Creating our Thesis Statements

Writers, today you tested your possible thesis statements by asking these questions:

1. Is this an arguable statement, rather than a fact?
2. Is this statement true for the beginning and the end of the story?
3. Can I support this statement with evidence from the text?

My thesis statement is:

Gabriel is a lonely boy who lets a kitten into his life and then isn't lonely anymore.

What are some of your thesis statements?

Feel free to comment on the thesis statements of others as well!

Just For Fun...

Mrs. Perry showed me this fun website where you can turn photos into shape collages. Just for fun, I turned photos from our October Author Celebration into a collage. Click on it to enlarge. What do you think, writers? :)

Cooperative Strip Paragraphs

Cooperative Strip Paragraph is a GLAD strategy that our class uses when writing expository text about a unit we are studying. As a class, we create a Process Grid, a graphic organizer that sorts information about our general topic (Native American tribes of the PNW) into categories (Location, Social Life, etc.)

Here is the Process Grid we created for this unit (click to enlarge):

Next, we use information from the Process Grid to create sentences that can be grouped into a paragraph. We do this as a class first, with each table group creating one sentence to contribute to the class paragraph (the Cooperative Strip Paragraph). As a class we then revise and edit our paragraph, until it is perfect.

Here is the Cooperative Strip Paragraph we created:

Our final step in this unit was for each table group to create their own Cooperative Strip Paragraph, using the exact same process on a group scale.

Here is the blue table group's paragraph:

Some students took on an additional challenge and created individual paragraphs using this process. In fourth grade, students learn to create several paragraphs in this way and eventually write five-paragraph essays about what they are studying!

Elias' Story

This is Elias' fiction story, The Joe Story. As you read it, look especially for Elias' word choice and use of dialogue. What has he done that you could do as a writer?
(You can click on each page to make it larger)

Peer Conferencing

In third grade we spend a lot of time practicing peer conferencing. Peer conferencing is when a writer asks another writer (called their peer) to conference with them by reading their story and giving feedback and ideas.

Writers, tell about a time that you got some useful or helpful feedback during a peer conference.

• Who were you conferencing with?
• What piece were you working on?
• Tell us exactly what the advice or feedback was.
• What changes did you make after the conference?
  

Short Unit: Native American Legends

This week our class will begin a short unit on writing Native American legends. We have read a few stories from the Pacific Northwest, including Storm Boy, Frog Girl, and How Raven Stole the Sun. We will examine Storm Boy, by Paul Owen Lewis, in depth and use it as a template to create our own legends.

Parents, if you have any Native American (particularly Pacific Northwest Native American) legends at home, or find any online, it would be wonderful if you could read them with your child. Look especially for themes of separation of the hero from his or her village, initiation into a new village, and return to the home village with new knowledge.

The more authentic legends your child is exposed to, the easier it will be for him or her to adopt the voice and word choice used in this genre!

Book Release Party

Portable 2's first-ever book release party was a hit! The morning began before our guests arrived, when Mrs. Lee revealed the new book, Our Sparkling Words, hot off the presses! The book weighs in at just under 100 pages - truly a testament to the dedication and perseverence of the authors.

At 9:30 our guests, the third graders from Mrs. Perry's class, began to arrive. They gathered with our writers in four corners of the room, and the authors began to read excerpts from their stories. There was time for questions and answers, and then the authors led their guests to a table where each member of Mrs. Perry's class got their own copy of Our Sparkling Words. There was plenty of time for discussion, and I heard some wonderful advice being shared. Best of all, our writers were asked to autograph books - something that prompted one student to declare "I feel like a rock star!"

Other overheard comments:

Writer 1: "This looks like a real book!"

Writer 2: "This IS a real book!"

"I'm going to read every story in this book cover to cover this weekend!"

"Mrs. Lee, is it okay if I read Our Sparkling Words instead of doing Fun Friday?"

"These stories are so good! I feel like I'm reading a book from the library."

Well done, authors. You should feel so proud!