Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Personal Narrative
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Second Grading Period – Weeks 1- 4
Enduring Understandings (Big Ideas)
Unit Rationale
A personal narrative allows the writer to share his/her life with others, putting the reader in
the midst of the action and letting the reader live through the experience.
Many of us discover through narrative the meaning of our own lives.
Essential Questions
Guiding Questions
How can I strengthen my beginning, end, and idea development to better convey my
experience?









How can I generate a list of topics I can write about?
How do I organize my ideas into a draft?
How do I write a personal narrative?
How do I write an effective lead?
What are some techniques I can use to develop my ideas?
How can an ending idea effectively close my composition?
How can I use correct capitalization in my composition?
What kind of things can I do to edit my draft?
What are some ways to publish my writing?
TEKS (Standards)
TEKS Specificity - Intended Outcome
4.15 Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning,
drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:
(A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended
meaning to an audience and generating ideas through a range of strategies (e.g.,
brainstorming, graphic organizers, logs, journals);
(B) develop drafts by categorizing ideas and organizing them into paragraphs;
(C) revise drafts for coherence, organization, use of simple and compound sentences,
and audience;
(D) edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling using a teacher-developed rubric;
and
(E) revise final draft in response to feedback from peers and teacher and publish written
work for a specific audience.
4.17 Writing. Students write about their own experiences. Students are expected to
write about important personal experiences.
4.21 Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation.
Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in
their compositions. Students are expected to:
(B) use capitalization for:
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
“I CAN” statements highlighted in yellow and italicized should be
displayed for students.
I can:




generate a list of topics I can write about (4.15A)
organize my ideas into a draft (4.15B)
write a personal narrative (4.15A-E)
revise my draft by
o writing effective leads
o developing ideas
o writing satisfying endings (4.15C)
 edit my draft for grammar, mechanics, and spelling (4.15D, ELPS 5D)
 publish my writing (4.15E)
 use correct capitalization for
o abbreviations, street titles, cardinal directions, titles for people and
AM/PM
o titles of books, stories and essays
o languages, races, nationalities (4.21Bii)
 use commas to enhance idea development (4.21 Ci)
Yo puedo:
 generar una lista de temas para la escritura (4.15A)
 escribir en una narrativa personal (4.17)
 organizar mi ideas en un borrador (4.15B)
Page 1 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
(ii)
(ii)
titles of books, stories, and essays; (Eng.)
the first words of titles of books, stories, and essays (Span.)
( C) recognize and use punctuation marks including:
(i) commas in compound sentences; and
English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)
(5D) edit writing for standard grammar and usage, including subject–verb agreement,
and appropriate verb tenses commensurate with grade-level expectations as more
English is acquired
 revisar mi borrador
o escribir comienzos interesantes
o desarrollar las ideas
o escribir oraciones para cerrar la historia bién (4.15C)
 editar mi borrador por la gramática, convenciones, y la ortografía (4.15D)
 publicar mi escritura (4.15E)
 usar mayúsculas para
o abreviaturas,
o títulos para gente
o las primeras palabras de títulos de libros, historias y ensayos
(4.21Bii )
 usar las comas para desarrollar las ideas (4.21Ci)
Evidence of Learning (Summative Assessment)
 Given a choice of topics, students will write memoirs that achieve a score of 3 or 4 on the Student-Friendly Rubric.
 Students will capitalize proper nouns and use ending punctuation with 95% accuracy in their compositions.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Page 2 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Personal Narrative
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions
Essential Pre-requisite Skills
 How do I write an effective lead?
 How can I use correct capitalization in my composition?
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(i)
the beginning of sentences
(ii)
the pronoun “I”
(iii)
names of people
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 1
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the certain documents in the Teacher Toolkit and the
Mentor Texts to conduct the lessons.
Responding to a Prompt (15A, B, C, D, E, 17, 21B)
Responding to a Prompt
Day 1
 Read aloud a mentor text that will inspire their writing (see Mentor Text at the end of this unit).
 Write the following prompts on the board:
o Tell about an activity that you enjoy.
o Write about a time when you were alone.
 Ask students to take out their topic banks and begin to brainstorm topics that would respond to these
prompts (remember that they should have passion for their topic).
 You brainstorm topics as well.
 Hold a sharing session so that students can see other’s ideas that could “spark “some topics of their
own.
 Have students choose one of their topics and make a jotted list of what they wish to include in their
compositions.
 Teach a capitalization lesson on abbreviations, street titles, cardinal directions, titles for people and
AM/PM (Harcourt Language). Enter it on the Editing Checklist.
Crafting an Effective Lead
Day 2
 The next day, introduce leads in a mini lesson. (Teacher Toolkit: Effective Leads, Leads)
 Talk about how writers “hook “their readers.
 Divide students into groups and have them look at the leads in a group of books and try to describe
what the author was trying to do to attract the reader’s attention.
 Have students share the group’s favorite leads.
 Look at a score point 4 paper and have the students try to classify what kind of lead the writer used.
Drafting Time
Day 3
 Continue Leads lesson from yesterday.
 Ask that students (in pairs) craft 2 different types of lead sentences for their compositions.
 Have them share some with the rest of the class, seeing if the class can classify their lead
(onomatopoeia, action, shock, etc.).
 Give students time to work on their drafts, conferencing with individuals (Toolkit: Conferring)
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
So students can….
Writing Grade 4
 listen to read aloud for ideas
 choose a prompt
 brainstorm topics
 share topics
 plan with a jotted list
 participate in capitalization lesson
Crafting an Effective Lead
 read leads and classify them
 share favorite leads
 classify lead from a score point 4 paper
Drafting Time
 craft two possible lead sentences with a partner
 work on draft referring to plan
 confer with teacher
Page 3 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Peer Share
Peer Share
Day 4
 Teach students about capitalizing the titles of books, stories and essays. Add to the Editing Checklist.
 Teach students about capitalizing languages, races and nationalities (English). Add to the Editing
Checklist.
Revise and Edit
Day 5
 Give students time to work on their drafts, conferencing with individuals (Toolkit: Conferring).
 Ask that students read their compositions to a partner so that they could receive feedback.
 Revisit leads and have students look to see if their leads still fit their compositions.
 Give time to edit compositions for capitalization and other items on their Editing Checklist.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4





