ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS / READING
ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM
GRADE: 4
1st Nine-Week PeriodEssential Understanding (Big Ideas):
Writing
· Personal Narrative (Big Piece) Literary Emphasis
· Understanding character development and influence on the main events help a writer develop their own stories
· Writing about one’s own experiences can be written in literary (story) form to convey a lesson/theme / Reading
· Literary Text: Story Emphasis
· Character development helps the reader understand the story and make predictions
· The lesson or theme of a story is supported with main events as evidence of that lesson or theme
Guiding Questions:
1. How can I discover the characters interactions and the changes they undergo?
2. Why is that important?
3. How does recognizing the sequence and summarizing the plot’s main events help me write my own stories?
4. Predicting future events is important because…
Reading / Writing/OWC / Listening & Speaking / Assessments
Ongoing TEKS / · Fluency (4.1)
· Vocabulary (4.2BE)
· Independent reading (4.9)
· Establish purposes for reading (Fig 19A)
· Make inferences/ use textual (Fig 19D)
· Make connections (Fig. 19F) / · Writing Process (4.15 ABCDE)
· Write responses to texts (4.18C)
· Write legibly in cursive or manuscript (4.21)
· Spell correctly (4.22A )
· Revision practice (4.15C)
· Edit practice (4.15D) / · Listen attentively to others (4.27A)
· Follow, restate, & give oral instructions (4.27B)
· Participate productively in teams (4.29) / · Spelling/revise/edit quizzes (1 per week = 1 major grade)
Reading / Writing/OWC / Research and
Listening & Speaking / Common Assessments
1st Nine Weeks / Literary Text/Theme & Genre (realistic fiction & personal narratives)
· Lesson/message as the theme (4.3A)
· Compare/contrast characters (4.3B)
· Plot’s main events and their influence on future events (4.6A)
· Interactions of characters and changes they undergo (4.6B)
· First or third person (4.6C)
· Summarize information in texts-fiction (Fig. 19E)
Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction
· Identify similarities and differences between experiences in a fictional work and actual events and experiences in biographies/autobiographies (4.7)
Make connections-literary & informational text
(Fig. 19F) / Writing/Literary Text
· Personal narrative-own experience (4.17)
· Write literary responses-plot summaries; character changes with inferences about those changes (4.18C)
Oral/written conventions
· Functions of nouns, verbs in the context of reading, writing, and speaking (20Ai, ii)
· Complete subject and predicate sentences (4.20B)
· Use correct capitalization for titles, stories, and essays; languages, races, and nationalities (4.21Bii, iii)
· Spelling patterns (4.22AD) / Research
N/A this grading period
Listening & Speaking
· Peer and teacher conferences for revisions & editing of drafts (4.15E; 4.27AB; 4.29) / Writing:
· Personal experience in story form (4.17)
· Written responses of literary text (4.18C)
Reading:
· Cold read of a story- write a summary of the story or teacher created questions (4.6AB & Fig. 19E)
· Vocabulary in context passage and questions (teacher/campus made) (4.2B)
Academic vocabulary / Literary text
Sequence
Summarize
Plot
Interaction / Relationships
Changes undergo
First person/third person
Inference in fiction / Make connections with the reading vocabulary within the writing of a persona narrative.
The writing process functions of nouns
Personal experience complete subject &
complete predicate
ELPS &
CCRS / ELPS:
4I / CCRS:
IIA / ELPS:
5G; 5E / CCRS:
IA;IA5 / ELPS:
3G / CCRS:
IIIB2
++ Readiness Standards
+ Supporting Standards
TEKS / ELPS / CCRS / *Notice the reading and writing connections. It is vital to make those connections throughout the language arts block. The workshop model is suggested to provide a concise structure for delivering instruction and student centered learning.The Workshop Model:
· MINILESSON: student exposure of the TEKS/skills to be addressed
· SMALL GROUPS: Guided Reading/Literature Groups
· INDEPENDENT READING & WRITING: Practicing skill through the 9 weeks
· CONFERENCING: Peer and teacher conferences in Reading-discuss what they are reading and address reading skills; in Writing-discuss what they are writing and revising and editing
· WORD STUDY: spelling conventions and decoding words; word meanings
*At this grade level spelling patterns are more of a review. The focus should be more on vocabulary development through the use of reading and writing (Standard 2). Grades will come from a combination of spelling word quizzes and grammar in revising and editing.
