys or cowgirls. They use the hoppity hops for horses for the cowboys or cowgirls to ride. Students that are left are cows. They wait for the teacher's signal, the cows try to move away from the...

Students examine images of cowboys and gunfighters in Western films and dime novels and discuss whether cowboys were really violent. They read several historical interpretations of cowboy violence. In addition, they distinguish between...