work on draft referring to plan
confer with teacher
share with partner
give feedback to partner
participate in capitalization lesson
Revise and Edit
 work on draft
 check lead and make necessary changes
 edit composition using the editing checklist
Page 4 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Personal Narrative
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions
Essential Pre-requisite Skills
 What are some techniques I can use to develop my ideas?
 What kind of things can I do to edit my draft?
 How can I vary my sentence beginnings?
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(iv)
the beginning of sentences
(v)
the pronoun “I”
(vi)
names of people
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 2
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the Mentor
Texts to conduct the lessons.
This week students will go through all stages of the writing process:
 Prewriting
 Drafting
 Revising
 Editing
 Publishing
Remember that writing is not a linear process. This means that writers may revise
and edit in all other stages, or return to prewriting, or write a new first draft, etc.
And, stages do not necessarily fall neatly into days of the week.
Lingering Spot (15B, C, D, E, 21Ci)
Day 1
 Teach a lesson on developing ideas (Teacher Toolkit: Lingering Spot)
 Explain what the word “linger” means.
 Ask students to choose a moment in their compositions and close their eyes. What
can they see, smell, taste, hear, and touch?
 Have them open their eyes and share these ideas.
 Demonstrate how you linger in one of the moments in your paper by sitting in a chair
(lingering) and orally describing your idea.
 Invite students to come up and sit in the chair and do the same sort of description
with their moment.
Sensory Words: Sense of Sound
Day 2
 Teach a lesson on commas with reverse combinations. Reverse combinations
means a more sophisticated way of beginning a sentence with a dependent clause
using one of the following as the first word: As, While, When, Just as, As soon as,
Once, After. An example is, Just as the door opened, I realized I had knocked on
the wrong door. (Teacher Toolkit: Commas with Reverse Combinations)
 Teach students about sensory words (Teacher Toolkit: Sensory Words).
 Focus specifically on the sense of sound (Teacher Toolkit: Gathering Craft).
 In partners, have students practice following one of the examples.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
So students can….
Lingering Spot
 share with a partner
 practice lingering orally (see lesson)
Sensory Words: Sense of Sound
 try out using commas with reverse combinations
 examine the list of sensory words to be used in their own writing
 as partners, look at examples of sound words and use them in a sentence
Page 5 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Sensory Words: Sense of Sight
Day 3
 Read Dr. De Soto by William Steig (about a dentist).
 Focus specifically on the sense of sight (Teacher Toolkit: Gathering Craft).
 In partners, have students practice following one of the examples.

Have students begin to write about a trip to the dentist, focusing on using the
sense of sound and sight.
Sensory Words: Sense of Smell
Day 4
 Teach a lesson on commas with ing phrases (Teacher Toolkit: Commas with ing
phrases)`
 Have students add more sensory words that deal with the sense of smell (Teacher
Toolkit: Gathering Craft).
Sensory Words: Sense of Taste and Touch
Day 5
 Read Hello Ocean or Cowboy Slim and use the foldable in the toolkit to classify the
sensory words. (Teacher Toolkit: Sensory Images)
 Have students add more sensory words that deal with taste and touch (Teacher
Toolkit: Gathering Craft).
 Ask that students classify their sensory words with the foldable.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Sensory Words: Sense of Sight
 try out examples of using sight sensory words with a partner

begin to write about a trip to the dentist
Sensory Words: Sense of Smell
 try out examples of using smell sensory words with a partner
 add to the composition about the trip to the dentist
Sensory Words: Sense of Taste and Touch
 do the foldable with sensory words from the read aloud with a partner
 add to the composition about the trip to the dentist with taste and touch words.
 use the foldable on their own compositions to classify the words used
Page 6 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Personal Narrative
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions



