English Language Arts Fourth Grade Curriculum Map 2011-2012
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 2 -
Word StudyPhonicsSpellingHigh Frequency WordsWord Parts
Writing WorkshopModeled WritingGrammarGuided WritingIndependent Writing
Reading WorkshopInteractive Read AloudShared ReadingGuided ReadingIndependent Reading
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 3 -
Year at a Glance – ELA Elementary Comprehensive Curriculum – LPSS 2011-2012
Kindergarten First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade Unit 3 - Rhythm and
Rhyme Time
08/15–09/15
Unit 1 – A World of Books
08/15 – 09/30
Unit 1 – Let’s Read
8/15 – 10/7
Unit 1 – Let’s Read
08/15-09/09 Assess 2 Know 09/15/11
Unit 1 – Read All About It
08/15-09/09 Assess 2 Know 09/15/11
Unit 1 – Folktales: Tall Tales and Legends
08/15-09/30 Assess 2 Know 10/07/11
Unit 5 - A Look into Books
09/19 – 10/21
Unit 2 – Put on Your Thinking Cap
10/03-10/28
Unit 3 – The Writing Process
10/10 – 11/10
Unit 3 – Write on Target
09/12 – 10/21 Assess 2 Know 10/28/11
Unit 2 – The Writing Process
9/12-10/21 Assess 2 Know 10/28/11
Unit 2 – Informational Articles/Reports
10/03 – 11/10 Assess 2 Know 11/18/11
Unit 1 – Learning About Me
10/24-11/18
Unit 3 – Let’s Read – Fairy Tales and Fables
10/31 – 12/20
Unit 6 – Reading and Writing Nonfiction
11/14-12/20
Unit 6 – Reading and Writing Nonfiction in Texts
10/24-11/18
Assess 2 Know 12/2/11
Unit 6 – Reading and Writing Nonfiction
10/24 – 11/18
Assess 2 Know 12/02/11
Unit 3 – Biography and Autobiography
11/14-01/12
Assess 2 Know 01/20/11
Unit 6 – The Author’s Chair
11/28-01/06
Unit 4 – Research Methods
01/04 –02/03
Unit 4 – Information Quest
01/04-02/03
Unit 4 – Resource Roundup
11/28-01/06 Assess 2 Know 01/12/12
Unit 4 – Research
11/28 – 01/06 Assess 2 Know 01/12/12
Unit 4 – Short Stories – Adventures
01/17-03/02
Assess 2 Know 03/08/12
Unit 2 – Exploring Written Languages
01/09-02/03
Unit 6-Discovering is Exciting-Reading/Writing Nonfiction
02/06–03/08
Unit 2 – Use Your Thinking Cap
02/06-03/23
Unit 2 – Thinking Critically
01/09-02/03 Assess 2 Know 02/10/12
Unit 3 - Critical Thinking
01/09 – 02/03 Assess 2 Know 02/10/12
Unit 5 – Poetry
03/05-04/04
Unit 4 – The Wonder of Words – Poetry
02/06-03/08
Unit 7 – How to Learn About People-
Autobiographies/Biographies 03/12 – 04/13
Unit 7 – People-Autobiographies/Biographies
03/26-04/20
Unit 7 – Who’s Who-Autobiographies/Biographies
02/06 –03/02
Assess 2 Know 03/08/12
Unit 7 – Autobiographies and Biographies
02/06 – 03/08
Assess 2 Know 3/16/12
Unit 6 – Novels
04/23 –05/24
Unit 7 – Multicultural Literature
03/12-04/13
Unit 5 – Poetry: Fun with Words
04/16 –0 5/24
Unit 5 – Poetry Is Art in Words
04/23-05/24
Unit 5 – Use Your Senses Through Poetry
03/05 – 04/04
Unit 5 – Poetry
03/12 – 04/04
Unit 8 – Listen, Speak, Write
4/16– 5/24
Unit 8 – Author Study
4/23-5/24
Unit 8 –Recommended By - Author Study
4/23 – 5/24
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 4 -
Reading/Writing Assessment Schedule (2011-2012) Reading Assessment Requirements-Kindergarten - Fifth Grade
*** Use Benchmark Assessment Protocol established by district
Writing Portfolio Requirements -Kindergarten – Fifth Grade
NOTE: Rubrics can be found in the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum blackline masters. Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers can use the iLEAP/LEAP rubrics.
Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
Beginning of Year DIBELS Next
DIBELS Next DRA-
Instructional Level SFA - Roots
DIBELS Next DRA-
Instructional Level SFA – McGraw-Hill
DIBELS Next Rigby READS
Form A SFA – 4Sight
DIBELS Next Rigby READS
Form A SFA – 4Sight
DIBELS Next/AIMSweb Rigby READS
Form A SFA – 4Ssight
1st Quarter 12 Weeks (K)
Rigby Reading Pre-Screener/
Screener SFA - Roots
Benchmark Level C*** SFA - Roots
Benchmark Level I***
SFA – McGraw-Hill
Instructional Level (Benchmark if necessary)
SFA – 4Sight
Instructional Level (Benchmark if necessary)
SFA – 4Sight
Instructional Level (Benchmark if necessary)
SFA – 4Sight
2nd Quarter DIBELS Next
DIBELS Next Benchmark Level E*** SFA - Roots
DIBELS Next Benchmark Level J***
SFA – McGraw-Hill
DIBELS Next Rigby READS
Form B SFA – 4-Sight
DIBELS Next Rigby READS
Form B SFA – 4Sight
DIBELS Next/AIMSweb Rigby READS
Form B SFA – 4Sight
3rd Quarter 24 Weeks (K)
Benchmark Level B***
Benchmark Level G*** SFA - Roots
Benchmark Level K***
SFA – McGraw-Hill
Instructional Level (Benchmark if necessary)
SFA – 4Sight
Instructional Level (Benchmark if necessary)
SFA - 4Sight
Instructional Level (Benchmark if necessary)
SFA – 4Sight
End of Year DIBELS Next DRA – Instructional
Level SFA – Roots
DIBELS Next Instructional Level
SFA - Roots
DIBELS Next Instructional Level SFA – McGraw-Hill
DIBELS Next Instructional Level
SFA – 4Sight
DIBELS Next Instructional Level
SFA – 4Sight
DIBELS Next/AIMSweb Instructional Level
SFA 4Sight
Beginning of Year Choose one writing sample during the first two weeks of school for each student. Use a rubric to rate each student’s writing.
1st Quarter 12 Weeks (K)
Choose at least one student writing of the teacher’s choice for each student. Use a rubric to rate each student’s writing.
2nd Quarter Choose at least one student writing of the teacher’s choice for each student. Use a rubric to rate each student’s writing.
3rd Quarter 24 Weeks (K)
Choose at least one student writing of the teacher’s choice for each student. Use a rubric to rate each student’s writing.
End of Year Choose at least one student writing of the teacher’s choice for each student. Use a rubric to rate each student’s writing.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 5 -
# Prioritized Grade Level Expectations E- Essential I –Important C-Condensed E, I, C CC Units Notes
1 Use understanding of base words, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to decode more complex words (ELA-1-E1) I 6
2 Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using knowledge of word origins and inflections (ELA-1-E1) C All
3 Determine word meanings, word choices, and pronunciations using a broad variety of reference aids such as
dictionaries, thesauruses, synonym finders, and reference software (ELA-1-E1)
E All
4 Adjust speed of reading to accomplish purpose based on text complexity (ELA-1-E3) C 1,3
5 Identify a variety of story elements, including: E
a. the impact of setting on character 1,8
b. multiple conflicts 1,8
c. first- and third-person points of view 1,8
d. development of theme (ELA-1-E4) 1,8
6 Identify literary devices, including metaphor and hyperbole (ELA-1-E4) E 5
7 Answer literal and inferential questions about ideas and information in grade-appropriate texts in oral and
written responses (ELA-1-E5)
E 1,3,5,6
8 Connect information in grade-appropriate texts to prior knowledge and real-life situations in oral and
written responses (ELA-1-E6)
E 1,2,3,5,6,7
9 Increase oral and silent reading fluency and accuracy with grade-appropriate texts (ELA-1-E7) C All
10 Demonstrate oral reading fluency of at least 140 words per minute in fourth-grade text with appropriate
pacing, intonation, and expression (ELA-1-E7)
C All
11 Compare and contrast stories/tales from different cultures and explain the influence of culture on each tale
in oral, written, and visual responses (ELA-6-E1)
I 1,5,8
12 Identify a variety of types of literature, including poetry and short stories, in oral and written responses
(ELA-6-E2)
E 1,5
13 Identify and explain the defining characteristics of various types of literature, including the myth and the
legend (ELA-6-E3)
E 1
14 Demonstrate understanding of information in grade-appropriate texts using a variety of strategies, such as: E
a. sequencing events and steps in a process 4
b. explaining how the setting impacts other story elements, including the characters’ traits and
actions 1,8
c. using specific evidence from a story to describe a character's traits, actions, relationships,
and/or motivations 1,3,8
d. confirming or denying a prediction about information in a text 1,3,8
e. comparing and contrasting story elements or information within and across texts 1,2,6,7,8
f. identifying stated main ideas and supporting details 2,4
g. making simple inferences (ELA-7-E1) 3,7
15 Justify solutions to problems in texts by verifying, confirming, and supporting (ELA-7-E2) E 3
16 Distinguish an author’s purpose for writing, including entertaining, expressing an opinion, defending an
argument, or conveying information (ELA-7-E3)
I 2,3,5,6
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 6 -
17 Explain in oral or written responses how an author’s life and times are reflected in a text (ELA-7-E3) C 1,5,8
18 Explain how an author’s purpose influences organization of a text, word choice, and sentence structure
(ELA-7-E3)
I 1,2,5,6,7
19 Demonstrate understanding of information in grade-appropriate texts using a variety of strategies,
including:
E
a. supporting differences between fact and opinion with information from texts 3,6
b. skimming and scanning texts for various purposes (e.g., locating information, verifying
facts) 3,4,5,6
c. identifying cause-effect relationships in texts and real-life situations 3,6
d. generating questions to guide examination of topics in texts and real-life situations 1,3,4,7,8
e. explaining connection between information from texts and real-life experiences (ELA-7-E4) 1,3,5,6,7,8
20 Write compositions of at least three paragraphs organized with the following: E
a. a clearly stated central idea 2,6,7,8
b. an introduction and a conclusion 2,6,7,8
c. a middle developed with supporting details 2,3,6,7,8
d. a logical, sequential order 2,6,7,8
e. transitional words and phrases that unify points and ideas (ELA-2-E1) 1,2,4,5,6,
7,8
21 Organize individual paragraphs with topic sentences, relevant elaboration, and concluding sentences
(ELA-2-E1)
E All
22 Identify an audience for a specific writing assignment and select appropriate vocabulary, details, and
information to create a tone or set the mood and to affect or manipulate the intended audience (ELA-2-E2)
E All
23 Develop grade-appropriate compositions by identifying and applying writing processes, including the
following:
E
a. selecting topic and form 2,4,5,6,7
b. prewriting (e.g., brainstorming, researching, raising questions, generating graphic
organizers) 1,2,3,4,5,6,
7
c. drafting All
d. conferencing with peers and teachers 1,2,4,5,6,7
e. revising based on feedback and use of various tools (e.g., LEAP21 Writer’s Checklist,
rubrics) 1,2,4,5,6,
7,8
f. proofreading/editing 1,2,4,5,6,
7,8
g. publishing using available technology (ELA-2-E3) 2,4,5,6,7,8
24 Develop paragraphs and compositions of at least three paragraphs using the various modes (i.e., description,
narration, exposition, and persuasion), emphasizing narration and description (ELA-2-E4)
E All
25 Use a variety of literary devices, including hyperbole and metaphor, in compositions (ELA-2-E5) I 5
26 Write for various purposes, including: C
a. formal and informal letters that follow a specific letter format, include relevant information, 3,8
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 7 -
and use an appropriate closure
b. informational reports that include facts and examples and that present important details in
a logical order 1,4,7
c. book reports that include an opinion and/or a persuasive viewpoint (ELA-2-E6) 2,3,4,5,6,
7,8
27 Write legibly in standard cursive or printed form, indenting paragraphs appropriately, using standard
margins, and demonstrating fluency (ELA-3-E1)
C 2,7,8
28 Use standard English punctuation, including apostrophes in contractions and in the possessive case of
singular and plural nouns (ELA-3-E2)
I 2,7
29 Capitalize greetings, titles of respect, and titles of books, articles, chapters, movies, and songs (ELA-3-E2) I 2,6,7,8
30 Write using standard English structure and usage, including: E
a. using active and passive voices of verbs 2,3,6,8
b. avoiding writing with sentence fragments and run-on sentences (ELA-3-E3) 2,7,8
31 Apply knowledge of parts of speech in writing, including: E
a. selecting and using common interjections appropriately All
b. identifying and using transitive and intransitive verbs correctly All
c. identifying and using verb tenses correctly, including present perfect, past perfect, and
future perfect All
d. using grade-appropriate irregular verb tenses correctly (ELA-3-E4) All 32 Use knowledge of root words, affixes, and syllable constructions to spell words (ELA-3-E5) C 7,8
33 Alphabetize to the fourth and fifth letters (ELA-3-E5) C 4
34 Adjust pacing to suit purpose, audience, and setting when speaking (ELA-4-E1) C 1,3,4,5,6,7
35 Interpret, follow, and give multi-step directions (ELA-4-E2) C 4
36 Deliver presentations that include the following: C
a. information drawn from several sources and identification of the sources 3,4,6,7
b. effective introductions and conclusions 4,6
c. details, examples, anecdotes, or statistics that explain or clarify information 3,4,5,6,7
d. information selected to persuade or influence the audience (ELA-4-E4) 2,3,4,6
37 Demonstrate active listening strategies, including asking questions, responding to cues, and making eye
contact (ELA-4-E5)
C 1,2,4,5,6,7
38 Adjust speaking content according to the needs of the audience (ELA-4-E5) C 4,7
39 Listen to and critique messages such as advertising that are communicated in a variety of mediums,
including television and print (ELA-4-E6)
C 2,7
40 Identify the effectiveness and dynamics of group process and cooperative learning (ELA-4-E7) C
41 Locate information using organizational features of a variety of resources, including: E
a. electronic information such as keyword searches, passwords, and entry menu features 2,3,4,7,8
b. print materials such as indices, glossaries, table of contents, title pages, and map legends
(ELA-5-E1) 4
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 8 -
42 Locate information using a broad variety of reference sources, including almanacs, atlases, newspapers,
magazines, and brochures (ELA-5-E1)
I 3,7,8
43 Evaluate the usefulness of information selected from multiple sources, including: C
a. library and online databases 4,7,8
b. electronic reference works 4,7,8
c. Internet information 2,3,4,8
d. community and government data 3,4,7
e. interviews 3,4
f. experiments 4,7
g. surveys (ELA-5-E2) 3,4
44 Use keywords and phrases to take notes from oral, written, and electronic media sources (ELA-5-E3) C 3,4
45 Paraphrase or summarize information from a variety of sources (ELA-5-E3) I 3,4,7,8
46 Construct simple outlines with main topics and subtopics that reflect the information gathered (ELA-5-E3) E 4,7
47 Use electronic and print resources (e.g., spelling, grammar, and thesaurus checks) to revise and publish
book reviews and research reports (ELA-5-E4)
C 2,7
48 Create a list of sources (e.g., books, encyclopedias, online resources) following a specified format (ELA-5-E5) I 2,4,7,8
49 Define plagiarism (ELA-5-E5) C 4,7
50 Read and interpret timelines, charts, graphs, schedules, tables, diagrams, and maps generated from
grade-appropriate materials (ELA-5-E6)
E 3,6
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 9 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4
August 15th
– September 9th
– Weeks 1 - 4
Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 1: Read All About It
Unit Description
This unit focuses on reading and responding to a variety of texts, including classical, historical, and contemporary fiction and nonfiction. This unit also emphasizes vocabulary
development, grammar, and composition skills. Read- alouds and shared, guided, and independent reading experiences facilitate the teaching of story elements (setting, plot,
character, theme, and conflict), literary devices, and the characteristics of reading genre.
Student Understandings
Students demonstrate comprehension when they describe and discuss literary elements, identify literary devices, and compare and contrast texts. They respond to various reading
genres through oral discussion and writing projects.
Guiding Questions
1. Can students use graphic organizers to compare/contrast a variety of texts, including fiction and nonfiction?
2. Can students respond to texts by using prior knowledge and life experiences?
3. Can students identify the elements of a myth and a legend?
4. Can students describe a character‘s traits, actions, relationships, and motivation?
5. Can students use ―pre reading‖ and ―during reading‖ comprehension strategies as they read and respond to various genre?
6. Can students discuss texts with one another?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
Students will keep a personal reading log of selections read by the teacher or independently, listing the book, author, title, a brief summary, and date completed. Students
will classify the book by genre. Students will maintain a Reader‘s Notebook containing teacher-provided information, vocabulary lists of words defined by the student,
and a reading-response journal.
Teachers schedule reading conferences periodically to check Reader‘s Notebooks and monitor the student‘s oral reading progress.
Students will be provided with graphic organizers to help them comprehend increasingly complex material and organize thoughts for writing extensions.
Teachers will observe student progress in choosing appropriate independent reading material (95% and above words known) for various purposes.
Blackline Masters of materials from Literacy by Design may be found online at www.olp.literacybydesign.com
First time users must register. The keycode is accelerate. If you registered previously and do not remember your password, the planner will offer prompts to assist you in the
retrieval of that password. You must look in the LESSONS tab then click onto RESOURCES to view all available material.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 10 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study LCC ACTIVITIES: Unit 1 – Read All About It
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
5: Genre …04, 12, 14e
6: Define Genres using Graphic Organizers 11, 13, 14d, 14e
7: Before Reading 05a, 05c, 05d, 11, 13, 14b, 14d, 14e, 18, 19d
8: During Reading 02, 03, 05a, 07, 08, 09, 14b, 14d, 14e, 19e
LCC ACTIVITIES: Unit 1 – Read All About It
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26b 11: Reading Like a Writer 05a, 11, 13, 14b, 19d, 23b, 23c, 23d,
23e, 23f
Begin word wall activities. You
may refer to the list of onsets
and rimes provided by reading
facilitator for additional
suggestions.
