UNIT OVERVIEW

Writing

Grade 4

Unit 1: Launching – Raising the Level of Personal Narrative (If Then Book unit 1)

Time Frame: September 2 – October 10

(6 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How can I write a lot, work productively, and cycle through the writing process with confidence and independence?

How can I use revision to make my writing better?

How can I reread, rethink, reimagine, and re-envision stories so that I deliberately write in ways that show what meaning I want to put forward?

Mentor Texts:

Fireflies! by Brinkloe

“Eating the World” and “Statue” from Ralph Fletcher’s - Marshfield Dreams

“Mr. Entwhistle” from Jean Little’s Hey World, Here I Am!

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

“Everything Will Be Okay,” by James Howe

When I Was Your Age:Original Stories About Growing Up by Amy Erlich

Little by Little by Jean Little

Strong to the Hoop by John Coy

Technology:

Smartboard

Ipads

Ish by Reynolds

I’m in Charge of Celebrations by Baylor

Seeing the Blue Between:Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets by Paul B. Janeczko

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

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.4.4 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

Writers reflect on their reading lives. Writers ask themselves, “How can I make this into the best possible year for myself as a writer?”

Writers need to remember they are writing for readers – their writing needs to be as true and as meaningful as it can be.

Writers study the craft of writers they admire and ask, “What did this author do that I could also do to make my own writing more powerful?”

Writers use a strategy, such as brainstorming, to generate an idea for writing and writes the entry.

Writers select moments that grip them, ones that make them feel something intensely.

Writers look at their surroundings and let objects and people around them spark memories, giving them ideas for writing.

Writers examine and diagnose their entries as a doctor would diagnose a patient, thinking, “Have I done everything I have learned to do to make this a strong piece of writing?”

Writers zoom in to a small episode, telling the detailed chronology of that one twenty-minute-or-so episode to make their writing more effective.

Conference notes

On demand

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.

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.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

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.SL.4.4

Writers study their writing, reading it closely, much like they would a complex text in reading, and annotate the qualities they see in it.

Before drafting, writers make movies in their minds of what happens in their narrative and tell the parts of their stories to themselves or to a partner.

Writers plot different ways a story may go, they continually revise their timelines.

Writers plan a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, Before they tell the story they think, “What do I want my listener to feel?”

Storytellers stretch out the good parts, trying to be sure these parts really capture the listener’s attention.

Writers draft a lot of different leads. Writers often start a story with dialogue, with a small action, or by conveying the setting.

A story’s ending often mirrors a story’s beginning. Writers can choose to end their story at a moment in the true episode that harkens back to the beginning.

Writers often write a whole draft, nonstop, in a single day’s writing workshop so they are more coherent and powerful.

Writers can revise by considering their senses. Writers should aim to story-tell so that readers can hear what the characters say, see what they see, smell what they smell, taste what they taste, and feel what they feel.

To write a successful narrative, writers must consider both the inner and outer story. Actions should always be interwoven with thoughts and feelings.

Writers need to continually experiment with their timelines to

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.6 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations.)

get to the truth and the heart of the story they are telling.

Writers use strategies to edit their work including proper spelling and comma usage.

UNIT OVERVIEW

Writing

Grade 4

Unit 2: The Arc of Story Writing Realistic Fiction

Time Frame: October 14 – November 14

(5 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How do students learn ways to live like writers, seeing ideas for fiction stories everywhere?

How can students write stories with two or three strong scenes that successfully show a character, plot, and even setting change over the course of the story?

How can students conceive, develop, plan, and carry through their own fiction stories, to become truly independent writers?

Mentor Texts:

“Olympic Fanfare and Theme” by John Williams

The Three Billy Goats Gruff – two retellings

Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe

Pecan Pie Baby

Pippi Goes on Board

Technology:

Smartboard

iPads

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using

Fiction writers get ideas for stories from small moments in their lives.

Writers get ideas for stories by imagining the books they wish

Conference notes

On Demands

effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

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.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.8 Recall relevant information from

existed in the world and by thinking about issues in their lives.

