Students should build on this foundation throughout the fourth grade.

1. Reinforce the skills students gained in earlier grades. When conducting shared writing or displaying models of student writing, locate examples and discuss with students how those examples are formed correctly.

         2. Expand student skills. Explicitly teach students how to:

a. Use relative pronouns, relative adverbs, and modal auxiliary verbs

b. Form and use prepositional phrases

c. Use commonly confused words correctly

d. Recognize and correct fragments and run-on sentences

e. Use commas with quotation marks and before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence

  f. Choose punctuation for effect and words and phrases to convey ideas precisely

g. Differentiate when to use formal and informal English

Lessons throughout the grade 4 guidebook units support this work. Access additional lessons for grade 4 that can be used with individual students or during small-group instruction to support students in developing their writing skills.