One Hawk Visit, Four Readers

Juniper Comes to School

1On a cold Tuesday morning, a falconer named Ms. Ruiz visited Pine Hill Elementary with a red-tailed hawk named Juniper. Ms. Ruiz visits schools to teach students about birds of prey. More than a hundred students watched Juniper fly from her glove to a fence post and back.

2Arlo Bennett, a fourth grader, could not stop thinking about the visit. Over the next week, he wrote about Juniper for four different readers. Each piece had its own job, and some pieces took much longer than others.

3That night, Arlo typed a message to his grandmother on his dad's tablet: "Grandma!!! A REAL hawk came to school today. She flew right over my head. SO cool. Call me tomorrow?" It took him about one minute. He did not fix a single thing, because Grandma knows him well and only wanted to hear his news.

4On Thursday, the fourth graders made picture pages for their kindergarten reading buddies. Arlo finished his page in one afternoon. He drew Juniper with her wings spread wide, because he knew a big, clear picture would help his buddy understand the words. Under the picture, he wrote four short sentences with easy words, such as "Juniper is a hawk." He wanted his buddy, Mia, to be able to read along with him.

5The longest piece was an article for the Pine Hill Press, the school newspaper that goes home to every family. Arlo had a whole week to finish it. On the day of the visit, he asked Ms. Ruiz three questions and wrote her answers in his notebook. Two days later, he turned his notes into a draft. Then the newspaper's editor, a fifth grader named Bea, read the draft. She pointed out that Arlo never explained why Ms. Ruiz had come. Families who were not at the visit would wonder about that, she said. Arlo added a sentence telling the reason. On Monday, he turned in his final article.

6Last, Arlo wrote a thank-you note to Ms. Ruiz during morning work. He thanked her for bringing Juniper and told her one thing he had learned: hawks can spot small animals from far away. The note took about ten minutes, and he checked his spelling before his teacher mailed it.