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Last updated: 8/1/2007

Niagara Falls City School District
630 66th Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14304

English Language Arts - Grade 4 - Writing - 20 Weeks

Literacy Competencies:
The writing competencies common to all four ELA stuandards that students demonstrate during grade 4

Spelling

Handwriting

Composition

Motivation to Write

ELA1.04.WR2.01	Students take notes to record data, facts, and ideas both by following teacher direction and by writing independently.
ELA1.04.WR2.02	Students state a main idea and support it with details.
ELA1.04.WR2.03	Students use organizational patterns such as compare/contrast, cause/effect, and time/order, for expository writing.
ELA1.04.WR2.04	Students use a variety of resources, such as age-appropriate dictionaries and/or computer software, to spell words correctly.
ELA1.04.WR2.05	Students produce clear, well-organized, and well-developed explanations, reports, accounts, and directions that demonstrate understanding of a topic.
ELA1.04.WR2.08	Students compare and contrast ideas and information from two sources.
ELA1.04.WR2.09	Students write labels and captions for graphics to convey information, with assistance.
ELA2.04.WR2.01	Students write original literary texts that: use dialogue to create short plays use vivid and playful language
ELA2.04.WR2.02	Students write interpretive and responsive essays that: describe literary elements such as plot, setting, and characters describe themes of literary texts compare and contrast elements of text
ELA2.04.WR2.03	Students produce clear, well-organized responses to stories read or listened to, supporting the understanding of characters and events with details from the story.
ELA2.04.WR2.04	Students produce imaginative stories and personal narratives that show insight, development, organization, and effective language.
ELA2.04.WR2.05	Students use resources such as personal experiences and themes from the text and performances to stimulate own writing.
ELA2.04.WR2.08	Students summarize the plot, with assistance.
ELA2.04.WR2.09	Students describe the characters and explain how they change, with assistance.
ELA2.04.WR2.10	Students describe the setting and recognize its importance to the story, with assistance.
ELA2.04.WR2.11	Students draw a conclusion about the work, with assistance.
ELA3.04.WR2.01	Students use prewriting strategies, such as semantic webs and Venn diagrams, to organize ideas and information and to plan writing.
ELA3.04.WR2.02	Students state a main idea, theme, or opinion and provide supporting details.
ELA3.04.WR2.03	Students use relevant examples, reasons, and explanations to support ideas.
ELA3.04.WR2.04	Students express opinions and make judgments that demonstrate a personal point of view.
ELA3.04.WR2.05	Students use personal experiences and knowledge to analyze and evaluate new ideas.
ELA3.04.WR2.06	Students analyze and evaluate the author's use of setting, plot, character, rhyme, rhythm, and language in written and visual text.
ELA3.04.WR2.07	Students use effective vocabulary in persuasive and expository writing.
ELA3.04.WR2.08	Students use details from stories or informational texts to predict, explain, or show relationships between information and events.
ELA3.04.WR2.09	Students use ideas from two or more sources of information to generalize about causes, effects, or other relationships.

Performance Standards

E2b
The student produces a response to literature that:

Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing reading interest;
Advances a judgment that is interpretive, analytic, evaluative, or reflective;
Supports judgment through references to the text, references to other works, authors, or non-print media, or references to personal knowledge;
Demonstrates an understanding of the literary work;
Provides a sense of closure to the writing.

E2c
The student produces a narrative account (fictional or autobiographical) that:

Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a point of view, and otherwise developing reader interest;
Establishes a situation, plot, point of view, setting, and conflict (and for autobiography, the significance of events);
Creates an organizing structure;
Includes sensory details and concrete language to develop plot and character;
Excludes extraneous details and inconsistencies;
Develops complex characters;
Uses a range of appropriate strategies, such as dialogue and tension or suspense;
Provides a sense of closure to the writing.

Curricular Framework

Follow Writer's Workshop Format
Ritual/Routines
Model Writing Process Stages

Performance Standards
By the end of the year, we expect 4th grade students to be able to:

MSE2e
The student produces a persuasive essay that:

Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing reader interest;
Develops a controlling idea that makes it clear and knowledgeable judgement;
Creates and organizes a structure that is appropriate to the needs, values, and interests of a specified audience, and arranges details, reasons, examples, and anecdotes effectively and persuasively;
Includes appropriate information and arguments;
Excludes information and arguments that are irrelevant;
Anticipates and addresses reader concern and counterarguments;
Supports arguments that detailed evidence, citing sources of information as appropriate;
Provides a sense of closure to the writing

Curricular Framework

Performance Standards
E5a
The student responds to non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes; that the student:

Identifies recurring themes across works;
Analyzes the impact of authors' decisions regarding word choice and content;
Considers the differences among genres;
Evaluates literary merit;
Considers the function of point of view or persona;
Examines the reasons for a character's actions, taking into account the situation and basic motivation of the character;
Identifies stereotypical characters as opposed to fully developed characters;
Critiques the degree to which a plot is contrived or realistic;
Makes inferences and draws conclusions about contexts, events, characters, and settings.

Curricular Framework
Follow the Writer's Format

New Standards
Performance Standards
(Standards Book - pg. 24)