Notice: The Family Play Space will be closed on Saturday, October 12. The Autry will be open on Monday, Oct. 14, Indigenous Peoples' Day!

painting of horses

Animals of the American West Digital Gallery Tour

Resource Type
Digital Tour
Grade Level:
3–5, 6–8
Discipline:
Social Studies, Science, Environment, Art
Topic:
Animals, Nature, Art Elements

Digital Gallery Tour 

Students will learn about the animals of the West and their importance to communities of people by: 

  • exploring the topic through introductory questions   
  • analyzing objects from the Autry Museum using guiding questions 
  • engaging in hands-on activities  

Standards 

CA NGSS: 3-LS4.D
CA HSS: 3.1.2 
CA HSS: 3.5.1 
CA HSS: 4.1.3 


Digital Gallery Tour Resources 

Student Response SheetAnimals of American West Student Response Sheet 

Pre-Lesson: Split students into small groups, each with an image from the digital gallery tour and have students describe what they see in the image making predictions, creating questions or completing a KWL on Animals of the West. 

Post Lesson: Post object images from the digital gallery tour throughout the classroom or on a distance learning platform. Students “tour” each station writing down questions they still have on the subject. Assign students to research the answer to a question and present for each image object. 

Extension(s): Students choose one project from the “Things to Consider” object prompts or “Conclusion” activities. Students can design their own saddles and spurs, write poetry, record stories, and create drawings. Teachers can also facilitate a conversation about how animals affect and interact each other, using Jamboard to draw a web and record student answers. 


Teaching Tips for Different Learning Environments  

Whole Class In-Person Learning: Split students into groups based on the Animals of the West digital gallery tour sections: Tools for Horses, Spurred On, Animals in Art, Where the Buffalo Roam. Students review and present the information to the class leading a discussion on one of the “Things to Consider” questions. Alternatively, the teacher could model the horse and assign student groups one of the following animals: bison, salmon, bear, snake, raven, whale, elk. 

Whole Class Distance Learning: Create Zoom/GoogleChat/Teams polls, chats or lead a discussion using the “Things to Consider” questions. Create breakout rooms for different aspects of the digital gallery tour (Tools for Horses, Spurred On, Animals in Art, Where the Buffalo Roam) and have students come back to whole class to share what they learned. Alternatively, the teacher could model the horse and assign student breakout rooms the following: bison, salmon, bear, snake, raven, whale, elk. 

Tech Fun: Kahoot! to answer multiple choice questions throughout the digital gallery tour; Flipgrid to record skits, dances, or storytelling; Scratch to code a story or an animation; Jamboard to draw or collage images; Google Docs for writing and sharing poems and stories.  


Links to Associated Education Resources 

Educational Programs at the Autry are sponsored by:

Dean and Laura Beresford · Molly and Neal Brockmeyer · Vince and Colleen Caballero · Capital Group · David F. Eisenberg · The Georgina-Fredrick Children's Foundation · Christy McAvoy · Marleen and Bruce Rognlien · Robert E. Ronus · Brenda and Gary Ruttenberg · The Steinmetz Foundation · Virginia F. Stevenson · Thelma Pearl Howard Foundation

Land Acknowledgment

The Autry Museum of the American West acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). We recognize that the Autry Museum and its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

The Autry Museum in Griffith Park

4700 Western Heritage Way

Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
Located northeast of downtown, across from the Los Angeles Zoo.
Map and Directions

Free parking for Autry visitors.


MUSEUM AND STORE HOURS
Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

DINING
Food Trucks are available on select days, contact us for details at 323.495.4252.
The cafe is temporarily closed until further notice.