Short Vowel Review
Initial Consonant Review
Consonant Blends sn & st
Word Families 32
Theme 1: American Dreams
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Make Connections 19
text to text/self/world
compare/contrast
background knowledge
TARGET SKILLS
Interview 13, 18
Nonfiction Feature: Map 50
MODELED WRITING
Journal 26 (LCC)
Myth or Legend 26 (LCC)
Book Report 26
Narrative 24
Story 24 (LbD)
MINI-LESSONS
Writing Process Introduction 23
Writing Traits Introduction 22
Start Strong 22
Main Idea & Details 20
Simple & Compound Sentences 30
Simple & Compound Sentences/Subject & Predicates 30
Review Sentences Structure 30
Subject/Verb Agreement 31
Identify & Use Verb Tenses 31
Use Irregular Verb Tenses 31
Theme 2: A Place for Us
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Determine Importance 14
main idea and details
purpose for reading
classify
TARGET SKILLS
Historical Fiction 13, 18
Story Structure 5 Identify Theme
CENTER IDEA
GLEs tested on Assess 2 Know Test 1- 5b, 5d, 13, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 18, 19d, 19e, 31c, 31d
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 11 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Use first weeks to introduce work boards, literacy stations and
routines that must be established before you begin to teach
guided reading. Rehearse all stations and procedures in a
variety of ways before guided reading begins. Begin guided
reading on or before September 6, 2011.
MODELED WRITING
Book Report
HME p. 435
Story
LbD Story Organizer – Transp.11, 12
Writing Bridge Card 4
MINI-LESSONS
Writing Process Introduction
LbD Writing Bridge Card 1 & Transparency 4
Writing Traits Introduction
LbD Writing Bridge Card 3 & Transparency 10
Main Idea & Details
LbD Main Idea & Details Organizer – Transp. 5, 6
Writing Bridge Card 2
Start Strong
LbD Writing Resource Guide pp. 49-50
Simple & Compound Sentences
LbD Writing Resouce Guide p. 1
HME pp. 32-62
Simple & Compound Sentences/Subject & Predicates
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 2
Subject/Verb Agreement
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 3
HME pp. 104-105, 128
Review Sentence Structure
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 4
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton- Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Short Vowel Review
Unit 1- p. 18
Unit 2 - p. 24
Unit 3 - p. 30
Unit 4 – p. 36
Unit 7 – p. 54
Word Families
Unit 20 – p. 134
Unit 25 – p. 164
Theme 1: American Dreams
Comprehension Bridge Card: 1
Vocabulary Development: Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
ambition, gleaming, flourished, ancestor, artifact, cautious,
youth, immigrant, prosper, settler
Connect to Novels: The Long Way Westward, Worlds Apart,
Dreaming of America
Theme 2: A Place for Us
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 1 & 2
Vocabulary Development: Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
permanent, relocation, origin, regulate, necessities, belief,
border, accompany, audience, nationality
Connect to Novels: Half and Half, Hannah’s Journal,
In The Year Of The Boar, Jackie Robinson
Leveled Readers End of 1st Quarter
ON: O, P, Q
ABOVE: R+
BELOW: N AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 12 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program
by encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to provide opportunities for them to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of text and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary-building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
texts through application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies may
also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students understanding of vocabulary either formally (written
tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say,‖ Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 13 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Distribute copies of Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM . Before reading a story, give students the list of vocabulary words and have them complete the
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM to determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their
understanding of each word with either a ―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being
exposed to other information, students return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign.
Students will be given many opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
sprint + He sprinted across the field. To run at top speed
epidemic -- He has an epidemic. A video game
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing) (GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each student, transparency copy for use as a class, overhead projector
The Every-Day Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that you might use:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately, they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams you establish in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month).
Start with one team and ask a student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's
passage, a point is awarded to the team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that
day's passage. (Students might even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. You might change the makeup of teams for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 14 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26b)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited to, the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around.)
Want ads
Advertisements
Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Activity 5: Genre . . .Is French for Type or Kind? (GLEs: 04, 12, 14e)
Material List: books from different genres of literature, Reader‘s Notebook, Genre Characteristics BLM, My Reading Inventory BLM
The teacher begins fourth-grade literature studies and this unit by giving students a reading notebook to record information, experiences, and responses for guided
and independent reading activities. The teacher chooses a grade-appropriate book to read each day to present examples of each reading genre, and students begin a
reading list and Genre Chart BLM, identifying each category of literature with a list of characteristics. Students are given a My Reading Inventory BLM and asked
to keep a list of books read, noting title/author, date completed, and genre. The teacher uses daily mini-lessons to introduce models for reading and responding
during whole-class and independent reading activities. During these lessons, student volunteers share their personal reading, and the class decides the genre,
supporting its conclusions by relating the genre‘s identifying characteristics. When the genre charts are complete, students will search their homes, classroom,
and/or school libraries to fill in the name of a book under each genre heading.Examples of genre to be studied may include the following:
Nonfiction: Informational text, biography, autobiography
Fiction: Historical fiction, modern realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, and traditional literature (e.g., myths, legends, fables, folktales)
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 15 -
Activity 6: Define Genres Using Graphic Organizers (GLEs: 11, 13, 14d, 14e)
Materials List: books or Internet copies of various genres (myths, legends, folktales, etc.), copies of Comparison/Contrast Chart BLM, Sample Rubric for Student
Self-Assessment BLM, board/chart paper/overhead projector
This DRTA directed reading-thinking activity (view literacy strategy descriptions) will include fairy tales and fables. In this activity, students can work as a class,
in small groups, or as an individual. Website links that have a variety of samples are provided below. The teacher will also use stories that are part of the students‘
textbook anthologies or books from the library. For websites, see teacher‘s resources at the end of the unit.
The teacher begins the lesson with a discussion to find out what students may already know, including personal experiences and prior readings. Students record
their ideas on the board, chart paper, or overhead.
The teacher introduces the story to be read and asks students to make predictions about the story and write their predictions in their notebook. The teacher will
share one or two fables and/or fairy tales. Stories can be read aloud, independently, or in small groups. Students will stop at key points during their reading, will
think about their predictions, and change their predictions, if necessary, using evidence from the story; but they must tell why they are changing their predictions.
Once reading is completed, the teacher uses students‘ predictions to elicit discussions about their original predictions and why they revised them. Students will
write summaries about their predictions in their notebooks.
After students complete this process for at least two stories, the teacher uses the following questions to guide students to think about some of the elements that
were found in their readings:
Does the story tell about something real?
Could the story‘s events be real, or are they totally unbelievable (fiction)?
Are the characters human or animal?
If the characters are human, could they have been real people?
Are characters doing things that are typically human, or are they doing things that are superhuman?
Does the character face a problem that must be solved?
Does the story teach a lesson?
Can you tell when and where the story takes place, or could it be taking place at any time and anywhere?
Does the story take place long ago?
Are the people in the story ordinary/common people, or are they royalty?
Comparison/Contrast: Students can create a multiple-column comparison/contrast graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) as shown below.
Students should replace the column headings with the genres of literature they are studying. Under ―Attributes,‖ students should write the questions above (or
teacher-made questions). Students will answer the questions from the stories they have read. The information in the chart will help students understand the
definitions of the genres being studies.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 16 -
Comparison/Contrast Chart
Activity 7: Before Reading (GLEs: 05a, 05c, 05d, 11, 13, 14b, 14d, 14e, 18, 19d)
Materials List: classic folktale, reading-response journal
Teachers model, coach, and apply what readers do before reading in order to comprehend a selection better. The teacher explains how good readers make
predictions about what they are going to read and how readers can base some pre-reading predictions on what they already know about the kind of story to be read
(genre, author‘s purpose) and their personal experiences with the particular topic or theme. The teacher reviews the characteristics of a genre (such as the folktale)
to set a purpose for what students might expect to hear in such a story:
having third-person point of view
telling about other cultures
sequencing in the texts
making predictions
defining cause and effect relationships
being passed down over time
having themes such as greed, jealousy, love, and courage
having a setting in different times and places
having problems solved by repetition of words, phrases, sentences, events, trickery, magic, or things happening in threes
having a single character dominating the action
having a calm beginning, action rising to a high point, and then resolution leading to ―happily ever after‖
As the teacher reads aloud a classic folktale, students listen for examples of these identifying characteristics. They record their observations and questions in a
reading-response journal. The class discusses which elements were present in the story. Students follow the same process independently to analyze characteristics
of another folktale. They make a list of what they expect to find in the story and check off each one as they read silently. They discuss their observations with a
reading partner.
The format for this activity may be adapted for use as a pre-reading strategy with other genres. As teachers model and coach, students become more adept in using
prior knowledge to read analytically. They begin to use these techniques independently in their personal reading.
NAME 1 NAME 1
Attribute 1
Attribute 1
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 17 -
Activity 8: During Reading (GLEs: 02, 03, 05a, 07, 08, 09, 14b, 14d, 14e, 19e)
Materials List: book to read aloud, reading-response journal
See Teacher Resources at the end of the unit for a list of possible introductory read-alouds. These books are excellent choices to capture students‘ interest and
practice comprehension strategies. Teachers model, coach, and apply the strategies, focusing on only one at a time. They use ―thinking aloud‖ to model for
students how to make predictions, read and verify, ask questions and read to confirm, activate prior knowledge, and make connections while reading. The teacher
uses the QtA (questioning the author) strategy (view literacy strategy descriptions) that involves talking frequently about their own thoughts about the story and
asking students to express their thoughts before, during, and after reading. Students point out examples of foreshadowing, where the author might give a clue that
hints at what might happen next. Teachers ask students if they have predictions:
―Oh, I think I know what is going to happen . . . . What do you think might happen next?‖
Reading on to confirm predictions….―Gee, how did you guess that correctly?‖
―I wouldn‘t do that if I were the character….What would you do?‖
―I‘m not sure what that word means. Do you know? Could you guess by rereading the rest of the paragraph, or do you think we should look that word
up in the dictionary?‖
―Things might not have worked out that way at my house…. What about yours?‖
―Has that ever happened to you before?‖
Students practice using the same strategies in their independent reading by writing a split-page notetaking entry journal (view literacy strategy descriptions).
Activity 11: Reading Like a Writer (GLEs: 05a, 11, 13, 14b, 19d, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, 23f)
Materials List: copies of myths and legends and 1 transparency for each group, overhead projector
The teacher will divide the class into literature groups and give each group a myth or legend to read. The teacher serves as ―consultant‖ while students read and
discuss. Students determine how setting and culture influence the characters and events of their stories. They review the characteristics of the genre and use a
story-event chart to track the action in the story. Then students work as a group to change the setting, characters, and plot line of the first tale to create an original
(but parallel) story. Students follow the steps in the writing process by working as a group to:
1. Make a list of the elements to be found in a myth or legend.
2. Make a story web to plan the setting, characters, story problem, and ending.
3. Make an outline or story map to plan the sequence of events/ rising action to resolution.
4. Use a collaborative group approach first to tell and then write an original story.
5. Read the story to the class and ask for feedback about what would make the story more interesting.
6. Revise the composition to reflect input from classmates.
7. Each group will make an overhead transparency of the story, and the class will edit according to grade-level conventions.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 18 -
All Units – Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 19 -
All Units, LEAP Writing Rubric
For the Composing dimension and for the Style/Audience Awareness dimension, the
following descriptors apply to the score points:
Score Level Description of Score Level
4 The writer demonstrates consistent, though not necessarily perfect,
control of almost all of the dimension‘s features.
3 The writer demonstrates reasonable, but not consistent, control of most
of the dimension‘s features, indicating some weakness in the dimension.
2 The writer demonstrates enough inconsistent control of several features
to indicate significant weakness in the dimension.
1 The writer demonstrates little or no control of most of the dimension‘s
features.
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Composing dimension:
Score Point Central Idea Elaboration Organization/Unity
4
Consistent
Control
• sharp focus
• clarity of purpose
• strategy
(preplanning and
foreshadowing)
• selected information
• thorough elaboration
• ideas are developed (examples)
• necessary information
• specific details
• wholeness throughout
• ideas related to central idea
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• transitions
• sense of completion
3
Reasonable
Control
• clear central idea
• clear focus
• ideas are developed
• necessary information
• relevant
• may have uneven development
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• simple transitions
• wholeness (may have a weak ending)
2
Inconsistent
Control
• vague central idea
• shifts in focus
• digressions
• listing
• information may be
superficial, incomplete,
and/or irrelevant
• idea clusters
• little or uneven development
• weak beginning, middle, end
• retreats and/or repetitions
• gaps
• random order
• no ending
1
Little or No Control
• unclear central idea
• confusion
• automatic writing without selection
• relevant information missed
• little or no development
• minimal information
• no beginning or end
• severe gaps
• random order
• too little to demonstrate
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 20 -
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Style/Audience
Awareness dimension.
Score Point Selected Vocabulary Selected Information Sentence Diversity Tone and Voice
4
Consistent
Control
• word choice is
appropriate, relevant
• vivid power verbs
• stylistic techniques
(imagery, similes)
• selected for relevance and/or
impact
• vivid examples or anecdotes
• appropriate to audience
• manipulates audience
(humor)
• some variety in structure
(beginnings, endings)
complexity, length
• consistent, clear, vibrant tone &
voice
• individual personality
• engages and/or manipulates
audience
3
Reasonable Control
• clear
• appropriate
• relevant
• some variety
• some selected
information
• some examples
• appropriate to
audience
• some variety in
structure and/or
complexity and/or
length\
• And, But beginnings
• consistent tone
• aware of audience
• clear voice
2
Inconsistent
Control
• generic
• overused
• some may be inappropriate
• wrong word
• contradictions
• bare bones
• lists information
• irrelevant
• superficial
• sentence patterns
• simple sentences
• overextended sentences
• And, But beginnings
• vague
• weak awareness of audience
• inappropriate
• monotonous
• inconsistent tone
1
Little or
no Control
• functional
• inappropriate
• wrong word
• omission errors
• automatic writing
• too little information
• inappropriate abrupt
change from central
idea
• simple
• patterns
• on and on
• confusing
• absent
• no awareness of audience
• unengaged
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 22 -
Unit 1, Activity 5, Genre Characteristics Genre Characteristics
NON-FICTION
All of the information in a non-fiction book is based on the known true facts.
Biography A biography is the story of a real person's life, written or told by another person.
Auto-Biography An autobiography is the story of a real person's life, written or told by that person.
FICTION
Fictional stories all contain elements that are made-up or created by the author.
Realistic Fiction Made-up stories that take place in modern time. The characters are involved in events that could really
happen.
Mystery These stories are about mysterious events which are not explained or a crime that is not solved until the
end of the story to keep the reader in suspense.
Fantasy Fiction that contains elements that are NOT realistic, such as talking animals, magical powers, etc.
Science Fiction Stories which include futuristic technology; a blend of scientific fact and fictional elements.
Historical Fiction Stories which take place in a particular time period in the past. Often the basic setting is real, but the
characters are fictional.
Folk Tales Folk tales are stories with no known creator. They were originally passed down from one generation to
another by word of mouth.
Tall Tales Tall tales are generally folk tales in which the main character is bigger than life in some way.
Fairy Tales Fairy tales were often created to teach children behavior in an entertaining way.
Poetry Poetry is verse written to create a response of thought and feeling from the reader. It often uses rhythm
and rhyme to help convey its meaning
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 23 -
Unit 1, Activity 5, My Reading Inventory
MY READING INVENTORY
Title Author Date Completed Genre
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 24 -
Unit 1, Activity 6, Comparison/Contrast Chart
Attribute
Name 1 Name 2
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 25 -
Unit1, Sample Rubric for Student Self-Assessment
Sample Rubric for Student Self-Assessment
Reading Task
Yes No
I make predictions before reading a story or book.
I use prior knowledge and my own experience as I think about what I
read.
I use details from the text to support my ideas.
I explain my own thinking clearly.
I use imagery to remember the main events in the story.
I make inferences based on information gathered in the story.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 26 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4
September 12th
– October 21st – Weeks 5 - 10
Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 2: The Writing Process
Unit Description
This unit focuses on the writing process, writing applications, and writing conventions. Teachers instruct students about ―what good writers do‖ and provide them with rubrics,
prompts, and practice in producing a variety of written products related to classroom reading or real-life situations. Teachers continue reinforcing ongoing reading, vocabulary
development, and daily language skills
Student Understandings
Students will improve their writing abilities by learning the steps that are a part of the writing process and by following them effectively to create original, organized, and well-
edited compositions. Students will gain skills necessary for competent writing by focusing on the mechanics of language, vocabulary development and directed reading and
writing. They will complete a variety of writing activities, including narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive writing that demonstrates organization and drafting
strategies.
Guiding Questions
1. Can students write expository, descriptive, narrative, and persuasive compositions?
2. Can students write formal and informal letters, book reports, and informational reports?
3. Can students write a multi-paragraph composition with an introduction and conclusion with supporting details in a logical order?
4. Can students use standard punctuation, capitalization, usage, mechanics, spelling when writing?
5. Can students effectively use the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing)?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
Students will maintain a writing portfolio containing the edited final products of formal writing assignments. These files are used for parent conferences and to show
evidence of student progress during the school year. Students see how their work has become more complex and refined as they practice and acquire the desired writing
skills.
Students will confer with teachers during critical stages of the writing process to offer verbal feedback about the student‘s writing and work habits and to guide the
students into the next phase of the process.
Students will be provided with a chart listing the steps of the writing process so they can check off each step as completed and know the direction of subsequent work.