SMALL GROUPS
Guided Reading uses leveled readers to address the supported skills taught during each three week period. Tier II intervention is the place to address gaps in student ELAR skills.
INDEPENDENT READING & WRITING
· Students will incorporate the skills addressed this nine weeks in their literacy notebooks: this includes reading responses, word work activities, writing – free-writes, writing piece, grammar and conventions, etc.
· This is a good time to meet in small groups, participate in both teacher and peer conferences
· Daily 5, Debbie Diller workstations, or other routine structures can be implemented during this time.
WORD STUDY (WORD-WALL)
Unfamiliar words that students need in order to build their own repertoire of vocabulary. They address word meaning in context, spelling patterns and decoding skills (patterns & abstract combinations), and proper use of the words. Vocabulary is taught in context and word study techniques. A word wall that posts a few, but not every word addressed is valuable if students are directed to revisit the words in application throughout the workshop style, (I do, We do, You do) cycle of each day.
Writer/Reader Notebook (WRN)
A composition notebook, spiral, or some type of journal is used to keep literacy notes, findings, prewrites, reading responses, and other literacy notes. This is a vital part of the workshop. Ralph Fletcher has a suggested way of setting this up. Another suggestion: IDEAS (10 pages); Prewrites/Quickwrites (25); Reader Responses (25 pages); Grammar & Word-work (25 pages); Free-writes (to the end)
(1)Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. Students are expected to read aloud grade-level stories with fluency (rate, accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension.
++ (2)Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. Students are expected to: (B)use the context of the sentence (e.g., in-sentence example or definition) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words or multiple meaning words; and (E)use a dictionary or glossary to determine the meanings, syllabication, and pronunciation of unknown words.
(3)Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
+ (A)summarize and explain the lesson or message of a work of fiction as its theme; and
+ (B)compare and contrast the adventures or exploits of characters (e.g., the trickster) in traditional and classical literature.
(6)Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
++ (A)sequence and summarize the plot's main events and explain their influence on future events;
++ (B)describe the interaction of characters including their relationships and the changes they undergo; and
+ (C)identify whether the narrator or speaker of a story is first or third person.
(9)Reading/Comprehension of Text/Independent Reading. Students read independently for sustained periods of time and produce evidence of their reading. Students are expected to read independently for a sustained period of time and paraphrase what the reading was about, maintaining meaning and logical order (e.g., generate a reading log or journal; participate in book talks).
(15)Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:
(A)plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended meaning to an audience and generating ideas through a range of strategies (e.g., brainstorming, graphic organizers, logs, journals);
++ (B)develop drafts by categorizing ideas and organizing them into paragraphs;
++ (C)revise drafts for coherence, organization, use of simple and compound sentences, and audience;
++ (D)edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling using a teacher-developed rubric; and
(E)revise final draft in response to feedback from peers and teacher and publish written work for a specific audience.
++ (17)Writing. Students write about their own experiences. Students are expected to write about important personal experiences.
+ (18)Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes. Students are expected to: (C)write responses to literary or expository texts and provide evidence from the text to demonstrate understanding.
