The Trifon Award

Reading to Horses

Trifon "In Memory Of This Amazing Horse" 1992 - 2019

Trifon, the Arabian stallion, was the lead horse for the Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project for more than 10 years.

Trifon touched 1000s of ‘kids’, motivating them to want to read and write while exciting their imaginations and encouraging them to reach for the stars. We miss him greatly!

In memory of this amazing horse the Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project is excited to offer The Trifon Award.

For each class participating in the literacy program, the teacher is asked to select one student to be the recipient of this award. The teacher will determine the specific criteria, but ideally it will be a student who is most affected by their participation in the program.

Each ward winner will receive a $20 gift card fro Indigo Books and … their choice of …

Reading Program

First Connection: 45 minutes to 1 hour

The horse visits the class and their school

  • After a brief presentation to the ‘kids’ in the school, the students will come out, line up and, one at a time, approach and meet the horse.
  • Each student will touch the horse and then receive their book to keep.
  • With a large colour poster of the horse provided for each participating classroom, the students are challenged to practice reading to the horse on the poster.

Second Connection: 2 hours - 10am to 12 noon

The students travel to the farm

  • Divided in groups, the students work through 4 different activity centres.
  • At each activity centre the students learn something about the horses with ‘touch and feel’ moments throughout, all done in safe and well organized indoor environment.
  • At each centre the students will read, one at a time, to the horse at that station. … pure magic!!
  • After completing all 4 activity centres, the students have their lunch at the farm, after which they are entertained by an exciting and educational horse demonstration.
  • They depart to go on their way home.
Many grade one teachers have the horse visit their class in the fall, then they vist the farm the following spring. Many teachers are finding this is an excellent way to motivate their new readers all year long, with the colour poster of the horse in the class. The books supplied by the Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project will be a little challenging for the students at the beginning of the year, but come February the ‘kids’ will able to manage their new books.

Most classes will have the horse visit the school in April or May, then come out to the farm approximately a month later. For the older ‘kids’ a longer time period is often best to allow them to finish their chapter books, which are a little more challenging.

Contact The Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project
(AHRLP) To Come Up With A Time Suitable
For You And Your Class

Creative Writing Program

First Connection: 45 minutes to 1 hour

The horse visits the class and their school

  • The students will enjoy an exciting presentation. They will hear about the history of the Arabian horse back in the time when the Bedouins used them in the deserts of the Middle East, how some of the Arabian breeding farms in Poland were affected by the Second World War (many horses were smuggled out of Poland by grooms at these stable and ended up in Russia and other parts of Europe) as well as many interesting fact and the horse.
  • The students will come out, line up and, one at a time, approach and meet and touch the horse.
  • With a large colour poster of the horse provided for each participating classroom, the students are challenged to write their own story or poem, which they will later read to the horses when they visit the farm.

Second Connection: 2 hours - 10am to 12 noon

The students travel to the farm

  • Divided in groups, the students work through 4 different activity centres.
  • At each activity centre the students learn something about the horses with ‘touch and feel’ moments throughout, all done in safe and well organized indoor environment.
  • At each centre the students will read their own story or poem, one at a time, to the horse at that station. … pure magic!!
  • After completing all 4 activity centres, the students have their lunch at the farm, after which they are entertained by an exciting and educational horse demonstration.
  • They depart to go on their way home.
All the stories will be collected, with the help of the teacher and a book of the student’s stories will be published. Each student will receive a book with all the stories and poems they and their classmates wrote.

This program works well for grades 3 and up, however some creative teachers are challenging their grades 1 and 2 students.
Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project

 

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