In the Fourth Grade, Students Continue Using the Reading Skills They Have Acquired in The

Grade 4

Overview

In the fourth grade, students continue using the reading skills they have acquired in the earlier grades to comprehend more challenging texts. They read a variety of informational texts as well as four major types of literary texts: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Students respond to literary and informational texts in a variety of ways. They begin to examine how an author uses words to convey meaning, how the structure of a text supports meaning, and how the graphic features included in a text aid the reader’s understanding. Students make connections among their personal experiences, the texts they read, and the world.

Fourth graders continue to develop vocabulary strategies and word analysis skills. The vocabulary students acquire through reading transfers to their oral and written communication. They write for various audiences to inform, to describe, and to entertain. They continue to plan, draft, revise, and edit narrative, descriptive, and informational writing. Students pay attention to the content and development, the organization, the quality of voice, and the correct use of Standard American English in their written works.

Students in the fourth grade are actively involved in gathering information about topics that are relevant to their lives through reading, oral communication, and research. They access information by using print and electronic reference materials. Students create a list of the sources they use and demonstrate in their writing a clear distinction between their own ideas and the ideas of others.

Grade 4

Big Idea: READING

Understanding and Using Literary Texts

Standard 4-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and nonprint formats.

Essential Question: How do people make meaning of literary print and nonprint text?

Students in grade four read four major types of literary texts: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama. In the category of fiction, they read the following specific types of texts: chapter books, adventure stories, historical fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, picture books, folktales, legends, fables, tall tales, and myths. In the category of literary nonfiction, they read personal essays, autobiographical and biographical sketches, and speeches. In the category of poetry, they read narrative poems, lyrical poems, humorous poems, and free verse.

The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.

Indicators:

4-1.1 Analyze the details that support the expression of the main idea in a given literary text.

4-1.2 Analyze literary texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.

4-1.3 Distinguish between first-person and third-person points of view.

4-1.4 Distinguish among devices of figurative language (including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) and sound devices (including onomatopoeia and alliteration).

4-1.5 Analyze the impact of characterization and conflict on plot.

4-1.6 Interpret the effect of the author’s craft (for example, word choice, sentence structure, the use of figurative language, and the use of dialogue) on the meaning of literary texts.

4-1.7 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, writing, creative dramatics, and the visual and performing arts).

4-1.8 Classify works of fiction (including fables, tall tales, and folktales) and works of nonfiction (including biographies and personal essays) by characteristics.

4-1.9 Recognize the characteristics of poetry (including stanza, rhyme scheme, and repetition).

4-1.10 Analyze cause-and-effect relationships in literary texts.

4-1.11 Read independently for extended periods of time for pleasure.

Big Idea: Reading

Understanding and Using Literary Texts

Help Page for standard 4-1

The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and nonprint formats.

See support document attached for indicators 4-1.1, 4-1.4, and 4-1.6

Notes:

South Carolina Department of Education

Support Document

Standard 4-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and nonprint formats.

Students in grade four read four major types of literary texts: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama. In the category of fiction, they read the following specific types of texts: chapter books, adventure stories, historical fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, picture books, folktales, legends, fables, tall tales, and myths. In the category of literary nonfiction, they read personal essays, autobiographical and biographical sketches, and speeches. In the category of poetry, they read narrative poems, lyrical poems, humorous poems, and free verse.

The teacher should continue to address earlier indicators as they apply to more difficult texts.

Indicator 4-1.1 Analyze the details that support the expression of the main idea in a given literary text.

Definition of Revised Bloom’s Verb

Analyze Break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose. Other verb terminology that speaks to the notion of analyzing might be differentiating, organizing, and attributing.

Explanation of Indicator

Details are the individual bits of information about a subject or topic.

The main idea is the major topic of a passage or work that may be stated directly or inferred.

Finding the Main Idea

Teaching the strategy of how to find the main idea is important. Once the subject of the paragraph is discovered, the main idea (what the author wants the reader to remember) will be determined by analyzing the details.

Subject

+ What the author says about the subject

Main Idea

Stated Main Idea

Locating important details in a passage is an important key in the process of isolating the main idea or the main point the author wants his readers to understand. The main idea may be found anywhere in a passage but is often stated in the first sentence followed by the details or in the last sentence after the author has given an explanation of the details.

Implied Main Idea

If the main idea is not directly stated by the author, the reader must think about how the details in the sentences connect to support the main subject or topic and decide what the author wants his readers to remember most. Establishing a plan of action is important for a successful analysis of the details in a passage. Separating important details from non-essential details is another critical skill. Asking the question, “What do the details tell me about the subject?’ and/or including an organizer is part of the process. These steps will enable students to analyze details to arrive at the main idea.

Instructional Progression of Indicator

The level of difficulty of the text increases at each grade level. Additionally, some areas of focus for main idea and details differ at each grade level.

What do students need to know before they can understand main idea and details in a literary text?

·  Students should understand that main idea is the “big idea” of a single paragraph or an entire work. It is what the author wants the reader to remember most.

·  Details provide specific information the reader will analyze.

