What does it mean to own something? Objective By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: • Understand how to read and identify various cattle brands. • Explain why the knowledge and ability to read cattle brands was a skill valued by cowboys. • Explain the historic purpose and use of cattle brands during the open range cattle era, and how they contributed to the mutual success of cowboys and cattle ranchers. Background Branding, or the practice of pressing hot metal symbols into the skin of livestock to mark ownership, dates back to ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. The practice ma Duration: 60 Minutes Additional Standards: NCSS Standard 1.C. NCSS Standard 5.G. NCSS Standard 2.D..