Texas Ranching & Cattle BrandingLearning Center Activity

• Post each picture with its questions around the room.

• Divide students into groups of 2-3. • Students will rotate around the room

answering the questions on their own paper or on the worksheet provided.

• When all groups have visited all pictures, come back together as a class and discuss the questions and pictures.

Jenny Thomason - 2011

A

•How do you think brands could change the west?

•Whose brand do you think the W with the horns belongs to?

•Why are brands important to ranchers?

•What are the purposes of brands?

A

B

•What is the name of this brand?

•Do you think this brand is shorter or longer than other brands? Explain your answer.

•Would this be a brand that was easily identifiable on the hide of cattle?

•Why is an easily identifiable brand important? B

C

•What are these men doing?

•Why are so many men involved in this process?

•Are there any dangers involved with branding animals?

•Who brought the concept of branding to the United States? C

D

•These pictures represent the principal stockmen of western and northwestern Texas.

• What information is in the description under the pictures?

•Why are they facing different ways?

•Why are the brands in different locations?

•Why do some have more than one brand?

E

•What is happening in this picture?

•What do you see in the background?

•Where do you think this ranch is located?

•What are the fences built from? Why do you think they used that material to build it? E

F

•What is this a picture of?

•What is the name of this brand?

•Would this brand be easy or difficult to duplicate? Why or why not?

F

G

•What do you think is happening in this picture?

•What is the propane tank for?

•What will the white fencing be used for? G

H

•What is happening in this picture?

•Which cowboy has the most difficult job?

•What do you think will happen when the man lets the calf up?

•Why is the man sitting on the calf wearing chaps? H

I

•What do you notice about the landscape of this picture?

•Which region of Texas do you think this ranch is located in?

•What are the characteristics of this region of Texas?

I

J

4

2

3

1

5

6

J

• What do you notice about the names of these cities?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Slid

e A

-

• How

do

you

thin

k br

ands

cou

ld c

hang

e th

e w

est?

• Who

se b

rand

do

you

thin

k th

e W

with

the

horn

s be

long

s to

?

• Why

are

bra

nds

impo

rtan

t to

ranc

hers

?

• Wha

t are

the

purp

oses

of b

rand

s?

Slid

e B

–

• Wha

t is

the

nam

e of

this

bra

nd?

• Do

you

thin

k th

is b

rand

is s

hort

er o

r lon

ger t

han

othe

r bra

nds?

Exp

lain

you

r an

swer

.

• Wou

ld th

is b

e a

bran

d th

at w

as e

asily

iden

tifiab

le o

n th

e hi

de o

f catt

le?

• Why

is a

n ea

sily

iden

tifiab

le b

rand

impo

rtan

t? Sl

ide

C –

• Wha

t are

thes

e m

en d

oing

?

• Why

are

so

man

y m

en in

volv

ed in

this

pro

cess

?

• Are

ther

e an

y da

nger

s in

volv

ed w

ith b

rand

ing

anim

als?

• Who

bro

ught

the

conc

ept o

f bra

ndin

g to

the

Uni

ted

Stat

es?

Slid

e G

–

• Wha

t do

you

thin

k is

hap

peni

ng in

this

pic

ture

?

• Wha

t is

the

prop

ane

tank

for?

• Wha

t will

the

whi

te fe

ncin

g be

use

d fo

r?

Slid

e H

–

• Wha

t is

happ

enin

g in

this

pic

ture

?

• Whi

ch c

owbo

y ha

s th

e m

ost d

ifficu

lt jo

b?

• Wha

t do

you

thin

k w

ill h

appe

n w

hen

the

man

lets

the

calf

up?

• Why

is th

e m

an s

itting

on

the

calf

wea

ring

chap

s?

Slid

e I –

• Wha

t do

you

notic

e ab

out t

he la

ndsc

ape

of th

is p

ictu

re?

• Whi

ch re

gion

of T

exas

do

you

thin

k th

is ra

nch

is lo

cate

d in

?

• Wha

t are

the

char

acte

ristic

s of

this

regi

on o

f Tex

as?

Slid

e J –

Wha

t do

you

notic

e ab

out t

he n

ames

of t

hese

citi

es?

1.4.

2.

5.

3.6.

Slid

e D

–

• Wha

t inf

orm

ation

is in

the

desc

riptio

n un

der t

he p

ictu

res?

• Why

are

they

faci

ng d

iffer

ent w

ays?

• Why

are

the

bran

ds in

diff

eren

t loc

ation

s?

• Why

do

som

e ha

ve m

ore

than

one

bra

nd?

• Slid

e E

–

• Wha

t is

happ

enin

g in

this

pic

ture

?

• Wha

t do

you

see

in th

e ba

ckgr

ound

?

• Whe

re d

o yo

u th

ink

this

ranc

h is

loca

ted?

• Wha

t are

the

fenc

es b

uilt

from

? W

hy d

o yo

u th

ink

they

use

d th

at m

ater

ial t

o bu

ild it

?

Slid

e F

–

• Wha

t is

this

a p

ictu

re o

f?

• Wha

t is

the

nam

e of

this

bra

nd?

• Wou

ld th

is b

rand

be

easy

or d

ifficu

lt to

dup

licat

e? W

hy o

r why

not

?