Students will use the LEAP 21 Writer’s Checklist to self-assess their progress and product.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 27 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study
LCC ACTIVITIES: Unit 2 – The Writing Process
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
LCC ACTIVITIES: Unit 2 – The Writing Process
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26b 5: Why Write? 08, 16, 18, 41a, 43c, 48
6: Gather From Your World 03, 23b
8: The Power of Words 18, 22, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 37, 39
11: RAFT Writing 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 21
Continue Word Wall Activities
Long Vowels
Nouns 29
Proper Nouns 29
Synonyms & Antonyms
Multiple-Meaning Words
Theme 3: So Many Kinds of Animals
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Infer 14
predict
draw conclusions
fact/opinion
TARGET SKILLS
Expository 13, 18 Nonfiction Text Feature: Bar Graph 50
MODELED WRITING
Descriptive 24(LCC)
Personal Narrative 24 (LCC)
Report 26 (LbD)
MINI-LESSONS
Prewriting 23
Drafting 23
Ideas 20
Sequence 20
Build Strong Paragraphs 20
Sentence Combining 30
Declarative/Interrogative Sentences 31
Imperative/Exclamatory Sentences 31
Incorporate Dialogue 22
Common and Proper Nouns 29
Singular and Plural Nouns 28
Contractions 28
Singular & Plural Possessive Nouns 28
Verb Tenses 31
Proofreading / Editing 23
Theme 4: Seeds, Fruits and Flowers
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Create Images 14
use visuals
create images
revise
TARGET SKILLS
Realistic Fiction 13, 18 Understand Use of Dialogue 6 Understand Metaphor 6
Theme 5: One Country, Many Regions
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Fix-Up Strategies 1, 2, 14
use pictures
read on
decode
word analysis
TARGET SKILLS
Personal Narrative 13, 18 Nonfiction Feature: Map 50
CENTER IDEA
GLEs tested on Assess 2 Know Test 2- 21, 22, 23f, 28, 30b, 31c, 32
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 28 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Theme 3: So Many Kinds of Animals
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 2, 3
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
variety, species, researchers, abandon, definite, characteristic,
identify, categorize, invertebrate, vertebrate
Connect to Novels: The Jungle Book, Mowgli’s Story,
Whales On Stilts, Rabbit Hill
MODELED WRITING
Descriptive
HME pp. 12-27
Personal Narrative
HME pp. 275-293
LbD Personal Narrative Organizer – Transp. 29, 30
LbD Writing Bridge Card 10
Report 26
LbD Report Organizer – Transp. 17, 18
LbD Writing Bridge Card 6
MINI-LESSONS
Prewriting
LbD Writing Bridge Card 7 & Transparency 22
Drafting
LbD Writing Bridge Card 9 & Transparency 28
Ideas
LbD Writing Bridge Card 5 & Transparency 16
Sequence
LbD Sequence Organizer – Transp. 23, 24
LbD Writing Bridge Card 8
Build Strong Paragraphs
LbD Writing Resource Guide pp. 51-52
Declarative/Interrogative Sentences
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 5
HME p. 36
Imperative/Exclamatory Sentences
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 6
HME p. 38
Sentence Combining
LbD Writing Resource Guide pp. 7-8
HME p. 48
Incorporate Dialogue
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 53-54
Common and Proper Nouns
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 9
HME p. 66
Singular and Plural Nouns
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 10
HME p. 70
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton -Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Long Vowels
Unit 1- p. 18
Unit 2 - p. 24
Unit 3 - p. 30
Unit 4 – p. 36
Unit 7 – p. 54
Synonyms & Antonyms
Unit 7 – p. 56
Unit 11- p. 79
Unit 12 – p. 85
Unit 20 – p. 134
Unit 21 – p. 139
Unit 30 – p. 194
Unit 32 – p. 206
Multiple Meaning Words
Unit 19 – p. 128
Unit 27 – p. 176
Theme 4: Seeds, Fruits and Flowers
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 3,4
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
require, pollinate, equipment, reproduction, century, criteria,
conditions, germinate, cones, adapt
Connect to Novels: Seedfolks, Shelterwood, Lichee Tree
Theme 5: One Country, Many Regions
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 4,5
Vocabulary Development: Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
canyon, region, surround, solution, dense, aspect, impact, alter,
climate, plateau
Connect to Novels: The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs,
Grasshopper Summer, The Pepins and their Problems
Leveled Readers End of 1st Quarter
ON: O, P, Q
ABOVE: R+
BELOW: N AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard
http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 29 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program by
encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to allow opportunities for students to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of text and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary-building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
texts through application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies may
also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students understanding of vocabulary either formally (written
tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say,‖ Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 30 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Before reading a story, students receive a list of vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary self-awareness chart (view literacy strategy descriptions) to
determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their understanding of each word with either a
―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being exposed to other information, students
return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign. Students will be given many
opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
sprint + He sprinted across the field. To run at top speed
epidemic -- He has an epidemic. A video game
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing) (GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each student, transparency copy for use as a class, overhead projector
The Everyday Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that may be used:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately, they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams established in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month). Start with one team and ask a
student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's passage, a point is awarded to the
team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that day's passage. (Students might
even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. The makeup of the teams may be changed for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 31 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26b)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited to the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around)
Want ads
Advertisements
Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Activity 5: Why Write? (GLEs: 08, 16, 18, 41a, 43c, 48)
Material List: examples of writings, writer‘s notebook, Internet access (optional)
Teachers create a culture of writers in their classrooms by initiating studies of writers, their lives, and how they became writers. Why write? Students will
brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions) a list of examples of writing (e.g. letters, comics, books, advertisements, newspaper articles, movie scripts,
reports, plays, poems, e-mails). The list is kept posted in the classroom and added to as students think of new purposes for writing. Students explain how the
author‘s purpose influences organization of text, word choice, and sentence structure.
The Internet has excellent websites to help students learn more about writers and see works published by peers from different cultures with differing points of
view. These resources make available literature from around the world. Students use keyword searches to locate multiple sites that pertain to authors and to
writing/composition and to compile a Best Websites List in their writer‘s notebooks. Students discuss the many ways written communication is important in the
world.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 32 -
Activity 6: Gather from Your World (GLEs: 03, 23b)
Material List: writer‘s notebook, dictionary
Teachers and students collect ideas to keep in a writer‘s notebook. Daily entries of observations, experiences, events, feelings, and conflicts all serve as departure
points for future writing. New words encountered in content studies or independent reading can be looked up in a dictionary for:
word parts
context
definition
history
word structure
Word webs and other vocabulary lists may be generated. For example, notebook pages may be labeled:
Color Words
Words About Feelings
Action Words
A broad vocabulary enhances a student‘s ability to communicate ideas and information clearly. Writers‘ notebooks will contain vocabulary lists, word webs,
ongoing drafts, and research notes to select and use throughout the writing process. Students will enter the information into the vocabulary section of the writer‘s
notebook.
Activity 8: The Power of Words (GLEs: 18, 22, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 37, 39)
Material List: various advertisements, writer‘s notebook, highlighters, board/chart paper/overhead projector
Students bring to class examples of writing used in advertising (newspapers, magazines, travel brochures, posters, etc.). The teacher discusses this purpose for
writing, and the class brainstorms (view literacy strategy descriptions) ideas about what makes an advertisement effective. Students are asked to read their writing
samples with an eye for the author‘s style, word choice, and ability to influence readers. They highlight specific words or phrases along with their personal
comments and share their passages and critiques with the class. The class decides on a product, event, or destination they want to ―sell,‖ and each student writes an
advertisement describing it. As students share their ads with classmates, students listen actively for words or phrases that are most persuasive, descriptive, or
convincing; and they record these examples in their Writer‘s Notebooks. The teacher uses this feedback to reinforce students‘ understandings of the power of
words and ―what good writers do.‖ This activity could be expanded to include television advertisements.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 33 -
Activity 11: RAFT Writing (GLEs: 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 21)
Materials List: paper, pencil, RAFT BLM
RAFT (view literacy strategy descriptions) is a prewriting activity that helps the student focus on what to write. It helps to provide structure and assists students in
making decisions about purpose, form, audience, and tone.
R—Role of the writer (Who or what are you?)
A—Audience for the writer (To whom or what are you writing?)
F—Format of the writing (What form will your writing assume?)
T—Topic + a strong verb (What are you writing about?)
First, help students establish the topic by considering what important ideas or information they want to show that they can process through their writing. Next,
determine the role of the writer and the audience for whom the writing is intended. After determining the role of the writer and the audience, students should
decide what format will best allow the writer to communicate the information (letter, speech, advice column, diary, script, news article, speech, travel brochure,
thank you note, editorial, instructions, book review, obituary, etc.). And last, students should determine the structure/form of the writing by adding a strong verb to
the topic (persuade, explain, sequence, compare and contrast, describe, etc.).
Suggestions:
1. Consider tying a writing mini-lesson to your RAFT assignment.
2. Structure your assessment of the writing to show student knowledge of the topic being stressed.
3. The RAFT provides the outline of the assignment. Teachers should feel free to add any other guidelines to the assignment as needed (i.e., write three paragraphs,
define an ecosystem, begin with an introduction of yourself, include a drawing, etc.).
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 34 -
Unit 2, Activity 11, RAFT
RAFT: Role, Audience, Format, Topic
Name:
Content Area:
Role
Audience
Format
Topic
Writing Task
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 35 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4
October 24th
– November 18th
– Weeks 11 - 14
Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 6: Reading and Writing Nonfiction
Unit Description
The goal of this unit is to teach students strategies for reading and writing informational texts. Teachers present instruction as an inquiry into an issue or a problem worth
investigating, allowing students to make real-life connections. Through explicit modeling, coaching, and application of instructional techniques, comprehension is developed at the
literal, interpretative, and evaluative levels of questioning.
Student Understandings
Students examine a variety of informational texts to study the structure and organizational features used to present nonfiction information. They pose investigative questions on a
topic of interest and respond both orally and in writing to selected texts. Student-constructed rubrics are used to establish clear expectations and as a tool for reflection.
Guiding Questions
1. Can students identify informational texts?
2. Can students determine the purposes for reading informational texts?
3. Can students determine how informational text is organized?
4. Can students pose literal, interpretive, and evaluative questions?
5. Can students identify and use graphic aids, print features, and organizational aids found in informational texts?
6. Can students articulate their interests and pursue answers to their content questions by reading informational texts?
7. Can students write their own informational articles that include components studied in this unit?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
Students will record summaries or responses to daily nonfiction reading in a reader‘s notebook or journal. Teachers will read the entries periodically and write comments
or suggestions.
Students will be asked to bookmark interesting passages and share them orally with the class. This activity is a means to generate interest in nonfiction reading and to
monitor students‘ abilities to master new vocabulary and improve read-aloud fluency.
Teachers will observe students‘ capabilities in navigating nonfiction print materials. They will use anecdotal records to note students‘ ability to use materials
independently and participate in class activities.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 36 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study
LCC ACTIVITIES – Unit 6: Reading & Writing Nonfiction
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
5: Introducing Nonfiction 07, 16, 18, 19a
6: Elements of Nonfiction 07, 16, 18, 19a
7: Structures of Nonfiction Texts 08, 14e, 19b, 19c, 50
LCC ACTIVITIES Unit 6: Reading & Writing Nonfiction
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c 9: Learn About the Writing Process from Authors 14e, 16, 20a,
20b, 20c, 20d, 23a
10: The Writing Process 20e, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, 23f, 23g, 24,
29, 30a, 31a, 31b
Continue Word Wall Activities
Homonyms
Verbs 31
Helping Verbs 31
Suffixes 1, 32
-ed
-ing
-s
Theme 6: The Land Shapes People’s Lives
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Synthesize 14
sequence
summarize
classify/categorize
retell
TARGET SKILLS
Realistic Fiction 13
Identify Plot 5
Identify Setting 5
MODELED WRITING
Informational Paragraph 26 (LCC)
News Article 26 (LCC)
Respond to Writing Prompt 23
MINI-LESSONS
Organization 21
Problem & Solution 24
Sequence 26
Voice 22
Keep Language Fresh 22
Possessive Nouns 30
Review Nouns 30
Action and Linking Verbs 31
Main and Helping Verbs 31
Capitalize greetings, titles of respect, books, articles,
chapters, movies, songs 29
Theme 7: Why Does Water Move?
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Monitor Understanding 19
reread text
self-monitoring
reflection
strategic reading
TARGET SKILLS
Procedural Text 13
Nonfiction Text Feature: Flow Chart 50
Identify Analogies 19
CENTER IDEA
GLEs tested on Assess 2 Know Test 3- 7, 16, 19a, 19b, 19c, 19e, 23e, 23f, 29, 50
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 37 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Theme 6: The Land Shapes People’s Lives
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 5, 6
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
farmland, fertile, vast, horizon, reflection, access,
surroundings, recreation, port, altitude
Connect to Novel: Kumak’s Fish, Little House on the Prarie,
The Yearling
MODELED WRITING
Informational Paragraph
HME pp. 330-337
News Article
HME p. 396
Respond to Writing Prompt
―Preparing for the LEAP Writing Test‖ handout
MINI-LESSONS
Organization
L bD Writing Bridge Card 11 & Transparency 34
Problem & Solution
LbD Problem & Solution Organizer – Transp. 35, 36
LbD Writing Bridge Card 12
Sequence
LbD Sequence Organizer – Transp. 41, 42
LbD Writing Bridge Card 14 Keep Language Fresh
LbD Writing Resource Guide pp. 55-56
Possessive Nouns
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 11
HME pp. 76-78
Review Nouns
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 12
HME p. 64-88
Action and Linking Verbs
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 13
HME p. 96
Voice
LbD Writing Bridge Card 13 & Transparency 40
Main and Helping Verbs
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 14
HME p. 98
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton-Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Homonyms
Unit 5 – p. 42
Unit 19 – p. 128
Verbs
Unit 9 – p. 66
Unit 10 - p. 72
Suffixes
Unit 14 – p. 96-98
Unit 15 – p. 102-104
Houghton- Mifflin English
Helping Verbs
pp. 98 - 99
Theme 7: Why Does Water Move?
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 6, 7
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
visible, tide, shore, chisel, wedge, swift, analyze, model,
current, coastline
Connect to Novels: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,
The Young Man And The Se, Kimo’s Escape
Leveled Readers End of 2nd
Quarter
ON: P, Q, R
ABOVE: S+
BELOW: O AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 38 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program by
encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to allow opportunities for students to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of texts and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
text through application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies may
also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students understanding of vocabulary either formally (written
tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say,‖ Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 39 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Before reading a story, students receive a list of vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary self-awareness chart (view literacy strategy descriptions) to
determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their understanding of each word with either a
―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being exposed to other information, students
return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign. Students will be given many
opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
Nonfiction + Do you like to read
nonfiction?
books or writings of true
experiences or facts
Expository + Please write an expository
essay.
A mode of writing in which
the purpose of the author is
to inform, explain, describe,
or define his or her subject
to the reader.
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing) (GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each student, transparency copy for use as a class, overhead projector
The Everyday Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that might be used:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately, they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams established in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month). Start with one team and ask a
student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's passage, a point is awarded to the
team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that day's passage. (Students might
even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. The makeup of the teams may be changed for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 40 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited to the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around.)
Want ads
Advertisements
Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Activity 5: Introducing Nonfiction (GLEs: 07, 16, 18, 19a)
Materials list: science and/or social studies textbooks, other nonfiction books, Characteristics of Nonfiction Text BLM
Discuss what nonfiction is with students. Point out examples that are all around them: books about their favorite animals, lunch menus, maps, classroom
magazines, etc. (Be sure to define nonfiction for the students - it gives information, explains, informs, or persuades).
Next, present the information below about characteristics of nonfiction text and have students take split-page notes (view literacy strategy descriptions). Based on
the information, guide a discussion of the characteristics of nonfiction and how reading nonfiction is different from reading stories or novels. Use examples from
nonfiction books gathered from the library or a social studies or science textbook to illustrate some of these characteristics. Once notes are completed, demonstrate
for students how to use them for review by covering the right column and using the questions in the left column to recall the covered information. Also, allow
students to quiz each other over the content of their notes in preparation for tests and other class activity.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 41 -
Characteristics of Nonfiction Text in Split-Page Note Format BLM
How does nonfiction text looks different from
fiction?
Chapter titles and section headers preview information.
Each page has words in a variety of fonts and type sizes.
Bold or italic fonts may be used to signal important words or phrases.
Diacritical marks may be used to guide pronunciation.
How are graphic aids used? Maps, charts, diagrams, photographs are usually included to illustrate or summarize information.
Captions or labels must be examined carefully for relevant information.
How is the vocabulary different? There may be more words that are unfamiliar. Look for multi-syllabic words like "photosynthesis"
that may be difficult to pronounce.
What do we know about nonfiction? A great deal of information is to be understood and remembered.
Explain to the students how these characteristics are ―clues‖ that will help them understand what they're reading.
Have students share experiences they've had with nonfiction using these prompts:
What books about real people, places, and events have you read?
Do you enjoy reading these types of books? Why or why not?
When you look at an article or a biography, do you look at the illustrations and read the captions?
What websites do you visit?
Have you ever had to read directions for a board game or ingredients in a cookbook?
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 42 -
Activity 6: Elements of Nonfiction (GLEs: 07, 16, 18, 19a)
Materials list: nonfiction material such as books, textbooks, magazines, etc.
The teacher will introduce explicit models of nonfiction for students, demonstrating how to examine elements of nonfiction texts in order to:
learn the author‘s sources
distinguish the author‘s purpose for writing and its influence on the organization of the text
distinguish fact from opinion
determine the accuracy of the information
determine how style and language make the work interesting
Students will then work in small groups to examine additional texts in the same manner.
The teacher will use the professor know-it-all strategy (view literacy strategy descriptions) to continue the lesson. The teacher will assign each small group a short
book, a chapter from a textbook, a magazine article, etc., based upon a particular subject that the students are covering in class. The students will have a short time
to examine the material. The students will be called upon to come to the front of the room to provide answers to questions from their peers about the content.
Also, the groups are asked to generate 3-5 questions about the content they might anticipate being asked and that they can ask other experts. The groups are called
one at a time to answer questions. The students asking the questions can either accept the answers or challenge the answer. After five minutes, a new group of
professor know-it-alls are called to the front of the class.