·  Essays, stories, and articles consist of a series of paragraphs. One paragraph builds on another to present a writer’s thoughts.

·  While each paragraph has its own main idea, all the paragraphs relate to each other and to the subject of the piece. The student must find the main idea in each paragraph and determine the relationship to the subject.

Within the study of main idea and details, what have students been taught and what will they be taught in the future?

The words in bold indicate a change from grade to grade.

K-1.1 Summarize the main idea and details from literary texts read aloud.

1-1.1 Summarize the main idea and supporting evidence in literary text during classroom discussion.

2-1.1 Analyze the details that support the expression of the main idea in a given literary text.

3-1.1 Analyze the details that support the expression of the main idea in a given literary text.

4-1.1 Analyze the details that support the expression of the main idea in a given literary text.

5-1.6 Analyze the details that support the expression of the main idea in a given literary text.

6-1.6 Compare/contrast main ideas within and across literary texts.

When teaching main idea and details, what connections, links, or ties can be made to other indicators?

4-1.7 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, writing, creative dramatics, and the visual and performing arts).

4-1.11 Read independently for extended periods of time for pleasure.

4-2.1 Summarize evidence that supports the central idea of a given informational text.

4-2.4 Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for example, drawings, written works, and oral presentations).

4-2.9 Read independently for extended periods of time to gain information.

4-4.3 Create paragraphs that include a topic sentence with supporting details and logical transitions.

4-5.1 Create informational pieces (for example, postcards, flyers, letters,

and emails) that use language appropriate for the specific audience.

4-5.2 Create narratives containing details and a sequence of events that develop a plot.

4-5.3 Create written descriptions using language that appeals to the readers’

senses.

4-5.4 Create written pieces (for example, skits and plays) to entertain

others.

4-6.4 Paraphrase research information accurately and meaningfully.

4-6.2 Use print sources (for example, books, magazines, charts, graphs,

diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, thesauri, newspapers,

and almanacs) and nonprint sources to access information.

Classroom Assessment

Students should be taught and assessed using similar methods. In this indicator, the verb is “analyze”. In grade 4, analysis of details and how they express the author’s main idea, should be assessed as they were taught. For example, if the students were instructed to use a graphic organizer to identify important details during instruction, then a graphic organizer should also be used during assessment. Students should read cold text (text the students have not previously experienced) to find the important details and establish the main idea based on their analysis of those details.

Students should also demonstrate an understanding of details and main ideas through their own writing. Students should be able to read a text, separate the important details from the non-essential details, explain the analysis, and determine the main idea in their own writing.

The primary focus of assessment for the analysis of details supporting the author’s expression of the main idea is to determine if students can choose the essential details, complete an analysis of those details, and comprehend what the author wants the reader to remember most. Students’ reading and comprehension should be assessed using a sample literary text or cold text, with multiple choice or constructed response questions or through teacher observations and conferences.

Suggested Instructional Resources

Professional Texts

Harvey, Stephanie, and Anne Goudis, Strategies That Work, Portland, ME:

Stenhouse, 2007

Portalupi, Joann and Ralph Fletcher, Craft Lessons, New York: Stenhouse, 2001.

Reader’s Handbook: A Student Guide for Reading and Learning, Wilmington, MA:

Great Source Education Group, 2002.

(Although this is a student book it has excellent examples of reading strategies and skills.)

Student Texts

There are many titles that teachers and students may select to better understand facts and opinions. Library Media Specialists from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) are collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide a sampling of texts to match the indicators. This will continue be a work in progress. Teachers should collaborate with their library media specialists for additional suggestions. These titles can be used for read alouds, shared reading, and independent reading. While each title on the list has been read and reviewed by professionals, some of these titles may not meet the needs of each classroom environment. Teachers are encouraged to read the texts prior to using them in class. Use the following link for the SCASL suggested texts:

http://scasl.pbwiki.com/ELA+Standards.

Nonprint Materials:

http://readwritethink.org

http://www.brainpopjr.com/reading/comprehension/mainidea/grownups.weml

South Carolina Department of Education

Support Document

Standard 4-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and nonprint formats.

Indicator 4-1.4 Distinguish among devices of figurative language (including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) and sound devices (including onomatopoeia and alliteration).

Definition of Revised Bloom’s Verb

Distinguish synonyms: differentiate, discriminate, select

Finding specific examples or illustrations of the various forms of figurative language to demonstrate their differences. (Give examples of simile, metaphor, and personification found in The Talking Eggs by Robert D. Souci.) Explain how these devices are different from each other.

Explanation of Indicator

Figurative Language refers to language that is enriched by word meanings, figures of speech, and sound devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. It refers to writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally. Writers use figurative language to state ideas in vivid and imaginative ways. Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning. Examples of onomatopoeias are “grr,” “hiss,” or “buzz.” Alliteration is the repetition of the initial sounds or stressed syllables in neighboring words. An example of alliteration is “We went to Wal-Mart to win a watermelon.” Simile is a device of figurative language that is a stated comparison between two unlike things using the word “like” or “as.” Examples of a simile are in the poem “Willow and Ginkgo” by Eve Merriam.