Essential Pre-requisite Skills
How can I get ideas from a book (mentor text) that I can write about?
How do I organize my ideas into a draft?
What can I use sensory words exaggeration and similes and metaphors to
develop my ideas?
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(vii)
the beginning of sentences
(viii)
the pronoun “I”
(ix)
names of people
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 3
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the Mentor
Texts to conduct the lessons.
This week students will go through all stages of the writing process:
 Prewriting
 Drafting
 Revising
 Editing
 Publishing
Remember that writing is not a linear process. This means that writers may revise
and edit in all other stages, or return to prewriting, or write a new first draft, etc.
And, stages do not necessarily fall neatly into days of the week.
Developing Ideas with Sensory Words
Developing Ideas with Sensory Words (15A, B, C, D, E, 17, 21B)
Day 1
 Review last week’s lesson and have students add sensory words to the prompt
from Week 1.
 Have students whisper read for revising and editing.
 Have students publish.
New Prompt
Day 2
 Read aloud a book about friends (see Mentor Text).
 Display the following prompts:
o Write about someone who is important to you.
o Write about making a friend.
 Brainstorm in front of the students about topics specific to these prompts.
 Ask students to add to the list.
 Ask that students choose a topic.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
So students can….
Writing Grade 4
 add sensory words to the prompt from Week 1
 whisper read for revising and editing
 publish
New Prompt
 read aloud a book about friends (see Mentor Text)
 brainstorm topics based on the mentor text
 choose a topic
Page 7 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Prewriting
Day 3
 Demonstrate how you brainstorm ideas for a jot list for planning.
 Circle your “lingering spots” talk about how you will linger there using the chairs as
in week 2.
 Ask that some students come up to demonstrate their lingering spots.
 Ask that all students choose their lingering spots (no more than 3).
 Teach the descriptive phrases lesson (Teacher Toolkit: Descriptive Phrases).
Similes and Metaphors
Day 4
 Teach a lesson on similes and metaphors (Teacher Toolkit: Similes and
Metaphors).
 In pairs, have students come up with some similes and metaphors that could help
them develop ideas in their compositions. Remind them that a little goes a long
way – in other words, don’t inundate the composition (2 or 3 will do just fine).
 Show students a Score Point 4 paper and have them find similes and metaphors.
Exaggeration as a Writing Technique
Day 5
 Teach a lesson on exaggeration, showing author examples (Teacher Toolkit:
Exaggeration as a Writing Technique)
 In pairs, have students work on some exaggeration phrases that could be added
to their compositions.
 Have students share and let the students humorously rate the exaggeration with
their arms pretending to be the dial on the “Exaggerometer.”
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Prewriting
 participate in the lingering spot activity
 choose their lingering spots
 participate in the descriptive phrases lesson
Similes and Metaphors
 participate in simile and metaphor lesson
 with a partner, create similes and metaphors for their compositions
Exaggeration as a Writing Technique
 participate in exaggeration lesson
 in pairs, work on some exaggeration phrases that could be added to their
compositions.
 share their exaggeration statements
 rate the exaggeration of others with the “Exaggerometer”
Page 8 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Personal Narrative
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions
Essential Pre-requisite Skills
 What are some techniques I can use to develop my ideas?
 How can an ending idea effectively close my composition?
 What are some ways to publish my writing?
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(x)
the beginning of sentences
(xi)
the pronoun “I”
(xii)
names of people
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 4
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the Mentor
Texts to conduct the lessons.
This week students will go through the following stages of the writing process:
 Prewriting
 Drafting
 Revising
 Editing
Remember that writing is not a linear process. This means that writers may revise
and edit in all other stages, or return to prewriting, or write a new first draft, etc.
And, stages do not necessarily fall neatly into days of the week.
Writing the First Draft (15A, B, C, D, E, 17, 21B)
Day 1
 Let the students work on their draft from last week, remembering to include the
different ways to develop ideas.
 Have students develop a lead for their papers (based on lesson from Week 1).
Sentence Variety
Day 2
 Show another score point 4 paper and analyze it for sentence variety (sentence
length and beginnings) by having students circle the first word of each sentence
and drawing lines / after each sentence (IMPORTANT! This will also alert you and
students to whether they used capitals and ending punctuation).
Sentence Variety
Day 3
 Remind students that they have learned different ways to begin sentences
(Teacher Toolkit: Transitional Words, Commas with ing Phrases, Using
Commas with Reverse Combinations)
 Have students do the same exercise with their papers as they did with the Score
Point 4 paper yesterday.
 If the students find that they need sentence variety, have them choose four
sentences to change (beginnings and/or length)
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
So students can….
Writing the First Draft

work on first draft
 develop a lead for their papers
Sentence Variety
 put lines / after each sentence and circle the first word in a score point 4 paper
to check for sentence variety (
 share with a partner and have them help them fix up their sentences
Sentence Variety
 review the different ways to begin sentences
 do the same exercise as yesterday, but to their own papers to check for
sentence variety
 fix up at least four sentences
Page 9 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing a Satisfying Ending
Day 4
 Teach a lesson on endings (Teacher Toolkit: Satisfying Endings)
 Look at Score Point 4 papers for endings.
 Have students write an ending to their compositions.
Publishing
Day 5
 Have students revise and edit their papers using the editing checklist
 Ask that students share in the author’s chair.
TAKS Vocabulary:
Vocabulary
English
 lead
 topic
 prewriting
 draft
 editing
 revising
 publishing
 portfolio
 sensory words
 exaggeration
 lingering spot
 similes and metaphors
 sentence variety
Vocabulary
Spanish
 comienzos
 tema
 antes de escribir
 borrador
 corregir
 revisar
 publicar
 palabras sensoriales
 exageración
 quedarse un rato
 similes y metáforos
 variedad de oraciones
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing a Satisfying Ending
 look at models for endings
 write a satisfying ending for their composition
Publishing
 revise and edit their papers using the editing checklist
 share in the author’s chair.
Suggested Mentor Texts
English
 Help! A Story of Friendship by Holly Keller
 Our Friendship Rules by Peggy Moss
 How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them
by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
 How to Lose All Your Friends by Nancy L. Carlson
 The Friendship by Mildred D. Taylor and Max Ginsberg
 Friendship According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
 Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them (American Girl) by Patty
Kelly Criswelll
 Two Bobbies: A Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival
by Kirby Larsen and Mary Nethery
 Maybelle in the Soup by Katie Speck
 Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary
Spanish
 My Name is Gabriela/Me llamo Gabriela/ The Life of Gabriela Mistral/
La vida de Gabriela Mistral por Monica Brown
 It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way/ No tiene que ser asi por Luis J.
Rodriguez y Daniel Galvez
 Arroz con frijoles y unos amables ratones por Alma Flor Ada
 Matilda por Roald Dahl
 Doble Fudge por Judy Blume
 El diario de Pedro por Melanie Watt
 Martha habla por Susan Meddaugh
 Lola por Loufane Gladys Rosa-Mendoza
 Dance, Nana, Dance/Baila Nana, baila por Joe Hayes
 Lila y su bolsa de plástico morada por Kevin Henkes
 Henry Huggins por Beverly Cleary
Writing Grade 4
No Harcourt Language for this unit
Page 10 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Evidence of Learning
Formative Mini Assessments
Refer to Margaret Kilgo’s Question Stems in the
Teacher Toolkit.
TAKS
Sample Questions
English: Revising and Editing – 2004
The student must look back on the test to the passage
where the sentence is found. The following is the original
sentence as it appeared in the passage.
(15) He hear’s it scamper in the fallen leaves.
Here is the question about that sentence:
20. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 21?
F Change hear’s to hears
G Change it to them
H Change fallen to falled
J Make no change
College-Readiness i.e.,
Anticipated Skills for SAT/ACT/College Board/Career/Life
College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS)
(I.A.) Compose a variety of texts that demonstrate clear
focus , the logical development of ideas in well-organized
paragraphs, and the use of appropriate language that
advances the author’s purpose.
(4) Recognize the importance of revision as the key to
effective writing. Each draft should refine key ideas and
organize them more logically and fluidly, use language
more precisely and effectively, and draw the reader to the
author’s purpose.
Written Composition 2004
Write a composition about an adventure you have had.
Spanish: Revisión y corrección - 2004
The student must look back on the test to the passage
where the sentence is found. The following is the original
sentence as it appeared in the passage.
(3) El llego a mi casa cuando acababa de nacer .
Here is the question about that sentence:
17. La oración 4 quedaría más clara si se cambia El por A Mi tío
B Puqui
C El día
D El regalo
Written Composition 2004 -- Spanish
Escribe una composición acerca de una aventura que
hayas tenido.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Page 11 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Friendly Letter
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Second Grading Period – Week 5 - 6
Enduring Understandings (Big Ideas)
Unit Rationale
Write letters whose language is tailored to the audience and purpose (e.g., a thank you note to a
friend) and that use appropriate conventions (e.g., date, salutation, closing).
Writing a friendly letter is still an important skill in an electronic age. People must
have a clear idea of the audience and the purpose of their letters.
Essential Questions

