Multicultural Lesson Plan - Nevada History

Student​: ​Trever Keith

Subject/Concepts:​ ​Social Studies – Nevada History during the late 19​th

​Grade Level:​ ​4th Grade

1. Standards: ​SS.4.19. Identify the contributions of culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse
individual Nevadans to the advancement of Nevada.

● Observable objective: Students will be able to identify the contributions of culturally and
ethnically diverse individuals in the advancement and growth of the state of Nevada by
summarizing main contributions made by these individuals.

● Multicultural goal: New Manning Study Guide Goal 4: Promote positive gender, racial,
cultural, class and individual identities.

● Observable objective: Students will be able to evaluate the effects and influence of
Native Nevadan Americans Mexican Vaqueros, and Basque immigrants on the growth
and development of the state of Nevada.

● Auditory-Visual-Kinesthetic learning styles:

Auditory: For auditory learners, pages from Chapter 7 of ​Nevada Our Home​ will be read by the
instructor. These pages describe early ranch settlements in Nevada and the individuals that
constructed them. Classroom discussions will also be utilized for auditory learners. Students
have discussions that compare and contrast the past ranch life in the 1800s found in the textbook
versus modern day ranch life that will be shown in a video.

Visual: For visual learners, a quick video on a modern day on the ranch will be shown to help
students compare and contrast past and present ranch life. Additionally, students will discuss
their thoughts and opinions on images shown throughout the text and the short film as they
examine the influence of diverse individuals in the advancement of Nevada.

Kinesthetic: For kinesthetic learners, there will be a choice of one of two activities. A brief
activity involving creating “your own cattle brand” will be done in class. After students have
read and discussed ranch life and branding in the textbook, they will be able to work at their
desks in creating their own brands. Using symbols from the textbook, the students will create
their own reading brands following the rules in the text. Students will compare their brands and
discuss the significance and meaning of their brands with their table partners as they discuss the
cultural backgrounds and stories that their brands tell. The other option for this kinesthetic
activity will be to create a Basque flag replica from construction paper using the example from
the textbook. Students will then discuss what life might have been like for a Basque sheepherder.

● Gardner's Intelligence:

Interpersonal Intelligence: Students will use Gardner’s description of interpersonal

intelligence as they think about and understand the impact of ethnically diverse
individuals in the development of Nevada. Specifically, students will learn about the
influence of ranchers or “buckaroos” which included people who were white, Native
American, African American, and Mexican (vaqueros), as well as to Basque sheepherders
as they compare and contrast the lives of modern ranchers (from the video) with these
early diverse settlers through discussion.

2. Materials:

-Nevada Our Home text (a class set, one for each student and the instructor)
*Please see dropbox for textbook pages
-Branding activity website (for examples and further clarification:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/decoding-the-range-the-secret-language-of-cattle-
branding-45246620/?no-ist​)
-Construction paper for branding activity (class set in various colors: brown, tan, etc.)
-Additional construction paper and class set of scissors for optional Basque flag activity
-Student notebooks and pencils (each student should have their own)
-Projector and speakers (in the classroom) for video viewing on ranchers
-Exit slip on half sheets of printer paper (will be provided for the students at the end of class)

3. Instruction- learning Process (90 minutes):

● Do First: To begin the lesson, the teacher will explain to the students that today’s lesson
is focusing on the growth of NEvada as a state, especifically, through the contributions of
multiculturally diverse individuals who had various roles in society. For this lesson, the
teacher will ask the students if they have ever heard of ranchers and ask them to share
with their partner what they think ranchers do. Then, the teacher will hold a brief
discussion with the students about their ideas before showing a video of what modern
ranchers do today.
○ Video for modern day ranch life: ​https://youtu.be/U7ZTL1oUnZo
● Mini-lesson: After viewing the video, students will be led through an in-class reading of
the textbook through pages 134 through 139 of the Nevada Our Home text. Throughout
the reading, students will explore the contributions of Mexican vaqueros, Basque
shepherds from Europe, and other individuals who developed the ranching and farming
industry that led to growth and development in Nevada. At certain intervals during the
chapter reading, students will be asked to stop and discuss what they have learned with
their peers. For example, after reading about “A Cowboy’s Life” the students will be
asked to identify the contributions of Mexican vaqueros as explained in the text and to
discuss why cattle ranching was an important part of Nevada’s economy during that time.
During this part of the lesson, auditory learners will greatly benefit from listening to the
reading during class as well as partaking in comparing and contrasting discussions
exploring the cultural significance of different individuals and their contributions to cattle
ranching.

