The second story in our Celebrating Traditions Unit is called
"Anthony Reynoso, Born to Rope."
This is a story of a family's tradition of Mexican rodeo roping and riding. Anthony and his family work hard and practice their skills for their exhibitions. Because of their hours of practice, they are now expert performers!
* * * * * * * * * *
Please share about a skill you have worked hard to learn.
What steps did you take to master this skill?
Was it difficult at first?
Did anyone help you to achieve this goal?
"Anthony Reynoso, Born to Rope."
This is a story of a family's tradition of Mexican rodeo roping and riding. Anthony and his family work hard and practice their skills for their exhibitions. Because of their hours of practice, they are now expert performers!
* * * * * * * * * *
Please share about a skill you have worked hard to learn.
What steps did you take to master this skill?
Was it difficult at first?
Did anyone help you to achieve this goal?
Dear Class,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in fourth grade, our music teacher was looking for volunteers to join the school orchestra. She specifically needed a bass player. I had been studying the piano for two years and loved music, so I immediately raised my hand. The next thing I knew, Mrs. Cohen packed the bass in her car and drove me home! My mother was surprised when we arrived, but she was excited for me. The bass was a challenging instrument to learn. I had to learn to bow and pluck with my right hand and to find the notes on the strings with my left. With determination, I practiced daily for about 15 to 20 minutes. That was all my fingers could endure! By the time the orchestra concert date arrived, I was able to perform. My mother was a great supporter in helping me to achieve this goal. She encouraged me in my practice, played the piano along with me, and drove my bass and me everywhere we needed to go. Thank goodness we had a station wagon!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ranney
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThe skill I worked hard to learn is riding my two wheeled bike. The steps I used to learn how to ride is balance, push off, and steering. I also gained confidence. At first it was very hard to ride the bike because I was falling off. My little sister's friend taught me how to ride my bike. Now I am very good at riding two wheeled bikes. I love riding my bike!!!
Your Student,
Brandon
Dear Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed with how you checked the blog today and found the new post! That really shows what an enthusiastic student you are! Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ranney
Dear Mrs. Ranney's Class,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, I used to ski every winter. Five years ago, I decided to learn how to snowboard. Because it was completely new to me, I signed up for a class with an expert. The teacher instructed me to always wear a helmet, to put my weight on my front foot when I wanted to go, and to bring my arms around and point in the direction I wanted to turn. Pointing in a direction helped turn my body in that direction. It took a lot of concentration to get my body in the correct position, and I fell and fell and fell and fell. After hours of falling, I really felt like quitting. I told myself that everything is hard at the beginning, but if I would keep trying, I would succeed. After several days of focused practice, I was able go down a hill and make several turns without falling. Learning to snowboard was exciting for me. I am still a novice, but I am getting better.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Yollis
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThe skill I am working on is dancing. I have been dancing since I was 4 years old. My favorite dances are hip-hop, ballet, and pop theater. It was difficult at first, but I kept on practicing and performed at a lot of recitals. My dance teacher help me to learn a lot. I think that learning to dance is a great activity.
Your student,
Natalie
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThe skill I worked hard on to learn was roller blading. It was hard at first, and I fell down a lot. After many tries, I got better and better. My dad and my brother helped me learn to balance and to go faster. Roller blading is very entertaining. Now I am very good at roller blading, and I think it is awesome. Have you ever tried roller blading, Mrs. Ranney?
Your Student,
Cameron
Dear Cameron,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! No, I have never tried roller blading! Although I haven't done it in a few years, I have always enjoyed roller skating. I hope to try roller blading someday!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ranney
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteMy goal was to make a basket in a 10 foot basket. The person who helped me was my dad.The steps were to bend your knees, line up, bend my elbows, and shoot. I shot on a 6 foot basket. First it was difficult. I missed a lot. Then my dad told me to aim at the front of the rim. I finally made it in! My dad was right, like always. You’re the best teacher!
Your Student,
Andrew L.
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteOne of the hard skills I learned is snowboarding. I go to Mammoth a lot. One step for snowboarding is I went to snowboarding school. I didn't have fun because none of the kids were my age. I got to practice snowboarding by going down a small hill over and over and over. I still fall a lot. I am still learning.
Sincerely your student,
Ethan
Dear Mrs.Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThe skill I worked hard to learn was ice skating. I practice ice skating every Saturday with two friends at an outdoor ice skating ring. When I first started, I fell a lot and injured my ankle. After two days of practice, I was really good at ice skating. Now I ice skate every winter.
Your Student,
Seruni
Dear Mrs.Ranney,
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I had to learn was how to play baseball. The person who really taught me how to play was JJ. He is a private coach for Southern California Baseball. He helped me with pitching, throwing, fielding, hitting, and pop flies.
Some other people who helped me practice and improve my skills were my dad, my friend Jack Simons, and his family. We would always play in front of Jack's house or at the park on Friday afternoons/evenings. I also practiced on my own every chance I had.
Now I have confidence as a baseball player, and it is one of my favorite sports. I am proud of myself, because I never gave up and tried hard to improve my game.
