WINNEMUCCA - Recently, Grass Valley Elementary first grade students transformed the multi-purpose room into a whimsical forest habitat as they presented Bear Fair 2013.
The idea of the Bear Fair was brought to the school by first grade teacher Gail Janhunen, who had conducted smaller fairs in her classroom before transferring to Grass Valley last fall.
Once she shared the idea with her first grade colleagues, Jim Gilboy, Jan Morris, Kitty Norcutt and Nikki Bengochea, the idea grew into an engaging and high-interest unit of study on bears in all first grade classrooms that incorporated many of the new Common Core state standards.
These new standards have increased the rigor, depth of knowledge and expectations for all district students.
Visitors to the Bear Fair said they were impressed with the students' knowledge and understanding of bears as demonstrated through their writings, oral presentations and activities.
During the unit of study, Nevada Department of Wildlife Biologist Ed Partee gave a highly informative presentation on bears in Nevada.
He brought a bear skull and hide to share with the students. Smoky Bear was an honored guest at the school and provided additional information to students and parents during the evening fair.
The fair was again presented to the student body and teachers the following morning. The well-attended event was the first collaborative project amongst the teachers and was deemed a huge success.[[In-content Ad]]
