English Language Development

appropriate to the purpose, emulated. This provides a scaffold for students to advance their
writing. Chapter 8 of this ELA/ELD Framework provides an example of writing by an EL student with
annotations based on the CA ELD Standards.

In grade four, students learn to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. The ability to
keyboard aids their engagement in process writing, as students find it easier to revise and edit. The
student whose writing was presented in figure 5.11 likely had well developed keyboarding skills,
which allowed her to develop a lengthier piece than she otherwise might have without considerable
persistence.

Formative assessment of writing is interwoven with instruction—and in fact, a critical part of
instruction—and teachers use information about each student to plan for the next moment, the next
day, the next week, or the months ahead. Teachers observe students as they prepare to write, engage
in writing, share and discuss their work, and revise and edit their work; they gather information in
conferences with students; they view students’ written products carefully. They look at individual
works and at collections of work. They study students’ skills, self-perceptions, and their motivation.
They use all of this information to provide timely and judicious feedback that supports students to
advance to higher levels of proficiency in writing many different types of texts.

Discussing

Students in grade four continue to develop their ability to engage in academic discussions. They
regularly engage in one-on-one, small group, and teacher-led discussions in every content area.
Students come prepared to discussions and respectfully engage with one another to deepen their
understanding of texts and topics (SL.4.1). They learn to review the key ideas expressed by others
(SL.4.1), to paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media
(SL.4.2), and to identify the reasons and evidence a speaker or media source provides to support
particular points (SL4.3). As it was in all prior grades, discussion is an important and integrated
component of students’ classroom experiences.

New to grade four is that students carry out assigned roles in discussion (SL.4.1b). Daniels (1994)
shares a variety of roles that students may take on as members of literature circles. See figure 5.12.

Figure 5.12. Discussant Roles in Literature Circles

Summarizer Your job is to prepare a brief summary of the

reading selection. In one or two minutes, share the

gist, the key points, the main highlights, and the

essence of the selection. Prepare notes to guide

your discussion with your peers.

Discussion Director Your job is to develop a list of questions that your

group might want to discuss about the reading.

Don’t worry about the small details; your task is to

help people talk over the big ideas in the reading

and share their reactions. Usually the best discussion

questions come from your own thoughts, feelings,

and concerns as you read. During the discussion,

ask your peers to refer to the text to explain or

support their responses to your questions.

Grade 4 Chapter 5 | 433