Jefferson Elementary School District



Unit 2/Week 4Title: Horse HeroesSuggested Time:5 days (45 minutes per day)Common Core ELA Standards: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4; RF.4.3; W.4.2, W.4.4, SL.4.1Teacher InstructionsBefore TeachingRead the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for teachers, about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task.Big Ideas and Key UnderstandingsHorses can be smart, courageous, and helpful.Synopsis In the selection Horse Heroes three different true stories about amazing horses are shared. In the first, we learn that in 1860 the Pony Express began delivering mail. It was a dangerous job due to attacks and bad weather. The riders insisted that the mail must get through. The Pony Express allowed people from across the country to communicate more efficiently. In the second section, we learn that in 1925 Tschiffely, with his two horses became the first man to ever ride from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Washington D.C. The horses saved Tschiffely’s life during the journey. He later set the horses free. Finally, we meet a horse named Golden Cloud who made his movie debut in western movies. He was known as Trigger and he performed many tricks over the years in the movies and became quite famous.Read entire main selection text, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings.Re-read the main selection text while noting the stopping points for the Text Dependent Questions and teaching Vocabulary.During TeachingStudents read the entire main selection text independently.Teacher reads the main selection text aloud with students following along. (Depending on how complex the text is and the amount of support needed by students, the teacher may choose to reverse the order of steps 1 and 2.)Students and teacher re-read the text while stopping to respond to and discuss the questions and returning to the text. A variety of methods can be used to structure the reading and discussion (i.e.: whole class discussion, think-pair-share, independent written response, group work, etc.)Text Dependent QuestionsText-dependent QuestionsEvidence-based AnswersPony Express Using evidence from the text, describe the Pony Express. (Page 212-213)In 1860 The Pony Express was a horse relay that transported mail across the United States. The horse and rider carried mail from city to city at top speeds. The teams road in dangerous areas to get from stop to stop. Look at the artifacts on pages 212-215. What information do you learn about the Pony Express riders? Map- They took the mail 2,000 miles. The distance from California to MissouriPhoto- riders were under 18 years of age and weighed less than 126 pounds.Photo of transfer- it took only two minutes to transfer mail to a new rider.Saddle photo- pockets on the saddle to carry the mail inDrawing- riders needed to carry rifles to protect themselves.Welcome sign- towns had celebrations and were excited about getting mail from the Pony Express riders.Look at the artifacts on page 213. What information do you learn about the horses of the Pony Express?The horses were mustangs. They were descended from the horses brought to America by Spanish explorers.Read page 215. Find examples in the text of how the Pony Express horses were courageous.The horses rode in all kinds of weather- scorching sun, pouring rain or freezing blizzards. If the rider fell off, many times the horse would ride on to the next station.Why was the Pony Express important? Cite evidence from the text on pages 213 and 215.(p. 215). On page 213 it states that the Pony Express cut down mail travel across the continent from one month to just eight days. Page 215 states that it showed it was “possible for the East and West coasts to keep in touch.”The Pony Express allowed people from far away to communicate with one another through newspapers and letters. On page 215 of Pony Express, the author states, “It was a milestone on the way to modern America.” What does she mean by milestone?The author means that the Pony Express was an important event that contributed to the development of modern America.In Tale of Two Horses, who was Aime Tschiffely and what was his secret ambition? Cite evidence from the artifacts on page 216.Tschiffely was a Swiss teacher living in Argentina. He wanted to be the first person to ride from South to North America across the Panama Canal to Washington D.C. It states in the text on page 216, “When Aime Tschiffely told people about his idea early in 1925, they thought he had gone mad. “ Why did they think this?On page 216 it says that it is a 10,000 mile journey from Buenos Aires to Washington D.C. People thought this was impossible in 1925. They thought it couldn’t be done and that’s why they thought he had gone mad.Citing artifacts on page 217, explain why Tschiffely used Criollo horses for his journey. Criollo horses are tough and can carry heavy weights long distances. Also, they can warn people of danger using a 6th sense.Reread page 216 and 217. Cite evidence that shows the horses helped Tschiffely.It states that after 4 months the trio learned to work as a team. When Gato refused to walk in water that hid quicksand, he helped save their lives.Reread pages 217 and 218. Find 2 examples of how Gato and Mancha were courageous.Mancha didn’t panic when crossing a rickety rope bridge when it began to sway. Since she remained calm, she and Tschiffely were able to cross safely and Gato followed.Another time, when the path ahead had been swept away by a landslide, Mancha courageously decided to jump the gap, saving them the need to turn back and find another route.Cite evidence from pages 216 and 217 that shows that the horses were smart.Gato showed he was smart when he refused to walk into hidden quicksand.On page 219, the author quotes what Tschiffely said about Mancha and Gato: “My two pals have shown powers of resistance to every hardship.” What does the phrase, powers of resistance, mean in this sentence?It means that the horses refused to accept defeat. They kept on through every hardship.In Hollywood Hero the author states on page 220 that in 1932 a beautiful horse named Golden Cloud was born. This horse’s name was changed. What was it changed to and why was it changed? His name was changed to Trigger when making his first western movie with Roy Rogers. Roy Rogers changed it because Trigger was so quick at learning tricks, as quick as pulling a