Guiding Questions

How can I communicate my thoughts effectively in a letter?


TEKS (Standards)
How can I write a friendly letter that addresses my audience and
purpose?
How do I make my letter interesting?
How can I use the different verb tenses correctly?
TEKS Specificity - Intended Outcome
4.15 Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or
work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific
purposes. Students are expected to:
(B) write letters whose language is tailored to the audience and purpose (e.g., a thank you
note to a friend) and that use appropriate conventions (e.g., date, salutation, closing);
4.16 Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and
use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue
to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
(A) use and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the context of
reading, writing, and speaking:
(i) verbs (irregular verbs);
(C) use complete simple and compound sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
(i) regular and irregular verbs (past, present, future, and perfect tenses in the indicative
mode) - Spanish;
“I CAN” statements highlighted in yellow and italicized should be
displayed for students.
I can:
 write a friendly letter that is appropriate for my audience and purpose
(4.15B)
 recognize and use past, present and future tense correctly (4.16 Ai, C)
 make my subject and verb agree (4.16C)
Yo puedo:
 escribir una carta amistosa que es apropriada para mi audencia y
propósito (4.15B)
 reconocer y usar correctamente los tiempos verbiales (4.16 Ai, C, ELPS
)
English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)
(5D) edit writing for standard grammar and usage, including subject–verb agreement, and
appropriate verb tenses commensurate with grade-level expectations as more English is
acquired
(5E) employ increasingly complex grammatical structures in content area writing
commensurate with grade-level expectations, such as:
(i) using correct verbs, tenses, and pronoun antecedents (F) mark accents
appropriately when conjugating verbs in simple and imperfect past, perfect,
conditional, and future tenses (e.g., corrió, jugó, tenía, gustaría, vendrá); and
Evidence of Learning (Summative Assessment)
 Students will earn a score of 3 or above on a Friendly Letter rubric (Harcourt Language).
 90% of students will use verb tenses correctly.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Page 12 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Friendly Letter
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions



Essential Pre-requisite Skills
How can I write a friendly letter that addresses my audience and purpose?
How do I make my letter interesting?
How can I use the different verb tenses correctly?
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(xiii)
the beginning of sentences
(xiv)
the pronoun “I”
(xv)
names of people
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 5
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the Mentor Texts to
conduct the lessons.
This week students will go through the following stages of the writing process:

Prewriting

Drafting

Revising

Editing
Remember that writing is not a linear process. This means that writers may revise and
edit in all other stages, or return to prewriting, or write a new first draft, etc. And, stages
do not necessarily fall neatly into days of the week.
So students can….
Writing a Thank You Note
Writing a Thank You Note (15, 16Ai, C, ELPS 5D, E)


observe the format of a friendly letter
recite the parts of a letter using the songs
Day 2
 Help students brainstorm someone they could write a thank you note to (Teacher
Toolkit: Friendly Letter Format)
Day 3
 Review complete sentences and subjects and predicates (Harcourt Language).
 Brainstorm ideas for the literary essay.

understand the parts of the literary essay

review complete sentences and subjects and predicates
Writing a Thank You Note

brainstorm ideas for the literary essay

write the thank you note

edit for spelling


participate in group conferences
publish the thank you note
Day 1
 Read aloud or model-write a letter.
 Teach the students the parts of a letter in song (Teacher Toolkit: Parts of a Letter)
Writing a Thank You Note
Day 4



