Fourth Grade Writing Samples

Fourth grade ASG Reading group completed reading the story Fresh from our JGB reader. In this story, an older boy struggles with the capture of a fresh water mussel for his younger cousin. Should he have captured Fresh (the mussel) or let it go? That's what our group discussed and wrote about. Here are some samples of their work - which were (often wildly) creative.

BTW, this work was sent home this week. Check it out!

Apparently freshwater mussels are rare so Laurie and Dan will probably never ever find one again. Laurie said on page 37 that they got other lifeforms and who's to say that he does not  have a fish or a seastar?  They are predators of the freshwater mussel.Poop i

Laurie's aquarium is probably very crowded now that there are about 100 different lifeforms in there so Fresh would not have any personal space. Fresh will not have any room to feed therefore he would die.

Do you know how Laurie treats his animals? What if he is a cruel and horrible animal KILLER. Laurie is around 6 or 7 so he is immature and would probably be very very irresponsible with his pets.

In this story we don't know very much about Laurie, what if his parents were cruel to him and Laurie is taking out his anger on animals. Child cruelty is directly connected to the kids doing animal cruelty cruelty.

In conclusion Laurie may kill all animals and Fresh will die much more easily and Fresh is going to be happier in the wild.   

I agree with Dan because his decision was to let Fresh go. That is what I would do because Laurie wants to take Fresh away from his home. How would Laurie like it if someone came, put him in a jam jar and took him to a tank with a bunch of other animals? Laurie should just leave it there and leave it alone. Just because Dan found him that doesn't mean its his. Fresh doesn't belong to anyone.

I feel that in some way Dan did the right thing by not tipping Fresh over because if Dan tipped Fresh over it would've made a crack in Dan and Laurie’s relationship because Laurie was counting on Dan to make sure Fresh was ok. Some people might say that no one can own Fresh because he lives in the wild but I disagree because no one owned Fresh so Laurie has the right to own him since no one owns Fresh.

I think Dan did the right thing because nature can spare ONE freshwater mussel to make a small child happy and to keep a strong relationship between cousins.  There will still be  about  

9,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000   more left in the world.  

I also think that Dan made the right choice because Trust between close ones is very important and if Dan lost Laurie’s trust he would not have as strong of a relationship.  Plus, Laurie would be devastated.  Trust is a thing that keeps people close together and lost trust could mean THE END of a  connection.  

Dear Laurie,

I am writing to ask if you would send Fresh back.  I want to bring him back because recently freshwater mussels were put on the endangered animal list. If you come back next month and bring Fresh with you, and let him go we can see each other again, and a new coral shop is opening and I can give you some money to spend. I will give you a cookie as well.

                                                        From,

                                                                     Dan

It was a dark and spooky night when Dan snuck out of his bedroom. He snuck down the hall to put on the Wellington boots of terror.Then he goes down to the meadow to check his technology to find there was a robbery at roots bank in Great river city(his technology is his mind). He gathers up his materials and rushes over to great river city to see that the criminal is Fresh. His cousin Laurie raised him and he would be heartbroken if he slaughtered him. 

(Would love to see where this one would end! - ed.)

I think Dan did the wrong thing. I think this for a couple of reasons. 1, He should have let Fresh stay at the bottom of the lake. 2, Technically if it was anyone’s mussel, it was Dan’s mussel, not Laurie’s. 3, What if there is an underwater fish or animal that eats mussels? 4, Fresh will be in captivity for the rest of his life and that is bad for two reasons.1, He won’t have an as long life and 2, He won´t enjoy his life as much. Those are the reasons I think Dan did the wrong thing.