LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

English Language Arts — Grade 4

Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.

Objective 2.06. Summarize major points from fiction and nonfiction text(s) to clarify and retain information and ideas.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Truth or care? Saving Shiloh
The students will be able to explain the importance of responsible citizenship and identify ways they can participate in civic affairs after reading the novel Shiloh and completing research of their own on animal abuse. Through this research, they will be responsible for gathering facts to support their stances on the dilemma Marty faces when deciding whether to return Shiloh to his owner or secretly keep him in order for him to be safe. Students will have real-world experience when they create and are reponsible for caring for their own pet.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts, English Language Development, Guidance, and Social Studies)
By Leah Shomaker and Mary Shomaker.
Storytelling with Cherokee folktales
This is a two day lesson pertaining to telling Cherokee folktales. This lesson can be modified and used with any folktale.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Ricky Hamilton.
Site robbers
In Intrigue of the Past, page 5.6
Students will use an interview with a Native American to write a newspaper article or letter that expresses concern about robbing archaeological sites.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
North Carolina regional travel brochure
The students will cooperatively design travel brochures that describe major physical and cultural characteristics of the regions in North Carolina.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Deborah Harrell.
Lumbee learning
In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 2.2
Introduction Education for the Lumbee Tribe has always been important. After Reconstruction ended and the state of North Carolina began its journey to educate its people, no provisions were made for American Indians. Segregated schools provided education...
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Second Languages)
By Gazelia Carter.

Resources on the web

Using timeline games and Mexican history to improve comprehension
This lesson offers teachers a step-by-step plan for using interactive technology to explore Mexican History. Teachers model comprehension skills to help students identify major historical events and put them in a logical order. After conducting online research... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Information Skills)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Teaching science through picture books: A rainforest lesson
In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, a study of the tropical rainforest is introduced through the picture book Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen. This science lesson, which incorporates reading, writing, and technology, is a template... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Science)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing fact and fiction
In this EDSITEment lesson, the first of a two-part curriculum unit on Rudyard Kipling, students identify key events in Kipling's life and describe their effect on his story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” (part of The Jungle Book). Students... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provided by: EDSITEment
Research building blocks: Notes, quotes, and fact fragments
In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students acquire and use research skills. They learn the importance of finding the words in sentences and paragraphs that contain the facts they need for compiling their research. They then move to putting those notes into... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Paul Revere: American patriot
In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students explore the life and legend of Paul Revere. Revere, an American patriot during the Revolutionary War period, is immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem featuring his daring ride to warn countrymen “the... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Literature circles: Getting started
This lesson serves as an introduction to the use of literature circles in the elementary classroom. Readwritethink offers a workshop-style lesson and a tool-kit for teachers who are using this collaborative reading strategy for the first time. Students... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Learning about research and writing using the American Revolution
This lesson combines historical research and acrostic poetry. After listing all they know about the American Revolution, students work in groups to answer the questions they have about this historical period. Then, after reading If... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
I hear the locomotives: The impact of the Transcontinental Railroad
In this lesson, found on the EDSITEment website, students analyze archival material in order to make connections between the arrival of the railroads and many of the changes that occurred subsequently in the United States and its territories. They learn... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: EDSITEment
Historical fiction: Using literature to learn about the Civil War
In this lesson, the teacher reads aloud a section of Connie Porter's Meet Addy, a book from The American Girls Collection® that tells the story of a young girl who escapes from slavery during... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Guided comprehension: Summarizing using the QuIP strategy
Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of summarizing. Students learn how to summarize information using the QuIP (questions... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Exploring world cultures through folk tales
In this lesson, students read folk tales from Japan, Wales, and Africa and illustrate the stories for purposes of retelling. Students also research the countries and share a brief synopsis with the class. This lesson provides helpful resources for the assignment... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Engaging students in a collaborative exploration of the “Gettysburg Address”
In this lesson, students work together on inquiry-based projects in order to understand the message of Abraham Lincoln's “Gettysburg Address”. In this multi-genre activity, students will: explore the history and meaning of... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
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