In 4th Grade English Language Arts, students explore how people’s identities, values, and beliefs can shape their lives, and how courageous individuals can create change by standing up for what they believe. Students build their social-emotional skills in Finding Fortune and Believing in Yourself, explore the history of the United States in Examining Our History, learn about natural disasters in Preparing for the Worst, and see how the Greeks used mythology to understand the world in Interpreting Perspectives. In each unit, students engage in process-based writing projects connected to the core texts that develop their narrative, informational, and opinion writing skills.
Using authentic, engaging texts, teachers help students develop their language comprehension and address grade-level reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards. Over the course of 4th Grade ELA, students deepen their understanding of the world around them through thematically-aligned, knowledge-building units, embedded daily writing instruction, and frequent opportunities for in-class discussion.
Lessons Total Instructional Days
Unit 1: Finding Fortune 28 36
Unit 2: Preparing for the Worst 22 30
Unit 3: Interpreting Perspectives 20 25
Unit 4: Examining Our History 24 30
Unit 5: Believing in Yourself 19 25
Unit 6: Discovering Self 29 35
Total 142 181
Unit 1: Finding Fortune
CORE TEXTS
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011) — 810L
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin (810L)
The Year of the Dog (A Pacy Lin Novel) by Grace Lin (690L) *
The Year of the Rat (A Pacy Lin Novel) by Grace Lin (730L) *
When the Sea Turned to SIlver by Grace Lin (750L)
Chinese Myths and Legends (All About Myths series) by Anita Ganeri (920L)
Chinese myths and legends
Chinese Fables: The Dragon Slayer and Other Timeless Tales of Wisdom by Shiho S. Nunes (810L)
Guan Yu: Blood Brothers to the End (Graphic Myths and Legends series) by Dan Jolley (690L) *
Yu the Great: Conquering the Flood (Graphic Myths and Legends series) by Paul D. Storrie (690L) *
Quest, adventure, and seeking fortune
Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk (770L)
Game World by C.J. Farley (710L) *
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus (760L)
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (690L)
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (640L)
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (950L) **
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (770L)
* lower Lexile or qualitative measures than core text.
** higher Lexile or qualitative measures than core text.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Rubric: Grade 4 Narrative Writing Rubric
Rubric: Grade 4 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
Template: Single Paragraph Outline
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
LESSON 23
LESSON 24
LESSON 25
LESSON 26
LESSON 27
LESSON 28
Unit 2: Preparing for the Worst
CORE TEXTS
Unforgettable Natural Disasters (TIME FOR KIDS Nonfiction Readers) by Tamara Hollingsworth (Teacher Created Materials; 2 edition, 2013)
Hurricanes by Seymour Simon (HarperCollins, 2007)
Wildfires by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2016) — 990L
Earthquakes by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2006) — 1010L
Volcanoes by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2006) — 880L
Assessment Text: “Tsunamis” by Shaun Taylor (Reading A-Z)
Resource: FEMA Winter Storms and Extreme Cold Fact Sheet (FEMA)
Resource: FEMA Droughts Fact Sheet (FEMA)
Resource: FEMA Extreme Heat Fact Sheet (FEMA)
Rubric: Grade 4 Narrative Writing Rubric
Template: Narrative Brainstorming Template
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis (640L) *
I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 by Lauren Tarshis (650L) *
I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake by Lauren Tarshis (610L) *
Quake!: Disaster in San Francisco 1906 by Gail Karwosk (770L)
Surviving the San Francisco Earthquake (Eye on History Graphic Illustrated series) by Joann Cleland (690L)
Earthquakes (Let’s Read and Find Out Science series) by Dr. Franklyn Branley (750L)
Earthquakes (True Books: Earth Science series) by Ker Than (890L)
Eruption! The Story of Volcanoes by Anita Ganeri (640L) *
Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch **
Mountains by Seymour Simon (1140L) **
Planet Earth/Inside Out by Gail Gibbons (800L)
Tsunamis (True Books: Earth Science series) by Chana Stiefel (830L)
Volcano & Earthquake (Eyewitness Books series) by Susanna Van Rose (1060L) *
Volcano: Eruption and Healing of Mt. St Helen’s by Patricia Lauber (830L)
Volcanoes & Earthquakes by Tom Jackson (910L)
Volcanoes (Let’s Read and Find Out Science series) by Dr. Franklyn Branley (590L) *
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
Unit 3: Interpreting Perspectives
CORE TEXTS
Greek Myth Plays by Carol Pugliano-Martin (Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2008)
I am Arachne: Fifteen Greek and Roman Myths by Elizabeth Spires (Square Fish, 2009)
The McElderry Book of Greek Myths by Eric A. Kimmel (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths by Marilyn Singer (Dial Books) — 670L
Rubric: Grade 4 Narrative Writing Rubric
Rubric: Grade 4 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
Template: Boxes and Bullets Graphic Organizer
Template: Two-Paragraph Outline
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Greek Myths and Legends by Jilly Hunt (910L)
Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters by Donna Jo Napoli (860L)
Greek myths
Athena the Wise (Goddess Girls series) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams (730L) *
Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (1070L) **
Echo the Copycat (Goddess Girls series) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams (770L)
Favorite Greek Myths by Mary Pope Osborne (870L)
Greek Myths by Olivia E. Coolidge
Heroes in Training series by Joan Holub (550-660L) *
Pandora the Curious (Goddess Girls series) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams (650L) **
The Lost Hero: The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan (660L)
The Olympians series by George O’Connor (640L)
The Trojan War: An Interactive Mythological Adventure (You Choose series) by Blake Hoena (680L)
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
Unit 4: Examining Our History
CORE TEXTS
Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began by Lucille Recht Penner (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2002) — 780L