Have students write more of the thank you note
Ask that students edit for spelling
Conduct group conferences.
Writing a Thank You Note
Day 5



Have students whisper read to revise and edit.
Conduct group conferences.
If possible, have the students write the note on the computer.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Page 13 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
a Friendly Letter
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions
Essential Pre-requisite Skills
 How can I write a friendly letter that addresses my audience and purpose?
 How do I make my letter interesting?
 How can I use the different verb tenses correctly?
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(xvi)
the beginning of sentences
(xvii)
the pronoun “I”
(xviii)
names of people
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 6
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the
Mentor Texts to conduct the lessons.
This week students will go through the following stages of the writing process:
 Prewriting
 Drafting
 Revising
 Editing
Remember that writing is not a linear process. This means that writers may
revise and edit in all other stages, or return to prewriting, or write a new first
draft, etc. And, stages do not necessarily fall neatly into days of the week.
TAKE FIVE MINUTES EACH DAY TO PRACTICE CURSIVE WRITING
Writing the Literary Essay
Writing the Literary Essay (6, 16, Figure 19D, 20B, C, 21A, 22A-D)
Day 1
 Choose a new selection to write about
 Have students search through what they have read in the last five weeks
that they would like to write about in their essay.
Day 2
 Refer to the lesson in the toolkit about the literary essay (Teacher Toolkit:
The Letter-Essay)
Day 3
 Review complete sentences and subjects and predicates (Harcourt
Language).
 Brainstorm ideas for the literary essay.
Day 4
 Have students write more of the essay.
 Ask that students edit for spelling
 Conduct group conferences.
Day 5
 Have students whisper read to revise and edit.
 Conduct group conferences.
 Score with Literary Essay Rubric (Teacher Toolkit: Literary Essay Rubric)
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
So students can….
 use the ideas and vocabulary of mentor text to influence their own writing
 observe the teacher as she/he models how to prepare for the essay. Assist her in
skimming the text.
 choose a selection to write about
 understand the parts of the literary essay
 review complete sentences and subjects and predicates
 brainstorm ideas for the literary essay
 write the essay
 edit for spelling
 participate in group conferences
 publish the essay
Writing Grade 4
Page 14 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
TAKS Vocabulary:
Vocabulary
English
 friendly letter
 heading
 greeting
 body
 closing
 signature
Vocabulary
Spanish
 carta amistosa
 encabezamiento
 saludo
 cuerpo o tema
 despedida
 firma
Suggested Mentor Texts
English
 Old Henry by Joan W. Blos
 Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James
 The Jolly Postman by Allan and Janet Ahlberg
 The Long, Long Letter by Elizabeth Spur
 Stingbean’s Trip to the Shining Sea by Jennifer and
Vera B. Williams
Spanish
 Querido Salvatierra por Simon James
 ¡Qué sorpresa de cumpleaños! por Loretta López
 Gracias a Winn-Dixie por Kate DiCamillo
 Icy Watermelon/Sandía fría por Mary Sue Galindo
 In My Family/En mi familia by Carmen Lomas Garza
 Abuela por Arthur Dorros
 Just Like Home/Como en mi tierra por Elizabeth I.
Millar
 La maestra del pántano negro por Mike Thaler
Textbook:
Harcourt Language
 Verb Tenses, pp. 164-165
 Present-Tense Verbs, pp. 166-167
 Subject-Verb Agreement, pp. 168-169
 Past-Tense Verbs, pp. 176-177
 More About Past-Tense Verbs, pp. 178-179
 Choosing the Correct Tense, pp. 196-197
Harcourt Lenguaje
 Tiempo verbiales, pp. 164-165
 Verbos en tiempo presente, pp. 166-167
 Concordancia entre el sujeto y el verbo, pp. 168-169
 Verbos en tiempo presente, pp. 176-177
 Más sobre los verbos en el tiempo pasado, pp. 178179
 Elegir el tiempo correcto, pp. 196-197
Evidence of Learning
Formative Mini Assessments
Refer to Margaret Kilgo’s Question Stems in the
Teacher Toolkit.
TAKS
Sample Questions
English: Reading – 2006
20. Which sentence from the selection shows that Kathy
is a patient person?
F Luke almost always keeps his brown eyes on his
owner Kathy.
G Training a deaf dog can take more time than
teaching a hearing dog.
H An owner must use signs to communicate
commands.
J If Luke is sleeping while people visit, Kathy asks
them not to wake him.
English: Revising and Editing – 2006
The student must look back on the test to the passage
where the sentences are found. The following are the
original sentences as they appeared in the passage.
(13) Because the snow was so wet.
(14) We were able to make huge snowballs
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
College-Readiness i.e.,
Anticipated Skills for SAT/ACT/College Board/Career/Life
College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS)
(I.A.) Compose a variety of texts that demonstrate clear
focus , the logical development of ideas in well-organized
paragraphs, and the use of appropriate language that
advances the author’s purpose.
(4) Recognize the importance of revision as the key to
effective writing. Each draft should refine key ideas and
organize them more logically and fluidly, use language
more precisely and effectively, and draw the reader to the
author’s purpose.
Page 15 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Here is the question about those sentences:
20. What revision, if any, is needed in sentences 13 and
14?
A Because the snow was so wet, we were able. To
make huge snowballs.
B Because the snow was so wet, we were able to
make huge snowballs.
C Because the snow was so wet and we were able to
make huge snowballs.
D No revision is needed.
Spanish: Lectura – 2006
20. ¿Qué oraciones de esta historia muestran que es
muy probable que Lupe participe en el concurso?
F Sin embargo, para cuando llegó a su casa, ya no
se sentía igual.
G Después de lavar los trastes, Lupe fue a su cuarto
y sacó una bola que estaba debajo de su cama.
H Se sentó y pensó por un largo rato.
J Mientras sostenía su historia favorita, pensó: “Sólo
hay una manera de saberlo.”
Spanish: Revisión y corrección - 2006
The student must look back on the test to the passage
where the sentences are found. The following are the
original sentences as they appeared in the passage.
(5) Mi hermana y yo nos volteamos a ver.
(6) Nos vimos con cara de aburramiento.
Here is the question about those sentences:
20. Cuál es la MEJOR manera de combinar las oraciones
5 y 6?
F Mi hermana y yo nos volteamos a ver con cara de
aburrimiento.
G Mi hermana y yo nos volteamos pero a ver con
cara de aburrimiento.
H Mi hermana y yo nos volteamos. A ver con cara de
aburrimiento.
J Mi hermana y yo nos volteamos a ver porque con
cara de aburrimiento.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Page 16 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
an Imaginative Story
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Second Grading Period – Week 7 - 9
Enduring Understandings (Big Ideas)
Unit Rationale
 Imaginative stories contain a plot that builds to a climax and believable characters and
settings
Imaginative stories help students learn to entertain while using a narrative
structure
Essential Questions
Guiding Questions
 How can I use my imagination and real life to create a story that will entertain my readers?
TEKS (Standards)