Activity 7: Structures of Nonfiction Texts (GLEs: 08, 14e, 19b, 19c, 50)
Materials list: several copies of nonfiction texts
The teacher uses a variety of instructional strategies to introduce and review the structures of nonfiction texts. As texts are read aloud or silently, teachers point out
the various ways authors present nonfiction information. Students practice skimming, scanning, and searching for key words that are characteristic of various
structures:
Description – adjectives that help readers visualize concepts
Temporal sequence – words that indicate the order of events (e.g., first, then, next)
Compare/contrast – words that tell how things are alike/unlike
Cause/effect – information on why things happen
Problem/solution – explanations about situations or problems, and possible remedies
Teachers facilitate lessons requiring students to point out and identify various print features, including italics, boldface print, headings/subheadings, and captions.
They plan activities that give students hands-on practice in using the table of contents, index, glossary, and appendix in nonfiction books. Students also gain
experience in interpreting timelines, charts, graphs, diagrams, and maps in the context of nonfiction reading.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 43 -
Activity 9: Learn About the Writing Process from Authors (GLEs: 14e, 16, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 23a)
Materials list: writer‘s notebook, LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM, several books for examples of writing
Teachers explain to students that every time an author writes, he or she has a purpose in mind. Writers usually write to explain, persuade, or to entertain.
Understanding an author‘s purpose will help readers interpret the information. The author‘s point of view is often expressed through the purpose for writing.
Use the following chart to review with students how to identify the author‘s purpose and point of view.
Type of Writing Author‘s Purpose Point of View and Tone
Non-fiction
News articles
Textbooks
Biographies
Documentaries
Technical Manuals
Charts, graphs, tables
To inform, explain, give
directions, illustrate, or present
information.
The author‘s point of view and tone are primarily neutral.
Persuasive Pieces
Editorials
Advertisements
Campaign speeches
Bumper stickers
Billboards
Commercials
Some charts and
graphs
To persuade by expressing an
opinion to convince readers to
think/feel/act a certain way.
The point of view clearly reflects the author‘s attitude about a
subject. Sometimes the opinion is directly stated and other times it is implied.
The author may try to convince readers by using tone to appeal to their feelings
and/or values.
Fiction
Short story
Poetry
Novels
Drama
To illustrate a theme, event, or
story that conveys a mood.
Usually written to entertain.
The author may use characters or narrators to express attitudes in the story. The
tone might be light and humorous or serious and sad.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 44 -
Teachers and students identify and discuss exemplary models of what an author has written (the elements), how the author chose to write (the structure), and why
the author chose that style of writing. Students practice these components by writing entries in their writers‘ notebooks, using self-selected topics focusing on a
main idea. They will choose one of their entries to expand into a composition of three or more paragraphs with appropriate main ideas and supporting details
written in sequential order. Students‘ compositions will be assessed using a writing rubric (see LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM).
Activity 10: Writing Process (GLEs: 20e, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, 23f, 23g, 24, 29, 30a, 31a, 31b)
Materials list: LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM
Assign students to write an expository essay. Remind students that expository writing seeks to inform, clarify, explain, define, or instruct. Expository writing
appears in and is not limited to letters, newsletters, definitions, instructions, guidebooks, catalogs, newspaper articles, magazine articles, manuals, pamphlets,
reports, and research papers. Some general characteristics of expository writing include:
focusing on the main topic
logical supporting facts
details, explanations, and examples
strong organization
clarity
unity and coherence
logical order
smooth transitions
Teachers may let the students choose their own topics or assign a specific topic. Some examples of expository writing topics are:
Write a story about a trip you are going to take and what friend you want to take with you. Explain why this friend would be the best person to go
with you.
Describe the cause and effects of pollution in the environment. Narrow your topic to one form of pollution, such as something that causes air,
water or land pollution.
Explain the process of baking a birthday cake.
Find an example of expository writing; explain the elements that make this a good example.
Students and teachers construct a scoring rubric (see LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM), including posing questions, identifying research sources, and using grade-
appropriate conventions. Students begin to draft a composition of three or more paragraphs that includes a writing intent (expository) with a clear purpose, an
effective structure, a sense of audience, topic sentences, and appropriate transitional phrases. Students confer with peers and teacher to proofread, revise, edit, and
publish, using a variety of resources, including technology (such as PowerPoint® presentations), for presentation. When proofreading, they will concentrate on
capitalization, active voice, appropriate interjections, and transitive and intransitive verbs.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 45 -
Unit 6, Activity 5, Characteristics of Nonfiction Text
Characteristics of Nonfiction Text in Split-Page Note Format
How does nonfiction text look different from fiction? Chapter titles and section headers preview information. Each page has words in a variety of fonts and type sizes. Bold or italic fonts may be used to signal important words or phrases. Diacritical marks may be used to guide pronunciation.
How are graphic aids used? Maps, charts, diagrams, photographs are usually included to illustrate or summarize information. Captions or labels must be examined carefully for relevant information.
How is the vocabulary different? There may be more words that are unfamiliar. Look for multi-syllabic words like "photosynthesis" that may be difficult to pronounce.
What do we know about nonfiction? A great deal of information is to be understood and remembered.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 46 -
All Units, LEAP Writing Rubric
For the Composing dimension and for the Style/Audience Awareness dimension, the
following descriptors apply to the score points:
Score Level Description of Score Level
4 The writer demonstrates consistent, though not necessarily perfect,
control of almost all of the dimension‘s features.
3 The writer demonstrates reasonable, but not consistent, control of most
of the dimension‘s features, indicating some weakness in the dimension.
2 The writer demonstrates enough inconsistent control of several features
to indicate significant weakness in the dimension.
1 The writer demonstrates little or no control of most of the dimension‘s
features.
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Composing dimension:
Score Point Central Idea Elaboration Organization/Unity
4
Consistent
Control
• sharp focus
• clarity of purpose
• strategy
(preplanning and
foreshadowing)
• selected information
• thorough elaboration
• ideas are developed (examples)
• necessary information
• specific details
• wholeness throughout
• ideas related to central idea
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• transitions
• sense of completion
3
Reasonable
Control
• clear central idea
• clear focus
• ideas are developed
• necessary information
• relevant
• may have uneven development
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• simple transitions
• wholeness (may have a weak ending)
2
Inconsistent
Control
• vague central idea
• shifts in focus
• digressions
• listing
• information may be
superficial, incomplete,
and/or irrelevant
• idea clusters
• little or uneven development
• weak beginning, middle, end
• retreats and/or repetitions
• gaps
• random order
• no ending
1
Little or No Control
• unclear central idea
• confusion
• automatic writing without selection
• relevant information missed
• little or no development
• minimal information
• no beginning or end
• severe gaps
• random order
• too little to demonstrate
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 47 -
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Style/Audience
Awareness dimension.
Score Point Selected Vocabulary Selected Information Sentence Diversity Tone and Voice
4
Consistent
Control
• word choice is
appropriate, relevant
• vivid power verbs
• stylistic techniques
(imagery, similes)
• selected for relevance and/or
impact
• vivid examples or anecdotes
• appropriate to audience
• manipulates audience
(humor)
• some variety in structure
(beginnings, endings)
complexity, length
• consistent, clear, vibrant tone &
voice
• individual personality
• engages and/or manipulates
audience
3
Reasonable Control
• clear
• appropriate
• relevant
• some variety
• some selected
information
• some examples
• appropriate to
audience
• some variety in
structure and/or
complexity and/or
length\
• And, But beginnings
• consistent tone
• aware of audience
• clear voice
2
Inconsistent
Control
• generic
• overused
• some may be inappropriate
• wrong word
• contradictions
• bare bones
• lists information
• irrelevant
• superficial
• sentence patterns
• simple sentences
• overextended sentences
• And, But beginnings
• vague
• weak awareness of audience
• inappropriate
• monotonous
• inconsistent tone
1
Little or
no Control
• functional
• inappropriate
• wrong word
• omission errors
• automatic writing
• too little information
• inappropriate abrupt
change from central
idea
• simple
• patterns
• on and on
• confusing
• absent
• no awareness of audience
• unengaged
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 48 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4 November 28
th – January 6
th – Weeks 15 – 18
Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 4: Research
Unit Description
This unit focuses on locating, gathering, and interpreting information from a variety of sources. Teachers guide students in choosing a topic and appropriate resources to complete
a research project. They assist students in reading, interpreting, and organizing information from timelines, tables, graphs, charts, and maps. Through a series of mini-lessons,
teachers assist students in developing the necessary skills for each step of project development.
Student Understandings
Students gather, interpret, and organize information from a variety of media, reference, and technological sources. They develop skill in evaluating information, taking notes, and
writing citations for references used. Students organize information and use available technology to publish and present their projects to the class.
Guiding Questions
1. Can students determine which resources are appropriate for a specific purpose?
2. Can students locate, read, and interpret information on timelines, charts, graphs, diagrams, schedules, tables, and maps?
3. Can students paraphrase information and take notes from multiple sources?
4. Can students produce a bibliography?
5. Can students use available technology to publish a variety of works?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
The teacher will monitor student progress during the research and writing process by providing time for writers‘ conferences during which the teacher gives students
feedback about their notes, drafts, and time management.
Students maintain research files to keep track of notes, references/bibliographical information, and rough drafts. The teacher checks files periodically to ensure that the
student is proceeding with research and note-taking in a timely manner.
Students keep a list of new vocabulary words encountered during reading. They define each word and share the list with the teacher during writing conferences.
The teacher provides graphic organizers (see example ISP Chart – Graphic Organizer BLM) that help students categorize notes and use guiding questions to formulate an
outline. Teachers use these charts to determine when students are ready to move to the next phase of research/report writing. Teachers observe students‘ skills in using the
organizational features of sources such as electronic information (keyword searches, passwords, entry-menu features, links) and encyclopedias and reference sets (e.g.,
table of contents, indices, map legends, etc.).
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 49 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study
LCC ACTIVITIES – Unit 4: Research
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
5: Start with the End in Mind 14a, 41a, 41b, 43a
6: Begin with an Interest 14a, 19d, 23a, 23b, 35, 43a, 43b, 43c,
43d, 43e, 43f, 43g
7: Self-Selected Topics to Research 19d, 23a, 23b, 23d, 44, 48
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 4: Research
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c 8: Mini-Lessons Customized 19b, 41a, 41b, 43a, 43b, 43c, 48
9: Divide and Conquer 14f, 33, 41b, 43a, 44, 45, 46, 49
Continue Word Wall Activities
Adjectives 21, 31
Prefixes 1
un-
non-
in-
dis-
re-
pre-
Theme 8: What Makes Soil Different?
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Ask Questions 19
meaning
author‘s purpose
use visuals
TARGET SKILLS
Fantasy 13 Distinguish Fantasy from Reality 13 Recognize Alliteration 6
MODELED WRITING
Outline 46 (LCC)
Report 26 (LCC)
Respond to Writing Prompt 25
Story 20 (LbD)
Biography 26 (LbD)
MINI-LESSONS
Revising 23
Editing 23
Establish Setting 22
Past Present and Future Verb Tense 31
Irregular Verbs 30
Review Verbs 31
Singular & Plural Pronouns 30
Theme 9: Native People of North America
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Make Connections 19
text to text, self, world
compare/contrast
background knowledge
TARGET SKILLS
Biography 13 Nonfiction Feature: Time Line 50 Understand Symbolism 6
CENTER IDEA
GLEs tested on Assess 2 Know Test 4- 19b, 19d, 41b, 43a, 43c, 45, 48, 50
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 50 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Theme 8: What Makes Soil Different?
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 7, 8
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect, Learning Game
consist, geology, property, layer, artificial, combine, separate,
texture, replace, particles
Connect to Novels: Thimble Summer, Prairie Summer,
Out of the Dust
MODELED WRITING
Outline
HME pp. H28-29
Report
LCC Activity 9
HME pp. 369-393
Respond to Writing Prompt
―Preparing for the LEAP Writing Test‖ handout
Story 20
LbD Story Organizer – Transparency 47, 48
LbD Writing Bridge Card 16
Biography
LbD Biography Organizer - Transparency 53, 54
LbD Writing Bridge Card 18
MINI-LESSONS
Revising
LbD Writing Bridge Card 15 & Transparency 46
Editing 23
LbD Writing Bridge Card 17 & Transparency 52
Establish Setting
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 57-58
Past Present and Future Verb Tense
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 15
Irregular Verbs
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 16
Review Verbs
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 17
Singular & Plural Pronouns
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 18
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton- Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Adjectives
Unit 17 – p. 116
Prefixes
Unit 21 – p. 138-140
Theme 9: Native People of North America
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 8, 9
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect, Learning Game
coastal, waterway, plentiful, scarce, population, plain, survival,
surplus, vegetation, resource
Connect to Novels: Naya Nuki, Sing Down the Moon,
The Sign Of The Beaver
Leveled Readers End of 2nd
Quarter
ON: P, Q, R
ABOVE: S+
BELOW: O AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 51 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program by
encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to allow opportunities for students to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of text and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary-building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
texts through the application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies
may also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students‘ understanding of vocabulary either formally
(written tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say,‖ Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 52 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Before reading a story, students receive a list of vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary self-awareness chart (view literacy strategy descriptions) to
determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their understanding of each word with either a
―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being exposed to other information, students
return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign. Students will be given many
opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
plagiarism + Do not plagiarize on your
research paper.
to use and pass off (the ideas
or writings of another) as
one's own
research -- We have to do a research
paper.
a close and careful study to
find out (new) facts or
information
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing)(GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each students, transparency copy for use as a class, overhead projector
The Everyday Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that might be used:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately, they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams established in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month). Start with one team and ask a
student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's passage, a point is awarded to the
team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that day's passage. (Students might
even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. The makeup of the teams may be changed for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 53 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited to the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around.)
Want ads
Advertisements
Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Famous Quotes
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 54 -
Activity 5: Start with the End in Mind (GLEs: 14a, 41a, 41b, 43a)
Materials List: access to the Internet and printer, Sample Research Report Rubric BLM
Students examine models of reports and published works on sites such as http://www.webquest.org (exemplary web quests are listed, as well as criteria for
evaluating student reports). Students can examine research reports, book reports, or other published works. They also examine the structure of the assignment,
possible resources, and the assignment evaluation. Students print their favorite models and highlight features used in the model, such as these:
How does the author ―hook‖ the reader/viewer?
What sources are used in these projects (print and technology)?
What search engines are used?
How is the work organized, and what are its features?
How does the author use sources for information yet not plagiarize?
How does the author summarize important ideas and concepts?
How does the author sequence the information?
With teacher guidance, students construct a class research report rubric based on these observations and using the Sample Research Report Rubric BLM as a
model.
Activity 6: Begin with an Interest (GLEs: 14a, 19d, 23a, 23b, 35, 43a, 43b, 43c, 43d, 43e, 43f, 43g)
Materials List: blank wall chart, KWL Chart BLM
Teachers model how to conduct a research project with a focused topic. A chart is posted to track the stages of the project including:
Defining the task
Selecting resources
Recording information
Organizing information
Presenting information
Evaluating work
The teacher clarifies the scope of the project and suggests a timeline for each step. Students are given guidelines for topic selection, and they begin to investigate a
content area study, a real-world issue, or a topic of genuine interest. Students will brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions) questions and determine one or
two key questions worth investigating using the KWL Chart BLM. Then the teacher and students explore resources, such as the library and online databases, the
Internet, community and government data, interviews, experiments, surveys, reference books, etc. This exploratory phase helps students generate ideas and
pinpoint the focus of the project and also gives them a starting point for gathering information.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 55 -
Activity 7: Self-Selected Topics to Research (GLEs: 19d, 23a, 23b, 23d, 44, 48)
Materials list: ISP Chart - Graphic Organizer BLM
Having explored an area of interest with a variety of resources, students have the background knowledge necessary to define a research task. As students begin the
research process, the teacher models and coaches as students narrow their topics, generate a list of questions to investigate, and make a list of possible resources.
Students brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions) key words to use in print and technology sources. Students are coached on choosing the most effective
sources, beginning with broader sources and then more specific ones. Each student will conference with the teacher to make sure the pre-research steps have been
completed and to set goals for the use of time and resources. Students are given a research folder and a graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) such
as the ISP Chart – Graphic Organizer BLM for note taking, outlining, and preparing a bibliography. Before officially beginning the ―information stages‖ of the
project, students must present the teacher with the following:
1. A project title/topic
2. A list of related key words or phrases to research
3. A preliminary list of resources to be used
4. A list of five guiding questions to investigate
Activity 8: Mini-lessons Customized (GLEs: 19b, 41a, 41b, 43a, 43b, 43c, 48)
Materials List: research folder
In a series of mini-lessons, the teacher guides students through the research process by conducting daily whole-class lessons on topics including:
Using the computer as a research tool
Skimming and scanning for information
Evaluating resources
Organizing information
Preparing a bibliography
The teacher also works with students individually as questions requiring these skills arise. As the class begins the research process, teachers use the hands-on
experience to help students develop necessary skills, including using an index or glossary (including alphabetization skills), reading charts/graphs/tables/diagrams,
and selecting relevant information from a variety of sources. Students keep a research file with step-by-step instructions for completing each research task.
Teachers continue to monitor students‘ progress and confer with them as needed during each stage of the project.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 56 -
Activity 9: Divide and Conquer (GLEs: 14f, 33, 41b, 43a, 44, 45, 46, 49)
Materials List: research folder, overhead projector, transparency with a sample encyclopedia page
Teachers have students choose one reference text to participate in a closed-book note-taking lesson. One possible strategy for note taking is the split-page
notetaking (view literacy strategy descriptions). Split-page notetaking helps organize important information gained from reading text selections. Students write a
topic on one-third of the page and take notes on the other two-thirds of the page. For example:
Topic: Dinosaurs
Notes about the topic
Ankylosauria
* was an "armored dinosaur"
*They are first known to have appeared in the early
Jurassic Period of China, and persisted until the end of the
Cretaceous Period.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
*the largest meat-eating dinosaur
*walked on two powerful legs
Also, demonstrate for students how split-page notetaking contributes to effective review by covering one column and using the information in the other to recall
the covered information.
After modeling notetaking, the teacher defines and discusses plagiarism (to use and pass off the ideas or writings of another as one's own), explaining to students
the importance of gleaning comprehensive and relevant information from texts while expressing that information in the student‘s own words. The student follows
the steps below to practice this process with the class:
1. Use a table of contents or index to locate information regarding the topic and demonstrate knowledge of alphabetical order.
