E.L.A. Class Homepage
READING CLASS
Skills are developed in the following areas:
- Building Knowledge & Language through prior knowledge, vocabulary, active listening, and viewing.
- Vocabulary with a specific focus on academic, generative, and vocabulary strategies.
- Reading Workshop practice with multiple genre sources, comprehension tasks at various levels of complexity, response to text, performance task, and communication.
- Foundational skills are developed with decoding, spelling, and fluency practice.
- Assessment learning through formative and performance-based tasks.
WRITING CLASS
Cursive: We will practice letters, words, and by the end of 4th grade, students will be writing using cursive in paragraph format. Cursive is required to be begin with practice in 3rd grade. It is the hope that letter practice will be a practice-based skill at this point.
Skills are developed in the following areas:
- An emphasis on evidence-based writing with elaboration will be taught and practiced in class.
- Each independent task will have a focal text so that students have samples to build an understanding from as they write.
- Students will develop writing through thinking maps and practice the process of writing through pre-writing, draft, revision, edit, and publishing.
- Students will learn to proofread and share ideas with the following writing (keep in mind NOT all work will be published):
- Narrative
- Informative/Expository
- Opinion/Argumentative
- Informative Letter Writing
- Research Report
- Poetry
Library
In fourth grade, we will go to the library as a class every other Monday during Reading/Writing Class. Students will be allowed to select up to three choice books within their lexile ability range to read.
* I will often ask students to select 1 fiction and 1 non-fiction book. Allowing them to select a third book as choice.
READING Homework
Students will be required to read nightly! Monday - Thursday, students will use a book at their ability level for 30 minutes. Students will be taught how to use our 4th grade Annotation logs. These logs will become the homework that goes with their nightly reading. Homework for Reading class should not exceed 35 minutes after the annotations logs begin to go home.
Assessment: At the start of the school year, midyear, and at the end of the year, students will be assessed to determine their lexile level using an indicator or multiple indicators to determine a students strengths and weaknesses.
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- HMH Reading Inventory, DIBELS, Phonic Screener Instrument
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Lexile: Students will be given their lexile and goal will be made to work toward continued growth. Students will use the lexile number range to select books at the library and/or at home.
Annotation logs: 4 logs will go home the first day of each week and will be due the following first day of the week (Typically, Monday). The logs will encourage students to use vocabulary, comprehension, and they will be standards-based. In fourth grade, we require students to elaborate when writing in response to questions. Therefore, students will learn how to write a R.A.C.E. written response for Reading and Writing classes. A R.A.C.E. response is where the student restates the question, answers the question, cites text evidence to support their answer, and explains their response thoroughly.
Students will complete 4 logs in 7 days. This was to take into consideration students with extra-curricular activities as well. However, reading should still occur a minimum of Monday - Thursday.
* Look out for Annotation logs coming home. It will be noted on the Peek of the Week to let parents know when students will be bringing them home.
Additional homework can be expected if:
A student has been:
- Absent, classroom practice/assignment work is not getting completed, or they need to redo any work.
- Assessments will NEVER be sent home to complete. All assessments and retakes will be required to be completed in class.
Library
In fourth grade, we will go to the library as a class every other Monday during Reading/Writing Class. Students will be allowed to select up to three choice books within their lexile ability range to read.
* I will often ask students to select 1 fiction and 1 non-fiction book. Allowing them to select a third book as choice.
AZ Dept of Education 4th Grade Standards