‘Year of the Horse’ spurs writing at Liberty
Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, September 09, 2010
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Kids at Liberty Elementary got a close-up with several horses as they kicked off the schoolwide Writing Rodeo.
At Liberty Elementary, “The Year of the Horse” picked up steam as kids met equestrian experts and petted animals grazing just outside the gym.
“This will be a memorable day – when the horses came to school!” 10-year-old Jakob Ousley said after his class rotated through the seven stations.
The interactive event kicked off Liberty’s Writing Rodeo, a schoolwide project that will culminate this spring. In a nod to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the children will work with these themes:
- Kindergarten: If I Had a Horse
- Grade 1: Horses and Art
- Grade 2: Horses in Movies, TV or Music
- Grade 3: Who Was Man O’War?
- Grade 4: 2010 World Equestrian Games
- Grade 5: Horses in American History
“We’re learning how the Native Americans had horses long ago,” explained 11-year-old Megan McGahey, who loved seeing the real animals up close Thursday.
Fifth-grade teacher Paula Berry found the hands-on experiences a rich encouragement for her kids, noting how writers use all their senses. She instructed her class to jot down what they saw, heard, smelled and touched outside, as well as what they thought about it all.
“They’re gathering information about horses in general, and what a wealth of resources we had today from all across the industry,” Berry said.
The kickoff featured mounted police, a veterinarian, a farrier demonstrating how to shoe a horse and an agronomist explaining why the soil makes the Bluegrass of Central Kentucky ideal for horses. At another station, kids tried out a mechanical horse named “Spirit” that trains jockeys, and across the way, students learned about harness racing at the Red Mile. The children also eagerly lined up to pet the miniature horses and a skittish 4-month-old foal.
“Our goal is to have the children get excited about horses so that they can write wonderful pieces about them,” said music teacher Mary Jane Elliott, who helped organize the event.
In the preceding week, the specials classes all focused on horses – from drawing horses in art class and researching horses in computer lab, to acting out horse stories in drama class and studying their movement in science.
"Students are engaged in an inquiry-based project where they will explore and discover various aspects of the horse and how Lexington is center stage for the horse industry. They will then create various writing pieces of their choosing to demonstrate their knowledge. These are masterpieces in the works!" said writing coach Deanna Branham.
Throughout the year, the students’ work will be spotlighted around school, from story outlines to finished products. A committee will then pick the top three from each grade to feature in the yearbook. In addition, all the students’ compositions will be bound and stored in the library.
Berry said Thursday’s kickoff provided good background for her students, who came up with questions for their visitors and wrote down the assembly speakers’ main points.
“We’ve got expert opinions and quotes and sensory input,” she noted, but another key ingredient is excitement about their chosen topic.
Berry noted how the guests, particularly retired jockey P.J. Cooksey, shared great life lessons, and “each one talked about why horses became their passion.”