Writing: Unit 2

Dear Parent or Guardian, Our class has just finished the second unit in the Being a WriterTM program. In this unit, the students learned the steps in the writing process. They reviewed drafts they had written earlier and selected one piece to publish. They reread their drafts, thought about ways to improve them, and conferred in pairs on ways to make their writing even better. They revised and proofread their drafts and wrote final versions. Then they shared their pieces with the class from the Author’s Chair. In this unit, the students practiced the social skill of helping one another to improve their writing. Here are some ways to support your child’s development as a writer: Ask your child to read his or her published piece aloud to you. Encourage your child to read the piece in a clear voice. Express interest in and appreciation for your child’s writing by telling him or her what you find interesting about the piece. You might talk about a part you especially like and explain why you like it. Ask your child to describe how he or she got the idea for the piece and what steps he or she took the piece through from the first draft to final publication. With your child, learn more about the writing habits of his or her favorite authors. You might visit author websites or attend book signings at local bookstores or public libraries. Discuss what you both learned about how authors work. After you have spent time reading, listening to, and discussing your child’s finished piece, please return it to class with your child, where it will be placed in the classroom library for all the students to read and enjoy. I hope you and your child enjoy discussing his or her published piece as well as the writing habits of professional authors. Sincerely,  Mrs.…

Writing: Unit 1

Dear Parent or Guardian, This year I am excited to introduce the Being a WriterTM program to your child. Being a Writer is a program designed to help students build their writing and social skills. The students hear and discuss examples of good writing and write pieces in a variety of genres. They learn a process they can use to take a piece of writing from an idea to a first draft to a final published piece. The program is also helping our class become a community of writers in which everyone feels welcome. At the end of each unit in the Being a Writer program, you will receive a letter telling you about the most recent writing and social skills your child has learned. Each letter will also include ways to support your child’s growth as a writer. Our class has just finished the first unit of the program, which focuses on motivating and inspiring the students as writers. They heard and discussed examples of good writing, learned about the writing practices of professional authors, and wrote freely for increasing lengths of time about topics that interest them. During the first unit, the students practiced the social skills of listening respectfully to the thinking of others, sharing their own thinking, and showing interest in and appreciation for others’ writing. These skills are helping the students build a supportive writing community. In Unit 2, each student will select a piece of writing he or she drafted in Unit 1 to revise and publish. In the meantime, here are some ways to support your child’s development as a writer: • Ask your child questions about the writing he or she is doing in class, such as: – How do you get ideas for your writing? – What kinds of things do you want to write this year? – How do you want to improve as a writer this year? • Show your child that you value the written word by setting aside time to read and discuss stories, poems, articles, and other types of writing together. I hope your family enjo

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Dunn's Corners School

Grade 4 Common Core State Standards- English Language Arts

Reading: Literature

Literature: Key Ideas and Details: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.5 Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.8 (RL.4.8 not applicable to literature) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.9 Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band profi

Reading: Informational

Informational: Key Ideas and Details: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.6 Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high en

Reading: Foundational Skills

  Phonics and Word Recognition: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.3.A Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. Fluency: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4.A Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4.B Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4.C Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as…

Writing:

Text Types and Purposes: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.A Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.B Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.C Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.D Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.A Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.C Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.D Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.E Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.A Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.B Use dialogue and description to develop experien

Writing:

Production and Distribution of Writing: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 4 here.) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. Research to Build and Present Knowledge: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9.A Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions]."). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9.B Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text"). Range of Writing: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two)

Listening and Speaking

Conventions of Standard English: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.A Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.B Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.C Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various conditions. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.D Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.E Form and use prepositional phrases. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.F Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.* CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.G Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).* CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.A Use correct capitalization. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.B Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.C Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.D Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as…

Language:

Conventions of Standard English: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.A Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.B Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.C Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various conditions. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.D Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.E Form and use prepositional phrases. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.F Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.* CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.G Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).* CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.A Use correct capitalization. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.B Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.C Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.D Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as…

Language:

Knowledge of Language: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3.A Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.* CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3.B Choose punctuation for effect.* CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3.C Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion). Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4.A Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4.B Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4.C Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5.A Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5.B Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5.C Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotio