Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
Wild, Wild West
Voices of the West - Bill Pickett

Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
Black History and Blacks in U.S. History


Voices of the West - Bill Pickett
Print Voices of the West - Bill Pickett Reading Comprehension with Fifth Grade Work

Print Voices of the West - Bill Pickett Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Voices of the West - Bill Pickett Reading Comprehension

Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.2

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    bulldogger, bulldog, inhumane, freedman, fairs, competitive, dusky, imagine, mustache, slavery, event, extremely, champion, runaway, traveled, history
     content words:    Bill Pickett, Travis County, William M., When Pickett, Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters, Rough Riders Association, Wild West Shows, Great Britain, Dusky Demon, Bull Dogger


Voices of the West - Bill Pickett
By Trista L. Pollard
  

1     Imagine you are at a rodeo. The bulldogging event is about to begin. A cowboy races into the ring on his horse. He leaps from the horse and wrestles a steer to the ground. Instead of his hands, this cowboy uses his teeth to wrestle the cow. This cowboy was Bill Pickett. He invented a unique method for wrestling steers.
 
2     In Travis County, near Taylor, Texas, William M. "Bill" Pickett was born in 1870. He was born a freedman because slavery had already ended. He was one of five boys out of thirteen children. When Pickett was in fifth grade, he left school. He made his way to a ranch and became a ranch hand. He would learn to ride horses and care for long horn steers. This is when he got his idea for bulldogging. Cattlemen used trained bulldogs when they herded cattle. The bulldog chased after stray cattle. The dogs used their teeth to bite the upper nose and lip of the cow. This area was extremely sensitive. The cow would stop moving until the dog released its upper lip. After watching bulldogs catch runaway cows, Pickett decided he could use the same technique.
 
3     Bill Pickett practiced this stunt while he worked on ranches. He would ride fast and leap off his horse to wrestle the steer. He then wrestled the steer to the ground. Once on the ground, Pickett would bite the upper nose and lip of the steer. He held his grip until the cow stopped moving. So, you are probably wondering about Pickett's teeth. Due to this method, he lost quite a few teeth. After performing this stunt in local fairs, Pickett was nicknamed the "Bulldogger." People who saw Pickett said he was athletic and compact. He was five feet seven inches tall with dark skin and a mustache. He also dressed in a Spanish bullfighter costume.

Paragraphs 4 to 6:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


Feedback on Voices of the West - Bill Pickett
Leave your feedback on Voices of the West - Bill Pickett   (use this link if you found an error in the story)



Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
             Black History and Blacks in U.S. History


Wild, Wild West
             Wild, Wild West


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



Copyright © 2018 edHelper