2. Skim for key words and read the passage or ―chunk‖ of information.
3. Close the text and think about what was read.
4. Record the information, paraphrasing the main ideas.
5. Check the notes by comparing to the text.
The teacher will show students an overhead transparency with a sample page from an encyclopedia. Students can use the literacy strategy GISTing (view literacy
strategy descriptions) to read a paragraph (―chunking the information‖) silently and then paraphrase the information after the teacher turns off the projector.
Students read their notes aloud, and the teacher determines (with input from the class) if the students have summarized the passage in their own words. By
recording ―chunks‖ of information under headings based on the original investigatory questions, students will have a framework for a report outline with main
ideas and supporting details. Students continue GISTing from each source and draft a rough outline.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 57 -
Unit 4, Activity 5, Sample Research Report Rubric Sample Research Rubric
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Paragraph
Construction
All paragraphs include
introductory sentence,
explanations or details, and
concluding sentence.
Most paragraphs include
introductory sentence,
explanations or details, and
concluding sentence.
Paragraphs included related
information but were
typically not constructed
well.
Paragraphing structure was not clear and
sentences were not typically related
within the paragraphs.
Organization Information is very organized with
well-constructed paragraphs and
subheadings.
Information is organized with
well-constructed paragraphs.
Information is organized,
but paragraphs are not well-
constructed.
The information appears to be
disorganized.
Mechanics No grammatical, spelling, or
punctuation errors.
Almost no grammatical,
spelling, or punctuation
errors
A few grammatical, spelling,
or punctuation errors.
Many grammatical, spelling, or
punctuation errors.
Sources All sources (information and
graphics) are accurately
documented in the desired
format.
All sources (information and
graphics) are accurately
documented, but a few are
not in the desired format.
All sources (information and
graphics) are accurately
documented, but many are
not in the desired format.
Some sources are not accurately
documented.
Speaks Clearly Speaks clearly and distinctly all
(100-95%) the time, and
mispronounces no words.
Speaks clearly and distinctly
all (100-95%) the time, but
mispronounces one word.
Speaks clearly and distinctly
most (94-85%) of the time,
and mis-pronounces no
more than one word.
Often mumbles or cannot be understood
OR mispronounces more than one word.
Content Shows a full understanding of the
topic.
Shows a good understanding
of the topic.
Shows a good understanding
of parts of the topic.
Does not seem to understand the topic
very well.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 58 -
Unit 4, Activity 6, KWL Chart
Before you begin your research, list details in the first two columns. Fill in the last column after completing your research.
Topic:
What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 59 -
Unit 4, Activity 7, ISP Chart – Graphic Organizer
ISP Chart
Information Source Page
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 60 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4
January 9th
– February 3rd
– Weeks 19 - 22
Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 3: Critical Thinking
Unit Description
Activities in this unit focus on using critical thinking skills to read and respond to literature. Teachers use questioning techniques, graphic organizers, and writing tasks that
challenge students to work at the application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation levels of the cognitive taxonomy.
Student Understandings
This unit asks students to think critically about texts. Students use higher order thought processes to analyze literature, discuss texts, and create original products.
Guiding Questions
1. Can students make and confirm predictions?
2. Can students support differences between fact and opinion?
3. Can students identify the author‘s viewpoint?
4. Can students determine and justify solutions to problems in texts?
5. Can students use skimming and scanning skills in complex reading selections?
6. Do students recognize the importance of higher-order thinking in the reading process? Do they consider prior knowledge and life experience as they reflect on what
they read?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
The teacher will provide students with appropriate graphic organizers (view literacy strategy descriptions) that encourage self-questioning and response during silent
reading. These may include the following:
Reciprocal Teaching BLM
Conflict/Resolution Charts
I Was Thinking Notes – Students are to write down their thoughts in Reading Response Journals:
Page No. I was thinking… Now I think…
KWL charts
Students will maintain a Reader‘s Notebook with a section devoted to new vocabulary encountered during independent reading or class discussions. Unit vocabulary and
word lists with definitions are checked periodically by the teacher.
Teachers will use rubrics to assess participation, oral presentation, and/or written products. Students are given rubrics as they begin each activity so that they can self-
monitor their work.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 61 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 3: Critical Thinking
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
5: Questions in My Mind 08, 14d, 15, 19d, 19e
7: Depth of Reading 04, 07, 14a, 14g, 16, 19b, 19d
8: Points of View 08, 15, 19c, 41a, 42, 43c, 43d, 43e, 43g, 44, 45, 50
9: Take a Stance 15, 19e, 26a, 30a, 31c, 31d, 34, 36a, 36c, 36d
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 3: Critical Thinking
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20c, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c
8: Points of View 08, 15, 19c, 41a, 42, 43c, 43d, 43e, 43g, 44, 45, 50
Continue Word Wall Activities
Contractions 28
Abbreviations 29
Pronouns 31
Idioms 6, 25
Theme 10: Explorers Arrive
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Determine Importance 14
main idea and details
purpose for reading
classify
TARGET SKILLS
Play 13
Identify Character 5
Identify Setting 5
MODELED WRITING
Persuasive 26 (LCC)
Respond to Writing Prompt 26
Descriptive 26
MINI-LESSONS
Word Choice 22
Problem & Solution 26
Adapt to Purpose and Audience 22
Sentence Fluency 21
Subject & Object Pronouns 31
Contractions 28
Adjectives: Comparative & Superlative 31
Articles 30
Singular & Plural Possessive Nouns 28
Avoid Run-on Sentences 30
Write in Complete Sentences 30
Capitalize greetings, titles of respect, books, articles, chapters,
movies, and songs 29
Verb Tenses 31
Theme 11: Life in a Rain Forest
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Infer 14
predict
draw conclusions
fact/opinion
cause/effect
TARGET SKILLS
Persuasive Essay 13
Nonfiction Feature: Circle Graph 50
Recognize Onomatopoeia 6
CENTER IDEA
GLEs tested on Assess 2 Know Test 5- 14a, 14c, 14d, 14g, 16, 19a, 19c, 19e, 28, 29, 30b, 31c, 50
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 62 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Theme 10: Explorers Arrive
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 9,10
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
claimed, injured, foreign, explorer, cargo, anniversary,
valuable, civilization, passage, historian
Connect to Novels: Pedro’s Journal, The Warrior,
The Talking Earth
MODELED WRITING
Persuasive
HME pp. 447-467
LbD Persuasive Essay Organizer – Transp. 65, 66
LbD Writing Bridge Card 21
Respond to Writing Prompt
―Preparing for the LEAP Writing Test‖ handout
MINI-LESSONS
Word Choice
LbD Writing Bridge Card 19 & Transparency 58
Problem & Solution
LbD Problem & Solution Organizer – Transp. 59, 60
LbD Writing Bridge Card 20
Adapt to Purpose and Audience
LbD Writing Resource Guide pp. 59-60
Sentence Fluency
LbD Writing Bridge Card 21 & Transparency 64
Subject & Object Pronouns
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 19
HME p. 22
Contractions
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 20
HME p. 116
Adjectives: Comparative & Superlative
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 21
HME pp. 142-146
Articles
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 22
HME pp. 141, 150, 151, 158, 161, 256
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton- Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Contractions
Unit 28 – p. 183
Unit 29 – p. 189
Unit 30 - p. 195
Abbreviations
Unit 16 – p. 111
Unit 17 – p. 117
Writer‘s Resource
p. 253 - 254
Idioms
Unit 16 – p. 110
Unit 31 – p. 200
Unit 34 – p. 218
Houghton- Mifflin English
Pronouns
pp. 204-205
Theme 11: Life in a Rain Forest
Comprehension Bridge Cards : 10, 11
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
zone, slither, suspended, organism, nutrients, complex, vital,
predator, thrive, prey
Connect to Novels: Morpha,
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest, Attack of the Jaguar
Leveled Readers End of 3rd
Quarter
ON: Q, R, S
ABOVE: T+
BELOW: P AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 63 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program
by encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to allow opportunities for students to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of text and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary-building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
texts through application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies may
also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students‘ understanding of vocabulary either formally (written
tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say,‖ Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 64 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Before reading a story, students receive a list of vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary self-awareness chart (view literacy strategy descriptions) to
determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their understanding of each word with either a
―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being exposed to other information, students
return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign. Students will be given many
opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
sprint + He sprinted across the field. To run at top speed
epidemic -- He has an epidemic. A video game
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing) (GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each student, transparency copy for use as a class, overhead projector
The Everyday Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that you might use:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams established in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month).
Start with one team and ask a student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's
passage, a point is awarded to the team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that
day's passage. (Students might even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. You might change the makeup of teams for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 65 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20c, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited to the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around.)
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Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 66 -
Activity 5: Questions in My Mind (GLEs: 08, 14d, 15, 19d, 19e)
Materials List: Student Prompts for Reciprocal Teaching BLM, transparency, fiction or non- fiction text
Reciprocal teaching (view literacy strategy descriptions) is a technique used to develop comprehension. The teacher and students take turns leading a dialogue
concerning sections of a text. Four activities are incorporated into this strategy: prediction, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing.
Prediction: The teacher begins by introducing the text and making predictions using the content from the title. All available knowledge is used, with the teacher
briefly outlining the reason behind the predictions including clues from text and prior knowledge. The teacher writes her predictions on a transparency. Students
are instructed to make their own predictions and write them on the Reciprocal Teaching BLM.
After the predictions are made, the teacher assigns a section of the text to be read silently. Predictions are checked against the text, with thoughts and opinions
being confirmed or modified at the end of the independent reading time. Teacher focus can include, but is not limited to:
hypothesizing what the author will discuss next in the story
linking new ideas to prior knowledge
confirming or modifying thoughts and opinions
monitoring understanding
Clarifying: Students are encouraged to seek clarification of words, phrases, or concepts in the text that are unclear. The teacher should model for the students how
to clarify any areas of uncertainty, any unfamiliar vocabulary, phrases or concepts in that section of text, or links to sections of text previously read. Ways of
clarifying the meaning of words or phrases through the use of content clues, known words, references (e.g., dictionaries or glossaries) and discussion are
demonstrated. Students should write concepts or words that they need to clarify on their Reciprocal Teaching BLM. This occurs at any time during the session to
provide the opportunity for all students to maintain their understanding of the text. The teacher‘s focus can include, but is not limited to:
focusing on the meaning of a text
being alert to unfamiliar vocabulary, phrases, and complicated concepts
restoring meaning through the use of context clues, known words, references, rereading, and asking for help
Questioning: Students should write at least one question they have about the story on their Reciprocal Teaching BLM. The teacher should model thought-
provoking questions regarding an aspect of the story. By modeling the strategy of asking and answering one‘s own questions, the teacher stimulates a discussion
through engaging the group with the text on a deeper level, bringing a critical eye to the text, and stimulating thinking at a critical level. These questions can be
used to stimulate further discussion. Possible teaching focuses can include, but are not limited to:
formulating and answering questions
demonstrating deeper engagement with the text
developing skills to think critically
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 67 -
Summarizing: The teacher models how to summarize the story or passage, highlighting the main ideas, purpose, and audience of the text. Other group members
are then encouraged to add to the teacher‘s summary or to review what they have read by writing their own summaries.
Possible teaching focuses:
organizing and integrating the information from the text
showing understanding of the main idea, information, and purpose of the text
reviewing what has been read
The procedure continues in a cyclical way with the teacher selecting a further segment or passage of text and modeling the procedure by predicting what the next
segment might contain.
Activity 7: Depth of Reading (GLEs: 04, 07, 14a, 14g, 16, 19b, 19d)
Materials List: Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Questions BLM (provides example question starters for each level of HOTS for the teacher and students to
use), Reading Response Journals
Teachers choose selections from fictional literature for students to analyze in depth. Students learn how to skim and scan a text for an overall sense of organization,
sequence, point of view, and author‘s purpose. Teachers then have students read the story analytically and design their own graphic organizers (view literacy
strategy descriptions) to illustrate specific components of the text, including major/minor characters, setting, and plot development (story problem, events, rising
and falling action, climax, solution/conclusion). Students should create their graphic organizers in their Reading Response Journal. Teachers instruct students on
the hierarchy of critical-thinking skills and explain how it applies to reading and responding in depth to literature. The revised version of Bloom‘s Taxonomy (see
below) or the HOTS Questions BLM may be used to create a matrix upon which objectives, activities, and assessments can be graphed and analyzed for alignment.
Since questions from the higher levels of Bloom‘s Taxonomy encourage critical thinking and evaluation, it is important to include questions that require students
to apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate what they have learned
Here are two example questions using the story ―The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.‖
Example 1: What material did the second little pig use when building his house?
Example 2: Create an advertisement for a new invention that will protect the three little pigs from the big, bad wolf.
The first example simply requires the student to recall facts. The second example requires students to synthesize what they have learned from the tale of "The
Three Little Pigs." The student must analyze the story and then think of a new and creative way to thwart the wolf.
Have students practice writing questions, one from each of the six levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. You might use your curriculum standards as your guide, since
they contain what you want your students to know and be able to do (compare and contrast, observe, hypothesize, etc.).
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 68 -
A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing
(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001)
Cognitive Domains – Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create
Types of Knowledge – Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Metacognitive
Students are asked to refer to their graphic organizers to write three questions at the Remember or Understand levels, and three that require more complex levels of
thought. They trade questions and answers with a reading partner. The teacher leads a follow-up class discussion about critical thinking and reading.
Activity 8: Points of View (GLEs: 08, 15, 19c, 41a, 42, 43c, 43d, 43e, 43g, 44, 45, 50)
Materials List: newspaper articles, magazines, books, Internet access (optional), dictionaries
Students examine various authors and their perspectives on a topic or theme. Students can read and discuss an issue. Where access to the Internet is available,
students will make use of this valuable resource for researching current topics. Possible investigative activities may include the following:
Read current articles concerning the destruction of rainforests. Investigate this problem from the point of view of (1) loggers who make a living cutting
wood, (2) animal rights groups, and (3) environmentalists, etc.
Choose an issue of concern to students at the school (i.e., school lunches, dress and conduct issues, or grading/homework policies). Conduct opinion polls
and surveys, and chart data concerning views of students, teachers, parents, and/or administrators on these issues.
Students should also engage in word study using roots, suffixes, and prefixes, as well as studying a word‘s origins. Students use dictionaries to define new
vocabulary encountered during reading. This activity can be developed within the context of a social studies unit or current events lesson.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 69 -
Activity 9: Take a Stance (GLEs: 15, 19e, 26a, 30a, 31c, 31d, 34, 36a, 36c, 36d)
Materials List: Sample Opinionnaire BLM, story or book
An opinionnaire (view literacy strategy descriptions) poses questions to students about different issues or ideas in the form of a survey. Students usually are asked
to rank how much they agree or disagree with a statement. Students can then respond to this statement by circling "Strongly Agree" "Agree" "No Opinion"
"Disagree" "Strongly Disagree." Students are forced to think about themes or issues in a book or story before being exposed to the text. Students respond to the
statements on an opinionnaire by thinking about their own life experiences.
As a culmination of studies or discussions on a particular topic or theme, students take a position by completing an opinionnaire created by the teacher (a sample
has been provided). After completing the opinionnaire, students will read the book or story assigned to them. When the students finish reading, they may revisit
their opinionnaires to make any changes. Next, they must cite evidence to persuade others to see the problem from their point of view. Students then write a
multi-paragraph persuasive letter, speech, or editorial with relevant details supporting their opinions or positions. They make reference to outside reading in
justifying the stance taken. Students apply their knowledge of standard English usage (e.g., verb tenses, active and passive voice, regular and irregular verbs) to
develop their compositions. They rehearse their presentations before presenting to the class. After listening to their classmates, students will re-think the issue and
discuss their opinions. They will have the opportunity to write a revised statement about their beliefs, reflecting any changes in viewpoints they may have
experienced because of the student presentations and class discussion.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 70 -
Unit 3, Activity 5, Student Prompts for Reciprocal Teaching
Student Prompts for Reciprocal Teaching
Questioning
*One question I had about what I read was....
*What were you thinking about as you were reading?
*What question(s) can you ask about what you read?
*I‘m curious about...
Clarifying
*One of the words I wasn‘t sure about was...
*What other words do we know that we can use in place of...?
*What words or ideas need clarifying for you?
*This is confusing to me. I need to ________(strategy) to try to figure out this word.
Predicting
*I can look at the title and all the visual clues on the page. What do I think we will be reading about? *Thinking about what I have read and discussed, what do I think might happen next?
I wonder...
I predict...
Summarizing
*What does the author want me to remember or learn from this passage?
*What is the most important information in this passage?
*What kind of ―teacher‖ question can I ask about the main idea?
*In my own words, this is about...
*The main point was...
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 71 -
Unit 3, Activity 9, Sample Opinionnaire
Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney
Directions: Before we read this story, please put a check next to those statements that you agree with in the BEFORE column. Compare your opinions with a
partner’s opinions and discuss your reasons for checking or not checking each statement. After we have read this book, please go back and check those
statements you now agree with under the AFTER column.
BEFORE AFTER
______ ______ Older people can’t do anything to help others because they need
help themselves.
______ ______ The more things you have the happier you are.
______ ______ People can make the world more beautiful by doing simple things
in nature.
______ ______ If you have a lot of money, you will be happy.
______ ______ We can learn many lessons from our elders.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 72 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4
February 6th
– March 8th
-- Weeks 23 - 26 Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 7: Autobiographies and Biographies
Unit Description
This unit focuses on reading and writing biography and autobiography. Through a series of mini-lessons, students are given the opportunity to read models of biographical works
to compare and contrast how authors handle subject matter effectively. The teacher facilitates discussions that help students learn writing strategies to collect and share information
about themselves and another person of interest.
Student Understandings
Students read examples of biographical and autobiographical texts to learn how authors impart information about personalities, customs, and events of a particular time period.
They examine the author‘s style, accuracy of informational sources, visuals, other documents, and organization of the text structure to gain insight into what makes a biographical
piece meet criteria for good literature. Students try these techniques themselves as they write autobiographical sketches and research biographical information on a person of
interest.
Guiding Questions 1. Can students identify what makes a biography/an autobiography worth reading?