Fiction writers need to choose a seed idea (a story idea) and then begin to develop characters by creating their external and internal traits.

Writers can develop characters by telling about their characters’ motivations and struggles and also by creating scenes that show these things.

Writers sketch out possible plotlines for stories, often in story arcs that represent traditional story structure.

Writing scenes is, in a sense, the same as writing Small Moment stories. Writers often begin by putting the character into action or by laying out the character’s exact words and then unfolding the moment step by step.

Fiction writers create their best drafts when they experience the world through their character’s skin, letting the story unfold as it happens to them.

Writers try various strategies for writing effective leads. Writers reread literature, letting it teach techniques for writing.

Writers “stay in scene”, making sure the action and dialogue are grounded in the setting.

Writers of fiction, do their best to craft the endings that their stories deserve. In particular, they make sure their endings mesh with and serve the purposes of their stories.

When revising, writers don’t simply reread; they reread with a lens. Writers vary their lenses according to what they value for their work.

Writers create their own intimate work spaces inside their

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.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

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.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in

writing notebooks and their homes.

Writers study mentor authors to notice what other writers do that really works. One thing writers do is use actions and revealing details to show rather than tell about or explain the character.

Fiction writers not only revise with “lenses”, they edit with them too, rereading their writing several times for several reasons, making edits as they go.

Writers celebrate their work by contributing to a class anthology.

Writers take all they’ve learned about writing fiction stories to new projects.

Writers quickly apply their planning and drafting skills to new projects,

Writers study the work they do as readers of fiction and graft those skills into their revisions.

Writers can learn from visual artists and help readers visualize from different angles to make a variety of points.

Writers use punctuation to make sentences easier to understand, as well as to have an effect on how their readers engage with the text.

Writers reflect on the work they have done, celebrating their accomplishments and making new goals for future projects.

groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

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.4.3 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).

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.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

UNIT OVERVIEW

Writing

Grade 4

Unit 3: Information Writing: Writing about Topics of Personal Expertise (If Then Book Unit 2, Biomes)

Time Frame: November 17- December 12

(4 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How can students group related information in paragraphs and sections including formatting?

How can students develop topics and subtopics with facts, definitions, and other information related to the topic?

How can students introduce their topics clearly and at the end of their pieces, provide a concluding statement or section related to the information presented?

Mentor Texts: Technology:

Smartboard

iPads

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and

In order to keep their full focus on the structure and organization of the writing informational writers choose topics that are accessible, easy, and familiar.

Informational writers divide their knowledge up into different categories, writing with some completeness about one subtopic before approaching another.

Informational writers have a quick practical rehearsal of their topic by teaching their friends orally about the topic.

On demand

Conference notes

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.

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;

Informational writers jot their subtopics as a list or make spokes that stem like spider legs from the main topic.

When writers teach about their topics they use the fingers on one hand as a graphic organizer, listing several points instead of lingering endlessly on one point.

Informational writers develop each of their subtopics, telling a few sentences about each.

Informational writers use the technical language of their topic while teaching.

Informational writers often consider developing each subheading into its own chapter or narrow down their writing focus by picking a subheading as their big topic to write about.

Informational writers must be aware that the smaller parts, or points, of their topic must connect with one another or be arranged in a way that grants sense to the larger structure.

Informational writers include text features, such as annotated sketches, to develop their chapters.

Informational writers choose paper that best suits the structure that matches that particular chapter’s information.

Informational writing can have multigenre sections or chapters.

Informational writers can embed anecdotes into their texts, taking what they know about Small Moments writing to craft little stories that are illustrative of whatever they are teaching.

Informational writers often write in “twin sentences”, writing a second sentence elaborating on whatever the first sentence said.

take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources

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.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

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.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud

Informational writers revise at many levels. Structural revisions are required to check whether their writing is balanced.

or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

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.

