As you know, one of our unit focuses is recognizing the many, many ways in which the Romans continue to influence our lives today. We look at their system of government, some of their social customs, and their many inventions and innovations which are everywhere around us! On Friday, we took a tour of some of these legacies in their modern form. Here is a peek at what we saw:
Our first stop was at the Gresham Wastewater Treatment Plant. Thank you to Mr. Nacrelli for helping to make this tour happen! We got to tour the facility and learn about the biological process that takes dirty water and cleans it before it goes back into the Columbia River. What a fascinating process! Students asked excellent questions along the way.
Our second stop was at the Crown Pointe Vista House in the Columbia Gorge. We ate lunch on the steps in the sun, enjoying a truly spectacular view! After lunch we went inside to marvel at the marble works, stained glass, arches, domes, fountains, and the Roman numerals on the clock! Downstairs we walked through the museum and saw examples of bridges, viaducts, and more. 
Breathtaking views of the Gorge from the observation deck at Vista House.
Our final stop was at the Gresham Outlook. Don, the General Manager of the bi-weekly newspaper led our tour, following a paper through the production process. We met an artist, reporters, a photographer, and an editor, and learned a little about what each person does there. Then we went in back to the printing presses and learned about the printing process and how the giant machinery works. 
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| HUGE rolls of paper.. and only 1 weeks worth! |
After our tours, we came back to school for Gladiator Games! Teams of two (one horse, one charioteer) built chariots, which we raced in our own version of the Circus Maximus.
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| Gladiators battle each other with newspaper swords. |
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| Spear- throwing is another favorite event |
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| And finally, gladiators must cross the gauntlet while dodging deadly projectiles (thanks to Mr. Campbell and Mrs. Dorr for helping!) |
Reminders:
The rough draft of our Legacy papers is due on Monday, March 11th. Students should have brought home a BRIGHT ORANGE IEW writing checklist on Thursday, to be used in editing their paragraphs. We will finish the final drafts this week in class.
Models are due NEXT MONDAY, March 18th. Presentations will begin on Tuesday. I will send out the schedule this week and you are all welcome to come watch our presentations.
Look for another blog post on Monday dedicated to our 3rd grade Battle of the Books battle plan! Some students were able to check out books on Friday and begin reading.
Tuesday morning, those students who did not finish their OAKS in either reading or math last week will be continuing. Please make sure your student gets a good night's sleep and a healthy pre-test breakfast!
Have a great week!
Ms. Mahn
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