Writing Exemplars- By the end of 4th Grade, Students are expected to be able to....
4th Grade Narrative Example
I nervously got in line for the highest rock wall in the gym. My legs were shaking and I suddenly felt sick. But I told myself, “You can do this,Jamie . You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it.” I looked over at my Dad and he was mouthing words, and I could tell what he was saying, “Don’t give up, Jamie!” My friends were whispering to each other and flashing me smiles and giving me thumbs up. My Dad and friends were depending on me. I couldn’t let them down. So I said to the guy, “ I'm ready”, and he strapped me in. He yanked the straps of the harness to make it tighter, and he strapped me in with a click. I couldn’t believe I was doing this.
The wall was as long as a giraffe's neck, maybe about 1,000 feet! The dark, black harness was as heavy as a bowling ball, and it made it hard for me to walk. The smooth, black stones were in wacky shapes spread out across the wall. The stones looked pointy and sharp as a needle.The wall was a light beige color, and it was as straight as a piece of paper, with no bumps or lumps in it. The sweaty kids were growing impatient behind me. Their faces were as pink as a rose, and they had trickles of sweat traveling down their faces. My friends were cheering like cheerleaders. They were in a far corner of the gym, and they were continuously jumping up and down. My friends were not the only ones who were making the noise. I observed that there were people scattered around the gym, and they were talking as loud as a megaphone! I saw people who were dangling upside down on the walls like they were monkeys! I noticed the gym was very spacious and big, and the floors were dark blue like a blueberry. They were kind of bouncy too, like a large trampoline.
I carefully stepped on the first stone, feeling uneasy. My stomach was doing somersaults like it was a gymnast. My palms were getting sweaty, and I felt the beads of sweat forming on my cheeks. The stone was pushing into my foot, causing a sharp pain to form at the bottom of my foot. I suddenly realized that I did not want to do it anymore. I did not want to be here! I wanted to be safe and sound in my warm cozy bed and watching a movie! I did not want to be here because being really high on a wall gave me goosebumps just thinking about it. But no. I was here instead.
I looked back at my friends. They were chanting, “ Go, Jamie!” I could not let them down! My Dad was still beaming his huge encouraging smile at me, and I realized I could not let him down either! I took deep breaths and kept thinking about my dad and friends. My hands were very sweaty, and it made it hard for me to hold onto the rocks. I wondered, if when I reached to a higher point on the wall, would my hands slip and would I fall to the ground and die? But I remembered I had the harness on, so I told myself that that was not going to happen. I was not going to die. I took some more deep breaths and then I was ready.
I carefully pushed myself up a couple more stones. I was actually getting the hang of it! I observed that at first, I was going as slow as a turtle, but now, I was going as fast as a race car! I was getting the hang of it quicker than I thought! I quickly placed my foot on a blue stone and put my hands on a purple and white stone. I grabbed onto a stone with a handle so it made it easier for me to go on. I placed my foot on a skinny stone, but my foot was slipping, so as quick as a cheetah, I quickly put my foot on a stone close to the one I was holding on to.I was feeling calmer because I felt like I was a pro rock climber. It was as if I were zipping through the wall like a graceful dancer! I noticed that my friends were still chanting my name, clapping their hands, and jumping up and down, while yelling, “You can do this, Jamie! Don’t give up! You can do it!” Their encouragement made me go faster. I felt myself going really high because I could see the floor out of the corner of my eye. It was getting lower every time I took another step. I kept telling myself to not look all the way down because if I looked down, I would want to go down, and I wanted to keep going.
I couldn't help myself. I was so eager to see how far I got. I looked down. My friends and dad were like little mini stick figures. That made me sick.“ Could I come down now?” I yelled. “No!” Dad yelled. “Try to keep going!” He said. I was starting to get dizzy, and my head was spinning around and around and around. I could not help it. I couldn’t help it if I felt nauseous every time I peeked down! I quickly yelled, "I want to come down!" Before I puked all over the wall, the guy carefully started to pull me down.
