English Language Arts — Grade 4

Resources on the web

Examining plot conflict through a comparison/contrast essay

In these sessions, students explore picture books to identify the characteristics of four types of conflict: character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. nature, and character vs. society. In the initial activity, students write what they... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Did you say spiders?

This lesson supports students' natural curiosity about spiders and builds upon their prior knowledge. Students work cooperatively using response journals and online resources to inquire into the world of spiders, gather information about various types of... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Dancing minds and shouting smiles: Teaching personification through poetry

Students learn about personification in this lesson that uses “The Sky is Low” by Emily Dickinson, “Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room” by William Blake, and “April Rain Song” by Langston Hughes. After the teacher... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Creating comic strips

This lesson from ARTSEDGE looks at the way we communicate information/ideas through various mediums (words, symbols, illustrations, etc). When analyzing comic strips, students notice that each has a different style, point of view, setting, plot, and summary,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Creating classroom community by crafting themed poetry collections

In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students create poetry collections with a back-to-school theme of “getting to know each other.” Students write poetry with the goal of introducing themselves, helping to create a sense of classroom community,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Composing cinquain poems with basic parts of speech

After learning about the parts of speech, students explore the cinquain poem, a type of poetry that uses nouns, verbs, and adjectives in a specific order. Students evaluate several sample cinquain poems for structure and similar characteristics. Using a... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Compiling poetry collections and a working definition of poetry

This ReadWriteThink lesson introduces poetry forms and craft elements while students explore poetry about everyday topics or themes. Focusing on poetry in this way allows students to delve deeply into their own creativity. When students have the opportunity... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Comparing Tales through Performance

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students identify the similarities and differences between a traditional and a contemporary version of The Three Little Pigs. Students act out scenes from each of the stories and are assessed based on how well they... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–4 English Language Arts and Theater Arts Education)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Comics in the classroom as an introduction to narrative structure

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will examine the plot and narrative structure of a story through the use of comic strip frames. They will then write their own original narratives after creating comic strip storyboards as a prewriting exercise. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Color Poems--Using the Five Senses to Guide Prewriting

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are asked to think about colors, while imagining what they taste, feel, smell, sound, and look like. The students use their five senses as a prewriting tool to guide their poetry writing. This lesson is open-ended... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Cinderella folk tales: Variations in plot and setting

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students compare and contrast several versions of Cinderella stories told around the world to find differences and similarities in plot and setting. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Cinderella folk tales: Variations in character

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students compare and contrast several versions of Cinderella stories told around the world to find differences and similarities in character traits. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Choosing clear and varied dialogue tags: A mini-lesson

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students explore the use of dialogue tags such as “he said” or “she answered” in picture books and novels, discussing their purpose, form, and style. Students identify dialogue tags in stories,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Charting characters for a more complete understanding of the story

This ReadWriteThink lesson introduces the instructional strategy of Character Perspective Charting. This method is designed to reflect the actual complexity of stories that may not be reflected by the use of traditional story maps. A practical instructional... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Can you haiku?

Haiku poems show us the world in a water drop, providing a tiny lens through which to glimpse the miracle and mystery of life. Combining close observation with a moment of reflection, this simple yet highly sophisticated form of poetry can help sharpen... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Buzz! Whiz! Bang! Using comic books to teach onomatopoeia

In this lesson, students use comic strips to find onomatopoetic words, develop a vocabulary list from the words, and discuss why writers use onomatopoeia. In the introductory activity, students listen for words that imitate the natural sound associated... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Bright Morning: Exploring character development in fiction

This lesson uses Scott O'Dell's Sing Down the Moon to explore character traits and identify textual support. After students have read the book, the teacher challenges them to describe the character Bright Morning to someone... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Bridging literature and mathematics by visualizing mathematical concepts

During interactive read-aloud sessions that explore Actual Size and If You Hopped Like a Frog, students identify and analyze elements of author’s craft in conveying mathematical information... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Mathematics)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Born on a mountaintop? Davy Crockett, tall tales, and history

The culminating activity in this unit is the student creation of tall tales. Such tales are built by combining the fictional element of exaggeration with historical elements of nostalgia about the past and anxiety about the future. John Henry, for example,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Book report alternative: The elements of fiction

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students review the elements of fiction and the key components of a book report. They identify and share these concepts by writing and illustrating their own mini-book based on a fiction book they have chosen to read.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink