Bill PickettRodeo Ridin’

CowboyBy Andrea D. PinkneyIllustrated by Brian Pinkney

Power point by: Jenn JamesChrista McAuliffe Elementary 4/2011

Focus Questions•How did Bill Pickett’s family come to live on the Texas plains?•What skills did Bill learn by working on the ranch?•For what rodeo stunt was Bill famous?

What do you know about cowboys and rodeos?

The first cowboys were from the Mexican and Texan ranches where vaqueros, or Mexican ranch hands, devised the equipment and techniques of the cowboy.

Rodeos began around 1882. Buffalo Bill Cody was one of the first famous cowboys to arrange rodeos; his first attracted 1,000 cowboys as contestants. This inspired Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Shows that traveled the country showing off the skills of the cowboys. These shows continued for 55 years.

• Bulldogging is a skill that cowboys often use while working with cattle. To bulldog is to throw a steer by seizing the horns and twisting the neck to gain control of the animal.

• Bulldogging was necessary so that cattle could be branded. A brand, like a logo of the owner of the herd, was burned into the skin of cattle with a branding iron which was heated in a fire.

vocabularytrekTo pass the time on the slow, steady trek, the

southerners sang travelling songs.The hikers prepared for their 10 day trek

through the mountains.

trek: a long, slow journey

vocabularyravageThe Civil War ravaged the United States.During the Civil War, soldiers would ravage the

land, leaving very little farmland unharmed.

ravage: to destroy

vocabularybrazen“Want some help?” Bill called to them. The

cowboys looked at the brazen boy and went back to their work.

The brazen cat turned and swatted the German shepherd right on the nose.

brazen: bold, fearless

vocabularychallengeBut one of them put forth a challenge. “Let the

boy go ahead and try it, if he dares.”

My brother likes to challenge me in chess.

challenge: something that may be difficult to do

vocabularyfeistyInvented then and there by feisty Bill Pickett,

that was bulldogging bite-’em style.The feisty little dog barked at the horse.

feisty: frisky and brave, eager for excitement

vocabularyadventureWhen he was no more than fifteen and still itching

for adventure, Bill went out to find his own way.My friends and I planned a wild adventure. We

would go camping for three nights and eat only what we could catch.

adventure: a fun or exciting experience

Other words:croaker-sackshomespun dudsbedclotheslariatparchedcollardsstraddledricketyornerystockyardsslew

cornponebreaking poniesmossback cattledogiesmuckingbroncsgizzardbrushpopperHigh-falutin’primeReconstruction

Word Knowledgefree-spirited

full-scalesmall-time

best-lovedThese are hyphenated compound words.

Can you give a noun which is modified, or explained, by one of these words?

Word Knowledgetrail

raiseplain available

These words have the /a/ spelled ai.Name a word with the long a sound spelled this

way.What other ways are long a sounds spelled?

Word Knowledgeworked

performedcheered

bulldoggedThese words have the ending –ed.It is called an inflected ending because of how it

sounds duh. Name the root word of each word.How does the –ed change the meaning?

Word Knowledgeloudest

feistiestcloser

greaterharshest

These words are all comparison words using the –est or –er endings.

Which words compare two things?Which words compare more than two things?

SentencesBill Pickett performed in a full-scale rodeo.The crowds cheered as the free-spirited rodeo

star rode into the ring.

Find the words with –ed endings.

Find the words which are hyphenated compound words.

SentencesThe horses worked their way down the rocky

trail.

Find the words with the long a sound spelled ai.

What is the subject of this sentence?horses

What did the horses do?worked

SentencesMr. Sanchez concluded that Pedro’s friends

were the loudest and feistiest he had ever seen.

Find the words with the ending -est.

Give the root word of each of these words.

Bill PickettRodeo-Ridin’ Cowboy

Comprehension Competition

His cousins’ Anderson and Jerry

Whose stories sparked Bill’s imagination?

North Carolina

From which state did the wagon train come?

•They were forced to follow their masters.

Why were the black people on the wagon train?

Bill Pickett’s father

Who was born on the trip west?

After the Civil War

When were the slaves freed?

13

How many children did Thomas and Mary Pickett have?

A dog

What animal gave Bill his idea for a way to bulldog?

Willie M. Pickett

What was Bill Pickett’s name?

They sold fruits and vegetables.

What did Bill’s parents do to make a living?

Cattle drives

What did Bill like to watch going by his family’s land?

challengingWhat vocabulary word means something that may be difficult to do?

Chisholm Trail

What was the name of the trail that went past Bill’s family land?

A fair with a rodeo

What event did the Williamson County Livestock Association bring to Taylor, Texas?

The first show Bill joined

What was the 101 Ranch Wild West Show?

feistyWhat vocabulary word means frisky and brave, eager for excitement?

7How many standard events are in a rodeo?

ravageWhat vocabulary word means to destroy?

Quick as a jackrabbit, more wide-eyed than a hooty owl, and curious

How did the author describe Willie Picket?

Texas

Where did the story take place?

Cowboys on cattle drives

What interested Bill as a child?

brazenWhat vocabulary word means bold and fearless?

Being away from his familysome people didn’t like African-

American cowboys

What 2 things were hard at first when Bill joined the rodeo?

adventureWhat vocabulary word means a fun or exciting experience?

Dropped coins in his hat

What did people do to show Bill that they liked his riding skills?

trekWhat vocabulary word means a long, slow journey?

He worked on the ranch.

What did Bill do after he stopped traveling with the Wild West show?