2. Can students determine how accurate a biography/an autobiography is?
3. Can students identify criteria for making a biography/an autobiography interesting?
4. Can students demonstrate how a biographer‘s/an autobiographer‘s writing style is used to ―hook‖ the reader?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
Teachers will observe student performance in locating and using references and will use anecdotal records to determine which students need individual assistance in this
process.
Teachers will meet with students individually to have them read passages aloud and will ask both literal and inferential questions in order to assess word recognition and
content reading skills.
Teachers will provide students with a checklist of required steps and timeframes for the biography project. As each step is completed, students bring their checklists to the
teacher to be initialed/ discussed.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 73 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 7: Autobiographies and Biographies
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
5: Introduction to Biographies & Autobiographies 19d, 21, 22,
23a, 23b, 23g, 39, 41a, 42
6: About Me 19d, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 7: Autobiographies and Biographies
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c 9: Know Your Subject 08, 14g, 19e, 23b, 42, 43a, 43b, 43c, 43e,
45, 46, 48, 49
10: Final Publication 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 23c, 23d, 23e, 23f,
26b, 27, 28, 29, 30b, 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 32, 47
Continue Word Wall Activities
Suffixes 1
-able
- less
- ful
-ness
-ion
-tion
-ment
Theme 12: Affecting the Rain Forest
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Create Images 14
use visuals
create images
revise
TARGET SKILLS
Letter 13 Understand Simile 6
Rhyme 6
MODELED WRITING
Biography or Autobiography 26 (LCC)
Letter 26 (LbD)
Narrative 24
Respond to Writing Prompt 23
MINI-LESSONS
Publishing 23
Cause & Effect 24
Prewriting 23
End Effectively 22
Adverbs 31
Adverbs: Comparison Forms 31
Prepositions 31
Prepositional Phrases 31
Capitalize greetings, titles of respect, books, articles,
chapters, movies, and songs 29
Avoid Run-on Sentences 30
Write in Complete Sentences 30
Verb Tenses 31
Contractions 28
Singular & Plural Possessive Nouns 28
Theme 13: Products and Profits
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Fix-Up Strategies 1,2, 14
use pictures
read on
decode
word analysis
TARGET SKILLS
Journal 13
Nonfiction Text Feature: Bar Graph 50 Exaggeration & Hyperbole 6
CENTER IDEA
GLEs tested on Assess 2 Know Test 6- 14e, 14g, 18, 19c, 19d, 28, 29, 30b, 31c, 43c
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 74 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Theme 12: Affecting the Rain Forest
Comprehension Bridge Cards:11, 12
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
beneficial, bewilderment, eventually, convince, sacrifice,
interaction, ecosystem, tropical, improvement, relationship
Connect to Novels: My Life with the Chimpanzees
The Shaman’s Apprentice, Jaguar
MODELED WRITING
Letter
LbD Letter Organizer – Transparency 71, 72
LbD Writing Bridge Card 24
Respond to Writing Prompt
―Preparing for the LEAP Writing Test‖ handout
MINI-LESSONS
Publishing 23
LbD Writing Bridge Card 23 & Transparency 70
Cause & Effect 24, 26
LbD Cause & Effect Organizer – Transparency 77, 78
LbD Writing Bridge Card 26
Prewriting 23
LbD Writing Bridge Card 25 & Transparency 76
End Effectively
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 61-62
Adverbs
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 23
HME pp. 234-248
Adverbs: Comparison Forms
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 24
HME pp. 238-239
Prepositions
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 25
HME pp. 224, 226
Prepositional Phrases
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 26
HME pp. 244-247, 249, 251, 258, 263, 314
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton- Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Suffixes
Unit 22 – p. 144-146
Unit 23 – p. 152
Theme 13: Products and Profits
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 12,13
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
fair, discouraged, product, shabby, material, negotiate,
inspiration, wealth, advertise, profit
Connect to Novels: Hannah’s Fancy Notions
Henry And The Paper Route, Lunch Money
Leveled Readers End of 3rd
Quarter
ON: Q, R, S
ABOVE: T+
BELOW: P AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 75 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program by
encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to allow opportunities for students to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of texts and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary-building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
texts through application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies may
also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students‘ understanding of vocabulary either formally (written
tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say,‖ Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 76 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Before reading a story, students receive a list of vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary self-awareness chart (view literacy strategy descriptions) to
determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their understanding of each word with either a
―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being exposed to other information, students
return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign. Students will be given many
opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
autobiography + I read an autobiography about
Dr. Suess.
biography + I wrote an autobiography.
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing) (GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each student, transparency copy for use as a class
The Everyday Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that might be used:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately, they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams established in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month). Start with one team and ask a
student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's passage, a point is awarded to the
team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that day's passage. (Students might
even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. The makeup of the teams may be changed for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 77 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited, to the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around.)
Want ads
Advertisements
Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 78 -
Activity 5: Introduction to Biographies and Autobiographies (GLEs: 19d, 21, 22, 23a, 23b, 23g, 39, 41a, 42)
Materials List: variety of biographies and autobiographies, computer, publishing software, GISTing BLM, overhead projector, transparency
The teacher brings in a variety of biographies and autobiographies from the library for students to peruse. Teacher and students discuss what makes a biography/an
autobiography recommended reading, how accurate and interesting the biography/ autobiography is, and what writing style the biographer/autobiographer uses to
―hook‖ the reader. Students read aloud models of autobiographies and biographies from a variety of sources, including their own from previous grades, the media,
television network biography, and magazines such as Kids National Geographic, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Children’s Digest, and Teen magazines. The teacher
asks what makes these magazines attract large audiences. Students critique information presented for accuracy and discuss author‘s intent, noting that sometimes
accounts are sensationalized in order to attract more readers. Students discuss the impact of biographical reporting for a public with a high level of curiosity about
the rich and famous.
After this quick exploration, students are asked to identify one person in the field of sports, entertainment, or government about whom they are interested. Students
will make a list of five questions they would like to ask them. Generating a list of key words, they complete a mini-research exercise, finding information online
and using tools for periodical searches. Students will use the literacy strategy GISTing (view literacy strategy descriptions) (teachers can make copies of GISTing
BLM) to write a one-paragraph essay about the person of interest to them. This activity helps students to focus on the main ideas in a text or informational piece of
reading. Students summarize information and answer key questions about the reading. This activity helps students decide what is important and what is not
important in an article or book. It can also help them to use concise and precise sentences as well as help develop their vocabulary. It also helps students to learn
the content and main ideas in the readings, an important benefit. After the essays are complete, students use PC publishing software to compile their summaries
into a classroom version of a magazine or newspaper.
For example:
Using the GISTing BLM, the teacher selects 4-5 paragraphs from an article or text. Place the selection or article on an overhead. Read the textbook selection or
article aloud to the students. After the article is read, explain how to get the gist of the article. Next, have the students draw 20 blanks on their paper. Cover the
article so only the first paragraph is visible. Read the paragraph aloud. Point out the focus of the article or textbook selection. Students and teachers are to
summarize the first paragraph in exactly 20 words. The students are to decide what is or is not important to keep. Practice asking key questions to start examining
the information. Always begin the first sentence of the gist with who and/or what in the article or textbook selection. Note information that is repeated. Identify a
main idea. After the paragraph is ―gisted,‖ or summarized, the teacher reads the second paragraph, while students follow along. The students draw 20 more blanks
on their paper and summarize the first and second paragraphs. The same process is continued with the third and fourth paragraphs.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 79 -
Activity 6: About Me (GLEs: 19d, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e)
Materials List: LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM, LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM
Students follow a similar procedure to learn more about each other. The class brainstorms (view literacy strategy descriptions) a list of questions that would
provoke thought about a student‘s personality, life experience, and personal ambitions. Examples may include:
What is my best childhood memory?
Who are the people I most admire?
What was my most embarrassing experience?
What is my best/most unique attribute?
What makes me the happiest?
Where in the world would I most like to travel?
What are my future dreams?
Students use the list of guiding questions to write a ―bio‖ of three or more paragraphs that shares information classmates may not know about them. Give each
student a copy of the LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM. Discuss with them what will be expected from their composition. The composition should be organized
to include a clever introductory paragraph, paragraphs with main ideas and supporting details generated by the guiding questions, and a concluding paragraph. The
autobiographical sketch should flow in a logical, sequential order, using transitional words and phrases that unify points and ideas. Students share their work with
the class. The teacher facilitates a discussion about the kinds of information that can be included to make a biography more interesting. Remind students that their
compositions will be scored using LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM.
Activity 9: Know Your Subject (GLEs: 08, 14g, 19e, 23b, 42, 43a, 43b, 43c, 43e, 45, 46, 48, 49)
Materials List: GISTing BLM, Bibliography BLM
Students use available resources to learn important information about the subject. Teachers continue to model how to learn more about a subject using a variety of
resources, such as interviews, the Internet, books, etc. They also review information about GISTing (view literacy strategy descriptions) (see GISTing BLM) and
note taking, plagiarism, and citing references, as students independently research using multiple sources. After an in-depth investigation of their subject, students
make inferences about what is important to know and remember about this person and how this person made a difference for others. Students make an outline and
other organizers of the information to be included in their biography draft, listing main headings and supporting details. They complete a bibliography (see
Bibliography BLM) according to the specified format.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 80 -
Activity 10: Final Publication (GLEs: 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 23c, 23d, 23e, 23f, 26b, 27, 28, 29, 30b, 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 32, 47)
Materials List: LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM, LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM
Students begin the actual draft of the biography of another person of interest. Students write a number of paragraphs encompassing many facets of this person‘s
life, such as what is important to know about this person, what relationships this person has in his or her life, who has influenced him or her and how, what
experiences have shaped his or her values and beliefs, etc.
Using the LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM, students continue through the writing process – draft, revise, focusing on introductions and conclusions, supporting
details, sequential order, legibility, interjections, hyphenation and syllabication/spelling, and verb usage. Students will read their drafts aloud to a peer who listens
for transitional words and phrases that unify the writing and for interesting word choice. Peers will also proofread for run-on or fragmented sentences, standard
usage errors, capitalization, and punctuation errors. The writer will make revisions and edit the work with attention to conventions. Students will use spelling and
grammar checks before printing a final draft of their multi-paragraph essays. Students‘ essays will be graded using a rubric such as the LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics
BLM.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 81 -
Unit 7, Activities 5 & 9 GISTing
GISTing
GISTing for :_______________________________________
Paragraph 1
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
Paragraph 1 & 2
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
Paragraph 1, 2, & 3
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
_________ __________ __________ __________ _________
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 83 -
All Units, LEAP Writing Rubric
For the Composing dimension and for the Style/Audience Awareness dimension, the
following descriptors apply to the score points:
Score Level Description of Score Level
4 The writer demonstrates consistent, though not necessarily perfect,
control of almost all of the dimension‘s features.
3 The writer demonstrates reasonable, but not consistent, control of most
of the dimension‘s features, indicating some weakness in the dimension.
2 The writer demonstrates enough inconsistent control of several features
to indicate significant weakness in the dimension.
1 The writer demonstrates little or no control of most of the dimension‘s
features.
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Composing dimension:
Score Point Central Idea Elaboration Organization/Unity
4
Consistent
Control
• sharp focus
• clarity of purpose
• strategy
(preplanning and
foreshadowing)
• selected information
• thorough elaboration
• ideas are developed (examples)
• necessary information
• specific details
• wholeness throughout
• ideas related to central idea
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• transitions
• sense of completion
3
Reasonable
Control
• clear central idea
• clear focus
• ideas are developed
• necessary information
• relevant
• may have uneven development
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• simple transitions
• wholeness (may have a weak ending)
2
Inconsistent
Control
• vague central idea
• shifts in focus
• digressions
• listing
• information may be
superficial, incomplete,
and/or irrelevant
• idea clusters
• little or uneven development
• weak beginning, middle, end
• retreats and/or repetitions
• gaps
• random order
• no ending
1
Little or No Control
• unclear central idea
• confusion
• automatic writing without selection
• relevant information missed
• little or no development
• minimal information
• no beginning or end
• severe gaps
• random order
• too little to demonstrate
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 84 -
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Style/Audience
Awareness dimension.
Score Point Selected Vocabulary Selected Information Sentence Diversity Tone and Voice
4
Consistent
Control
• word choice is
appropriate, relevant
• vivid power verbs
• stylistic techniques
(imagery, similes)
• selected for relevance and/or
impact
• vivid examples or anecdotes
• appropriate to audience
• manipulates audience
(humor)
• some variety in structure
(beginnings, endings)
complexity, length
• consistent, clear, vibrant tone &
voice
• individual personality
• engages and/or manipulates
audience
3
Reasonable Control
• clear
• appropriate
• relevant
• some variety
• some selected
information
• some examples
• appropriate to
audience
• some variety in
structure and/or
complexity and/or
length\
• And, But beginnings
• consistent tone
• aware of audience
• clear voice
2
Inconsistent
Control
• generic
• overused
• some may be inappropriate
• wrong word
• contradictions
• bare bones
• lists information
• irrelevant
• superficial
• sentence patterns
• simple sentences
• overextended sentences
• And, But beginnings
• vague
• weak awareness of audience
• inappropriate
• monotonous
• inconsistent tone
1
Little or
no Control
• functional
• inappropriate
• wrong word
• omission errors
• automatic writing
• too little information
• inappropriate abrupt
change from central
idea
• simple
• patterns
• on and on
• confusing
• absent
• no awareness of audience
• unengaged
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 85 -
Unit 7, Activity 9, Bibliography
Bibliography
1. For each source listed, begin first line at margin and indent each line that follows.
2. Follow punctuation of the examples exactly.
3. If you cannot find some information, such as author or place of publication, just leave it out.
4. Arrange all sources in one list, alphabetically by first word, which will generally be either the author's last name or the first important word of the title.
Book with one author:
1. Author, last name first.
2. Title of book. (underlined)
3. City of publication:
4. Publisher, date of publication.
Encyclopedia and other familiar reference books:
1. Author of article (if available).
2. "Title of article." (in quotation marks)
3. Title of book. (underlined)
4. Date of edition. (volume and page number not necessary if articles are arranged alphabetically).
Article in a periodical (magazines, newspapers)
1. Author (if available).
2. "Title of article." (in quotation marks)
3. Periodical title (underlined) date: page.
Online Encyclopedia:
1. Author, if shown
2. "Title of the article."
3. Name of encyclopedia (underlined).
4. Date of your visit (day, month, year)
5. <first part of http address> (enclosed in angle brackets).
World Wide Web:
1. Author, if known
2. "Title of the article."
3. Title of complete work (underlined).
4. Date of your visit (day, month, year)
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 86 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4
March 12th
– April 4th
-
Weeks 27 - 29
Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 5: Poetry
Unit Description
This unit focuses on exploring ways poets use special writing techniques to elicit feelings and create images. As students read, listen to, and analyze a variety of poetic forms, they
learn to recognize the literary devices used by poets to capture the imagination and emotions of readers. The desired outcome of this study is for students to appreciate poetry as
listeners and as a means of self-expression.
Student Understandings
Students read a variety of poetic forms and collect, memorize, and write poetry. They recognize poetry as a form of artistic expression and analyze how poets‘ experiences in life
are reflected in their work. They listen for the cadence, rhythm, or rhyme distinctive to some poetic forms and practice reading or reciting poetry expressively. They identify
literary devices, such as analogical reasoning through simile, metaphor, and personification. Students borrow literary devices from the poets as they create original works.
Guiding Questions
1. Can students define what poetry is or give examples of types of poetry?
2. Can students explain why people read poetry?
3. Can students identify literary devices used by a poet?
4. Can students express how a poet helps them understand a concept, compare objects or ideas, or provide a new way to look at a subject?
5. Can students describe the mood or feeling created by the poem?
6. Can students use poetic language and form to express their own thoughts and feelings?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine students‘ understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities, and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
Students will maintain a writers‘ notebooks with entries related to the unit, including vocabulary (poetic forms, literary devices), word webs, and idea lists serving as a
reference for writing activities. Information in the notebooks will be shared between teacher and students during writers‘ conferences, and the teacher will assess
notebooks for completeness and organization at the end of the unit.
Students will enter favorite poems, poets, and poetry reading responses in each Reader‘s Notebook. This notebook becomes a source of information for oral and written
assignments during the unit. The teacher will give students a checklist of items to be included in the notebook.
Teachers will monitor progress of individual or group work via periodic ―writers‘ conferences‖ during which students report on their progress and discuss any problems
they are encountering. The teacher uses this opportunity to point out ways to improve or edit work and to model ―how writers problem solve.‖
Teachers will provide written examples and graphic organizers for students to use as a guide in writing poetry. These forms may include cinquains, limericks, haiku, free
verse and diamante. In ―formula poems‖ students insert words into a teacher-established structure. Students demonstrate the ability to identify parts of speech and follow
semantic patterns in choosing appropriate words for each formula.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 87 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 5: Poetry
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
6: Use My Senses 22, 23b, 25
7: Learn from Authors 07, 16, 18
8: Poetry Panel or Experts 09, 10, 17, 24, 34, 36c, 37
9: Literary Devices Workshop 06, 19b, 25
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 5: Poetry
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c 11: Collecting Seeds for Poetry 08, 19e, 23a, 23b
12: Poems for Publication 12, 22, 23a, 23c, 23e, 23f, 23g, 25, 34
Continue Word Wall Activities
Suffixes 1
- ly
- fully
Conjunctions 31
Theme 14: Buying Smart
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Synthesize 14
sequence
summarize
classify/categorize
retell
TARGET SKILLS
Poem 13 Identify Repetition of Language 6 Understand Humor 6
MODELED WRITING
Poem 25 (LCC)
MINI-LESSONS
Conventions 23
Conjunctions: Coordinate 31
Conjunctions: Correlative 31
Irregular Verb Tenses 31
CENTER IDEA
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 88 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Theme 14: Buying Smart
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 13, 14
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
suggest, impress, brim, supply, demand, purchase, merchant,
bargain, compromise, recommend
Connect to Novels: Mom, Can You Buy Me This?
