Word count:
1,795 

Text Summary
We all know the gun-slinging movie hero, but what was life really like for the cowhands of the old West? This informative book details the real hardship and danger of the cowboy life and recounts the fascinating story of how cowboys became famous just as that way of life was ending. Fascinating historical photographs enhance the text. 

Lesson Objectives 

Students will:

• Use content vocabulary to comprehend text
• Identify prefixes and suffixes to understand meaning 

Vocabulary
branded, cattle drives, chaps, chuck wagon, circling, mustangs, nonperishable, slaughterhouses, stampede, rustlers, vaqueros, wranglers  

Materials

• Book - Yee Haw! (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or chart paper
• Sticky notes or pencils
• Worksheets 1 and 2 

Before Reading 

Build Background

• Have a discussion about what students know or have heard about cowboys. Ask students what they think cowboys do. What kind of people are they? What do they look like? What were their lives like?
• Hand out Worksheet 1 and small sticky notes to each student; each student should receive enough to write each vocabulary word on a sticky note. If sticky notes are not available, students may write the vocabulary words directly on the worksheet in erasable pencil.
• Instruct students to write the vocabulary words on the sticky notes. Ask students to read the sentences on the worksheet. Have them place the sticky-note words on the blanks where they believe each word fits. Tell students that after they read, they will revise their placement of the words.

Preview the Book

• Give students their copies of the book. Have them look at the covers and read the title. Ask what they think they might find out about the "real lives" of the cowboys.
• Have students preview the table of contents. Elicit further ideas of what students think they will read about. 

Set the Purpose
Tell students that you would like them to try to read the book without using the glossary. If they wish, they can use their vocabulary worksheet to help them understand the words. Ask students to try to guess unfamiliar words using the double context of the book and the worksheet. 

During Reading 

Word-Attack Strategies
Remind students to use any or all of the following strategies if they come to an unfamiliar word:

• Reread the sentence for context clues.
• Sound out the word using known sound/symbol relationships.
• Look for known prefixes, suffixes, and roots in words.
• Keep reading and think about what might make sense. 

Student Reading
Instruct students to read silently at their own paces. If they wish, they may stop when they encounter bold-faced vocabulary words and cross-check their worksheets. Students can also mark or highlight vocabulary words that they were unable to figure out without the glossary. Ensure students that you will go over any confusing words or parts after reading. If students need decoding assistance, prompt them to use one of the word-attack strategies. 

After Reading 

Comprehension
Use Content Vocabulary to Comprehend Text

• Return to Worksheet 1. Ask students how they revised their vocabulary worksheets based on the reading. Have a volunteer recount how he or she changed the position of a sticky-note word based on the context of the book.
• Ask students if there are any vocabulary terms they are still unsure about. Allow students to reference the glossary. They may re-place their sticky note words after checking the definitions. 

Building Skills 

Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage
Identify Prefixes and Suffixes to Understand Meaning

• Review the concept of prefixes or suffixes—groups of letters that we add to root words to affect the meaning of the root word.
• Write the word nonperishable on the board. Ask volunteers to find the root word, perish. Ask them what it means to perish.
• Circle the suffix -able. Ask students what it might mean. Inform them that it means "the ability to or likelihood." If perish means to end or die, what would perishable mean?
• Circle the prefix non-. Ask students what they think non- means. Given the meaning of perishable, what would nonperishable mean?
• Hand out Worksheet 2. Using the prefixes and suffixes listed and defined in the box on the top, students are to modify the root words to fit the sentences. You may wish to model and example or two to ensure that students understand. They may use the prefixes more than once. 

Fluency

• Allow students to read Yee Haw! independently or with a partner. Partners can take turns reading from the book.
• Have students take the book home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. 

Expand the Reading 

Writing
Students may like to imagine what it was like for cowboys on the cattle drive. Based on what they have learned in the book, have students write a week's journal entries from the point of view of a cowboy or cowgirl. Remind them to take the real events of cowboy life into consideration as they use their imagination. 

Assessment 

• Evaluate student discussion and Worksheet 1 to assess how well students are able to comprehend content vocabulary based on context. How well can they cross-reference context to help them understand the book?
• Review students' completed Worksheet 2 to assess their use of prefixes and suffixes.
• Read students' cowboy journals to check that they understand the realities of the cowboy life.