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
9/1/11 – 9/30/11
Launch the Writer’s Workshop
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Students will write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks,
purposes, and audiences.
1. Objectives
a.
b.
c.
Establish Routines, Procedures, Management
Initiate Writer’s Folder
Begin Idea Notebook
2. Resources
a.
b.
Writer’s Workshop: The Essential Guide, Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi
http://www.ralphfletcher.com/index.html
Narrative Writing
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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
10/3/11 – 12/22/11
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.
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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
Page
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1
2. Resources
Published Writing Piece
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Students will produce, publish, and interact with others about writing.
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
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Refer to Common Core State Standards Language Strand (pp. 25-29)
9/4/12
1. Objective:
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
Informative/Explanatory Writing
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
2
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.
Page
1.
Published Writing Piece

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.”)
2. Resources for Conventions

Refer to Common Core State Standards Language Strand (pp. 25-29)
9/4/12
1/3/12 – 2/17/12
 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
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 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.
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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)
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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)
3
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.
Page
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9/4/12
2/27/12 – 3/20/12
Writing on Demand
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
Argument/Opinion Writing
2.
Resources
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Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 4
o
Lessons 16-20 (Persuasive Essay)
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Storytown Teachers Edition Theme 4
o
Lesson 18 (Persuasive Paragraph)
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Storytown Writer’s Companion
o
Lesson 18 (Persuasive Paragraph)
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6+1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide Grades 3 and Up, Ruth Culham
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Writing to Persuade: Minilessons to Help Students Plan, Draft, Revise, Grades 3-8, K. Caine
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Second Steps Curriculum
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Common Core State Standards Student Sample; Appendix C (pp. 25-26)
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Mentor Texts
Published Writing Piece
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Students will produce, publish, and interact with others about writing.
1. Objective:
4
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.
Page
1.
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)
9/4/12
3/21/12 – 4/4/12
 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
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
Poetry
 Poetry allows students to explore their feelings and emotional lives. “It can also help our students
open their eyes to the beauty of the earth, restore a belief in the power of language, and help them
begin to understand the truths inside them.” Georgia Heard
5/7/12 – 7/1/12
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Focus Form: Free verse
Secondary Forms: cinquain, diamante, haiku, etc.
Focus Traits: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice
Secondary Traits: Sentence Fluency, Conventions
1.
Objectives
Write Stories, poems, and scripts that use similies and/or metaphors.
2.
Resources
 Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 1
o Pages 28, 56, 57, 134, 178
 Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 2
o Page 134
 Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 3
o Pages 54, 230, 290
 Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 4
o Page 130
 Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 5
o Page 130
 Storytown Teacher Edition Theme 6
o Page 52
 Poetry Matters by Ralph Fletcher
 Mentor Texts
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.
2. Resources for Conventions
Page
Students will produce, publish, and interact with others about poetry.
9/4/12
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5
Published Writing Piece