(20)Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
++ (A)use and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, and speaking:
(i)verbs (irregular verbs);
(ii)nouns (singular/plural, common/proper);
a conclusion;
++ (B)use the complete subject and the complete predicate in a sentence; and
(21)Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation. Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their compositions. Students are expected to:
(A)write legibly by selecting cursive script or manuscript printing as appropriate;
++ (B)use capitalization for:
(i)historical events and documents;
(ii)titles of books, stories, and essays; and
(iii)languages, races, and nationalities; and
++ (C)recognize and use punctuation marks including:
(i)commas in compound sentences; and
(ii)quotation marks.
(22)Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are expected to:
++ (A)spell words with more advanced orthographic patterns and rules:
(i)plural rules (e.g., words ending in f as in leaf, leaves; adding -es);
(ii)irregular plurals (e.g., man/men, foot/feet, child/children);
(iii)double consonants in middle of words;
(iv)other ways to spell sh (e.g., -sion, -tion, -cian); and
(v)silent letters (e.g., knee, wring);
+ (B)spell base words and roots with affixes (e.g., -ion, -ment, -ly, dis-, pre-);
+ (C)spell commonly used homophones (e.g., there, they're, their; two, too, to); and
+ (D)use spelling patterns and rules and print and electronic resources to determine and check correct spellings.
(23)Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students are expected to:
(A)generate research topics from personal interests or by brainstorming with others, narrow to one topic, and formulate open-ended questions about the major research topic; and
(25)Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information. Students are expected to improve the focus of research as a result of consulting expert sources (e.g., reference librarians and local experts on the topic).
(26)Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to draw conclusions through a brief written explanation and create a works-cited page from notes, including the author, title, publisher, and publication year for each source used.
(27)Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
(A)listen attentively to speakers, ask relevant questions, and make pertinent comments; and
(B)follow, restate, and give oral instructions that involve a series of related sequences of action.
(28)Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to express an opinion supported by accurate information, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, and enunciation, and the conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.
(29)Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to participate in teacher- and student-led discussions by posing and answering questions with appropriate detail and by providing suggestions that build upon the ideas of others.
FIG. 19
(A) establish purposes for reading selected texts based upon own or others’ desired outcome to enhance comprehension;
++ (D) monitor and adjust comprehension (e.g., using background knowledge, creating sensory images, rereading a portion aloud, generating questions);
++ (E) make inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding;
ELPS
4I demonstrate English comprehension and expand reading skills by employing basic reading skills such as demonstrating understanding of supporting ideas and details in text and graphic sources, summarizing text, and distinguishing main ideas from details commensurate with content area needs;
5G narrate, describe, and explain with increasing specificity and detail to fulfill content area writing needs as more English is acquired
5E employ increasingly complex grammatical structures in content area writing commensurate with grade-level expectations, such as
3G express opinions, ideas, and feelings ranging from communicating single words and short phrases to participating in extended discussions on a variety of social and grade-appropriate academic topics;
CCRS:
IIA Locate explicit textual information and draw complex inferences, analyze, and evaluate the information within and across texts of varying lengths
CCRS: IA Compose a variety of texts that demonstrate clear focus, the logical development of ideas and well-organized paragraphs, and the use of appropriate language that advances the author’s purpose.
CCRS: IA5 Edit writing for proper voice, tense, and syntax, assuring that it conforms to standard English, when appropriate.
CCRS: IIIB1 Participate actively and effectively in one-on-one oral communication situations.
SUGGESTED Instructional Strategies & Activities / Assessment Connections / Resources
WEEK 1 - 3
Reading
· Begin daily Read Aloud / Think Together modeling comprehension strategies (Note: Teacher read-aloud is limited to 10 minutes.); set up a readers notebook that will be used for reflection and response through the year; work on reading workshop routines and expectations
· Introduce Word Wall
· Begin Word Work and Vocabulary Development (continue 3-4 times per weeks) word ladders, making words, word sorts, word wall games, root of the week, prefix and suffix games, context clues, multiple-meaning words, finding synonyms, antonyms using a dictionary and/or thesaurus (4.2A, 4.2B, 4.2C, 4.2E). Can be done during independent reading and writing/workstations