Mr. Rott's Classroom: April 2011

Howdy Partners!

Its been a while... but here we are .. Hmmm I think we have like 35ish actual school days left.. Hard to believe isn’t it! I want to say that you little cowpokes did fabuliso on the State Math Test! It’s like some of you rode that mean old bull way past the 8 second! Everyone worked as hard as they could and even some.. Believe it or not want to get back on that wild bronc and ride, I mean take that test again!

OLD WEST FACT: Chaps
We are not talking chapstick for dry or cracked lips.. Nope this week we are talking about Chaps, which are cowboy leggings, were correctly pronounced "shaps". They're short for chaparejos (shap-ar-EH-hos), which were another important cowboy tool.

Chaps are intended to protect the legs of cowboys from contact with daily environmental hazards experienced in working with cattle, horses and other livestock. They help to protect the riders' legs from injury when riding through brushy terrain that included sagebrush, cacti thorns, mesquite and other thorny vegetation.

The earliest form of protective leather garment was used by mounted riders who herded cattle in Spain and Mexico and were called armas, which meant "shield." Back then, they were essentially two large pieces of cowhide that were used more as a protective apron attached to the horn of the rider's stock saddle. The pieces were spread across both the horse's chest and the rider's legs.

Popular Styles of Chaps
Shotgun Chaps: Also called "Stovepipes" because the legs are straight and narrow. In wide use by the late 1870, they were the earliest design used by Texas cowboys. They feature a snug fit, wrapping completely around the leg and held tight with a full-length zipper running along the outside of the leg from the thigh to just above the ankle. The edge of each legging is usually cut with a slight flare to allow a smooth fit over the arch of a boot. Their tight design was better at trapping body heat, an advantage in windy, snowy or cold conditions. Obviously not so pleasant in very hot or humid weather. Shotgun chaps are more common on ranches in the northwest, Rocky Mountains and northern plains states, as well as Canada. This design is the most common in western horse show competition

Batwing chaps: These are cut wide with a flare at the bottom and are usually made of smooth leather with only two or three fasteners around the thigh. They allow for greater freedom of movement for the lower leg and for easier mounting of a horse. With more air circulation, this design was somewhat cooler for hot weather wear. Batwing chaps are often seen on rodeo riders and on working ranches, particularly in Texas. They were a later design, developed after the end of the open range.

Woolies: These chaps are a variation on shotgun chaps, made with a fleece or hair-on hide, often angora wool, lined with canvas on the inside. Woolies are the warmest chaps and are associated with the northern plains and Rocky Mountains. They appeared on the Great Plains somewhere around 1887.

Blog questions - MAKE SURE YOU READ THE OLD WEST FACT!!! THAT INCLUDES YOU ROBBie!
1st period: 1) How long have shotgun chaps been around? 2) What about the Woolies, how long have they been around? 3) If a pair of Woolies cost $365.00 and you only had $27.00 how much would you need in order to buy the chaps?

4th & 6th Period Blog Question: Answer all three questions for 1st period along with these two: 4) How many letters are in the words shotgun chaps?______ of those letters the vowels are your numerator what would the numerator be_____? 5) If you had to get shot gun shaps for the whole rodeo flag team and there were 26 people, and each pair of chaps cost $347.54 how much would it cost for your order of chaps__________?

THE 411!
1st Period: Howdy partners! This week we be working on ... hmmm lets see... converting percents, decimals and fractions... its not pretty but its helpful! So pull that hat down tight

4th and 6th Period: You know we just did not get to spend enough time with my dear aunt Sally... so back to it we go! And after that. Mintegers anyone?