Paragraph Shrinking by Amanda L.

Paragraph shrinking
The steps for paragraph shrinking are:
1.See if it is a who or a what
2.Read the paragraph and put down what is most important
3. Read it again and then write a complete sentence about the paragraph.
It helps me find the main idea and details faster and easier. When I can use it is when I am reading a book and want to find the main idea in the paragraph. It helps me a lot when I paragraph shrink.

Paragraph Shrinking by Drake O.

Paragraph shrinking helps me answer questions. 1st you tell if it is a who or a what. Then you reread the paragraph and tell the most important thing about the paragraph. Last you reread it and answer the question.

You can use it when you are taking a test or when you are reading book.

Paragraph Shrinking by Kelsi S.

I did not know that so many details could be in a paragraph. Paragraph shrinking is easy.
1. You need to read the paragraph write what it is mostly about.
2. Then reread it and tell what is most important.
3. Reread and see if it makes sense.
It helps me understand it more. It is fun.

Kelsi's Fire Letter

Dear parents,

I had duty today as a firefighter. There was a big forest fire. I decided to help because it was spreading faster and faster. We dug a hole to stop the fire so it will quit spreading so fast. We also got a bucket and we ran to a pond near by. If we didn’t pour water on the fire or dug a hole it could have hurt something.

Sincerely,
Kelsi

Ian's Fire Letter

Dear Dad,

If I were a firefighter, I would do my job and never give up. I would do what I need to put out a fire. If it were bad they would have to take a giant bucket and get water from a pond and poor it on the fire. If it were windy it would spread into town.

Sincerely, Ian

Drake's Fire Letter

Dear Mom,

If I was a firefighter fighting a fire, I would dig a trench because fire can’t jump. I would get a helicopter to bring a huge bucket of water, and an ambulance. I get very sweaty in all the fireproof clothes. I use my oxygen tank to breathe in a forest fire. Being a fire fighter is dangerous.


Sincerely,
Drake O.

Amanda's Fire Letter

Dear parents,
If I were a firefighter, I would dig a trench and the fire would stop. A fire might rekindle and that means the fire started up again and firefighters don’t like that word. A lot of brigades came from all different places and then the wind came and then it changed. The flames got bigger and we got water from a lake and helicopters came and threw chemicals on it and the billowing flames stopped.
Sincerely, Amanda L

Fire in the Forest

The 4th graders read a story called Fire in the Forest. Then, they pretended to be a trained firefighter who spent a long day fighting a forest fire. They wrote a letter to their parents to describe their day. I think they did a great job using their imaginations and their knowledge of fires and firefighting!

Good Readers by Kelsi S.

You should read the question first and then read the passage. It might help you. It helped me. Then go back and answer the question. Skim and scan a book and do the five-finger rule. Is it a just right book? Do you like the book? Is it your level?

Good Readers by Amanda L.

What readers do best is if they don’t know a word they can sound it out. They can skim and scan which means to look over but not to read. You can make connections by seeing what happens in a story and what happens in your life. If you don’t know what a word is you can reread it .The five finger rule is if you have a book you can read it and if you don’t know a word you put a finger up. If you have all five fingers up that means the book is probably to hard and you need to get an easier book to read.

Good Readers

What do good readers do?  You've probably never thought about that before, but my students think about it EVERY SINGLE DAY!  If you want to be a good reader, you have to know what to do!  So our first post is going to be about what good readers do.

The students were given two minutes to brainstorm some ideas about what good readers do.  Then, they typed their answers in Microsoft Word in sentences that make sense, put it in the student drop box, and I will post it here!