Double Fudge, Millions
MODELED WRITING
Poem
LbD Poem Organizer – Transparency 83, 84
LbD Writing Bridge Card 28
HME p. 437
MINI-LESSONS
Conventions
Writing Bridge Card 27 & Transparency 82
Conjunctions: Coordinate
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 27
HME p. 211
Conjunctions: Correlative
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 28
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton- Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Suffixes
Unit 23 – p. 152
Leveled Readers End of 4th
Quarter
ON: Q, R, S
ABOVE: T+
BELOW: P AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 89 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program by
encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to allow opportunities for students to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of texts and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary-building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
texts through application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies may
also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students‘ understanding of vocabulary either formally (written
tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say,‖ Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 90 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Before reading a story, students receive a list of vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary self-awareness chart (view literacy strategy descriptions) to
determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their understanding of each word with either a
―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being exposed to other information, students
return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign. Students will be given many
opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
Alliteration + I listened for alliteration while
my teacher read a poem.
repetition of initial consonant
sounds
Consonance + Jack Frost‘s, Stopping by
Woods on a Snowy Evening, is
an example of a consonance
poem.
repetition of final consonant
sounds
Assonance Assonance differs from rhyme
in that rhyme is a similarity of
vowel and consonant.
repetition of vowel sounds
Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is a Greek
word meaning name-making.
use of words that imitate the
sound of what they denote
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing) (GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each students, transparency copy for use as a class, overhead projector
The Everyday Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that might be used:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately, they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams established in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month). Start with one team and ask a
student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's passage, a point is awarded to the
team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that day's passage. (Students might
even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. The makeup of the teams may be changed for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 91 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited to the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around.)
Want ads
Advertisements
Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Activity 6: Use My Senses (GLEs: 22, 23b, 25)
Materials list: travel magazines or brochures, writer‘s notebook, post cards, Carl Sandburg‘s poem ―Fog‖
The students learn about imagery, voice, and word choice, one skill at a time over a series of focus lessons. The teacher shows students a travel poster or appealing
scene from a travel magazine. Students are asked to brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions) a list of highly descriptive vocabulary to describe the picture,
utilizing all of the senses. The teacher models and coaches as students use the word list to write sentences describing the scene. They use expressions such as ―I
see,‖ ―I feel,‖ and ―I smell,‖ and experiment with metaphor and hyperbole to bring a poetic flair to their descriptions. Students are then given picture postcards to
inspire their own attempts at creating sensory descriptions of the visual. Students are asked to use their five senses and figurative language to describe their
postcards. Students compare their written language with the language found on the back of the postcard. A mini-lesson on expressive language includes
conventions and several parts of speech: nouns, strong verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Next, teachers give each student a copy of Carl Sandburg‘s poem Fog. The teacher should discuss with the students the poetic device exemplified, tell what
comparisons the poet is making, and discuss their interpretations of this classic poem. Students receive feedback about their responses as the teacher guides the
class in a discussion of how Sandburg paints a memorable word-picture through his choice of words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 92 -
Activity 7: Learn from Authors (GLEs: 07, 16, 18)
Materials list: writer‘s notebook, chart paper, copies of poems
The teacher should have copies of several poems of well-known works to distribute to the class groups. Students work in small groups to experience poetry and
see how it makes the reader feel. Then the groups ―switch‖ poems and give their interpretations and compare each group‘s responses. Using Questioning the
Author (QtA) (view literacy strategy descriptions), write the following questions on the board and then have the students reread and discuss as a class.
What is this poem about?
Did the author make you think about this in a new way? (The teacher asks literal and inferential questions.)
Does this piece compare one thing to another?
How are those two the same?
Why did the poet choose to write about the subject this way?
How did the author‘s words make you feel?
What do you think the author wanted you to realize or understand from reading this poem?
Students record their responses and display on chart paper for future reference (for example, Activity 8).
Activity 8: Poetry Panel of Experts (GLEs: 09, 10, 17, 24, 34, 36c, 37)
Materials list: writer‘s notebook, copies of poems, LEAP Writing Rubrics BLM, tape recorder
Students choose a favorite poem to interpret, practice reading orally, and share with classmates. Using the questions in the previous activity or others they
formulate, students work either individually or in pairs to recite their poems aloud, using appropriate intonation. Students become ―experts‖ by practicing reading
the poem expressively (if feasible, reciting from memory), researching information about the poet, and writing a composition of three or more paragraphs,
expressing what they like most about the poem and the author‗s literary style. They cite specific examples that support their observations about the poem and its
author. The student‘s composition of three or more paragraphs will be graded using the LEAP Writing Rubrics BLMs.
All students will share their compositions with the class. Classmates receive copies of the poem discussed and use active-listening skills, making notations while
the student volunteer presents information. Working from their notes, students participate in a whole-class discussion, sharing their thoughts regarding
interpretation of the poem and the poet‘s style, word choice, and effectiveness in creating images and in expressing feelings or emotions. Their observations are to
be supported by references to the text.
Next, students work with a reading partner to tape record readings of their favorite poems. After listening to the tape, they complete a self-assessment rubric
evaluating their oral reading performance. Students repeat this process until they are satisfied with their performance and feel confident about reading aloud to an
audience.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 93 -
Activity 9: Literary Devices Workshop (GLEs: 06, 19b, 25)
Materials list: writer‘s notebook, Post-It® notes, poems from various sources (class books, school and public libraries, websites, etc.)
The teacher will present a mini-lesson on figurative language used by poets. Students will hear examples of similes, metaphors, personification, and hyperbole in
poetry and will be given practice in identifying each within the context of poems read aloud. Teachers model the use of metaphor, a word or phrase denoting one
kind of object or idea used in place of another to suggest comparison. They explain that a simile is a comparison using like or as. They show that in
personification, the poet gives human characteristics to objects or concepts. Hyperbole involves intentional exaggeration to make a point. Students indicate in their
writers‘ notebooks poets who link one thing with another in ways that help the reader compare those things.
Students are then divided into four groups and challenged to search for the best examples of the four literary devices studied. Students are encouraged to explore
their homes, school, and public libraries, as well as the many online sources of poetry. Post-It® notes can be used to mark favorites. Each group presents its top
three ―candidates,‖ and the class votes to choose winners in each category.
Activity 11: Collecting Seeds for Poetry (GLEs: 08, 19e, 23a, 23b)
Materials list: writer‘s notebook
Students keep daily entries of their everyday observations of topics, concepts, ideas (nature, animals, sports, special events), or themes (change, patterns, cycles,
structures, hope, faith, courage, etc.). Teachers encourage students, by modeling, to write daily entries in their writers‘ notebooks about what is important to them
or experiences that hold enduring meaning in their memories. These ideas are ―seeds‖ for future poetry: interesting pictures, words, thoughts, and others.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 94 -
Activity 12: Poems for Publication (GLEs: 12, 22, 23a, 23c, 23e, 23f, 23g, 25, 34)
Materials list: writer‘s notebook, copies of various types of poetry, Types of Formula Poems BLMs, Sample Poetry Rubric BLM
Teachers model, coach, and apply various forms of poetry, such as free verse, narrative poems, limericks, diamante, cinquain, and haiku. Teachers will provide
written examples and graphic organizers using the Types of Formula Poems BLMs for students to use as a guide in writing poetry. In ―formula poems‖ students
insert words into a teacher-established structure. Students demonstrate the ability to identify parts of speech and follow semantic patterns in choosing appropriate
words for each formula.
As students become familiar with a form, teachers encourage them to experiment with that format to draft an original poem. After students complete several drafts
of poems in various forms, they select one to revise, edit, and publish. The teacher establishes rubrics (see Sample Poetry Rubric BLM) that assess word choice,
organization, and conventions.
Teachers supply students with a checklist containing guidelines for publication of poems, explaining the importance of word choice, editing, and format when
work is to be formally published. During writer‘s conferences, the teacher will encourage the student to revise or rewrite to meet these higher standards.
Students will proofread and publish their poem of choice and design a dramatic presentation. Teachers and students construct rubrics for publication, exemplary
speaking, and listening skills. Student work may be shared with a larger audience via several online publishing websites.
http://www.kidnews.com/
http://www.kidpub.com/
http://www.cyberkids.com/cw/
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 96 -
All Units, LEAP Writing Rubric
For the Composing dimension and for the Style/Audience Awareness dimension, the
following descriptors apply to the score points:
Score Level Description of Score Level
4 The writer demonstrates consistent, though not necessarily perfect,
control of almost all of the dimension‘s features.
3 The writer demonstrates reasonable, but not consistent, control of most
of the dimension‘s features, indicating some weakness in the dimension.
2 The writer demonstrates enough inconsistent control of several features
to indicate significant weakness in the dimension.
1 The writer demonstrates little or no control of most of the dimension‘s
features.
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Composing dimension:
Score Point Central Idea Elaboration Organization/Unity
4
Consistent
Control
• sharp focus
• clarity of purpose
• strategy
(preplanning and
foreshadowing)
• selected information
• thorough elaboration
• ideas are developed (examples)
• necessary information
• specific details
• wholeness throughout
• ideas related to central idea
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• transitions
• sense of completion
3
Reasonable
Control
• clear central idea
• clear focus
• ideas are developed
• necessary information
• relevant
• may have uneven development
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• simple transitions
• wholeness (may have a weak ending)
2
Inconsistent
Control
• vague central idea
• shifts in focus
• digressions
• listing
• information may be
superficial, incomplete,
and/or irrelevant
• idea clusters
• little or uneven development
• weak beginning, middle, end
• retreats and/or repetitions
• gaps
• random order
• no ending
1
Little or No Control
• unclear central idea
• confusion
• automatic writing without selection
• relevant information missed
• little or no development
• minimal information
• no beginning or end
• severe gaps
• random order
• too little to demonstrate
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 97 -
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Style/Audience
Awareness dimension.
Score Point Selected Vocabulary Selected Information Sentence Diversity Tone and Voice
4
Consistent
Control
• word choice is
appropriate, relevant
• vivid power verbs
• stylistic techniques
(imagery, similes)
• selected for relevance and/or
impact
• vivid examples or anecdotes
• appropriate to audience
• manipulates audience
(humor)
• some variety in structure
(beginnings, endings)
complexity, length
• consistent, clear, vibrant tone &
voice
• individual personality
• engages and/or manipulates
audience
3
Reasonable Control
• clear
• appropriate
• relevant
• some variety
• some selected
information
• some examples
• appropriate to
audience
• some variety in
structure and/or
complexity and/or
length\
• And, But beginnings
• consistent tone
• aware of audience
• clear voice
2
Inconsistent
Control
• generic
• overused
• some may be inappropriate
• wrong word
• contradictions
• bare bones
• lists information
• irrelevant
• superficial
• sentence patterns
• simple sentences
• overextended sentences
• And, But beginnings
• vague
• weak awareness of audience
• inappropriate
• monotonous
• inconsistent tone
1
Little or
no Control
• functional
• inappropriate
• wrong word
• omission errors
• automatic writing
• too little information
• inappropriate abrupt
change from central
idea
• simple
• patterns
• on and on
• confusing
• absent
• no awareness of audience
• unengaged
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 98 -
Unit 5, Activity 12, Types of Formula Poems
Cinquain Poem
__________________
One word- What you are talking about (noun)
____________, ____________
Two words-Describing it (adjectives)
_____________, _____________, _____________
Three words-Describing it (adjectives)
_____________, _____________, _____________, ______________
Four words-Describing it (adjectives)
________________
One word-What you are talking about (noun)
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 99 -
Limericks consist of five lines.
Lines 1, 2, and 5 of Limericks have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another.
Lines 3 and 4 of Limericks have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other.
Limerick Poem
Line 1__________________________________________________________________
Line 2__________________________________________________________________
Line 3__________________________________________________________________
Line 4 __________________________________________________________________
Line 5__________________________________________________________________
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 100 -
Haiku Poem
First line – 5 syllables
Second line – 7 syllables
Third line – 5 syllables
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 101 -
DIAMANTE POEM
1. Noun (beginning topic)
2. Adjective, Adjective (about beginning topic)
3. Gerund, Gerund, Gerund (–ing words about beginning topic)
4. Four nouns -OR- a short phrase (about both beginning and ending topics)
5. Gerund, Gerund, Gerund (–ing words about ending topic)
6. Adjective, Adjective (about ending topic)
7. Noun (ending topic)
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 102 -
Unit 5, Activity 12, Sample Poetry Rubric
Poetry 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points Score
Ability to captivate
the reader
Unfocused; author seems
unsure of direction
Some focus, but lacks
continuity
Well focused and interests reader
throughout
Captivates and involves reader
deeply
Sensory Images
Difficult to visualize
image or emotion
Some use of image, idea,
or emotion
Clear use of sensory images to
portray ideas or emotions
Vivid, detailed images and
intensely felt emotion
Use of Language
Imprecise or
inappropriate choice of
words
Expresses thoughts
marginally
Appropriate choice of language
Uses rich and imaginative
language
Punctuation
Arbitrary punctuation
Some meaningful
punctuation
Punctuation meaningful
throughout
Punctuation enhances
conveyance of thoughts and
images
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 103 -
English Language Arts: Grade 4
April 23rd
– May 24th
- Weeks 32 - 36
Comprehensive Curriculum Unit 8: Author Study
Unit Description
The goal of this unit is to reinforce the learning of previous units. It is designed for student-selected author studies, with activities that include researching, reading, and responding
to literature. As students become experts about a particular author, they are given opportunities to share their analyses, critiques, and recommendations orally and in writing.
Student Understandings
Students choose a favorite author and analyze literary works to identify the author‘s subject, techniques, and motivation. They write a description of the author and become literary
critics by writing persuasive pieces and a book review, telling why this author‘s works are recommended. They use student-constructed rubrics for clear expectations and as a
reflection tool.
Guiding Questions
1. Can students reflect on their literature experiences during the school year to choose a favorite author to research?
2. Can students analyze and articulate what is unique about the author‘s writing technique or body of work?
3. Can students explain how the author‘s life experience is reflected in his/her work?
4. Can students distinguish elements of the author‘s style that are appealing or effective?
5. Can students offer persuasive reasons why this author‘s work should be read?
6. Can students demonstrate how their writing has changed after learning about this author?
Sample Assessments
General Guidelines
Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the
student activities, and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:
General Assessments
The teacher will monitor student progress during the research and writing process by providing time for writers‘ conferences during which the student shares notes or
drafts and receives feedback from the teacher about current status and next steps.
Students keep reading logs and reference lists that evidence the ongoing work involved in the unit.
Writing portfolios containing revised final products are a source for publishing student work and provide documentation for parent-teacher conferences. They form a
permanent record of students‘ work and progress during fourth grade.
Teachers provide students with copies of the LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM for self- and peer-assessment. Teachers use LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM for
writing lessons to provide additional practice and to assess progress toward achieving benchmarks.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 104 -
Reading Workshop Writing Workshop Word Study
LCC ACTIVITIES - Unit 8: Author Study
1: Daily Independent Reading (ONGOING) 09, 10
2: Vocabulary Activities (ONGOING) 02, 03
5: Explore Authors 17, 19d, 19e, 41a, 42, 43a, 43b, 43c, 48
6: About the Author 17, 22, 45
LCC ACTIVITIES Unit 8: Author Study
3: Daily Language (ONGOING) 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d
4: Daily Writing Activities (ONGOING) 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c 7: Chart Your Author(s) 05a, 05b, 05c, 05d, 10, 11, 14b, 14c, 14e
8: Why Do You Recommend This Author? 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e,
26a, 27, 29, 31b, 31c, 31d
9: Writing Book Reviews 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 21, 23d, 23e,
23f, 23g, 24, 26c, 30a, 30b, 31b, 31c, 31d, 32
Continue Word Wall Activities
Interjections 31
Compound Words 32
Consonant Doubling 32
Irregular Verbs 31
Theme 15: Earth Long Ago
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/SKILLS
Monitor Understanding 19
reread text
self-monitoring
reflection
strategic reading
TARGET SKILLS
Newspaper Articles 13 Nonfiction Text Feature: Diagram 50 Personification 6
MODELED WRITING
Book Review 26 (LCC)
Newspaper article 26 (LbD)
MINI-LESSONS
Presentation 23
Compare & Contrast 26
Use Nonfiction Features 50
Editing 23
Conjunctions: Subordinate 31
Independent and Dependent Clauses 31
Homophones 3
Theme 16: Wearing Away
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES/ SKILLS
Ask Questions 19
meaning
author‘s purpose
use visuals
TARGET SKILLS
Diary 13 Photo Essay 13 Foreshadowing and Flashback 6, 25
CENTER IDEA
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 105 -
Reading Workshop Resources Writing Workshop Resources Word Study Resources
Theme 15: Earth Long Ago
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 14, 15
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
evidence, fossil, vanish, examine, scrape, extinction, recognize,
method, prehistoric, threat
Connect to Novels: Dinosaurs Before Dark,
Boy of The Painted Cave, Dinosaur Detectives
MODELED WRITING
Newspaper article
LbD Article Organizer – Transparency 89, 90
LbD Writing Bridge Card 30
MINI-LESSONS
Presentation 23
LbD Writing Bridge Card 29 & Transparency 88
Compare & Contrast
LbD Compare & Contrast Organizer – Transp. 95, 96
LbD Writing Bridge Card 32
Use Nonfiction Features
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 63-64
Editing 23
LbD Writing Bridge Card 31 & Transparency 94
Conjunctions: Subordinate
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 29
HME p. 211
Independent and Dependent Clauses
LbD Writing Resource Guide p. 30
Homophones
LbD Writing Resource Guide pp. 31-32
HME p. 218
www.primarilywriting.com
Houghton- Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary
Compound Words
Unit 13
Consonant Doubling
Unit 14
Houghton -Mifflin English
Irregular Verbs
p. 112-113
Theme 16: Wearing Away
Comprehension Bridge Cards: 15,16
Vocabulary Development:
Explain, Restate, Show, Discuss, Reflect/Refine, Learning Game
ancient, splendor, significant, erosion, composition, prevent,
previous, survey, glacier, weathering
Connect to Novels: Mary Kate and Ashley In Action
Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Shadows of Disaster
Leveled Readers End of 4th
Quarter
ON: Q, R, S
ABOVE: T+
BELOW: P AND BELOW
See Word Wall Games on
ELA K-5 Blackboard http://bb.lpssonline.com/webapps/login
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 106 -
Activity 1: Daily Independent Reading (Ongoing) (GLEs: 09, 10)
Materials List: a wide variety of trade books, non-fiction, classroom sets, and chapter books at various reading levels, student library books
Teachers should reserve a specific amount of time every day for daily independent reading. This reading time should supplement the standard reading program by
encouraging students to read independently. This time also provides an opportunity for students to read according to a variety of student interests and abilities.