trigger on a gun.In the story Hollywood Hero the text says that the horse, Trigger, was known as the smartest horse in the movies. What did he do to get that title? (Refer to page 220 and 221)The text states that Trigger, “stole the show …with a well-timed yawn or a graceful dance step. “ It also states, “He knew more than 60 tricks. He could walk 150 steps on his hind legs, stamp his hoof to count, and draw a gun from a holster… and signed his name with an X in hotel registers.”TEACHER PROVIDES DEFINITION not enough contextual clues provided in the textPage 213 transferredPage 214 persuadedPage 216 ambitionPage 216 headstrongPage 217 ricketyPage 219 resistancePage 212 pouchPage 213 relayPage 213 routePage 214 ambushPage 215 eagerPage 215 milestonePage 215 tributePage 216 survivePage 216 wildPage 216 madPage 217 quicksandPage 220 palomino marePage 220 auditionPage 221 retiredSTUDENTS FIGURE OUT THE MEANINGsufficient context clues are provided in the text Page 212 mustangPage 213 gallopedPage 213 mountPage 217 gorgePage 217 companionsPage 219 copeVocabularyCulminating TaskRe-Read, Think, Discuss, WritePrompt: Horse Heroes tells about how horses were used to deliver mail, travel across the continent, and perform in motion pictures. Citing evidence from the text, write a 4-paragraph essay explaining the different ways these animals were courageous, smart, and helpful.Possible answer: In the story Horse Heroes the first horses discussed were the horses of the Pony Express. The text states that “In 1860, there were no such things as telephones and fax machines.” It could take more than a month for the mail to cross the country by wagon and the Pony Express could accomplish it in eight days. The horses of the Pony Express were very courageous. It explains on page 213 that the teams of horses and riders “risked death together on a daily basis.” The horses had to gallop at high speed, sometimes through dangerous territory. Also, the horses rode in all kinds of weather: scorching sun, pouring rain or freezing blizzards. If the rider fell off, many times the horse would ride on to the next station. Without the help of the horses of the Pony Express, the mail could not have crossed the country in eight days. The Pony Express was a milestone that contributed to the development of modern America.Tale of two Horses highlights the courage and intelligence of Gato and Mancha. These were the two horses Aime Tschiffely rode on his 10,000 mile dangerous adventure from Buenos Aires in Argentina, to Washington, D.C. The author tells the story of how Gato showed he was smart when he refused to walk into hidden quicksand. On page 217 the author tells how dangerous it was for this team to cross a rope bridge over a deep gorge. Mancha didn’t panic when it began to sway. Since she remained calm, she and Tschiffely were able to cross safely and Gato followed. Another time, when the path ahead had been swept away by a landslide, Mancha courageously decided to jump the gap, saving them the need to turn back and find another route. It says on page 219 that after Tschiffely reached Washington D.C. he said, “My two pals have shown powers of resistance to every hardship.” His horses refused to accept defeat and bravely kept on through every hardship. They helped Tschiffely fulfill his dream of traveling from Buenos Aires to Washington D.C.Hollywood Hero tells the story of Golden Cloud, the horse who was to become famous in Hollywood. It states on page 220 that when he was in the movies with Roy Rogers, his name was changed to Trigger, and he became known as the “Smartest Horse In The Movies.” It also states that Trigger, “stole the show from Roy Rogers with a well-timed yawn or a graceful dance step. He knew more that 60 tricks. He could walk 150 steps on his hind legs, stamp his hoof to count, and draw a gun from a holster… and signed his name with an X in hotel registers.” On page 221 the author tells the reader that, Trigger “starred in 887 films and 101 TV shows. When his horse died, Roy Rogers said, Trigger was “the greatest horse who ever came along.”This paper summarizes the different ways horses have shown courage, intelligence, and helpfulness as stated in the story Horse Heroes. To review, the horses and riders of the pony express “risked death together on a daily basis” as the horses carried their riders through dangerous territory in all kinds of weather to carry the mail across the country in just 8 days. Another example was the two horses, Gato and Mancha, that Tschiffely rode 10,000 miles, from Buenos Aires in Argentina, to Washington, D.C. These horses exhibited intelligence and bravery through every hardship. Finally, the story tells about Roy Rogers’ horse, Trigger, who proved to be the “Smartest Horse in the Movies.” These examples clearly illustrate ways these animals show bravery, intelligence, and helpfulness.Additional TasksHave students use online resources to find information about ways that Police Horses are used today to help people. Write a brief description that includes at least 3 facts. Answer: Answers may vary. Mounted police can be employed in metropolitan areas. The police have a height advantage on a horse so they have a wider view of an area and since they have this height advantage people in need can more easily find them. This helps deter crime. Due to the horse's ability to travel where vehicles cannot, mounted police partners can also be trained in search and rescue operations. (Wikipedia – Mounted Police)Dogs are also intelligent, brave, and have been used in helpful ways. Use online resources to find information about service dogs. Give a definition of what a service dog is and give examples of some of the services they provide.Answer: Answers may vary. Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability. They are often trained and bred by service organizations (Wikipedia – Service Dogs).“Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with post traumatic stress disorder?(PTSD),.. or performing other duties.” [(Wikipedia - Service Dogs).The following titles provide additional reading materials related to this week’s concept. Students can evaluate the contents of the books and write reviews, con create dramatic readings, or have a book talk.Lumberjack by William KurelekThe Birchbark House by Louise ErdrichRunning Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix ................
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