Description
What our Running of the Bulls Festival lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Running of the Bulls Festival is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will learn about about this exciting and dangerous Spanish festival. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand.
Teacher Notes
The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson. It explains that you can teach this lesson in a whole-class setting or as an independent, small-group activity. You can use the blank lines to write down any other ideas or thoughts you have about the topic as you prepare.
RUNNING OF THE BULLS FESTIVAL LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Introduction to the Festival
The Running of the Bulls Festival lesson plan contains two content pages. The Running of the Bulls—or “Encierro”—is a famous Spanish festival held every year. It takes place in Pamplona, a city in the region of Navarra in northern Spain. The running happens from July 7 to July 14, with one run at 8 o’clock each morning. Thousands gather to watch and participate in this exciting yet dangerous tradition where bulls run through the city’s narrow streets.
How the Festival Began
The origin of the Running of the Bulls dates back to the 14th century. Farmers needed to transport their bulls from the countryside into the city for market sales. To speed up the process, people would run in front of the bulls and use sticks or loud noises to drive them through the streets. Over time, this became less of a practical activity and more of a cultural and festive event. The connection to San FermÃn, a patron saint of Pamplona, made it a part of the religious festival held in his honor.
Historically, the Running of the Bulls was a simple and practical affair. Farmers would begin their journey at the city’s edge, guiding the bulls along to the bullring, where the animals would later be used in bullfights. As this practice continued, young men in the city started joining in the run for fun and to prove their bravery. The event grew in popularity, especially in the 20th century when international attention increased, mainly due to author Ernest Hemingway’s book, The Sun Also Rises.
In modern times, the festival has become a global spectacle, attracting visitors worldwide. While the event’s core—running through the streets in front of the bulls—remains the same, it now comes with more safety measures, such as barriers and medical staff on standby. The route is also more defined, running 875 meters (0.54 miles) through Pamplona’s old town. Despite the safety precautions, injuries are common, and occasionally, there are fatalities.
Interesting Facts
A particular part of the festival is what people wear. Many runners and watchers dress in white with a red scarf tied around their necks, which honors Saint FermÃn. This makes everyone feel like they are part of a tradition. Police officers keep back the runners until the race officially starts. The race begins with a loud boom! A rocket explodes, signaling the start of the Running of the Bulls. This lets everyone know the bulls are coming! The runners then race through the streets, trying to stay ahead of the bulls without getting trampled.
The Running of the Bulls is exciting, but some people don’t like it. Animal rights groups think the event is unfair to the bulls because they get scared and hurt while running. After the race, there are bullfights, where the bulls are fought and sometimes killed. This upsets many people who care about animals. Some people in Spain believe it’s an important tradition that has existed for a long time. However, more and more people wonder if it should still happen today.
An interesting fact about the festival is that not everyone tries to finish the race. Some runners stop or slow down before reaching the end to avoid going into the bullring. Inside the bullring, the bulls can be more aggressive and there are fewer places for people to escape. So, some runners celebrate their run without going to the end to stay safe.
Running of the Bulls Today
Despite the risks, many people train for the event, practicing running and learning the best strategies to avoid the bulls. It’s said that the safest place is close to the front but not too close to the bulls’ horns. Knowing the curves and corners of the route also gives locals an advantage over tourists, who may not be as familiar with Pamplona’s streets.
The Running of the Bulls doesn’t only happen in Pamplona. Other Spanish towns and cities hold similar events, though Pamplona’s is the most famous. The festival has also inspired similar events worldwide, with places like New Orleans, USA, hosting their own “Running of the Bulls” event. In this case, participants are chased by roller derby skaters instead of actual bulls.
The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona is a lively historical tradition that blends culture, religion, and excitement. Its rich history and worldwide recognition make it one of Spain’s most notable events. However, it also faces criticism due to animal welfare concerns. As it continues to evolve, the festival remains a symbol of Spanish culture and a significant tourist attraction.
RUNNING OF THE BULLS FESTIVAL LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Running of the Bulls Festival lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. You can refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.
RUNNING OF THE DINOS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For the activity, students will come up with their own version of the Running of the Bulls festival, except with dinosaurs. With a group, students will design a dinosaur mask and a course, and they will come up with some other activities for the festival. There is space on the worksheet for them to sketch a rough draft of their mask and draw a map of their course.
REVIEW PRACTICE WORKSHEET
The practice worksheet requires students to answer a series of 10 questions. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them often for the answers. In addition, each question provides which reading tool the question corresponds to, such as text feature, vocabulary, or comprehension.
Worksheet Answer Keys
At the end of the lesson plan document is an answer key for the practice worksheet. The correct answers are all in red to make it easier for you to compare them with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
