Bill Pickett
Rodeo Ridin’ Cowboy
By Andrea D. Pinkney
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Power point by: Jenn James
Christa McAuliffe Elementary 4/2011
Focus Questions
•How did Bill Pickett’s family come to
live on the Texas plains?
•What skills did Bill learn by working on
the ranch?
•For what rodeo stunt was Bill famous?
What do you know about
cowboys and rodeos?
The first cowboys were from the Mexican and Texan
ranches where vaqueros, or Mexican ranch
hands, devised the equipment and techniques of
the cowboy.
Rodeos began around 1882. Buffalo Bill Cody was
one of the first famous cowboys to arrange
rodeos; his first attracted 1,000 cowboys as
contestants. This inspired Buffalo Bill’s Wild
West Shows that traveled the country showing off
the skills of the cowboys. These shows continued
for 55 years.
• Bulldogging is a skill that cowboys often use
while working with cattle. To bulldog is to
throw a steer by seizing the horns and twisting
the neck to gain control of the animal.
• Bulldogging was necessary so that cattle could
be branded. A brand, like a logo of the owner
of the herd, was burned into the skin of cattle
with a branding iron which was heated in a
fire.
vocabulary
trek
To pass the time on the slow, steady trek, the
southerners sang travelling songs.
The hikers prepared for their 10 day trek
through the mountains.
trek: a long, slow journey
vocabulary
ravage
The Civil War ravaged the United States.
During the Civil War, soldiers would ravage the
land, leaving very little farmland unharmed.
ravage: to destroy
vocabulary
brazen
“Want some help?” Bill called to them. The
cowboys looked at the brazen boy and went
back to their work.
The brazen cat turned and swatted the German
shepherd right on the nose.
brazen: bold, fearless
vocabulary
challenge
But one of them put forth a challenge. “Let the
boy go ahead and try it, if he dares.”
My brother likes to challenge me in chess.
challenge: something that may be difficult to do
vocabulary
feisty
Invented then and there by feisty Bill Pickett,
that was bulldogging bite-’em style.
The feisty little dog barked at the horse.
feisty: frisky and brave, eager for excitement
vocabulary
adventure
When he was no more than fifteen and still
itching for adventure, Bill went out to find his
own way.
My friends and I planned a wild adventure. We
would go camping for three nights and eat
only what we could catch.
adventure: a fun or exciting experience
Other words:
croaker-sacks
homespun duds
bedclothes
lariat
parched
collards
straddled
rickety
ornery
stockyards
slew
cornpone
breaking ponies
mossback cattle
dogies
mucking
broncs
gizzard
brushpopper
High-falutin’
prime
Reconstruction
Word Knowledge
free-spirited
full-scale
small-time
best-loved
These are hyphenated compound words.
Can you give a noun which is modified, or
explained, by one of these words?
Word Knowledge
trail
raise
plain
available
These words have the /a/ spelled ai.
Name a word with the long a sound spelled this
way.
What other ways are long a sounds spelled?
Word Knowledge
worked
performed
cheered
bulldogged
These words have the ending –ed.
It is called an inflected ending because of how it
sounds duh.
Name the root word of each word.
How does the –ed change the meaning?
Word Knowledge
loudest
feistiest
closer
greater
harshest
These words are all comparison words using the
–est or –er endings.
Which words compare two things?
Which words compare more than two things?
Sentences
Bill Pickett performed in a full-scale rodeo.
The crowds cheered as the free-spirited rodeo
star rode into the ring.
Find the words with –ed endings.
Find the words which are hyphenated
compound words.
Sentences
The horses worked their way down the rocky
trail.
Find the words with the long a sound spelled ai.
What is the subject of this sentence?
horses
What did the horses do?
worked
Sentences
Mr. Sanchez concluded that Pedro’s friends
were the loudest and feistiest he had ever
seen.
Find the words with the ending -est.
Give the root word of each of these words.
Bill Pickett
Rodeo-Ridin’ Cowboy
Comprehension Competition
His cousins’ Anderson and Jerry
Whose stories
sparked Bill’s
imagination?
North Carolina
From which state did the
wagon train come?
•They were forced to follow their
masters.
Why were the
black people on
the wagon train?
Bill Pickett’s father
Who was born on
the trip west?
After the Civil War
When were the
slaves freed?
13
How many children
did Thomas and
Mary Pickett have?
A dog
What animal gave
Bill his idea for a
way to bulldog?
Willie M. Pickett
What was Bill
Pickett’s name?
They sold fruits and vegetables.
What did Bill’s
parents do to make
a living?
Cattle drives
What did Bill like to
watch going by his
family’s land?
challenging
What vocabulary
word means
something that may
be difficult to do?
Chisholm Trail
What was the name of
the trail that went past
Bill’s family land?
A fair with a rodeo
What event did the
Williamson County
Livestock Association
bring to Taylor, Texas?
The first show Bill joined
What was the 101
Ranch Wild West
Show?
feisty
What vocabulary
word means frisky
and brave, eager for
excitement?
7
How many standard
events are in a
rodeo?
ravage
What vocabulary
word means to
destroy?
Quick as a jackrabbit, more wideeyed than a hooty owl, and curious
How did the
author describe
Willie Picket?
Texas
Where did the
story take place?
Cowboys on cattle drives
What interested
Bill as a child?
brazen
What vocabulary
word means bold
and fearless?
Being away from his family
some people didn’t like AfricanAmerican cowboys
What 2 things were
hard at first when
Bill joined the
rodeo?
adventure
What vocabulary
word means a fun or
exciting experience?
Dropped coins in his hat
What did people do to
show Bill that they liked
his riding skills?
trek
What vocabulary
word means a long,
slow journey?
He worked on the ranch.
What did Bill do after
he stopped traveling
with the Wild West
show?