How can a write an imaginative story with a plot?
How can I effectively use dialogue in my story?
What can I do to vary the types of sentences I write in my composition?
How can I use irregular past tense verbs correctly?
How can develop ideas and characters in my imaginative stories?
TEKS Specificity - Intended Outcome
4.18 Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings
about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:
(A) write imaginative stories that build the plot to a climax and contain details about the
characters and setting; and
4.20 Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and
use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students continue to
apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
(C) use complete simple and compound sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
4.21 Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation.
Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their
compositions. Students are expected to:
(C) recognize and use punctuation marks including:
(ii) quotation marks.
(English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)
(5F) write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths, patterns, and connecting
words to combine phrases, clauses, and sentences in increasingly accurate ways as more
English is acquired
“I CAN” statements highlighted in yellow and italicized should be
displayed for students.
I can:
 write imaginative stories that have a plot (4.18 A, ELPS 5F)
 use quotation marks correctly (4.21Cii)
 write using complex sentences (4.20C)
 use past tense correctly (4.20C)
 develop characters and ideas (4.18A)
Yo puedo:
 escribir historias imaginarias que tienen un argumento (4.18 A)
 usar el diálogo correctamente (4.21C)
 usar las oraciones complejas (4.20C)
 usar los verbos del tiempo pasado correctamente (4.20C)
 dearrollar las ideas y los personajes (4.18A)
Evidence of Learning (Summative Assessment)
 Students will score a 3 or 4 on the Student-friendly Rubric for their compositions.
 Students will use dependent and independent clauses 94% of the time.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Page 17 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
an Imaginative Story
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions




Essential Pre-requisite Skills
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(xix)
the beginning of sentences
(xx)
the pronoun “I”
(xxi)
names of people
How can a write an imaginative story with a plot?
What can I do to vary the types of sentences I write in my composition?
How can I use irregular past tense?
How can develop ideas and characters in my imaginative stories?
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 7
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the Mentor
Texts to conduct the lessons.
This week students will go through the following stages of the writing process:
 Prewriting
 Drafting
 Revising
 Editing
 Publishing
So students can….
Remember that writing is not a linear process. This means that writers may
revise and edit in all other stages, or return to prewriting, or write a new first
draft, etc. And, stages do not necessarily fall neatly into days of the week.
TAKE FIVE MINUTES EACH DAY TO PRACTICE CURSIVE WRITING
Using Your Imagination
Using Your Imagination (18A) (Adapted from a lesson by Melissa Forney in Primary
Pizzazz Writing, 2005)
Day 1
 Use a decorated hula hoop to welcome students to the world of make-believe.
You might even have some magical music playing
 Have each student step through the hoop. Tell them that they are entering a
world where animals talk and magic can happen.
 Tell students that people have always enjoyed pretending, so they are going to
learn how to pretend in imaginative stories.
 Talk about a recent children’s movie (such as Despicable Me) where there were
elements of reality and fantasy put together in a believable format.
 On a chart tablet, have students help you list the elements of reality and fantasy
(imagination) in a T-Chart.
 Tell students that sometimes you can start with reality and then think about, “What
could happen?” For instance, in the Magic Tree House Series there are realistic
characters that go on a fantastic journey to another time and place.
 Begin with a read aloud of a familiar fairy tale, such as Jack and the Beanstalk.
 Have students take notes on their own T-Chart of reality and fantasy
 Do another class T-Chart on this story.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4

enter the world of make-believe through the magic hula hoop


discuss the reality and fantasy elements of an imaginative movie
volunteer to add items to the T-Chart


