- Describe in detail, such as when they closely examine their skin through a handheld digital
microscope - Communicate the meaning of a histogram after collecting data
- Record a personal response to a poem
- Create a poem to express their knowledge or feelings or to evoke a response from others
- Summarize key points from a text or multimedia presentation
- Share an experience with distant others, such as when they post a description of a recent
activity on the classroom webpage
Writing plays a critical role in every curricular area and teachers provide instruction on how
meaning is expressed in different content areas. Writing is purposeful; it is not a meaningless exercise.
A significant milestone in grade four is that students
learn to write clear and coherent multi-paragraph texts.
If writing has been well taught throughout the years and
students find relevance in writing—even enthusiasm—writing
long works will likely have already occurred in previous
grades. What will require attention and clear instruction is
ensuring that multi-paragraph works are well organized and
coherent.
Opinion pieces generally are organized to include an
introduction in which the opinion is asserted, reasons for
the opinion that are supported with facts and details, and
a conclusion. Students learn to use linking words so that
relationships among ideas are explicit. Informational/
explanatory texts include an introduction to a topic, well organized and detailed information on the
topic, and a concluding statement or section. Headings and multimedia may be employed to aid
comprehension, and students use domain-specific vocabulary. Narratives, too, generally are organized
with an opening that orients the reader, event sequences that are clear and unfold naturally, and a
conclusion follows from the narrated experience or event. Students use concrete words and phrases
and sensory details and a variety of transitional words and phrases are employed.
A sample of student work with annotations follow in figure 5.11 (NGA/CCSS0 2010b: Appendix C).
It is a narrative produced by a grade-four student for an on-demand assessment. Students were given
the following prompt: “One morning you wake up and find a strange pair of shoes next to your bed.
The shoes are glowing. In several paragraphs, write a story telling what happens.” Additional examples
of student writing may be found at EdSteps, a large public library of student writing sponsored by the
CCSSO (http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/EdSteps.html).
A significant milestone in grade
four is that students learn
to write clear and coherent
multi-paragraph texts....
What will require attention
and clear instruction is
ensuring that multi-paragraph
works are well organized and
coherent.430 | Chapter 5 Grade 4