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.4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

UNIT OVERVIEW

Writing

Grade 4

Unit 4: Boxes and Bullets Personal and Persuasive Essays

Time Frame: December 15 – January 30

(5 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How can students introduce their topics clearly through a variety of sophisticated strategies?

How can students provide reasons to support their opinions, and facts and details to elaborate on these reasons?

How can students develop longer pieces across a sustained amount of time?

Mentor Texts:

Writers notebook entries

Technology:

Smartboard

iPads

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

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.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in

Writers use an essay frame to help structure their writing.

Writers use several strategies for growing insightful ideas using important people, places, and objects as inspiration.

Writers freewrite to grow new ideas.

Writers linger with their ideas, extending their initial thinking by having conversations with themselves as they write and using elaboration prompts to grow their ideas.

Writers mine their entries and their lives for insights, developing these into more fully formed ideas and thesis

On demand

Conference notes

which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

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.

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.

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.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of

statements.

Writers support their thesis by developing different types of reasons.

Writers focus on both form and content, gathering a variety of evidence to support their opinions as they write within the frame of an essay.

Writers draw on narrative writing and use mini-stories to support the ideas they want to advance.

Writers gather a lot of different material to write their essays, including lists, and they decide which material should go in their essays.

Writers organize for drafting by checking that their evidence is supportive and varied.

Writers create cohesion with logically sequenced information, transition words, and repeated phrases.

Writers solve their own problems, taking ownership of the writing process by developing their own systems.

There are different ways writers commonly open and close essays, and that writers try out multiple leads and conclusions before deciding which best works for their essay.

Writers self-asses their writing, using the Opinion Writing Checklist. They then create a brand-new, revised draft.

One thing writers do when they edit their work is correct any run-on sentences or sentence fragments.

Writers need to be brave, by turning their personal essays into persuasive opinions. They use different strategies for

discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

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.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

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.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,

generating ideas for persuasive essay writing.

Writers transfer all they know about one genre of writing to another genre. Writers ask themselves, “What is similar about personal essay writing and persuasive essay writing?”

Writers draw on evidence from a variety of sources to be convincing and persuade their audience of their opinion.

Writers link their evidence to their reasons and thesis statement so that there are no gaps in their logic or reasoning.

Writers get their essays ready for the world by carefully checking their spelling. Punctuation, and other conventions.

Writers think carefully about how (and where) to publish their pieces, making sure their opinions will be heard by their chosen audience.

including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g.,wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

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.

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.RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

UNIT OVERVIEW

Writing

Grade 4

Unit 5: Bringing History to Life

Time Frame: February 2 – March 6

(5 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How can students write informational texts that are a conglomerate of other kinds of texts?

How can students elaborate their writing through the use of historical details, text features, and quotations?

How can students generate life lessons from their topics and generate questions about them?

Mentor Texts:

Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began by Lucille Recht Penner

The Eve of the Revolution by Barbara Burt

What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz

Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz

Technology:

Smartboard

iPads

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

Writers imagine the text they are going to make. They think about parts and the whole and then come up with a plan for their writing.

On demand

Conference notes

information clearly.

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.4.7 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.

Writers of information texts make a plan for the structure of their writing and then use this structure to organize research and note-taking.

Writers take strategies they’ve learned in the past and apply them to new situations, working with more independence and skill each time.

When writing to teach, it helps if writers do some actual teaching about their topic.

Writers improve their writing by adding details. History writers often try to include details that help readers picture what happened long ago.

Writers who are writing a story about a time in history think about the three most important elements in any story: character, setting, and conflict.

When writers are writing essays about historical topics, they think about all they know about essay writing: the structure, the thesis, and the supports. They also need to do research to find facts to develop and support their idea.

Writers step back from their writing to reflect on how they are doing, asking themselves, “What have I accomplished as a writer and what do I still need to work on?”

When tackling a new piece of informational writing, nonfiction writers come up with a research plan.

Note-taking is not the easy part of research writing. When writers take notes, they need to understand what they are writing well enough that they are able to explain their notes to someone else.

Writers draw on all they know as information writers to draft

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

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) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

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.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

new information books.

