Standard Course of Study :: English Language Arts — Grade 4

LEARN NC

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

Goal 3

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

Objective 3.02

Analyze characters, events, and plots from different selections and cite supporting evidence

Resources aligned to this objective

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.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
By Jennifer Fessler and Karen Wright.
Catalog display for The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Carlson
This project is a culminating activity for the novel The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson. Rather than writing the traditional book report, students will create a catalog of items, characters, places, themes, ideas, etc. from the novel. The students will create the catalog on the computer.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Computer Technology Skills)
By Jane Hudson.
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.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Computer Technology Skills)
By Jeanne Munoz.
The Frog Prince - Compare and Contrast
This lesson can be used with numerous pieces of literature, videos or cassette material to develop viewing and listening skills and the students ability to compare and contrast. One of the richest sources is in the area of fairytales and folktales. This an especially good source if you can find a modernized version in video or cassette form to contrast with the more traditional written form. I have used the "Frog Prince" because of this factor and because it was part of the 4th grade language arts reading unit.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Information Skills and English Language Arts)
By Barbara Waters.
Pigs and Wolf on a Map!
The students will construct a Double Bubble Map (Venn Diagram) to compare and contrast two versions of a familiar fairytale.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 English Language Arts and Computer Technology Skills)
By Cherry Randall.
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.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts)
By Jan Caldwell.
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.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By laura ritchie.

Lesson plans on the web

Behind the scenes with Cinderella
Students use literature and the Internet to research and learn about the geography, architecture, and weather that are associated with the setting of Moss Gown. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Book report alternative: Examining story elements using story map comic strips
Students use a six-paneled comic strip to create a story map, summarizing a book or story that they've either read as a class or independently. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Book report alternative: The elements of fiction
Students review the elements of fiction and the key components of a book report. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
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. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Bright Morning: Exploring character development in fiction
Students explore characterization by identifying traits and finding textual support. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Charlotte is wise, patient, and caring: Adjectives and character traits
Students define the purpose of adjectives and find examples in shared reading. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Charting characters for a more complete understanding of the story
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. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Comparing Tales through Performance
Students identify the similarities and differences between a traditional and a contemporary version of The Three Little Pigs. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–4 English Language Arts)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Creating comic strips
Students use comic strips to explore how style, point of view, setting, plot, and summary, is communicated not only through words, but through illustrations. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 English Language Arts)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Demonstrating comprehension through journal writing
Students demonstrate comprehension by responding to open-ended questions based on the 1939 Newbery Honor chapter book, Mr. Popper's Penguins. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Developing inferential comprehension through DL-TA and discussion webs
Uses the narrative text Granddaddy's Gift by Margaree King Mitchell to help students improve their inferential comprehension, prediction, and discussion skills. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Examining plot conflict through a comparison/contrast essay
In this lesson, students identify the characteristics of conflict using picture books. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Exploring cause and effect using expository texts about natural disasters
In this lesson, students explore the nature and structure of expository texts focusing on cause and effect. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE