Instructional Objectives:
The students will use the Internet for research while
learning to master academic standards in other subjects.
Time Required:
Lesson two can be done in two sessions of approximately
60 minutes each, and some independent work time. For the pop-up book extension
activity you need a session of an hour per page. I have the students do
four pages as follows: Rancho...the buildings/how they lived, Rancheros...how
the dressed/fan language, Activities...how they trampled down the mustard
grass by riding their horses over it, etc., Reatas...the ropes they made
and how they used them.
More sessions can be added to go more in depth.
Advance Preparation and Prerequisite Knowledge/skills:
Have the materials ready and available. Preview the materials
and select a motivating reading for session one, and a couple of good web
sites for session two.
The students should have prior practice summarizing.
Materials/Resources Needed:
Computer with Internet access, Digital Camera (or other
cameras), Microsoft Word (or any other word processing software) and a
web authoring program.
Vocabulary:
Words in Spanish: Rancheros (ranchers), ranchos (ranches),
reatas (ropes), abanico (fan).
Procedures:
First session: Give the students access to as much information
on the topic (Rancheror or California under Spanish rule) as possible by
providing materials such as pamphlets, books, articles and web sites to
research. Read to the class what you believe to be the most motivating
or informative book or selection from what you have collected for the students
to research and discuss. In this case I chose Frida Maria : A Story
of the Old Southwest by Deboarh Nourse Lattimore (see resources).
Let the students draw about what you are reading as you read. Bring prior
knowledge and personal experiences into the discussion. Give the students
time to browse freely through the material you have provided. Begin the
extension activity (see extensions).
Another session: As a class visit a website or two and
discuss. Bring prior knowledge and personal experiences into the discussion.
Show the students how to take notes. Continue working on the extension
activity.
Activities:
Research The Rancheros or Mexican Rule.
Take notes.
Write a summary.
Work on a classroom mural. Add ranchero life details.
Extensions:
Ongoing Classroom Mural Project- This mural stays up
in the classroom the entire school year and is built upon throughout the
year as we move along in the history of The Santa Maria Valley. The mural
covers the length of the classroom.
Continue the mural:
After lesson two, three dimensional paper ranchos and
rancheros are added to the scene. Fences can be made with craft sticks
or twigs, plastic farm animals as well as paper ones can be added. Jute
"reatas" (ropes) can hang from the fence posts. Fountains can be made out
of small plastic containers and bottle caps. To attach fountains to the
mural use "T" pins if it is corkboard or a hot glue gun if not.
Visit local museums, missions and other sites that have Ranchero artifacts/history.
Photograph anything you see that might have something to do with The Ranchero period and bring to school, i.e. a mission, adobe ranch house, etc.
Design a ranch using graph paper to approximate scale.
Make pop-up books about ranchero life (see samples).
Homework:
I assign each student a subtopic to research such as:
Ranchero Technology, Ranchero Daily Life, Ranchero Beliefs, etc. The students
have two weeks to do this assignment. They are to turn in a summary of
what they researched (if possible on some kind of portable media.floppy
or CD). I provide a sheet or two of background information for the students
to use in case that they do not have the means to do research at home.
These summaries will be used later in the creation of
a web page.
Bring to school for show and tell any Ranchero artifacts you might have, or any other related item.
Evaluation:
Student Participation
Points assigned based on teacher's criteria for each
item.
| Contributed to
the discussion |
10 points |
| Contributed to
the mural |
10 points |
| Pop-up book extension | 10 points |
| Shared Photos or realia | 10 points |
| Homework Summary | 10 points |
Illustrative Materials:
Parent Letter
Homework worksheet
Student Work Samples:
Summary
Illustration
Mural Photos
Pop Up Books
Frida Maria : A Story of the Old Southwest
by Deboarh Nourse Lattimore
Missions of the Los Angeles Area
Lerner, Dianne MacMillan / Hardcover / Date Published: September 1997
Missions of the Central Coast
Lerner, June Behrens / Hardcover / Date Published: September 1997
Missions of the Inland Valleys
Lerner, Pauline Brower / Hardcover / Date Published: September 1997
A Line Through the Past, Historical and Ethnographic Background
for the Branch Canal
By Betty Rivers
San Luis Obispo County Archeological Society
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The Chumash |
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The Rancheros |
The Townbuilders |
A Web Page |