Dartmouth Elementary Public Schools
Writing Curriculum Based On Common Core Standards
For English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science
Fourth Grade Scope and Sequence

Students will write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
1.
Objectives a.
Establish Routines, Procedures, Management b.
Initiate Writer’s Folder c.
Begin Idea Notebook
2.
Resources a.
Writer’s Workshop: The Essential Guide, Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi b.
http://www.ralphfletcher.com/index.html

Narrative writing conveys experience either real or imaginary and uses time as its deep structure.

Narrative writing can be used for many purposes, such as to inform, instruct, persuade, or entertain.

Students will strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing and rewriting.

Focus Form : personal narrative

Secondary Forms : creative fictional stories, memoirs, anecdotes, autobiographies, poetry

Focus Traits : Ideas, Organization, Voice,

Secondary Traits : Sentence Fluency, Word Choice, Conventions
1.
Objectives
Write narratives in which they: a.
Establish a situation, introduce a narrator and/or characters, and organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b.
Use narrative techniques such as dialogue and description to develop events and show the characters’ external behaviors and internal responses to events. c.
Use a variety of temporal words and phrases to manage the sequence of events. d.
Uses concrete and sensory words and phrases to convey events and experiences precisely. e.
Provide a satisfying conclusion that follows the narrative’s events.
2.
Resources

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 1 o pages 80-93 (Personal Narrative)

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 5 o pages 76- 89 (Story)

6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide Grades 3 and Up, Ruth Culham
 Storytown Writer’s Companion

Mentor Texts

Students will produce, publish, and interact with others about writing.
1.
Objective:
Students should select one draft and prepare it for publication. It should reflect what they can do independently through each step in the writing process.
The finished narrative, showing all the steps of the writing process, should be presented in an
Author’s Celebration and then placed in the red Literacy folder at the end of the unit
.
2.
Resources for Conventions

Refer to Common Core State Standards Language Strand (pp. 25-29)

Dartmouth Elementary Public Schools
Writing Curriculum Based On Common Core Standards
For English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science
Fourth Grade Scope and Sequence

Write informative/explanatory texts to convey complex information clearly and accurately through purposeful selection and organization of content.
 Informative/Explanatory writing can be used for many purposes: to increase the readers’ knowledge of a subject, to help readers better understand a procedure or process, or to provide readers with an enhanced comprehension of the concept.

Focus Form : Report

Secondary Forms : Compare/Contrast, Instructions, Interviews, Maps, Observations, Poetry, etc.

Focus Traits : Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice

Secondary Traits : Sentence Fluency, Conventions
1.
Objectives

Write informative/explanatory pieces in which they: o 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. o Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. o Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because ). o Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. o
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

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.
2.
Resources

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 2 o Lesson 9 (Explanatory Paragraph)

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 3 o Theme Writing (Explanatory Essay – pages 78-91) o
Lesson 11 (Cause and Effect Paragraph); Lesson 12 (Informational Paragraph)

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 4 o Lesson 16 (How-To Composition)

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 6 o Theme Writing (Research Report – pages 78-95) o Lesson 27 (Explanatory Essay); Lesson 29 (Biography)
 Storytown Writer’s Companion

6+1 Traits of Writing The Complete Guide Grades 3 and Up, Ruth Culham

Mentor Texts

Students will produce, publish, and interact with others about writing.
1.
Objective:
Students should select one draft and prepare it for publication. It should reflect what they can do independently * through each step in the writing process. (* It won’t be “perfect.” )
The finished report, showing all the steps of the writing process, should be presented in an Author’s Celebration, and then placed in the red Literacy folder at the end of the unit.
2. Resources for Conventions

Refer to Common Core State Standards Language Strand (pp. 25-29)

Dartmouth Elementary Public Schools
Writing Curriculum Based On Common Core Standards
For English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science
Fourth Grade Scope and Sequence

The Common Core Standards state:

Narrative writing conveys experience either real or imaginary and uses time as its deep structure.

Narrative writing can be used for many purposes, such as to inform, instruct, persuade, or entertain.

