4th Grade Summaries Theme 1
Akiak
Summary 1:
Crack! The race had begun. Akiak knew this was her last chance to win the
Iditarod, a dogsled race held in Alaska. She was getting old. The trail was long and
snowy. In ten days, the best team would win the race.
Akiak was Mick’s best lead dog. On Day 4, Mick’s team was in first place.
But there was still a long way to go. Akiak was already limping. The snow had
hurt her paw. Mick sadly took Akiak out of the race. Akiak had to go home.
But Akiak knew Mick’s team needed her. She ran into the snowy mountains.
Akiak had to find her team.
Akiak searched for the team for days. She slept in the deep snow. Some men
tried to catch Akiak. She ran away. Many kind people gave her food.
Day 10 at last! Mick’s team was in secod place. The new lead dog was lost.
Suddenly, there was Akiak! She knew the right trail. She jumped into the sled with
Mick. Now they were in the lead!
Finally Mick’s team corssed the finish line. People came from all over to
cheer for Akiak. Even though she wasn’t the lead dog, Akiak had finally won the
Iditarod.
Poem: Ready, Set, Go!
Ready.
I’m going to run in a race today.
Set.
I’m in my place. I know the way.
Go!
I’m running fast. I’m in first place.
I think I’m going to win this race!
Ready, Set, Go!
Summary 2:
This is a story about a dog named Akiak. Akiak pulled a sled with a team of
dogs. Akiak was the lead dog, the first dog in the team. The driver of the sled was a
young woman named Mick. Mick and her team raced in the Iditarod, a race in
Alaska. This was Akiak’s last chance to win the race, because she was getting old.
One Day 1, the race began. It lasted ten days. On Day 4, Mick’s team was in
first place. Then the hard snow hurt Akiak’s paw. Akiak could not help pull the
sled. Akiak had to go home.
But Akiak knew that the team needed her help. Akiak did not go home. She
ran after Mick and the team. Akiak ran for the many days. She slept at night in the
snow. Some men tried to catch Akiak. She ran away. Some peole gave Akiak food.
She kept running to find her team.
On Day 10, Mick’s team was in second place. Then they got lost in the
snow. At that moment Akiak appeared. She showed the other dogs where the trail
was. Then she sat in the sled with Mick.
Mick’s team was the first team to cross the finish line. They won the race.
Everyone was very happy for Akiak. She had finally won the Iditarod.
Grandfather’s Journey
Summary 1:
Allen Say’s grandfather left Japan as a young boy. He took a steamship
across the Pacific Ocean to the United States.
Everything Grandfather saw was new to him. He saw fields and mountains.
He saw many different people. But Grandfather liked California best. He loved the
mountains and the sea.
Grandfather went back to Japan and got married. He brought his wife to
California. But Grandfather missed Japan. He kept songbirds to remind him of
Japan.
Grandfather took his family back to Japan. But now Grandfather missed
California. He kept songbirds to remind him of California.
His grandson loved to hear Grandfather’s stories about California.
Grandfather wanted to visit California again. But a war broke out. Grandfather
went back to his old village. He was too sad to keep songbirds anymore.
Grandfather never saw California again.
When Allen Say grew up, he visited California. He began to love it as much
as his grandfather had. He stayed in California and got married and had a family.
Now, when Allen Say visits Japan, he misses California. When he visits
California, he misses Japan. Just like Grandfather, he loves two places.
Poem: Let’s Go!
Pack your bags and check the map.
Let’s go on a trip!
We could take a plane or train,
Or we could take a ship.
We’ll see many places.
We’ll make a lot of friends.
We’ll be glad to come back home,
When our journey ends.
Summary 2:
Grandfather is from Japan. When he was young, he went to North America.
Everything there was new and different. Grandfather traveled a lot. He saw many
places and met many people. His favorite place in North America was California.
One day, Grandfather went back to Japan. He got married. Later, he his wife
went back to California. They lived in San Francisco. They had a daughter. They
spent many years in California.
But Grandfather missed Japan. He missed the mountains and rivers from
Japan. Finally, he took his family back to Japan.
When Grandfather was in Japan, he missed California. He told stories about
California to his friends and family. Grandfather hoped to go back to California.
But a war started, and he never could go back.
His grandson went to live in California many years later. When he visited
California, he missed Japan. And when he visited Japan, he missed California. He
loved both places, just like his grandfather!