Now I am pretty good, and I'm a Dodger!
Sincerely,
Carson
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI learned how to ride a two wheeler bike. My mom taught me how to ride a two wheeler bike. These are the steps that my mom taught me. Get a strong push and keep your head up. Now I have so much fun riding!
Your Student,
Eli
Dear Mrs. Ranney
ReplyDeleteIt took me a long time until I could swim.First I had to get used to the water and dunk my face in the water.I got a little help from my swimming teacher.Also I learned how to float,dive,and swim under water.I had a lot of fun.I also go to the same swimming class as my friend named Jasmine.She is very nice. Now I know how to swim.I love to swim. Do you like to swim?
Your student,
Aalisha
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI am very good at party planning. I love to be creative and enjoy the
process.
From,
Debra (Marisa's mom)
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI love to play soccer. I practice at A.C. Stelle. It is a good soccer field. One time I played against Nikki and Leanne, and my team won. It was hard at first, but I am very good at soccer now. I will always love soccer.
Your Student,
Marisa
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteLast year I took dance. It was really challenging at first, but it was easier when you learned it and practiced. I practiced a lot. The first step I had to do was stretch to get ready. A mom made a video of the dance and then we had the video to practice at home. I practiced and practiced and practiced, and finally I got it right. When my teacher did it, she said that was really a challenging dance. At the end of the year we did a show. It was really challenging but we got through it.
In the summer, I went to the dance camp. It was so much fun. And do you know what? Because I practiced so much before, it was easy and fun. Now I love dance!
Your student,
Jessica
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI am becoming an expert at basketball. In the beginning I wasn't very good. I didn't have the strength to hit the rim with the basketball.
I am always practicing no matter what the weather is like outside. In order to keep getting better I play on two different teams during the year.
My dad has coached me for many seasons which has helped me achieve my goal.
Your Student,
Andrew S.
Dear Mrs.Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThe skill I was working on is skiing. I ski at Dear Valley. It was really hard at first but I got better at it. I needed to this thing called worms. They were stretchy and made skiing easier. Now I am better and don't need those.
Your student,
Jake
Dear Class,
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying finding out about all the things you have worked hard to learn. Jake, I am very interested to find out more about worms and how they helped you with skiing! Please post more about them! Aalisa, I love to swim! I enjoyed taking lessons when I was your age too. I have always loved being in the water whether it's in a pool, a lake, or the ocean. In addition to swimming, I also really enjoy water aerobics.
Keep up the great commenting everyone!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ranney
Dear Mrs. Ranney
ReplyDeleteI have played baseball since I was 4 years old. I have worked very hard to become good at the catcher position. It has taken me 2 years of hard work to learn this position. I have had help from my Dad, my coaches and my baseball instructor J.J. I practice every day with my brother Oliver, he pitches the ball to me outside until I have to go inside to do my homework.
I love to play baseball, it is fun.
Your student,
Jack
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI work hard to learn how to rollerblade. When I go to “Skateland” for birthday parties, I usually hold on to side rails, because I am afraid to fall. My dad helps me practice rollerblading in the park. I fall a lot but I never give up.
Your student,
Nikki
Dear Mrs. Ranney's Class,
ReplyDeleteI remember when we first started this blog, and you and your class have done a massive effort and improvement to this blog.
One skill that I am proud to share is when I was in kindergarten I tried so hard to learn chess. I thought I was a horrible player. I kept trying to to learn to play chess for one and a half years. In second grade I had my first opportunity to show off what I know, and I won two chess trophies: one first place, and one second place trophy. In third grade I accomplished my goal. That goal was to be a tournament player. In my first tournament I was playing against 67 people, I was awarded second place! The tournament took about 2-3 hours. However, the second tournament I won second place, and I was playing not 60 nor 70, but 77 people! Currently, I have six trophies, and I have versed about 200 people in all!
Your former student,
William M.
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child everything I learned-piano, ice skating, and even roller skating- took a lot of practice. When I stopped practicing, I couldn't do them very well anymore.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tarrab
Dear Mrs. Ranney and class,
ReplyDeleteLike my mom, Mrs. Ranney, I am so impressed and interested in the skills everyone has worked so hard to learn! I have one that I would like to share with you myself. As you might know from talking to Mrs. Ranney, I live in Germany and arrived here speaking no German. Naturally I was very determined to learn because I live here now and knew I would be staying for at least two years. Most of that time has already gone by and now when I open my mouth to speak German I can hardly believe it is me talking! I have been very lucky to meet German speaking friends who do not speak English and who have helped me to practice my German. I also took lessons for about 10 months. I would like to take them again but have not yet found another class that fits in my schedule. But, since I work at a language school I have also had the chance to take up Spanish again. I learned Spanish when I was in high school and college and grew up with many Spanish speaking friends. I have also met many Spanish speaking people here in Frankfurt (It is a very international city!) and went to Cadiz, Spain this past summer to take a Spanish course. Now my abilities in German and Spanish are almost, but not quite, equal. I am very proud of my language skills since not very many Americans learn to speak foreign languages unless they grow up in bilingual families. I would encourage everyone to learn at least one foreign language in their lives. It can help you meet people, work hard, and understand what a wonderful place the world is!