A Young People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, Adapted by Rebecca Stefoff (Seven Stories)
Black Heroes of the American Revolution by Burke Davis (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1992)
Great Women of the American Revolution by Brianna Hall (Capstone Press, 2015)
Article: “William Barton’s Opinion Letter”
(Retrieved from Engage NY Grade 4, Module 3B, Unit 3, Lesson 1)
Article: “Just Say No: The Daughters of Liberty”
by Jennifer Barefoot (CommonLit)
Article: “Native Americans in Colonial America”
by National Geographic (National Geographic)
Article: “Betwixt & Between: Growing up African American in Revolutionary Times”
by Leslie Anderson Morales (Appleseeds)
Rubric: Grade 4 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
Template: Single Paragraph Outline
Template: American Revolution Research Note-Taker
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Chains (The Seeds of America Trilogy) by Laurie Halse Anderson (780L) **
Dear America: The Winter of Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory (870L)
Forge (The Seeds of America Trilogy) by Laurie Halse Anderson (820L) **
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis (660L) *
My Name is America: The Journal of William Thomas Emerson, A Revolutionary War Patriot by Barry Denenberg (950L)
Sophia’s War by Avi (730L)
The Fighting Ground by Avi (580L)
The Keeping Room by Anna Myers (780L)
War Comes to Willy Freeman by James Lincoln Collier (800L)
African Americans in the Thirteen Colonies by Michael Burgan (1040L) **
American Revolution (DK Eyewitness Books) by Stuart Murray
Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots by Dharathula Millender (750L)
George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer (980L)
Independent Dames: What You Never Knew about the Women and Girls of the American Revolution by Laurie Halse Anderson (930L)
Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts
The Split History of the American Revolution (Perspectives Flip Books series) by Michael Burgan (930L)
The Untold Story of the Black Regiment: Fighting in the Revolutionary War by Michael Burgan (1070L) **
You Wouldn’t Want to Be an American Colonist! by Jacqueline Morely (780L)
You Wouldn’t Want to be at the Boston Tea Party! by Peter Cook and David Antram (1020L)
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
LESSON 23
LESSON 24
Unit 5: Believing in Yourself
CORE TEXTS
The Wild Book by Margarita Engle (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2014) — 1050L
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Article: “Governor's personal mission to support screening for dyslexia”
by Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff (Newsela)
Article: “After setbacks, dyslexia screening for young students moves forward in California schools”
by Carolyn Jones (EdSource)
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015)
Rules by Cynthia Lord (Scholastic Paperbacks, 2008)
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2012)
Rubric: Grade 4 Narrative Writing Rubric
Rubric: Grade 4 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
Resource: Cuba History Timeline
Resource: Video Notetaker
Template: Single Paragraph Outline
Video: “What is Dyslexia?” by TED-Ed
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle (890L)
Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle (1120L) **
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle **
Dyslexia is My Superpower (Most of the Time) by Margaret Rooke
My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood by Rosemary Wells (760L)
National Geographic Countries of the World: Cuba by Jen Green (990L) **
Believing in yourself
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Solan (770L)
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (300L)
Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler (760-780L) *
Knees: The mixed up world of a boy with dyslexia by Vanita Oelschlager *
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (700L)
Rules by Cynthia Lord (670L)
The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph (840L)
Tom’s Special Talent - Dyslexia by Kate Gaynor *
Wonder by R.J. Palacio (790L)
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
Unit 6: Discovering Self
CORE TEXTS
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Laurel Leaf, 2014) — 950L
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2010)
Template: Two-Paragraph Outline
Template: Great Depression Research Note-Taker
Template: Boxes and Bullets Graphic Organizer
INDEPENDENT READING RESOURCES
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (980L)
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis (870L)
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (750L)
TWGTB by Christopher Paul Curtis (920L)
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the Great Depression by Robert Cohen
Kit’s World: A Girl’s-Eye View of the Great Depression by Harriet Brown and Teri Witkowski
Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression by Kate Lied (500L) *
The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure (You Choose series) by Michael Burgan (600L)
We the People: The Great Depression by Michael Burgan (910L)
What Was the Great Depression? by Janet B. Pascal (790L) *
Discovering home
Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk (770L)
Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle) by Cynthia Voigt (630L) **
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (820L)
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech (660L)
The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods (670L)
The Great Depression
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (670L)
Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift by Kathryn Lasky (770L) **
Dust to Eat: Drought and Depression in the 1930’s by Michael L. Cooper (1120L)
Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm (490L) *
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (800L)
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (1040L)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (920L)
Rose’s Journal: The Story of a Girl in the Great Depression by Marissa Moss (820L)
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (610L)
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Glossary (Teacher Edition)
ASSESSMENTS
LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7
LESSON 8
LESSON 9
LESSON 10
LESSON 11
LESSON 12
LESSON 13
LESSON 14
LESSON 15
LESSON 16
LESSON 17
LESSON 18
LESSON 19
LESSON 20
LESSON 21
LESSON 22
LESSON 23
LESSON 24
LESSON 25
LESSON 26
LESSON 27
LESSON 28
LESSON 29
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