listen to a read aloud of a fairy tale
complete a T-Chart while listening to the book
Page 18 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Telling A Fairy Tale from Another Point of View (4.18A)
Day 2
 Have the students take the fairy tale from yesterday and tell the story from a
different character’s point of view (the giant in Jack, a stepsister in Cinderella, a
dwarf’s point of view in Snow White, the grandmother in Red Riding Hood, etc.)
 This is a good time to reinforce the concept of first person in the telling of a story.
 Have students pair up to write this imaginative story.
Character Development (18A)
Day 3
 Teach the students how to describe their characters (Teacher Toolkit:
Character Development).
 Have students add more depth to their character through revision (Teacher
Toolkit: EZ Revision Techniques).
 Confer with individual students.
Character Development (18A)
Irregular Past Tense (20C)
Day 4
 Have students continue to develop their characters.
 Have students share with other pairs of students.
 Teach a lesson on irregular past tense verbs (Harcourt Language)
 Play Bingo with the irregular past tense verbs by having students fold a paper in
nine sections (a letter fold twice).
 Then write a list of irregular past tense verbs (more than nine) on the board and
ask students to choose the nine that they will put in each square.
 Make a list of cards with the present tense of that verb and when you say the
present tense, they cover the past tense on their cards (e.g. you say, “bring” and
they cover “brought”)
 Add this item to the Editing Checklist.
Final Edit and Author’s Chair
Day 5
 Using the editing checklist, have students do a final edit to their papers.
 Have students write their final draft.
 Ask that some students share in the Author’s Chair.
 Have pairs self-score with the TEA rubric.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Telling A Fairy Tale from Another Point of View (18A)
 work in pairs to create a fairy tale in first person from another character’s point
of view
Character Development
 participate in the character development lesson from the toolkit
 add more depth to their character in the fairy tale
Character Development
Irregular Past Tense
 continue to add depth to their characters
 participate in the verb lesson
 play Bingo with the irregular past tense verbs
Final Edit and Author’s Chair
 do a final edit using the editing checklist
 write a final draft
 share in the Author’s Chair
 Self-Score the paper with the TEA rubric
Writing Grade 4
Page 19 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
an Imaginative Story
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions


Essential Pre-requisite Skills
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(xxii)
the beginning of sentences
(xxiii)
the pronoun “I”
(xxiv)
names of people
How can a write an imaginative story with a plot?
How can I effectively use dialogue in my story?
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 8
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the
Mentor Texts to conduct the lessons.
So students can….
Beginning a New Prompt
Beginning a New Prompt (4.18A)
 listen attentively to the imaginative read aloud
 choose a topic and brainstorm ideas and vocabulary
Day 1
 Read aloud an imaginative story
 Give the students a list of possible prompts
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
12 inches tall
A planet for kids much cooler than Earth
Behind the locked door
Draw your own adventure
A genie grants you wishes
Too much candy
“I have a secret”
Invisible
From a dog’s point of view
Too many monkeys
The tall suspicious man next door
Baby gorilla lost in the city
The chocolate lake
A squirrel saves the world
The unlucky lottery winner
Stuck in the elevator
Tell the truth
The magic stone
 plan their imaginative story
 Demonstrate how you jot down ideas to plan your composition. Include how
your imaginative story will end.
 Have students do the same for the topic they have chosen.
 Have students brainstorm ideas on their own and then share them with a
partner.
 Help students generate words that they can use in their compositions and
enter these words in a category on the WWW (Teacher Toolkit: Writing
Word Wall).
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
 share ideas with a partner
Writing Grade 4
Page 20 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Getting Started on the First Draft (18A)
Day 2
 Have students do a timed writing to get their compositions started.
 Review what the students have learned about character development.
 Have them plan some character development for their composition.
 Let students continue writing.
Using Dialogue (21Cii)
Day 3
 Tell the students that dialogue can help readers learn interesting information
and understand characters better.
 Explain that readers would like to know not only what your character does,
but what he says. It makes characters more realistic.
 But, it is important to remind your students that a few well written lines of
dialogue are better than having the character talk on and on. This can get
boring for your readers.
 Tell students that the key to writing dialogue is to make it sound natural, as if
someone is really talking. Sometimes that might mean that the character
utters an incomplete sentence or a phrase.
 Teach the lesson on using dialogue from the toolkit (Teacher Toolkit: Using
Dialogue).
Using Dialogue and Dialogue Tags (21Cii)
Day 4
 Teach the students to use dialogue tags (Teacher Toolkit: Dialogue Tags).
 List some dialogue tags on the WWW.
 In partners, have the students write a story about trying to return a broken toy
to the store and the clerk does not want to give you a refund. Be sure to
punctuate and tag the dialogue.
Including Dialogue in Their Compositions (21Cii)
Day 5
 Give the students time to work on their compositions.
 Have students “Cut and Grow” to add dialogue to their compositions.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Getting Started on the First Draft
 get started on their topic
 develop their characters
Using Dialogue
 participate in the dialogue lesson
Using Dialogue and Dialogue Tags
 participate in the lesson on dialogue tags
Including Dialogue in Their Compositions (21Cii)
 revise by inserting and punctuating interesting dialogue
Writing Grade 4
Page 21 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Writing– Grade 4
Unit of Study: Writing
an Imaginative Story
CURRICULUM GUIDE
Second Grading Period
Guiding Questions
Essential Pre-requisite Skills
 How can a write an imaginative story with a plot?
 What can I do to vary the types of sentences I write in my composition?
 How can develop ideas and characters in my imaginative stories?
First Grade
21(B) recognize and use basic capitalization for:
(xxv)
the beginning of sentences
(xxvi)
the pronoun “I”
(xxvii) names of people
The Teaching and Learning Plan
Instructional Model & Teacher Directions
Week 9
The teacher will…
Follow this weekly plan. You will need to access the Teacher Toolkit and the
Mentor Texts to conduct the lessons.
TAKE FIVE MINUTES EACH DAY TO PRACTICE CURSIVE WRITING
So students can….
Day 1
Showing Not Telling
 participate in a lesson about developing ideas
Showing Not Telling (4.18A)
Day 1
 Use a lesson from the toolkit such as Freeze Frame or Show, Don’t Tell
(Teacher Toolkit: Freeze Frame, Show, Don’t Tell)
Day 2
Showing Not Telling
 participate in a lesson about developing ideas
Showing Not Telling with Thoughts and Feelings (4.18A)
Day 2
 Use a lesson from the toolkit such as Freeze Frame or Show, Don’t Tell
(Teacher Toolkit: Freeze Frame, Show, Don’t Tell)
Showing Not Telling with Thoughts and Feelings
Day 3
 include the thoughts of characters and show their feelings through actions.
Sentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences
Day 3
 Teach about sentence fragments and run-on sentences (Harcourt Language).
 Have students edit their compositions for fragments and run-ons.
Complex Sentences
Day 4
 Teach about dependent and independent clauses (Harcourt Language)
Complex Sentences
Publishing
Day 5
 Teach about dependent and independent clauses (Harcourt Language)
 Have students publish their imaginative stories.
TAKS Vocabulary:
Vocabulary
English
 imaginative stories
 composition
 character development
 irregular past tense
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Sentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences
Day 4
 edit for fragments and run-ons
Complex Sentences
Publishing
Day 5
 use complex sentences in their compositions
 publish their imaginative stories.
Suggested Mentor Texts
English
 Jack and the Night Visitors by Pat Shories
 Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman
 Newfangled Fairy Tales edited by Bruce Lansky (Examples of Endings)
 Old Henry by Joan W. Blos
Writing Grade 4
Textbook:
Harcourt Language
 Irregular Past Tense, pp. 204-205
 Dependent Clauses, pp. 320-321
 Distinguishing Dependent and
Independent Clauses, pp. 222-223
Page 22 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
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quotation marks
dialogue tags
dependent clauses
independent clauses
complex sentences
sentence fragments
run-on sentences
Vocabulary
Spanish
 Cuentos imaginarios
 composición
 desarrollo de personaje
 tiempo pasado
 conversación
 clausulas dependientes
 clausulas independientes
 oraciones complejas
 oración seguida
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
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Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
Ruby by Maggie Glenn
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown and Scott Nash
The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble and Steven
Kellogg
 The Memory String Houghton Mifflin
 Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
 Lilly’s Big Day by Kevin Henkes
 Ruby by Maggie Glenn
 George Shrinks by Joyce Williams
 Regina’s Big Mistake by Marissa Moss
 Chocolatina by Erik Kraft
 When I Was Little: A Four Year Old’s Memoir of Her Youth by Jamie Lee
Curtis
 The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend and John Manders
 Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland
 Nothing Ever Happens on 90th street by Roni Schotter and Kristen Brooker
 The Dumb Bunnies by Dav Pilkey
 Dogbreath: Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis by Dav Pilkey
Spanish
 Cuentos populares del mundo por Michelle Bates, Jenny Tyler, and Carmen
Riveiro
 Stories that Must Not Die por Juan Sauvigeau
 El día que el boa de Jimmy comió la ropa por Trinka Hakes Noble and
Steven Kellogg
 Stuart y su capa por Rod Clement
 Cuentos con sazón por Lulu Delacre
 El águila calva por Gail Gibbons
 Sara sencilla y alta por Paticia MacLauglan
 An Illustrated Treasury of Latino Read-Aloud Stories: 40 of the Best-Loved
Stories for Parents and Children to Share por Maite Suarez-Rivas, Ruth
Araceli, Shannon Workman, Alexander Levitas, Ana Lopez y Alma Mora
 Hally Tosis: El horrible problema de un perro por Dav Pilkey
 El sombrero del Tío Nacho por Harriet Rohmer y Mira Reisberg
 Doña Flor: Un cuento de una mujer gigante con un gran corazón por Pat
Mora y Raul Colón
 El regalo del leñador por Lupe Ruiz-Flores y Elaine Jerome
Writing Grade 4
Harcourt Lenguaje
 Más verbos iregulares, pp. 204205
 Cláusulas dependientes, pp. 320321
 Distinguir las cláusulas
independientes y dependientes,
pp. 222-223
Page 23 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.
Evidence of Learning
Formative Mini Assessments
Refer to Margaret Kilgo’s Question Stems in the
Teacher Toolkit.
TAKS
Sample Questions
English: Revising and Editing – 2006
The student must look back on the test to the passage where
the sentence is found. The following is the original sentence
as it appeared in the passage.
College-Readiness i.e.,
Anticipated Skills for SAT/ACT/College Board/Career/Life
College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS)
(I.A.) Compose a variety of texts that demonstrate clear
focus , the logical development of ideas in well-organized
paragraphs, and the use of appropriate language that
advances the author’s purpose.
(4) Recognize the importance of revision as the key to
effective writing. Each draft should refine key ideas and
organize them more logically and fluidly, use language
more precisely and effectively, and draw the reader to the
author’s purpose.
(11) We packed water food, and tents.
Here is the question about that sentence:
20. What change, if any, is needed in sentence 11?
F Change packed to pack.
G Insert a comma after water.
H Change tents to tent’s.
J Make no change.
Spanish: Lectura – 2006
Spanish: Revisión y corrección - 2006
The student must look back on the test to the passage where
the sentence is found. The following is the original sentence
as it appeared in the passage.
(10) El agua es tan clara que se pueden ver algunos pezes.
Here is the question about that sentence:
25. ¿Qué cambio se debe hacer en la oración 10?
F Cambiar El por La.
G Cambiar es por son.
H Añadir un punto después de clara.
J Cambiar pezes por peces.
SAISD © 2010-2011 – Second Grading Period
Writing Grade 4
Page 24 of 24
Power Standards represent the essential knowledge and skills students need for success in high school and beyond. Power Standards must be mastered to successfully pass the required
assessments at each grade level. All TAKS eligible knowledge and skills are identified as Power Standards.