Mit freundlichen Grüßen, (With friendly greetings,)
Kari Pope
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI love making stories on my computer and sometimes by hand. When I first started, I didn't write good, juicy sentences. Then when I read lots of stories I got better at writing good, juicy sentences. No one taught me, but I taught myself how to write. The more I write, the better I get. I write about fantasy stories sometimes, but I also write about animals other times. When I draw pictures for my stories, I draw them like It’s a real cartoon I’m watching on TV. Maybe I can bring a story to the class to share.
Sincerely,
Leanne
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteAnother skill that I worked hard on to learn was math. I had to practice math everyday when I got home from school. My dad worked with me and taught me a few hints to help me understand math. My dad is very good at math and helps me with my homework when he gets home from work. Math is my favorite subject in school because I am very good at it. Math is hard at first, but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier. I know that math will get harder in higher grades, but if I keep practicing I will get better and get good grades.
Your Student,
Cameron
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI am learning a new skill right now. I started taking piano lessons about 3 months ago. It was very hard at first, but I get better each week. I am taking lessons with my daughter, Nicole. I learn 1 or 2 songs each week. I practice every day. I practice scales and exercises to make my fingers move faster and become stronger.
Learning piano has been very fun. Maybe someday I will be a piano expert!! That may be a long time away, but for now, I am enjoying learning something new and exciting.
Mrs. Pollack (Cameron's mom)
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThe skill I learned is Karate. The basic skills are listening, focus and following directions. I had trouble a first, but with practice and with the help of my teacher Mr. Shervin, I achieved my goals. Now I am a solid green belt and I am on the Demo Team.
Your student,
Sam
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteThe skill I worked hard to learn is skiing. Last year I went skiing for the first time. It seemed hard at first, but my dad taught me how to stay balanced and put my weight forward. By the end of the day I could ski on my own. I can't wait to go back this year.
Your student,
Roxana
Dear Mrs.Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI learned how to skateboard when I was 7 years old. At first I kept falling down, and it was very hard to balance. My dad helped me to learn some tricks. I also took a skateboarding class and practiced at home and at the park. I went to skateboarding camp this summer and learned how to do go down huge ramps and do some awesome tricks. Skateboarding is an awesome sport. In enrichment class last year, I made a skateboard by myself. Our family has four skateboards that we share. I like to skateboard at my friends’ houses and I like to go very fast. Going fast is awesome! The next trick I would like to learn is to do a 360 kick flip. I also want to learn to do a Nollie. Those tricks will take a lot of practice.
Your friend,
Cameron
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI wasn't very good at handball until I practiced. I practiced everyday. Then I got better at handball. Now I am an expert at it and love to play handball.
Sincerely,
Liam
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI am learning to play flag football. I practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and our game is on Sundays. Flag football is fun to play because, we get to pull the other teams flags, I am learning how to block and I have friends that also play. Did you know that Andrew S. also playing flag football? We haven't played against each other yet, but I hope to. I am the best blocker on my team. I hope to win on my next game.
Your student,
Garrett
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young I learned how to ice skate. At first I fell a lot. After many hours of practice, I got better and learned how to skate backward and do jumps. I practiced every day after school and on weekends. I did the same things over and over and then mastered the skill I had been working hard at achieving. I learned that with many hours of practice and hard work, I could achieve the skills that seemed so difficult when I first started to skate. Mrs. Ranney, have you ever tried ice skating?
Sincerely,
Debbie Goldflam (Brandon's mom)
Dear Class,
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of the comments you have made here. One thing I am proud of is how well - written they are. In addition, I am very proud and impressed with all your accomplishments!
I also appreciate the parents who have joined in the discussion: Mrs. Pollack, Mrs. Groch, Mrs. Tarrab, and Mrs. Goldflam.
Mrs. Goldflam asked if I have ever tried ice skating, and the answer is, yes! It has been many years since I've been on skates, but I did take lessons when I was a little girl. I used to love to go to our local ice skating rink, and even had one of my birthday parties there.
Thanks again, everyone. Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ranney
Dear Mrs.Ranney and classmates,
ReplyDeleteAnother skill I learned was how to do math. I didn't really get how it worked. My mom tried helping but I still didn't understand. Once I was coming home from preschool I did my first math problem. It was two plus two. Math is so much fun!
Your Student,
Eli
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI am an EXPERT at finding things on the ground. I like to pick up every shiny thing I find. I learned on my own and I have found 1 to 20 dollar bills and a lot more stuff! I keep finding stuff on the ground and there is so much more interesting stuff to collect!
Your student,
Evan C.#7
Dear Mrs.Ranney,
ReplyDeleteWorms are like big rubber bands. I put them on the tips of my skis. Worms make it so my skis did not cross. They also made me go slower. I have not needed to use worms since I was five years old.
Your Student,
Jake
Dear Jake,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great explanation. I can really visualize what the worms would look like and how they would help. Now, I get it!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ranney