The Winner’s Circle: Kentucky Derby Activities for School

Since its first running in 1875, the Kentucky Derby has become an iconic American cultural event for fashion, food, and fun. Capitalize on your students’ interest in sports and share these Kentucky Derby activities for every class before the event to keep them engaged and learning through the end of the school year.

• Practice reading and writing skills with Kentucky Derby activities in ELA
• Learn more about the state where the Kentucky Derby happens in social studies
• Discover what cars and horses have in common in science

Practice reading and writing skills with Kentucky Derby activities in ELA

Help students explore the Kentucky Derby and more about horses while still practicing essential reading and writing skills.

Practice narrative writing while learning about winning the Triple Crown

What would it feel like to be a jockey who just won the Triple Crown—which comes from winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes with the same horse in the same racing season. Students can explore this perspective with a narrative writing activity:

• First, have students read an article about the quest of one potential Triple Crown winner and his experience.
• Next, have student watch a video about what it means to do descriptive writing and how they can apply that skill to their own work.
• Finally, ask students to write a narrative from a Kentucky Derby jockey’s perspective using descriptions to share what they see, smell, and hear. For even more writing guidance, have students complete the activity on Newsela Writing!

Learn about genres and point of view with a horse-themed paired text activity

Teach students more about point of view in different genres with this paired text activity:

• First, have students read chapter 3 of the novel “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell, which is told from the point of view of the horse.
• Next, have students read a nonfiction text about how equine or horse therapy can lead to better communication and improved relationships.
• Finally, have students complete a Venn Diagram to answer the guiding question, “How do the genre and style of each text impact the author’s message?”

Want to try the same exercise with a shorter fictional text? Use the Aesop fable “The Horse and His Rider” instead!

Learn more about the state where the Kentucky Derby happens in social studies

Each May, the Kentucky Derby shines a light on one of our U.S. southern states. Teach students more about Bluegrass State that hosts it all with articles on topics like:

• The history, geography, and natural resources of Kentucky.
• How even amid the COVID-19 pandemic the “show must go on” and the traditional race was replaced with the Kentucky Turtle Derby.
• How tourism is increasing in the South, especially at museums and historic sites dedicated to Black history.

Discover what cars and horses have in common in science

If you’ve ever heard of a car’s horsepower, it got that name for a reason! See how scientists are developing self-driving cars by taking notes from horses and their riders with articles on topics like how:

• A roboticist used horses and the trust they have with their riders as a model for building AI systems.
• A therapeutic horseback riding center helps improve mental health by building trust between horse and rider.
• Rodeo stars and their horses need to be in sync to win competitions—and compete safely.

The Triple Crown: Newsela content, writing, and assessments

With Newsela’s subject products, you get access to high-interest content, engaging activities, and relevant assessments that make you feel like you’ve entered the Winner’s Circle each time you teach a lesson.

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