This daily reading time should not take the place of regular guided reading instruction.
Activity 2: Vocabulary Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 02, 03)
Materials List: 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 index cards, pictures or video clips, index cards, colored pencils/markers/crayons, Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart BLM
Students are involved with vocabulary activities to allow opportunities for students to apply context clues to demonstrate understanding of texts and to determine
base word meanings. A variety of vocabulary-building activities will be used throughout the year. These strategies will be used to gain meaning from unfamiliar
texts through application of context clues and determination of base word meanings. These strategies will be repeated, built upon, and ongoing. Strategies may
also be used to teach alphabetizing up to the third letter and dictionary skills. Teachers can assess students understanding of vocabulary either formally (written
tests) or informally (writing stories, poems, or sentences using the vocabulary words, etc.)
Teachers can choose from these activities to reinforce weekly vocabulary comprehension. Teachers do not have to use every activity.
Vocabulary Cards Activity
Students create vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) related to words in the stories they are reading. Each student receives an index card and a
word from the story. Students write the word (or a sentence using the word) on the front and the definition on the back (Teachers can have these ready before class
to save time). Each student should have one vocabulary card. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up.‖ Students will walk around the room and
find a partner. Students will hold up their cards, and the person they are paired with will state the definition. If they do not know it, the student may give hints or
use the word in a sentence. After two chances, the student should show the definition. Then the other student turns to hold up his/her vocabulary card and asks for
the definition. When the two students are finished, they trade cards. The teacher will say, ―Stand up, hands up, and pair up‖ again, and students will find a new
partner.
Illustrate the Word Activity
The teacher shows pictures or video clips that demonstrate the meaning of a word. Students receive a list of the vocabulary they will use to draw and label a
picture illustrating the meaning of the words from the story. This activity is not limited to concrete nouns – for example, a grim expression. The labels explain
how the word and drawing fit. Drawing skills are not important; stick figures with accurate labels can succinctly express an idea as much as a well-drawn picture.
The student should not replace an abstract idea with a concrete example of it. The teacher can also use the vocabulary cards above to illustrate the definition of the
words.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 107 -
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Activity:
Before reading a story, students receive a list of vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary self-awareness chart (view literacy strategy descriptions) to
determine their knowledge of the words. Students do not receive definitions or examples at this stage. They rate their understanding of each word with either a
―+‖ (understand well), a ―√‖ (limited understanding or unsure), or a ―—―(don‘t know). After reading the story and being exposed to other information, students
return to the chart and add new information to it. The goal is to replace all check marks and minus signs with a plus sign. Students will be given many
opportunities to revisit their vocabulary charts to revise their entries.
Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
Word + √ -- Example Definition
author + Who is the author of that
book?
The writer of a book, article,
or other text.
paraphrase + Please paraphrase the article. A restatement of a text or
passage in another form or
other words, often to clarify
meaning.
Activity 3: Daily Language (Ongoing) (GLEs: 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: daily sentences that are to be edited, printed copy for each students, transparency copy for use as a class
The Everyday Edits can be used in many ways. Here is one possible procedure that might be used:
Copy the day's daily edit activity onto a transparency. As students return from recess or lunch, hand them a copy of the day's passage. Immediately, they
settle into finding the ten errors of capitalization, punctuation, or grammar included in that passage.
Give students 5 minutes or so to find and mark ten errors in the day's passage.
Divide the class into two teams or more. The teams established in this way will be "permanent teams" (for at least a month). Start with one team and ask a
student on that team to identify an error in the passage. If the student correctly identifies one of the ten errors in that day's passage, a point is awarded to the
team. Then it is the other team's chance to identify an error. Go back and forth until all ten errors have been found in that day's passage. (Students might
even find additional errors in a daily passage. Give credit if they offer an idea that would improve the passage.)
Keep score over the course of a month and award a special treat (an ice pop, a homework-free-night coupon, or something else that students will value) to
members of the team that has the highest score at the end of the month. The makeup of the teams may be changed for the following month.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 108 -
Activity 4: Daily Writing Activities (Ongoing) (GLEs: 20e, 21, 22, 23b, 24, 26c)
Materials List: journal, pencil
Students will keep a daily journal or writer‘s notebook. Daily writing activities can include, but are not limited to the following list:
Daily journal prompts
Story summary
Daily news (Write about things that happened at school that day.)
Picture prompts (Use pictures to create a story.)
Word wall or spelling activities
Story starters
Comic strips (Fill in what the characters are saying.)
Pen pals (Write to another class.)
Story responses (Respond to reading story or trade book.)
Poetry
Round Robin Writing (Students create and add to stories as they are passed around.)
Want ads
Advertisements
Directions
Greeting cards
Biographies
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 109 -
Activity 5: Explore Authors (GLEs: 17, 19d, 19e, 41a, 42, 43a, 43b, 43c, 48)
Materials List: Author Study Checklist BLM, Bibliography Format BLM, Internet access
By the end of the school year, students have each compiled a reader‘s notebook/log filled with book lists, reflections, and information about the year‘s literature
experiences. Students will refer to their personal records and a variety of classroom resources (Internet, magazine/newspaper reviews and articles, materials
provided by the school librarian) to determine criteria for choosing an author to research. They use the literacy strategy Questioning the Author (QtA) (view
literacy strategy descriptions) to generate a list of questions (see Author Study Checklist BLM) to investigate about the author himself and use a variety of
sources to learn more about the author‘s life, motivation for writing, and the creative process involved in being an author. Students use key-word searches to
access interviews and databases and explore useful links to additional electronic information. They gain experience and recognize the value of using the Internet
as an informational source for author studies. Students maintain a working list of these references in their writers‘ notebooks, using a teacher-specified format.
(See Bibliography Format BLM) Through their research, students gain insights about how the author‘s work is influenced by his/her life experience. Teachers
and guest speakers model how to share this information by giving ―writer talks‖ to the class.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/read/all-about-authors.htm
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/authors.htm
http://www.bloomington.k12.mn.us/indschool/HC/Genre/genauthor.html
Questioning the Author
Goal Query
Initiate discussion. What is the author trying to say?
What is the author‘s message?
What is the author talking about?
Focus on author‘s message. That‘s what the author says, but what does it mean?
Why did the author choose this word?
Link information. How does that connect with what the author already told us?
What information has the author added here that connects or
fits in with ___________?
Identify difficulties with the way
they author has presented
information or ideas.
Does that make sense?
Did the author state or explain that clearly? Why or why not?
What do we need to figure out or find out?
Encourage students to refer to the
text because they have
misinterpreted, or to help them
recognize that they have made and
inference.
Did the author tell us that?
Did the author give us the answer to that?
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 110 -
Activity 6: About the Author (GLEs: 17, 22, 45)
Materials List: LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM, LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM, variety of biographies
Students read examples of author biographical information found on book jackets, covers, biographies or other sources. The class constructs a rubric for writing a
concise, but informative, biographical sketch that combines facts about the author‘s life along with information designed to capture the interest of potential readers.
Students use information researched from multiple sources to write a biographical sketch for their author. (Teachers can use LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM
and LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM and to help create a rubric).
Activity 7: Chart Your Author(s) (GLEs: 05a, 05b, 05c, 05d, 10, 11, 14b, 14c, 14e)
Materials List: chart paper, Literature Circle BLMs, books by the same author (see resource list at end of unit)
Teachers will divide class into groups of approximately four students each and provide at least two books by the same author for each group. The teacher will also
give each student a copy of the Literature Circle BLM. Ask students to look at the books, read them, and discuss their impressions of the author. Exchange books
among groups and continue this process until each group has had an opportunity to review several of the selected titles. The students should fill in the Literature
Circle BLM.
As a class, discuss and record students' impressions of the author on chart paper. Questions to guide this discussion include:
What do you think this author‘s interests are? What makes you think this?
Where do you think he/she gets ideas and inspiration? What makes you think this?
Does his/her work remind you of anything else you have seen or read? What and how?
Where do you think this author comes from? Why?
Review the recorded impressions and talk about which things are accurate and which aren't. Ask students what kinds of information about an author/illustrator they
can discover just by reading his or her books. Explain that when they identify this kind of information, it is called making inferences. For example, the teacher
shows the students several books by Judy Blume, then asks the students, based upon the titles, cover and back cover of the book what they think the author‘s
interests are. They may say chocolate if the teacher shows the book Fudge-a-Mania or Double Fudge. Keep asking the above questions and discuss with each
student why they made the inference they made.
Next, teachers use a graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) such as a Venn Diagram, to model how to chart story elements and literary devices,
and compare/contrast stories. Students read carefully to analyze one or more works by their author to identify and chart the defining characteristics of the author‘s
work. Students note cultural influences and connecting themes as they compare and contrast texts. They examine setting, point of view, character development,
conflict, and the author‘s style. Charting this information helps organize and clarify student understandings. Students share their observations in literature circles or
discussion groups. They demonstrate oral reading fluency as they read passages that support their observations to the group. Students will share the information
they have gathered with the class.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 111 -
Activity 8: Why Do You Recommend This Author? (GLEs: 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 26a, 27, 29, 31b, 31c, 31d)
Materials List: paper, pencil
Students analyze a particular work or works, using the chart details from Activity 7 to cite examples of the author‘s effective use of characters, literary devices,
plot development, and language to engage readers. The student makes a list of the reasons this book is worth reading. Questions to consider may include:
Is it humorous?
Is it compelling?
Will it keep you on the edge of your seat?
Is it like watching a movie in your mind?
Using these observations as supporting details, students write a letter recommending the book to a classmate. Letters should be legible and follow the prescribed
format. Finished products should be edited for grade-appropriate conventions, including capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and word usage.
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 112 -
Activity 9: Writing Book Reviews (GLEs: 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 21, 23d, 23e, 23f, 23g, 24, 26c, 30a, 30b, 31b, 31c, 31d, 32)
Materials List: LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist BLM, LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics BLM, Internet access
Teachers give students the opportunity to read children‘s book reviews published in newspapers, magazines, and online. Internet sources of book reviews include:
www.ala.org/booklist
www.amazon.com
www.carolhurst.com
In a teacher-guided class discussion, students list the features of a good book review. These may include:
A summary of the book‘s story problem/plot/theme, minus the conclusion/ending
Quotes from the book that hint at interesting characters, humor, or elements of suspense
Suggestions about who might enjoy the book
Information about the author, including any awards received
A clever concluding paragraph that tells why a book is recommended
Students draft a book review of three or more paragraphs for a favorite selection by the author, based on the research conducted in Activities 5-8. At least one
paragraph should be devoted to commentary on the author‘s style. Paragraphs should be organized to include a topic sentence, relevant elaboration, and concluding
sentences.
Students meet with the teacher to receive feedback on how to make reviews more informative and interesting. They determine whether the content and
organization meet rubric goals. Students make necessary revisions. Their revised compositions should evidence attention to the following:
clearly stated main ideas
an introduction and conclusion
a middle developed with supporting details
transitional words and phrases that unify points and details
a logical, sequential order
Using the LEAP 21 Writer‘s Checklist and the LEAP 21 Writing Rubrics, complete the writing process by editing for grade-appropriate conventions, such as
capitalization, active and passive voice, sentence formation, verb usage, spelling and syllabication. Final drafts should be typed on a computer, using spelling and
grammar checks to perfect products. Where multiple computers or writing labs are available, students should use computers for the entire writing process. Reviews
may be posted on a website featuring student-created book reviews.
http://teach.fcps.net/literaryclub/old/student.htm
http://www.yellow-springs.k12.oh.us/ys-mls/book%20reviews.htm
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 113 -
Unit 8, Activity 5, Author Study Checklist
Author Study Checklist
This is a biography of ________________________________
Birth Date _________________________________________
Place of birth ______________________________________
Three questions I would like to research.
1.___________________________________________________________
2.___________________________________________________________
3.___________________________________________________________
Notes: Write keywords and facts.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Write the sources of your information.
1.______________________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________________________
3.______________________________________________________________
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 114 -
Unit 8, Activity 5, Bibliography Format Bibliography
1. For each source listed, begin first line at margin and indent each line that follows.
2. Follow punctuation of the examples exactly.
3. If you cannot find some information, such as author or place of publication, just leave it out.
4. Arrange all sources in one list, alphabetically by first word, which will generally be either the author's last name or the first important word of the title.
Book with one author:
1. Author, last name first.
2. Title of book. (underlined)
3. City of publication:
4. Publisher, date of publication.
Encyclopedia and other familiar reference books:
1. Author of article (if available).
2. "Title of article." (in quotation marks)
3. Title of book. (underlined)
4. Date of edition. (volume and page number not necessary if articles are arranged alphabetically).
Article in a periodical (magazines, newspapers)
1. Author (if available).
2. "Title of article." (in quotation marks)
3. Periodical title (underlined) date: page.
Online Encyclopedia:
1. Author, if shown
2. "Title of the article."
3. Name of encyclopedia (underlined).
4. Date of your visit (day, month, year)
5. <first part of http address> (enclosed in angle brackets).
World Wide Web:
1. Author, if known
2. "Title of the article."
3. Title of complete work (underlined).
4. Date of your visit (day, month, year)
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 116 -
All Units, LEAP Writing Rubric
For the Composing dimension and for the Style/Audience Awareness dimension, the
following descriptors apply to the score points:
Score Level Description of Score Level
4 The writer demonstrates consistent, though not necessarily perfect,
control of almost all of the dimension‘s features.
3 The writer demonstrates reasonable, but not consistent, control of most
of the dimension‘s features, indicating some weakness in the dimension.
2 The writer demonstrates enough inconsistent control of several features
to indicate significant weakness in the dimension.
1 The writer demonstrates little or no control of most of the dimension‘s
features.
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Composing dimension:
Score Point Central Idea Elaboration Organization/Unity
4
Consistent
Control
• sharp focus
• clarity of purpose
• strategy
(preplanning and
foreshadowing)
• selected information
• thorough elaboration
• ideas are developed (examples)
• necessary information
• specific details
• wholeness throughout
• ideas related to central idea
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• transitions
• sense of completion
3
Reasonable
Control
• clear central idea
• clear focus
• ideas are developed
• necessary information
• relevant
• may have uneven development
• beginning, middle, end
• logical order
• simple transitions
• wholeness (may have a weak ending)
2
Inconsistent
Control
• vague central idea
• shifts in focus
• digressions
• listing
• information may be
superficial, incomplete,
and/or irrelevant
• idea clusters
• little or uneven development
• weak beginning, middle, end
• retreats and/or repetitions
• gaps
• random order
• no ending
1
Little or No Control
• unclear central idea
• confusion
• automatic writing without selection
• relevant information missed
• little or no development
• minimal information
• no beginning or end
• severe gaps
• random order
• too little to demonstrate
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 117 -
This chart shows the specific elements considered when scoring the Style/Audience
Awareness dimension.
Score Point Selected Vocabulary Selected Information Sentence Diversity Tone and Voice
4
Consistent
Control
• word choice is
appropriate, relevant
• vivid power verbs
• stylistic techniques
(imagery, similes)
• selected for relevance and/or
impact
• vivid examples or anecdotes
• appropriate to audience
• manipulates audience
(humor)
• some variety in structure
(beginnings, endings)
complexity, length
• consistent, clear, vibrant tone &
voice
• individual personality
• engages and/or manipulates
audience
3
Reasonable Control
• clear
• appropriate
• relevant
• some variety
• some selected
information
• some examples
• appropriate to
audience
• some variety in
structure and/or
complexity and/or
length\
• And, But beginnings
• consistent tone
• aware of audience
• clear voice
2
Inconsistent
Control
• generic
• overused
• some may be inappropriate
• wrong word
• contradictions
• bare bones
• lists information
• irrelevant
• superficial
• sentence patterns
• simple sentences
• overextended sentences
• And, But beginnings
• vague
• weak awareness of audience
• inappropriate
• monotonous
• inconsistent tone
1
Little or
no Control
• functional
• inappropriate
• wrong word
• omission errors
• automatic writing
• too little information
• inappropriate abrupt
change from central
idea
• simple
• patterns
• on and on
• confusing
• absent
• no awareness of audience
• unengaged
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 118 -
Unit 8, Activity 7, Literature Circle
Literature Circle Planner
A literature circle is a group of students who are reading the same book. When they meet, they discuss the parts of the book they have read and plan
for the next session. Often, Literature Circles are enhanced with extra ―assignments‖ – making time lines to help understand the book better, or
writing a chapter from a different character‘s point of view, or researching a historical element of the text, illustrating a scene*… or whatever the
students feel would increase their appreciation of the book. They may choose to do these assignments individually, in pairs, or as a whole group. Use
this form to help you plan your Literature Circle.
Literature Circle for the book
____________________________by ___________________
Names of Literature Circle students:
1. _______________________ 4. _______________________
2. _______________________ 5. _______________________
3. _______________________ 6. _______________________
What are some assignments that will help you understand and appreciate what you read?
• ______________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________
• ______________________________________________________
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 119 -
Unit 8, Activity 7, Literature Circle
Literature Circle Task List
Assign tasks to each student for the next meeting.
Name of Student Task
Curriculum Map - 2011-2012- Grade 4 - 120 -
Unit 8, Activity 7, Literature Circle
Literature Circle Notes
Literature Circle Group ________________________________________
Date __________________
As you read sections of this book, write down any vocabulary words you
would like to understand better. Also, be sure to make notes about
questions you would like to ask the group, and important points that you’ve
noticed that you’d like to share with the group. Write the page number or
key words to help you remember what inspired your thought.
Today’s section: _____________________________________
Vocabulary words:
_________________________ _________________________
_________________________ _________________________
_________________________ _________________________
Questions:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________