Terry Fox Activities for Elementary
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated March 20, 2024
With September’s Terry Fox Run on the horizon, this is a perfect opportunity to spotlight this exceptional Canadian hero. To maximize our learning on the day of the run, I set aside teaching time to delve into Terry’s story and engage my class in enjoyable Terry Fox activities. Read on for important information about this heroic icon, as well as some fun teaching resources to make your run day super successful.
Looking for some no-prep resources about Terry Fox that you can print and use in your classroom? Click on the image or button below to see all of the Terry Fox related resources available in my TPT shop!
Who was Terry Fox?
Terry Fox was a young boy from Winnipeg, Manitoba. After being diagnosed with Cancer, he dedicated his remaining days to running across Canada to raise money for Cancer research. Terry called his run the Marathon of Hope. He began his run on April 12, 1980. Terry Fox ran 42 km (26 miles) a day for 143 days. He had to stop when he became too ill to continue.
How much money has been raised in Terry’s name?
To date, over Six Hundred Million dollars has been raised in Terry’s name for Cancer research.
When does the Terry Fox run take place?
Every September, people all over the world participate in the Terry Fox run to help raise funds to find a cure for Cancer. The Terry Fox run is the world’s largest one day fundraiser for Cancer research.
What are some teaching ideas for the day of the Terry Fox run?
On the day of the Terry Fox Run, I aim to enhance our learning through a range of diverse Terry Fox activities. A solid comprehension of Terry Fox and his motivations is crucial to imbue the run with significance. These activities foster a distinct focus and understanding among students, and additionally serve as excellent conversation starters to carry back home and share with their families.
Also, we all know that we have a wide variety of runners in our classrooms. Every year I seem to have a group of sprinters and a group of turtles. These activities are perfect for students who finish the run early – just pass them the activity on a clipboard, and have them get started while the other students are finishing up.
Terry Fox Activities – Activity Books
These activity books are perfect for younger students, as they provide short reading passages and questions all about Terry Fox and the Terry Fox run.
The booklet also contains a fun graphic organizer that students can color up and bring home. All of the activities in these fun little activity books have been designed for students to be able to complete independently.
Interested in trying out this activity with your learners? Click here or on the image below to grab your own set of activity books.
Terry Fox Activities – Student Research
For students looking for more of a challenge, these research booklets really hit the mark. These reading passages and questions are a bit higher level than those included in the activity booklets.
For the activity, students read through the included reading passages, and use the information they have gathered to help them complete a creative research template.
Once they have completed the template, students can use the information they have learned to complete a fun pamphlet project all about this Canadian hero. This pamphlet makes a great interactive notebook addition or activity to take home and share with families.
Alternately, student can use the information they have gathered to create these giant pennant projects! All of the information they need to complete to pennant can be found in the research they have previously gathered. These make gorgeous hallway displays and take home projects!
Terry Fox Activities – Mini Books
Mini books are a creative way to share a lot of information with students, in a way that is compact and easy to share. My students really liked being able to take these mini books home to share with their siblings and parents.
Alternately, this would be an excellent activity to complete and share with a younger buddy class!
I utilize two distinct mini book activities with my learners, alternating between them based on the cohort each year. One involves the traditional method of cutting and stapling pages, while the other employs hole-punched pages bound together with a binder ring. Both variations have yielded impressive outcomes in my classroom.
Each book comes with blank and filled templates. This makes differentiation super easy. The blank pages are great for writing practice, as student can fill out each page with the included information about Terry Fox.
Interested in trying out these mini book with your learners? Click on the images below to go directly to the products in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
I hope this posts helps you plan for your next Terry Fox Run! Is this an activity that your complete each year with you students? I would love to hear more – let me know in the comments!
Looking for more Canadian focused blog posts?
Check out some of my previous posts below.
Canadian Heroes to Inspire Your Learners
Favorite Indigenous Read Alouds
All About Orange Shirt Day 2023
Using Orange Shirt Day Quotes in the Classroom
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