PBS
Myth of the West: Kit Carson to the Rescue
There's nothing like the Wild Wild West! Scholars investigate the American Frontier through the eyes of Kit Carson. To complete the first installment of a three-part series, they use presentations, a short video, and primary and...
PBS
Myth of the West: Lonely But Free I’ll Be Found
Tumbling tumbleweeds! Scholars work with video clips, primary and secondary documents, and song lyrics to uncover life in the Old West. They examine song's lyrics to uncover myths told in the 1930s about life in the Wild West.
Curated OER
Learning Landscapes
Fifth graders analyze a landscape depicting Yosemite during the time of the Wild West. They compare their perceptions of the West from film and television to this representation. They observe the use of scale and color to depict size and...
Curated OER
Ride 'Em Cowboy (Buffalo Bill Cody and the Wild West Show)
Students research the impact of Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show on the world's view of American western culture. They create a poster advertising the Wild West Show.
Curated OER
Buffalo Bill
Students explore the life and times of Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley from the Wild West days. They critique their performances on stage and brainstorm various reasons for the shows popularity with Eastern audiences. Each student is also...
Curated OER
Western-Genre Films
High schoolers watch westerns and analyze them. They identify the plot, characters and the sounds in the film. They research icons of the American west and prepare a presentation. They share their presentation with the class.
Curated OER
Baby Boomer TV Worksheets
In this crossword puzzle worksheet, students complete a 22 clue crossword puzzle about television shows that were popular in the 1950's and 1960's.
National First Ladies' Library
Will Rogers
Learners explore the concepts of irony and humor. They discuss Will Rogers' history and determine that he was a humorist who many viewed as very wise. They read quotes of Will Rogers and determine that everybody is ignorant, only on...
Curated OER
Baby Boomer TV
In this social studies worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle by identifying the television programs or stars from 15 clues. Answers are provided.
Curated OER
Cowboy Violence
Students examine images of cowboys and gunfighters in Western films and dime novels and discuss whether cowboys were really violent. They read several historical interpretations of cowboy violence. In addition, they distinguish between...
California Polytechnic State University
Australian Geography Unit
At the heart of this resource is a beautifully detailed PowerPoint presentation (provided in PDF form) on the overall physical geography of Australia, basic facts about the country, Aboriginal history, and Australia culture and lifestyle.
Curated OER
Herstory: Women portrayed in film
Students examine various videos and books about Harriet Tub man, Annie Oakley, and Wilma Rudolph. They conduct research, participate in games, and write stories involving these three women.
Out of Africa Wildlife Park
A Thematic Learning Guide to Lions
Written as an accompaniment to a field trip to the Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Arizona, this is an interdisciplinary, themed instructional activity on lions. Even if you cannot take your upper-elementary kids to this attraction, there...
Other
Ringling Museum of Art: Circuses and Wild West Shows
This interactive educational resource lends a brief look into the American Circus, Wild West shows, and early Native Americans through the use of images provided by photographer, Frederick W. Glasier. Includes a quiz, activities, and...
Other
Glasier Collection: Wild West Shows
View the black and white photographs taken by professional photographer, Frederick Glasier. You'll see photos of "Buffalo Bill" Cody, among other photographs of Wild West shows and their participants. You can also find a biography of the...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Annie Oakley
A biography of Annie Oakley which traces her childhood, her stardom in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, her long marriage to Frank Butler, and her life after the show. Part of a larger PBS American Experience site about Annie Oakley.
Other
Dorchester County Library: Annie Oakley
A one-page, but extensive biography that examines Oakley's incredible life from her difficult childhood to her marriage to Butler and subsequent employment with the Wild West shows to her restless retirement. Excellent coverage.
PBS
American Experience: Buffalo Bill
This 1-hour documentary presents a portrait of William Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill. A western frontier legend in the 1880s, his Wild West Show travelled the globe making the American West into the American story.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Buffalo Bill, the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912
A program from the Buffalo Bill Wild West show that depicts the thrills of the American West and illustrates how American influence was spreading beyond the nation's borders.
Other
Buffalo Bill History: Buffalo Bill's Life
Read about the legendary William F. Cody, more commonly known as Buffalo Bill, whose Wild West shows legitimized the cowboy life.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Buffalo Bill in Show Business
This 3-part article explores how William Cody found his calling as "Buffalo Bill," in show business.
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: The Life and Adventures of Buffalo Bill
Read the version of Buffalo Bill Cody's autobiography, from this text originally published in 1917. Presented as html text chapter by chapter, it makes interesting reading.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Annie Oakley
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1994 of Annie Oakley, famous for her acts in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the late 1800s. Includes a short passage on her life and contributions.
PBS
The West: Sitting Bull Tatanka Iyotanka
This is a biography of Lakota Indian Chief Sitting Bull who led his tribe in the Battle of the Little Bighorn against General George Custer.