As I was coming down, I realized that I was clutching the rope like I was about to die. The rope was leaving red marks on my hands and it was rough on my palms. But I was too afraid to let go, so I just delt with it. I was feeling scared, relieved, and brave at the same time. Scared, because I thought the harness was going to snap and I would fall. Relieved, because I had been worried that my hands would slip and I would fall while I was on the wall. However, I didn’t. Brave, because I have never been that high on a rock wall before. My hair was very sweaty, and I could feel drips of sweat dripping down my cheeks. My friends were cheering and clapping and screaming, “Good job, Jamie!” I observed that my friends and dad would not stop cheering the whole time! They were the ones who pushed me forward.
I gently landed on the ground with a thud. The guy gently clicked open the harness with a CLICK and it dropped to the ground with a BANG. My friends bolted over to me and gave me congratulating hugs. I walked over to my dad. He gave me a firm hug. I asked him, “ Did I do good?” “ You did a great job,Jamie!” He replied. I will always remember the time I went higher than I usually do on rock walls. I hope that I will have the courage to climb another rock wall sometime soon.
4th Grade Expository Example
Dear Future 5th Grade Teacher,
My name is Jamie Love and I am 10 years old and am a 4th grader in Mrs. Lee’s class. I love to read and I do it for about an hour everyday after school. Right now, I am reading a really good book called “ The Candy Shop Wars”. I love Acting! I have been in several plays and even though it is a big commitment, I don't mind because I am doing what I love! Acting and singing! Actually, right now I am in a play called “ Cinderella”. I am Drizella, an evil stepsister. I love to dance! I just finished a recital at the middle school! My favorite type of dance is hip hop, because it is so upbeat, like me! I also love puppies! My favorite type of dog is a pug, because of it's scrunched- up face and it's hilarious snorting! In my family, I have a Mom, Dad, Little brother, Joe, and my dog, Nellie. My mom is the best mom ever and is so kind and caring. My dad is the funniest in the family and makes me laugh every day! My little brother, Joe, is 7 years old and is in 1st grade. He can be annoying at times, but most of the time, he is the nicest brother ever. And last but not least, my dog, Nellie! Nellie is a pug- Boston Terrier mix as which we call a bug. Nellie is ever so hyper and gives me a handful of kisses every day! I love New York City! I have been before, and it is so beautiful! So busy, and it has wonderful Broadway musicals! I have seen a couple, such as, Annie, Matilda, and Mamma Mia!.
I have some strengths and weaknesses in my school life. A strength that I have is the subject reading. My teacher, Ms. Love, has taught us a strategy called Jots and thoughts, which is basically just jotting what you read in a paragraph and though ting if you have questions about what you just read. Jots and thoughts are very easy for me because I read carefully and think of a reasonable thing to say about a paragraph, and thoughts that are able to be answered. I am able to find proof from the text when we do essays, and am able to write a reasonable essay that answers the question perfectly. Another one of my strengths is Writing. Writing is my favorite subject and think I am pretty good at it because I get good grades on every single one of my pieces. I am able to do a good planner which comes easy to me, and am able to describe something really well. My only weakness is math. Sometimes, math is easy for me. But almost every day, math is the hardest thing in the world for me! I get all stressed out, and I mostly get a lot of problems wrong on the worksheet. To be honest, I think math is plain, old boring! I feel like falling asleep sometimes in class! Not to sound rude or anything, but it's true!
I have many hopes, dreams, excitements, and fears for 5th grade. I am excited and nervous for Project Adventure. I am excited because it sounds really fun, and there are lots of cool courses to climb! I am nervous because I am afraid of heights and fear that I will fall on one of the courses. I am nervous for the more complicated math. Math is already hard as it is for me! I don't want it to get any harder! I am nervous for the amount of homework that we will get. Kids are saying that there are piles and piles of homework. Is that true? Should I believe them? In 5th grade, I hope to learn more about animals, the solar system, and more writing. I am very excited for the field trips in 5th grade! The field trips in 5th grade seem way more exciting than the ones in 4th grade! I am also very excited to join the chorus. I love to sing, and it would be awesome to do it every day at school!
Can't wait to meet you!
Jamie Love