Finding the Titanic
Summary 1:
It was August, 1985. Robert Ballard and his crew thought they had found the
Titanic at last! Ballard had always dreamed of finding the Titanic. No one had seen
the ship since 1912. That was when it hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the
ocean.
The water was too deep for people. A robot camera took pictures of the
ocean floor. Ballard watched the pictures on a video screen. He thought about the
people who had been saved from the shipwreck.
Ruth Becker was twelve years old in 1912. She was excited to travel on the
Titanic with her family. Everyone cheered and waved as the Titanic left for New
York.
Four days later, the ship hit an iceberg! Luckily, Ruth and her family got
into lifeboats. The Titanic broke apart and sank. Ruth and her family were saved
the next day. But many other people died.
Now Ballard and the crew watched the video screen. At first, they saw only
mud. Then someone yelled, “Bingo!” Suddenly, there was the Titanic! It sat in two
pieces on the ocean floor.
A year later, Ballard and his crew placed a plaque on the Titanic. Ballard
was sad when other explorers took items from the wreck. To him, the Titanic is
like a museum. It should be left in peace.
Poem: Sailing Ship
The sailor pull
The anchor up,
And set the big ship free.
The captain calls,
“Full speed ahead!”
And the ship sails out to sea.
Summary 2:
The ship named the Titanic was very big. It was the biggest ship ever built.
The first time the Titanic sailed was in 1912.
Ruth Becker was one of the passengers on the Titanic. She was traveling
from England to the United States. She was excited to be on the Titanic. She and
her family cheered when the ship left England.
The voyage took many days. Four days after the Titanic left England, it hit
an iceberg! Ruth and her family got into lifeboats and were saved. But the Titanic
sank. Many other people died.
After the Titanic sank, many people looked for the big ship in the ocean. No
one found it for many years. Finally, in 1985, Robert Ballard and his team found
the remains of the Titanic. They had special equipment that could go very deep
into the water.
Robert Ballard had dreamed of finding the Titanic for many years. He found
many things from the Titanic on the ocean floor: pots and pans, bathtubs, and
suitcases. Using a robot camera, he took pictures of everything he saw.
By the Shore of Silver Lake
Summary 1:
The day was finally here! Ma and her four girls were taking their first train
ride to meet Pa in a town called Tracy. They would leave Plum Creek forever.
The girls waited in the depot while Ma bought the tickets. Laura was so
excited she couldn’t sit still. Ma was nervous. You never knew what could happen
on a train. It was the newest, fastest way to travel.
The train came at last. It was huge! The smokestack blew black smoke into
the sky. The whistle screamed. The train made the whole ground shake. The train
stopped in front of them. Everyone was safe!
Ma and the girls found their seats on the train. The train started slowly. It
went faster and faster.
Mary, the oldest girl, had become blind because of a sickness. Pa had told
Laura to be Mary’s eyes, so she told Mary all about the train. She told Mary what
the seats looked like. She told Mary about the different people on the train.
A boy was selling candy from a basket. At first, Ma said no. Ten cents was a
lot of money. Then Ma gave the boy a nickel and five pennies! It was a special trip,
after all. The girls shared the candy. Suddenly, the engine whistled. The train
moved slower and slower. Finally, the train stopped. They were in Tracy at last.
Poem: Watching a Train
The engine is loud,
And the smoke is black.
The whistle says,
“Get off the track!”
The big metal wheels
Make the train go fast.
The cars zoom by.
The caboose comes last!
Summary 2
This story is about the Ingalls family. It takes place in the 1870s. The Ingalls
family had mother, a father, and four daughters, named Mary, Laura, Carrie, and
Grace. In the story, the Ingalls took a train to move to a new town.
Trains were new in the 1870s. They went very fast. All the girls were
excited to go on a train. They had never been on one before. They put on their
nicest clothes, and went to the station. They waited for the train on the platform.
After a while, the train got to the station. The Ingalls family saw that it was
very big. The train was loud. It blew black smoke into the air.
When they were on the train, Laura explained what she saw to her sister
Mary. Mary was blind; she couldn’t see. Laura described what she saw inside the
train and outside. The train ride was special. It wasn’t something that happens
every day.
Ma bought a package of candy for the girls to share. They each got two
pieces. By the time they finished eating the candy, the train stopped. They reached
Tracy, the town where Pa would be waiting for them.