Students will strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing and rewriting.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education states:

Writing prompts are included only on ELA Composition tests and require students to respond by creating a written composition.

Student compositions are scored independently by two scorers for o topic development, based on a six point scale, with students receiving from 2 to12 points
(the sum of scores from each of the two scorers) o standard English conventions, based on a four-point scale, with students receiving from 2 to 8 points (the sum of the scores from each of the two scorers)

Student compositions that do not address the prompt are deemed non-scorable (NS), earning them 0 out of 20 possible points.

Current research states:
 “ Because writing workshops focus on strengthening writing strategies and thereby raise the bar for all writing, they are the perfect way to teach students to write well to prompts. When students learn to write strong beginnings, use specific words, or write about significant details, their writing improves. The challenge for the teacher is to help students transfer knowledge about writing strategies to prompt writing ” (Angelillo, J., Writing to the Prompt, 2005.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, p. 9)

Focus Form : Personal Narrative

Focus Traits : Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions
1.
Objective
“Practice in writing on demand, without benefit of time for extensive revision, prepares students for occasions when they are required to write quickly, clearly, and succinctly in response to a question. In such instances students apply their organizational and editing skills as they write, with the goal of producing a concise and comprehensible first draft” (Massachusetts ELA Curriculum
Frameworks, 2001, p. 53).
2. Resources

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 1 o pages 80-93 (Personal Narrative)

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 5 o pages 76- 89 (Story)
 Storytown Writer’s Companion
 http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/
 Writer’s Workshop: The Essential Guide, R. Fletcher and J. Portalupi (pp. 108-113)

6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide Grades 3 and Up, R. Culham

Common Core State Standards Language Strand (pp. 25-29)

This published piece of writing should reflect what children can do independently through each step in the writing process. Students should choose which piece of authentic writing they want to bring through the writing process. The finished package should be put in the red Literacy folder at the end of the unit.
Dartmouth Elementary Public Schools
Writing Curriculum Based On Common Core Standards
For English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science
Fourth Grade Scope and Sequence
 The Common Core Standards put particular emphasis on students’ ability to write sound arguments on substantive topics and issues; in grade K-5 the term “opinion” is used.

Arguments can be used for many purposes, such as to change the reader’s point of view, to bring about some action on the reader’s part, or to ask the reader to accept the writer’s explanation or evaluation of a concept, issue, or problem.
 An argument is a reasoned, logical way of demonstrating that the writer’s position, belief, or conclusion is valid.

Students will strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing.

Focus Form : Essay

Secondary Forms : Advertisements, Book Reviews, Brochures, Letters, Pamphlets, Poems,
PowerPoint Presentations, posters, public service announcements, posters, etc.

Focus Traits : Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice

Secondary Traits : Sentence Fluency, Conventions
1.
Objective
Write opinion pieces in which they: 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. b.
Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details. c.
Link opinion and reason using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition ). d.
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
2.
Resources

Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 4 o Lessons 16-20 (Persuasive Essay)

Storytown Teachers Edition Theme 4 o
Lesson 18 (Persuasive Paragraph)
 Storytown Writer’s Companion o Lesson 18 (Persuasive Paragraph)

6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide Grades 3 and Up, Ruth Culham

Writing to Persuade: Minilessons to Help Students Plan, Draft, Revise, Grades 3-8, K. Caine

Second Steps Curriculum

Common Core State Standards Student Sample; Appendix C (pp. 25-26)

Mentor Texts

Students will produce, publish, and interact with others about writing.
1.
Objective:
Students should select one draft and prepare it for publication. It should reflect what they can do independently * through each step in the writing process. (* It won’t be “perfect.” )
The finished opinion essay, showing all the steps of the writing process, should be presented in an Author’s Celebration, and then placed in the red Literacy folder at the end of the unit.
2. Resources for Conventions

Refer to Common Core State Standards Language Strand (pp. 25-29)

Dartmouth Elementary Public Schools
Writing Curriculum Based On Common Core Standards
For English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science
Fourth Grade Scope and Sequence
TBA