In this Activity, students will learn the 10 Western states where wild horses and burros live and how they overlap with desert regions.  Students will also learn the unique characteristics of deserts and predict whether wild horses and burros have developed adaptations.  
 
Contents in order of use: 
1. Activity 1 Pre-assessment
2. Activity 1 Getting oriented 
3. Activity 1 Getting oriented Template Book
4. Activity 1 Information Resources
5. Activity 1 Post-assessment
6. Activity 1 Rating 
 
Subject domains: 
Reading (Informational Text): Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; and integrate information presented in different media of formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.  
Writing (Production and Distribution of Writing): Use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others; and conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.  
Speaking and Listening (Comprehension and Collaboration): Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6th-8th topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.  
 
Skills: 
Students will be able to identify the 10 Western states where wild horses and burros reside.  
Students will be able to identify the desert regions in the USA.  
Students will learn about the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and how this government agency is responsible for managing and protecting OUR nation's wild horses and burros.   
Students will understand what Herd Management Areas (HMAs) are on the BLM website.  
Students will explore the HMAs and understand that OUR nation's wild horses and burros live in these HMAs.  
Students will learn that some of these HMAs overlap in desert regions.  
Students will learn about the characteristics of our nation's desert regions.  
Students will be able to identify the desert regions where Wild Horse Annie lived.  
Students will understand the scientific concept: adaption, and research a specific plant and/or animal's heritable trait(s) that help the plant and/or animal survive and reproduce it a desert environment.