When writing an informational text, writers need to organize information. In an introduction, writers let readers in on their organizational plan.

Writers think about the most important information and ideas that they’re trying to convey in a chapter or a section, and they use text features to highlight that information.

History writers add quotations to their writing to accentuate a central idea.

Writers often draw on what they know about other genres, including narrative, essay, and how-to writing, to craft chapters for their informational books in a style and form of those genres.

History writers need to remember and address more than one side of the story.

Writers reflect on how much they have grown as writers, especially when they are about to take on new and challenging work, so they can set new goals for this upcoming work.

History writers write and develop their own ideas about the information that they find as they research.

History writing is not just made from facts but also from ideas. History writers convey larger ideas about a people, a nation, and a time. And as they write they ask themselves, “What life lessons might this be teaching?” and write about them.

Nonfiction writers don’t always start out as experts on the topic they’re writing about, but instead work to become short-term experts on their topic. They start with their musings, then

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.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

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, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g.,wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media

in turn these into research questions, and then see what they can learn.

Historians don’t always find answers to every question they have. But they can use all of their research and knowledge to create possible answers to questions for which people can’t find ready-made answers.

Writers edit their writing to make it ready for readers.

Information writers share their writing with an audience, teaching their audience all they have learned about their topic.

and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.5 Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.6 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when

appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations.)

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.

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.

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.4.3 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.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

UNIT OVERVIEW

Writing

Grade 4

Unit 6: The Literary Essay: Equipping Ourselves with the Tools to Write Expository Texts that Advance an Idea about Literature (If then Book Unit 3)

Time Frame: March 9 – April 2

(4 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How can students generate ideas about literature?

How can students gather evidence to support their claims, elaborating on and crafting their arguments?

How can students raise the level of their literary essays?

Mentor Texts:

“Spaghetti” by Cynthia Rylant

Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant

Eve Bunting picture books

Technology:

Smartboards

iPads

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons

Literary essayists capture an image that stays with them after they finish reading a story and then try to explain why that image is the one that stays and explore how that image fits with the whole story.

Literary essayists record a turning point in the book and explore how this moment fits into the whole book, or write about how they might live differently if they took the story really seriously.

On demands

Conference notes

and information.

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.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

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.

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.

Essayists can look closely at the text they’ve selected and write long about this, extending their observations by using prompts to jump start their thinking.

Essayists know ahead of time that some parts of a story are rich ground for analysis. Ideas can be found in the moments characters change, the lessons characters are learning, and the issues characters are facing.

Essayists reread their notebook entries to find seed ideas which they will turn into thesis statements.

Essayists make a claim and then give reasons for their claim as in the personal essay.

Essayists gather evidence for each subordinate point by retelling a part of the story that supports their idea.

Essayists quote from a text and then unpack these quotes by talking about how the quote addresses the relevant big idea.

Literary essayists use the vocabulary of their trade, incorporating literary terms such as narrator, point of view, scenes, and the like.

Essayists use transitional phrases at the beginning of paragraphs and between examples.

Formatted: Font: 12 pt, Not Bold, No underline

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).

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.4.9 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.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly

and when drawing inferences from the text.

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.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

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.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

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, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g.,wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

UNIT OVERVIEW

Writing

______________

Grade 4

Unit 7: The Literary Essay

Time Frame: April 6 – May 21

(6 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How can students write structured, compelling essays in which they make and support claims and analyze, unpack, and incorporate evidence?

How can students write more interpretively and analytically?

How can students write compare-and contrast essays, noting the different texts’ approaches to the same theme or issue?

Mentor Texts:

Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks

“Marble Champ” by Gary Soto

“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros

Fireflies by Julia Brinkloe

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

“Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend” and other stories from The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron

Technology:

Smartboard

iPads

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

Reading with an attentiveness to detail can spark ideas and that writing can be a vehicle for developing those ideas.

Conference notes

On demand

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.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4 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.4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Experts know that certain aspects of their subjects merit special attention. Literary essayists know it pays off, for example, to study characters.

