The Changing West
Graded Assignment
Miner, Cowboy, or Farmer
(100 points)
1. Imagine it is 1880. The Civil War has been over for 15 years. Economic conditions in the town you live in have deteriorated, and you are struggling to make ends meet. You decide to try your luck out west, where there is plenty of land and plenty of opportunity. Before leaving, you must decide what you will do out west—be a miner, a cowboy, or a farmer. Each presents its own opportunities and difficulties.
Write an essay in which you:
Tell what you would be—a miner, cowboy, or farmer.
Describe the opportunities you would have.
Describe the difficulties you would face.
Explain why you chose as you did.
Use the rubric on the following page to see how your teacher will score your essay. This graded assignment will be due in Lesson 4.
Answer:
If I were to choose from the three, I would choose to be a farmer. The reason I chose being a farmer is because farming would be very difficult, but safer than being a miner or a cowboy. Being a farmer would be safer since being a miner could result in caving while mining and being a cowboy is also risky because you could fall into a hole while herding livestock or have the risk of being rundown by the livestock if they get scared and go crazy. Being a farmer can give you opportunities because by raising livestock, it can give you money as well as food to eat. Unfortunately, farming is harder than it is, because farmers depend on the seasons; for example, in summer, if it is too hot, it will dry the soil, making farming useless, or in winter, if begins to snow, it will cover the whole livestock in snow and kill the livestock from the cold. Being a farmer has its pros and cons, but if you put a little sweat, livestock might be able to survive any season.
Rubric
Category
1 point
2 points
3 points
4 points
5 points
Score
Content
The essay does not fulfill the assignment. Content is not developed and ideas are confusing. The essay
Miner, Cowboy, or Farmer
(100 points)
1. Imagine it is 1880. The Civil War has been over for 15 years. Economic conditions in the town you live in have deteriorated, and you are struggling to make ends meet. You decide to try your luck out west, where there is plenty of land and plenty of opportunity. Before leaving, you must decide what you will do out west—be a miner, a cowboy, or a farmer. Each presents its own opportunities and difficulties.
Write an essay in which you:
Tell what you would be—a miner, cowboy, or farmer.
Describe the opportunities you would have.
Describe the difficulties you would face.
Explain why you chose as you did.
Use the rubric on the following page to see how your teacher will score your essay. This graded assignment will be due in Lesson 4.
Answer:
If I were to choose from the three, I would choose to be a farmer. The reason I chose being a farmer is because farming would be very difficult, but safer than being a miner or a cowboy. Being a farmer would be safer since being a miner could result in caving while mining and being a cowboy is also risky because you could fall into a hole while herding livestock or have the risk of being rundown by the livestock if they get scared and go crazy. Being a farmer can give you opportunities because by raising livestock, it can give you money as well as food to eat. Unfortunately, farming is harder than it is, because farmers depend on the seasons; for example, in summer, if it is too hot, it will dry the soil, making farming useless, or in winter, if begins to snow, it will cover the whole livestock in snow and kill the livestock from the cold. Being a farmer has its pros and cons, but if you put a little sweat, livestock might be able to survive any season.
Rubric
Category
1 point
2 points
3 points
4 points
5 points
Score
Content
The essay does not fulfill the assignment. Content is not developed and ideas are confusing. The essay