Language Arts Theme 5- One Land, Many Trails Center Activity

Horse Sense

Indicators: 2.5.A.1.a Read, use, and identify the characteristics of nonfiction materials to gain information and content knowledge

4.5.A.3.b Write to inform: Write informational reports

4.5.A.3.a Write a business letter that communicates knowledge about a topic

After reading Black Cowboy, Wild Horses in the Houghton Mifflin anthology, students will research wild horses in the American West and learn how they can help preserve the horses.

What You Need

• Access to the Internet
• Reference books containing information about wild horses

What To Do

1. Choose one of the following Research Topics about wild horses and their environment:

• What wild horses are and where they came from
• What sort of environment they need to survive
• Why and how they are endangered
• What people are trying to do to save them, and why

2. Research your topic

A. Use online sources such as:

· Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov/whb

· Institute of Range and the American Mustang http://www.wildmustangs.com

· Wild Horses of the Pryor Mountains in Montana http://www.kbrhorse.net/whb/blmdak.html

B. Use books such as:

· Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West by Marguerite Henry

· Man and Mustang by George Ancona

· The Mustang (Endangered in America), by Alvin Silverstein with Laura Silverstein Nunn and Virginia Silverstein

3. Decide on a way to gather your information, such as a graphic organizer or note cards and cite your sources.

4. Using your notes, prepare a short report on your research topic.

5. Identify how you feel about the importance of saving wild horses. Write to one of the organizations on the back of this paper to learn more about how you can aid the cause.

Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary

P.O. Box 998

Hot Springs, SD 57747

1-800-252-6652 or (605) 745-5955

Wild Horse and Burro National Program Office

NV-960

BLM

P.O. Box 12000

Reno, Nevada 89520-0006

The Wild Horse and Burro Holding Facility at Elm

Creek

BLM-Elm Creek Center

P.O. Box 160

Elm Creek, Nebraska 68836

Rubric for Horse Sense

	Awesome	Okay	Uh Oh!
Research	This student has researched the identified topic, created research notes and has cited each used source in an effective and efficient manner.	This student has given proof of accurate research from several sources on one identified research topic.	This student may or may not have given proof of purposeful research.
Product	This student has taken information from the research and created a product that is informative and neat and can be shared with others	This student has organized the research findings into an organized report that can be shared with others.	This student may or may not have created a research report.
Letter	This student has created a letter to one of the stated organizations that specifically tells about something that they have learned and asks for more information about the cause. This student uses proper business letter format. This student has used neat handwriting and excellent spelling and grammar techniques.	This student has created a letter to one of the stated organizations that specifically tells about something that they have learned and asks for more information about the cause. This student has used neat handwriting and excellent spelling and grammar techniques.	This student may or may not have created a letter to one of the stated organizations.