Standard Course of Study :: English Language Arts

Teaching & Learning

For Students

Primary: K | 1 | 2
Elementary: 3 | 4 | 5
Middle: 6 | 7 | 8
Secondary: 9–12

About LEARN NC

Goal 3

The learner will make connections with text through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.

Objective 3.01

Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:

analyzing the impact of authors' word choice and context.
examining the reasons for characters' actions.
identifying and examining characters' motives.
considering a situation or problem from different characters' points of view.
analyzing differences among genres.
making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters, events and themes.

Tools

Print this curriculum (English Language Arts — Grade 4)

Resources aligned to this objective

Records 1–20 of 81 displayed: go to page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Along the Trail of Tears: A part of history is often forgot when teaching younger students. This is the relocation of the Cherokee Indians when the white settlers wanted their property. The US Government moved whole groups of Indians under harsh conditions. This trip became known as the Trail of Tears. Using this as a background students will explore and experiment with persuasive writing as they try to express the position of Cherokee leaders.; Author: Glenda Bullard; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Awesome Action Words: Good writers use precise verbs to make stories interesting and vivid. In this lesson, students will learn to replace boring, redundant, generic verbs with more precise “Awesome Action Words.”; Author: DPI Writing Strategies; Format: lesson plan (grades 3–4)
Bubba: A Cinderella story: This lesson focuses on the whimsical interpretation of the Cinderella story. Students explore the story Bubba, the Cowboy Prince, through rich text and interpretations of the story.; Author: Jennifer Fessler and Karen Wright; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Connecting Folktales and Culture in North Carolina and Beyond: Students will explore connections to North Carolina culture as they engage in reading and analyzing three folktales of North Carolina Literary Festival author, William Hooks. After comparing these stories to other versions of the traditional tales, students will become authors and storytellers themselves as they rewrite a tale from a new cultural point of view. Opportunities are also included to extend this study to world cultures and folktales.; Author: Jeanne Munoz; Format: lesson plan (grades 4, 8)
Introducing Simple Machines: A Machine Walk: This is an integrated lesson exploring simple machines. The poetry response part of this lesson serves to spark the students' interest as well as allow the teacher to identify students' prior knowledge of machine concepts and vocabulary. The machine walk gives a baseline assessment of students' understanding. The majority of students originally focus on complex machines; this will be evident by the types of machines they identify on their list.; Author: Terri Fannin; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Let's hunt for vivid vocabulary!: This activity will be used to encourage students to focus on using an enriched vocabulary. During an oral reading of the book A Bad Case of Stripes, the students will search and identify various nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, dialogue tags, and transition words.; Author: Susan Byrd; Format: lesson plan (grades 3–4)
Narrative Writing - Using exact words: The learner will recognize exact verbs in literature and then use more exact verbs when writing a narrative.; Author: Georgette Rush; Format: lesson plan (grades 3–4)
Native American poetry workshop: This weeklong set of lessons uses four different center activities to help students respond to poetry written by American Indians. This lesson plan was written with ESL (English as a second language) students in mind, so there are many opportunities to practice vocabulary, discuss and talk with others, and model expectations.; Author: Liz Mahon; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Observing connections: Art, poetry and the environment: Students will explore the poem of Pat Lowery Collins, “I Am An Artist” and create their own poem from what they see and experience. They will then illustrate their poems with a visual design. This is the first lesson in a series of three in which students are creating art based on their observations: Lesson 1 Observing Connections —Art, Poetry, and the Environment; Lesson 2 Observing Connections—Changing Landscapes; Lesson 3 Observing Connections—North Carolina Pottery and Face Jugs; Author: Lisa Mitchell; Format: lesson plan (grades 4–5)
Observing connections: Changing landscapes: The students will learn about the changing environment through study and observation. They will reflect on these changes in the environment and create their own landscape and habitat. This is the second lesson in “Observing connections,” a series of three in which students are creating art based on their observations.; Author: Lisa Mitchell; Format: lesson plan (grades 4–5)
Quilts: This lesson plan in designed to be one part of a fourth grade social studies unit on the Appalachian Mountains. It is based on the mountain custom of quilt making. This plan uses the book The Quiltmakers Gift by Jeff Brumbeau. It also uses the book internet site and other related sites. Enrichments of this lesson would be to display quilts, have a real quilt maker visit, have the class create their own paper quilt, etc.; Author: Barbara Waters; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
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.; Author: Leah Shomaker and Mary Shomaker; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Walking in the Woods with Owl Moon: This is an integrated project using the book Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Students will use the story to write a personal narrative, understand the elements of a story, and practice answering open-ended questions.; Author: Birty Lightner; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Weaving Picture Books into Narrative Writing: Children's picture books are the perfect medium for mini-lessons in narrative writing. Teachers provide books which demonstate the qualities the students need to develop in their own writing.; Author: Jan Caldwell; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
What's the Point? A Lesson on Point of View: After reading Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day students will write the story from a chosen character's point of view. This lesson can be used with other wordless picture books.; Author: Eileen Carter and Tracey Casto; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Writing a Ghost Story/ Mystery: Building upon the students' knowledge base of Blackbeard the Pirate, the numerous shipwrecks off of the N.C. coast, myths, and legends of the Carolinas, and/or The Lost Colony, students will write a ghost story or mystery narrative of their own.; Author: laura ritchie; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)
Author study: Improving reading comprehension using inference and comparison: In this lesson, students review several texts by one illustrator/author, practice making inferences about that author, and then check their inferences against the author's online biography.; Provider: IRA/NCTE; Format: lesson plan (grades 4–5)
Book report alternative: Writing resumes for characters in historical fiction: Students select a character from a work of historical fiction then help the character choose and apply for a job.; Provider: IRA/NCTE; Format: lesson plan (grades 4–5)
Bright Morning: Exploring character development in fiction: Students explore characterization by identifying traits and finding textual support.; Provider: IRA/NCTE; Format: lesson plan (grades 4–5)
Characters in Because of Winn–Dixie: Making lists of ten: Using the children's book,Because of Winn–Dixie, students learn about characterization techniques by creating lists of ten features that identify a character.; Provider: IRA/NCTE; Format: lesson plan (grade 4)