The children have learned many lessons and new skills this year, but perhaps the learning they take the most pride in is reading. They began the year able to identify sounds and read just a few short words. Now they are able to read stories, magazines, websites, comics, and so much more! What a tremendous accomplishment! After practicing our reading daily since September, the children were ready and we were off! We spent a morning celebrating and sharing our reading talents with none other than a few gentle Arabian horses. The students moved through different centers, reading to the horses after completing the activities at each centre. The activities were fun and included labeling the parts of a horse with sticky labels, grooming the horses (and their hooves!), running silly relay races dressed as cow boys and cow girls, writing special messages on posters to the horses, trying out the feel of a saddle (complete with parent-generated bumps) and making paint-stamped bandanas. Reading was easily the highlight! There were so many magical moments as the horses leaned in to see the pictures and hear the students read. The children read with confidence and tremendous pride, and the morning is one we will fondly remember.
Keep reading, boys and girls! Thank you, Mr. Millar for motivating us to read all year long!
On Thursday, we welcomed a new student into our class! Here are a few clues that describe him:
1. He has big brown eyes. 2. He likes to play and run outside. 3. He LOVES listening to stories. Our new student is not a new boy or girl, but a horse, of course! His name is Trifon and he is an Arabian horse. We welcomed Mr. Millar and Trifon from the Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project. Mr. Millar shared that Trifon and all of the horses he has absolutely love listening to stories. He was hoping we could come read to the horses soon!
The boys and girls were very excited to meet Trifon. Each student had a special moment to gently touch Trifon on his shoulder. Mr Millar gave each student a little book about Trifon's friend, a horse named Sox. This little pattern book is a perfect beginning reader for the children because it encourages the children to look at the pictures for clues about the words in the book. We have lots of reading ahead of us before we head to the horse barn in the Spring to read to Trifon and all of his friends!
While Trifon was only a student in our class for the afternoon, Mr. Millar left a giant poster of Trifon for us to practice reading to.
Here are a few memories from our afternoon:
Trifon not only likes reading stories, but enjoys reading email, too! Trifon can be reached at trifon@arabianhorsereading.com and will respond back. Wow, what a horse!
A Brave Hero
Friday afternoon was perhaps one of the most special moments our class has shared so far this year. We tied up our runners, filled our waterbottles, and gathered with our school community to honour a Canadian hero, Terry Fox, by participating in our school's annual Terry Fox Run.
All week long we learned about Terry Fox. The children were amazed that Terry would run a marathon distance every day, even in cold, windy or rainy weather. What astounded us most was that even though Terry had lost a leg to cancer, he was brave enough to run through the pain so that others could perhaps one day live without cancer.
With tattoos on our cheeks and smiles on our faces, we headed out into the sunshine! We ran, we walked, we jogged, and one sparkly little one even danced his way around the track! Here is a look at some of the energetic Terry Fox Run participants from our class.
