Students will write 30-second speeches about a story and share with the class. Working in pairs, students will write a short blurb or two facts/opinions about the story. The activity encourages sharing what they learned from the story and working together. Students review vocabulary words by thinking in pairs and sharing answers as a class. Observation and participation are used to assess understanding. Students complete writing pieces using laptops. They sign up for peer editing and organization is assessed. Observation and standardized test scores are also used to assess understanding.