Colorado State Symbols

Graland Third Graders are learning about Colorado state symbols.

CLICK HERE FOR A STATE SYMBOL VIDEO WE TOOK ON OUR LAST FIELD TRIP TO THE STATE CAPITOL.

 

Zorb Soccer

The Faculty vs. 8th Grade Zorb Soccer Game was really fun on Friday!  I had a fun time playing against students I taught five years ago, and my current class were wonderful cheerleaders.

Last Buddy Activity

Third and seventh grade met for one final time today.  They did chalk art together and said their goodbyes for the summer.  The buddies made some great connections this year!

Click here for more pictures!

 

Last Stop On Market Street

Click to hear Graland faculty read the newest Newbery winner, Last Stop on Market Street.

Doc Grizzly Day

The weather was beautiful and we had a fun time with Doc Grizzly, a Colorado mountain man!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES!

Report Editing

Almost all of our Colorado History Affinity reports were turned in on time! We spent well over an hour reading and editing report rough drafts.  The student's took this task very seriously, and really did their best to help one another!

   

DEAR with Dad

Our class has enjoyed all of the surprise visits from dads who have come in to read!  A special thank you to Mitch Masters and Bruce Odette for stopping by last week!

  

Doc Grizzly RESCHEDULED

Doc Grizzly was scheduled to come visit third grade on Monday and Tuesday, but the weather is supposed to be wet and soggy.  We want to make sure everyone has fun and is comfortable for this amazing third grade experience.  We have rescheduled a part of his visit.

Doc Grizzly is scheduled to come visit third grade on Monday, May 16 as planned, and THURSDAY, May 19.

On Monday, May 16, students do not need to bring anything, as this is the introduction with Doc Grizzly (indoors). 

On THURSDAY, May 19, students should bring:

• 12 Trading Items: Encourage your child to come up with a "tall tale" about his/her trading items.
• Towel (labeled) to sit on
• Water bottle (labeled)
• Sunscreen (teachers cannot apply)
• Come in Costume - pioneer, Native American, mountain man, miner, etc.

Food is allowed to trade, but only if the packaging label is still attached.  We are a nut aware school, and homemade items are not allowed, as originally noted on the Doc Grizzly letter.  If your child wants to trade food (muffins, biscuits, cookies, etc.), then the food must come to school in the original packaging.  Thank you for your understanding and helping us keep all students safe.

Constitutional Convention

PICTURES AND VIDEO BELOW

This final social studies unit is titled The Making of a State, and third graders learned how Colorado became a territory and then a state.  As part of the process to become a state, there were many Constitutional Conventions.  This is where bills were voted on and passed, and laws became part of the Colorado Constitution.  

With a partner, each student wrote a bill for Graland (18 students = 9 bills).  The nine bills were voted on by the class and narrowed down to two.  For our class, the two bills that moved on were:

• Lower School students can participate in the Gates Invention Program
• Graland will host a Crazy Free Day once a year (students can choose what they wear and do)

The other three classes did the same and their bills that moved on were:

• Students can bring sack lunches to school
• Lunch and snack time can be eaten outside
• Homework will be reduced to 30 minutes per night
• Students can choose their own specials classes
• There will not be a dress code
• Students choose the game on Game Day in PE

The final step of this process took place yesterday and today.  All eight bills were presented to the third grade and voting booths were set up for private voting.  After all the votes were in, the two bills that passed (there was a tie) was presented to the grade, with Mr. Juan Botello, Graland's Director of Finance and Operations, and Ms. Ronni McCaffrey, Head of School present. 

    

    

The bills that passed were...Students can bring sack lunches to school AND Third grade students can participate in the Gates Invention Program.  Ms. McCaffrey spoke to all of our students about the importance of this process. She wanted to hear the reasons these bills are important to our students. She wanted to hear why these bills should be signed by the Governor, or in our case, Ms. McCaffrey.  She made sure the students understood that not all bills presented to the Governor get signed.  :)

Click here to see a video of Ms. McCaffreys visit.  It's hard to hear, but its fun to see her come and speak to our students!

Click here for a link to the school website sharing this great event with our community!

CHAP Projects

Colorado History Affinity Project

You are starting your project this week! Below is what was shared with you about the project, along with a few helpful hints.

Demonstrate Your Learning:  Please refer to the list of ways you might want to demonstrate your learning.  If you have an idea that is not listed, please discuss this with your teacher for approval. Try to use materials you already have at home!  Please don't go out and spend a lot of money on supplies, but instead use resources you have available to you. Creating this project can include appropriate family involvement. You will need to label your project with your name.  This assignment will be completed at home for homework.

Technology Projects

All project completed on a computer need to be submitted to a teacher via e-mail, Google share, or saved on a flash drive.  If the project is completed on a tablet, you might consider bringing in the tablet for your presentation.

Educreations

Glogster

Keynote

Google Slides

Pic Collage

Keynote / Google Slides:  Make sure this is NOT an exact duplicate of your photo essay.  Choose new fun facts to share, give extra details on a specific picture, share music, etc. Write captions for each picture.  Please make sure you create at least 8 slides. Bring your Keynote presentation on a flash drive to present.

Building Projects

Label everything!

Model: building

Model: Bird’s eye view

Diorama

Homemade Scrapbook

Mobile

Memory Box

Map / Flat or Topographical

Paper movie on a scroll

Game

Be creative and have Fun!  This is DUE: FRIDAY, MAY 20!

Doc Grizzly

A Real Mountain Man! 

On May 16 and 17, excitement and adventure are coming to our Third Grade students. Doc Grizzly is coming to Graland. Doc Grizzly is a real Mountain Man. He will teach about an important part of Colorado history. He will demonstrate how traders and trappers lived and what a rendezvous was really like.

On his first visit, Monday afternoon, May 16, Doc Grizzly will show us some of the Mountain Man’s important tools. He will tell stories about how people lived in the mountains in the mid to late 1800’s.

On Tuesday, May 17,^, Doc Grizzly will set up camp on the field. He will pitch his tent, cook his food, share more wonderful stories, and trade with us

Here’s what our students need to do to be prepared for the TUESDAY visit:

·      Come dressed as a mountain man, explorer, settler, trapper, storekeeper, trader, or Native American. (There is no need to purchase a costume. Use things from your own closets.)

·      Bring a dozen items to trade in a plastic bag. Some examples are beef or turkey jerky, beads, buttons, fabric scraps, biscuits, cookies (please bring in the package with the label-homemade baked goods are not allowed), or other small items that you can trade. Be creative with your ideas. There is no need to make major purchases. Just remember that whatever you trade you will not get back. No items containing nuts, please. No chocolate, it melts. You may want to bring in your trading items on Monday (or even the Friday before) so that you don’t forget them on Tuesday.

·      Spend time thinking up a tall tale about your trading items. It makes trading more fun. Your teacher will give you examples.

·      Apply and bring sunscreen; we will be outside for most of the day. Teachers do not apply sunscreen.

·      Bring a water bottle and a towel with your name on it.