One way writers elaborate on their ideas – using simple prompts.

Writers select ideas to craft into theses. Writers question and revise their theses, making sure these are supported by the whole text.

Essayists select mini-stories as evidence to support their ideas.

Writers use direct quotes to support their claims about a text. Writers are discerning, choosing only the quotes that best support their ideas.

Writers not only use stories and quotes as evidence, they also use lists to support their claims.

Writers create drafts out of collections of evidence. Writers study published literary essays to find structures for their own literary essays.

Writers seek out patterns in their books or short stories, using those patterns to develop ideas about the story’s theme or message.

Essayists look at all sides of a text and form complex ideas, adding depth to their writing.

Essayists flash-draft essays, getting their thoughts down quickly on paper so they can revise later.

Essayists think carefully about their introductions and conclusions, giving readers the larger context for their claim in their introduction and leaving their readers with something to

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.L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

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

think about in their conclusion.

Writers find evidence to support their claims by studying the choices authors make in their texts.

Literary essayists check their writing for many things, including making sure they have written in the present tense and that all their pronoun references are correct.

Essayists notice the similarities and differences between texts and categorize their observations into patterns or ideas, in preparation to write a compare-and-contrast essay.

Essayists write compare-and-contrast essays by looking at similar themes across texts, or similar characters, and naming how the texts approach the themes differently or how the characters are similar and different.

Essayists draw on all they know about essay writing as they tackle new projects, Compare-and-contrast essays are a kind of literary essay, so they can use prior learning as they continue to draft and revise their essays.

Writers elaborate on each of their distinct, individual supporting ideas, ensuring their have developed their essay with enough evidence for their claim.

Writers get their writing ready for readers by editing and polishing up their writing. One thing writers make sure to check is their punctuation, including comma usage.

Writers celebrate their writing they have completed.

range of strategies.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

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, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g.,wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

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, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g.,wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

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).

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.4.9 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.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

UNIT OVERVIEW

__Writing_

Grade 4

Unit 8: Poetry Anthologies: Writing, Thinking, and Seeing More (If Then Book, Unit 5)

Time Frame: May 26 – June 11 (3 weeks)

Key Vocabulary:

Essential Questions:

How can students take on different perspectives and approaches within the same topic?

How can students gather ideas for their own anthology and try some poems to go with those topics?

How can students turn prose into poetry?

Mentor Texts:

* This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman

This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort edited by Georgia Heard

Extra Innings: Baseball Poems by Lee Bennett Hopkins

If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems about School by Kalli Dakos

Fine Feathered Friends by Jane Yolen

Roots and Blues: A Celebration by Arnold Adoff

Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School by Georgia

Technology:

Smartboard

iPads

Heard

A Note Slipped Under the Door:Teaching from Poems We Love by Nick Flynn and Shir;ey McPhillips

Handbook of Poetic Forms edited by Ron Padgett

Wham! It’s a Poetry Jam: Discovering Performance Poetry by Sara Holbrook

Common Core State Standards Teaching Points/Lesson Activity Description Assessment

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.4.4 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,

One way poets write is by zooming in on small moments and vivid images that are ties to the meaning they are hoping to convey.

Poets use line breaks to show shifts in time or setting, for dramatic effect, or to influence the way a reader reads the poem.

Poets use dialogue, internal thinking, descriptive details, and other craft moves to bring out what a poem is really about.

Poets can take on the voice or “persona” of someone else.

Poets may generate ideas for poems from observations or emotions, out of memories and images, or from a clever turn of phrase.

Poets don’t wait until it’s “time to revise” to rethink and recraft.

Poets look for a surprising detail or one that adds a new

Conference notes

On demand

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.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.5 Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas

emotion to the poem to make it more piercing.

Poets can discover rhythm in sentences by breaking them up.

Poets eliminate extra words or repeated ideas and get right to the important stuff.

Poets can express their thoughts and feelings through the way they make a line sound.

or themes.

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.4.4 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.