Writing Overview
Miss Berndl's Fabulous Fours
Curriculum Guidelines:
By the end of Grade 4, students will:
 | communicate ideas and information for a variety of purposes and to
specific audiences (e.g., write a brief research report on a class
investigation for classmates); |
| begin to write for more complex purposes (e.g., to present and
discuss their opinions and viewpoints, to pose questions, to record
information); |
| organize and develop ideas using paragraphs (e.g., to tell a story);
|
| use simple and compound sentences and vary their sentence structure;
|
| produce pieces of writing using a variety of specific forms (e.g.,
humorous story) and materials from other media (e.g., photo sequence)
to enhance their writing; |
| produce media texts using writing and materials from other media
(e.g., a cartoon); |
| revise and edit their work, using feedback from the teacher and
their peers; |
| proofread and correct their final drafts, focusing on grammar,
punctuation, and spelling; |
| use and spell correctly the vocabulary appropriate for this grade
level; |
| use correctly the conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation,
visual presentation) specified for this grade level. |
Our Grade 4 Writing Program Consists Of:
Mechanics of Writing Writing Forms
| Mechanics of Writing |
|
| HANDWRITING -
putting it into print
 | printing |
| cursive |
| lettering |
| keyboarding |
|
|
Skills
| speed |
| correct letter formation |
| developing personal style |
| reading handwriting of others |
| writing with no lines |
|
| LAYOUT
| letter style |
| notebook set up |
| paragraphs |
|
|
| spacing between words |
| erasures |
| neatness |
| use of a ruler |
|
| SPELLING
|
|
| weekly spelling lists |
| vocabulary development |
| word
studies |
| dictionary skills |
|
| GRAMMAR |
|
| parts of speech |
|
| VOCABULARY |
|
| word study |
| glossaries |
|
| SKILL DRILLS |
|
| fluency - FMTW - Five Minute Timed Writing |
| Handwriting exercises |
| Keyboarding Exercises - All the Right Type |
|
| FINE MOTOR SKILLS |
|
| paper folding, ripping |
| cutting, gluing |
| coloring, shading, mapping |
| writing without lines, Magic Lines |
| sketching, lettering |
| 3-D sculptures, paper mache, plasticine |
| sewing, tying knots |
|
| Writing Forms |
|
| EXPOSITORY WRITING |
|
| Research notes & Publications
|
| 3rd Person Writing - About the Author, Personal Blurb |
| 1st Person Writing - Yearbook - I remember when ... |
| Reflections ~ students are often
expected to write about their thoughts and feelings about things that
they have learned about or their own performance
| V&R ~ Viewing a video & Reflecting piece of writing |
| PMI - Plus, Minus,
Interesting - used for self & peer evaluation |
|
| Yearbook Articles ~ students
write about event that occur during the year for their class yearbook |
|
| PERSONAL USE WRITING |
|
| Agenda~ students copy items
directly from the board daily to organize their time and to maintain
communication between home & school |
| Cue cards for presentations |
| Notebook Maintenance |
| Note-taking ~ students transcribe
notes from the board, make point form notes from class discussions or
their own reading |
| V&N ~ Viewing & Note-taking ~
students experience making notes while watching a video |
| V&R ~ Viewing & Reflecting |
| L&L ~ Listening & Learning |
| Listening & Note-Taking ~ student presentations |
| Reading & Note-Taking ~ research |
|
| LETTER WRITING |
|
|
| CREATIVE WRITING |
|
| Short Stories |
| Poetry |
|
| SCRIPT |
|
|
| PATTERN BOOK |
|
|
| SUMMARIES |
|
| Talking Book Summaries ~ listening & chapter summaries |
| Reading Log Novel Summaries |
|
| REPORTING |
|
|
| GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS |
| IPDs - INFORMATION PRESENTATION DEVICES |
|
| Chart |
| Compare & Contrast - Similarities /
Differences |
| Comparison Organizer |
| Cycle |
| Collages |
| Diagrams |
| Idea webs / Cluster web / Word web |
| Map |
| Paragraph Sandwhich - topic sentence, details,
concluding sentence |
| Photograph |
| PMI Chart |
| Posters |
| SMART Ideas Concept Mapping software |
| Story Map - setting, characters, problem,
plot/events, resolution |
| T-Chart |
| Time Line |
| Title Pages |
| Venn Diagram |
| 5W - Who, What, Where, When, WhyWord Poles |
|
| BIBLIOGRAPHY |
|
| Properly Identifying Resources |
|
Reporting of Interviews
(not done every year)
|