● Guided Practice: During the guided practice portion of this lesson, students will work
with a partner to answer questions #3 and #4 from the “Memory Master” portion of the
text found on page 140. Students will need to use their textbook to find evidence in the
text that can help them answer the questions. Working with their partner, students will
answer the questions “why do ranchers brand their cattle and livestock?” as well as
“where did the first Basque sheepherders in Nevada immigrate from?”. This portion of
the lesson will be beneficial for visual and kinesthetic learners as they look at the text and
pictures provided throughout the chapter while writing down their responses in their
notebooks.

● Independent Practice: During the independent practice portion of this lesson, students
will first be shown a variety of branding examples through the Smithsonian website as
well as the textbook. Additionally, a short discussion on the contributions of the Basque
sheepherders will be held. Students will have an option to pick one of two activities.
Activity one will include students creating their own brand (symbol and meaning) for
their own cattle ranch. Students will be encouraged to design their brand incorporating
their family heritage, ethnicity, or other personal significant symbolism. For example the
brand can contain a letter or symbol of their family name or country of family origin.
Students will be asked to write about their own “day in the life” of being a cattle rancher
in Nevada during the 19th century. For this activity, students will use the provided crafts
to make their brand while also using their notebook to write down their day in the life
journal entry. At the end, students will be asked to describe the significance of their brand
and describe their “day in the life” of themselves as a rancher. In the second activity,
students can describe their day as a Basque immigrant sheepherder. Possible topics to
explore may include: the country they are from, the amount of sheep they have, the
 location they are in Nevada, how others view them based on their culture, and how the
Basque influence is significant in Nevada today i.e. festivals. Students will also construct
a replica Basque flag from construction paper using the image on page 139 of the
textbook as an example. Visual learners will benefit from the symbolism in each of the
activities. During the branding activity, visual learners will be able to make connections
to the significance of their own brand (the image they create) to the personal and
multicultural significance it means to them. Visual learners will also benefit from
exploring the heritage of the Basque people through the visual symbolism of the Basque
flag and sheepherding. Kinesthetic learners will benefit from both activities as they use
their hands-on learning skills to create meaningful items (either a brand or a flag) in
relation to the lesson. Additionally, writing their thoughts and opinions, especially
through personal reflection of their own created experience as these past individuals, will
be beneficial to them. Students will be exploring the intrapersonal part of Gardner’s
intelligence as they put themselves in the role of these historic people and think about the
significance of their jobs, culture, and livelihood in the growth of Nevada.

● Exit Slip: For an exit slip, students will write a brief response to the following prompt:
After exploring the topics in today’s lesson, would you rather be a rancher or a shepherd
during the 19th century in Nevada and why? Please be sure to give 2 examples to support
your response.

4. Resources

BeDunnah, G. P. (2006). Nevada, our home. Layton, UT: Gibbs-Smith.

Blippi. (2017, April 20). Retrieved April 18, 2019, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7ZTL1oUnZo&feature=youtu.be

Stamp, J. (2013, April 30). Decoding the range: the secret language of cattle branding. Retrieved
April 18, 2019, from
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/decoding-the-range-the-secret-language-of-cattle-
branding-45246620/?no-ist

5. Reflection:

1. What specific subject concepts, skills, applications, etc. does the student achieve for the
identified grade level?
During this lesson, the students achieve a variety of subject concepts, skills, and applications at
the 4th grade level. For example, the lesson provides a variety of options for individual learners
(whether they may be auditory, visual, or kinesthetic) to gain a better understanding of the topic
throughout the lesson. Specifically, students are achieving a variety of Common Core standards
and goals for literacy and writing. Students achieve the literacy goal W.4.3 as they work
individually during the independent portion of the lesson through developing short narratives of
imagined experience as either a rancher or a sheepherder in Nevada during the 19th century.
Students are exposed to a variety of contributions of ethnically and culturally diverse individuals
and explore the idea that a variety of individuals are usually a part of the positive growth and
development of an area, in this lesson, Nevada. Students explore these topics through discussion,
which also achieves the interpersonal intelligence described by Gardner as well as the Common
Core goal SL.4.1. A list of the Common Core goals are provided below (from the Common Core
website).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.B
Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others'
ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SS.4.19. Identify the contributions of culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse individual
Nevadans to the advancement of Nevada.

2. What specific multicultural knowledge, skills, etc. Has the student achieved?

Through this lesson plan, the student gains the knowledge that people from many ethnic
backgrounds were responsible in the early development and change that ultimately led to the
formation of the State of Nevada. The early settlers involved in farming and ranching were not
only of white European backgrounds but also included people who were Native American,
African American, Mexican, and from the Basque region of Europe. The student achieves
multicultural knowledge skills through identifying and discussing the cultural backgrounds and
differences of these people in their roles as the early settlers of Nevada. Additionally the students
explore interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge skills as they create imagined narratives
through writing in the role of a Mexican vaquero or a Basque sheepherder as well as in
discussion of these topics.

3. Assess the level of student engagement and active learning for the lesson strategies selected
for the “Instruction-learning process?

There is a high level of student engagement throughout the lesson. Students are actively engaged
through discussion, kinesthetic learning activities, and independent writing activities. I chose to
incorporate a wide variety of lesson activities to help engage each and every student in the
classroom. By creating these opportunities for the students, I can best help a variety of learners
(whether they are strong auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learners) benefit from the lesson.
Holding discussion after the chapter reading, for example, is a great way to help the students
actively learn and engage with the text. Students have an opportunity to share their own thoughts
and opinions during this discussion, while also drawing on evidence from the text to support
their answers. The highest level of engagement may come from the students creating their own
imagined narratives, as it ties together a variety of topics covered throughout the lesson. Students
discuss their own “day in the life” of being either a rancher or a sheepherder, and use information
provided in the text to describe their cultural background, lifestyle, and more. This requires a
large level of engagement and critical thinking which is greatly beneficial to the students as they
explore these topics and others.

4. Lastly, list the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson plan.

After creating this lesson plan, there are a variety of strengths and weaknesses that I noticed for a
variety of learners. The strengths of this lesson plan include the wide variety of learner activities
that help engage auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners throughout the lesson. Discussions,
craft making, and independent writing are all ways that I have tried to help engage these learners
and help them maintain active learning throughout the lesson. Additionally, I feel that I have
tried my best to incorporate a variety of opportunities for the students to understand the
multicultural significance of the individuals of this time period, and I feel that the students have
multiple options to explore and discuss these ideas in further detail. Relating this past ideas and
cultures to modern day examples will be helpful in bridging these concepts for the students.
Weaknesses of the lesson plan may include the amount of time each lesson activity might take.
Some students may benefit from additional time on the discussion portion, writing portion, or
other activities, and a revision of the activities may help in creating a stronger lesson plan. Also,
although I have tried to incorporate information on why these contributions are important in the
growth and development of Nevada, students may have difficulty in seeing these advancements
as they took a long period of time to shape the state. Finally, the incorporation of additional
cultures and ethnicities was difficult as information in the text and online was very limited in the
contributions of these other individuals. Information for this lesson plan is mostly centered
around Mexican Basque, and African Americans, Native Nevada American individuals and their
contributions.