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Core Content and Skills
English Language Arts 4
2007-2008
BOE Approved


Writing Conventions (Year-long)
 Content 
 Skills 
Capitalization

Sentence Structure

Punctuation

Paragraphing

Usage/Verb Tense

Parts of Speech

Spelling

 
Capitalization- (Beginning of sentences, proper nouns- people, places, things-, titles, dates

Sentence Structure- (complete sentences, use varied sentence structure, eliminate run-on sentences, conjunctions: and/or/but/so.

Punctuation- (ending of sentences-exclamatory, interrogative, and declarative-, punctuation placement: capital letter/ending punctuation/commas, commas in lists, apostrophes- plural possessives, usage and affect: impacts tone, quotation marks: placement, proper punctuation of dialogue with quotation marks and commas, usage at the beginning, usage at the end)

Paragraphing - (indenting, sentences in logical order and organized into paragraphs, introduction, body, and conclusion, exposure to five paragraph structure, start a new paragraph to show a new scene, change of topic, and new speakers or to separate ideas)

Usage/Verb Tenses - (Understanding verb tense, past, present, future, using tense for purpose, present tense to stay in the moment, verb endings, subject/verb agreement)

Parts of Speech - (Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns - singular and plural)

Spelling - (Correctly spell words within own writing that have been previously studied and/or frequently used, correctly spell words within own writing that follow spelling patterns of words previously studied, correctly spell words within own writing that are in directions and text)

 
 
Launching Reading Workshop
 Content 
 Skills 
Reading Routines: Management Expectations Procedures

Reading for Stamina

Reading for Meaning

 
Choosing just right books

Reading widely - navigating and using the classroom library

Using reading logs, post-its, and reading notebooks

Having conversations about reading - large groups/partnerships

Re-reading

Using post-its to monitor for understanding

Using word solving skills

Learning new vocabulary

Visualization - making sense of your reading. 1.Making pictures in your head 2. Stop and Think

Making inferences

Making predictions

Retelling - using key story elements (Character, setting, plot, movement through time, change)

Slowing down reading and questioning reading

 
 
Launching the Writing Workshop/Personal Narratives
 Content 
 Skills 
Writing Routines: Management, Expectations, Procedures

Writing Personal Narratives

 
Choosing writing partners and writing spots

Identifying the writer's job in a conference

Using writing tools efficiently

Using time wisely

Using writing notebooks and other tools to collect ideas

Generating strategies for personal narratives

Using mentor texts to craft stories

Using strategies to enhance the quality of personal narrative writing

Using strategies to revise and edit personal narratives

 
 
Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing
 Content 
 Skills 
Writing Personal Narratives

 
Using writing notebooks and other tools to collect ideas

Using strategies to generate personal narratives

Studying mentor texts

Adding strategies to enhance the quality of personal narrative writing

Building on strategies to revise (Developing mood, zooming in on a small moment, using show not tell, developing story structures, adding dialogue, creating strong leads, creating effective endings)

Building on strategies to edit (Paragraphing, using correct punctuation and capitalization, using strategies for spelling)

 
 
Readers Identify with Characters and Their Worlds
 Content 
 Skills 
Fiction

Character Study

 
Visualization 1. Making mental pictures. 2. Identifying trigger words.

Making connections

Identifying character traits

Comparing characters

Developing "Big Ideas" (theories) about characters. 1. Revising ideas. 2. Predicting. 3. Empathizing with characters.

Supporting ideas with evidence

Sharing ideas and questions

 
 
Breathing Life Into Essays
 Content 
 Skills 
Writing Essays

 
Comparing and contrasting Narrative vs. Non-narrative writing

Growing ideas in notebooks

Developing thesis statements

Gathering evidence

Using transitional words

Drafting using a framework (boxes and bullets)

Developing effective introductions and conclusions

Revising and editing

 
 
Readers Identify with Characters and Their Worlds
 Content 
 Skills 
Fiction

Character Study

 
Visualization 1. Making mental pictures. 2. Identifying trigger words.

Making connections

Identifying character traits

Comparing characters

Developing "Big Ideas" (theories) about characters. 1. Revising ideas. 2. Predicting. 3. Empathizing with characters.

Supporting ideas with evidence

Sharing ideas and questions

 
 
Literary Essays: Writing About Reading
 Content 
 Skills 
Literary Essays

 
Reading with attention to detail

Writing about story elements and the author's craft

 



Using writing prompts to push thinking

Using life experience and evidence from text to develop a thesis statement

Planning essays with enough details to support thesis

Collecting mini-stories as evidence to support ideas

Gathering evidence

Drafting using a framework (boxes and bullets)

Developing effective introductions and conclusions

Revising and editing

 
 
NonFiction Reading
 Content 
 Skills 
Nonfiction texts Test Prep

 

Learning how to use structure: (Titles, Subtitles, Bold Print, Key Ideas, Topic Sentences, Diagrams, Captions, Table of Contents, Glossary, Index)

Setting purpose for reading

Creating essential questions

Using structure to get meaning from text

Reading different kinds of nonfiction texts (interviews, articles etc.)

Determining importance, identifying fact vs. opinion

Identifying and understanding author's point of view

Building vocabulary

Using context clues to figure out meaning 

Asking questions, wondering and making observations (collecting facts) 

Analyzing information

Taking notes

Underlining, Highlighting, Using Post-its

Thinking/questioning



 
 
Literary Essays: Writing About Reading
 Content 
 Skills 
Literary Essays

 
Reading with attention to detail

Writing about story elements and the author's craft

 



Using writing prompts to push thinking

Using life experience and evidence from text to develop a thesis statement

Planning essays with enough details to support thesis

Collecting mini-stories as evidence to support ideas

Gathering evidence

Drafting using a framework (boxes and bullets)

Developing effective introductions and conclusions

Revising and editing

 
 
NonFiction Reading
 Content 
 Skills 
Nonfiction texts Test Prep

 

Learning how to use structure: (Titles, Subtitles, Bold Print, Key Ideas, Topic Sentences, Diagrams, Captions, Table of Contents, Glossary, Index)

Setting purpose for reading

Creating essential questions

Using structure to get meaning from text

Reading different kinds of nonfiction texts (interviews, articles etc.)

Determining importance, identifying fact vs. opinion

Identifying and understanding author's point of view

Building vocabulary

Using context clues to figure out meaning 

Asking questions, wondering and making observations (collecting facts) 

Analyzing information

Taking notes

Underlining, Highlighting, Using Post-its

Thinking/questioning



 
 
Genre-Based Reading
 Content 
 Skills 
Genre Study: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Biography/Autobiography

 
Identify specific characteristics of a particular genre

Using strategies particular to a genre

Reading with a purpose

Envisioning setting: Understanding how setting affects other story elements.

Making inferences

Developing ideas: Using text to support ideas, revising or synthesizing based on evidence and conversation.

Reading critically

Empathizing with perspectives that are not our own

 
 
Writing Fiction: Big Dreams, Tall Ambitions
 Content 
 Skills 
Fictional Stories: Realistic Fiction, Mysteries, and Action/Adventure

 
Collecting story ideas

Creating and developing believable story elements (Characters, Setting, Problem, Events, Solution)



Developing story mountains

Creating scenes

Building tension and suspense

Resolving problems; creating powerful endings

Using dialogue

Using mentor texts to aid in revision

Editing with attentiveness

 
 
Book Clubs
 Content 
 Skills 
Book Clubs

Interpretation

 

Growing and revising theories about story elements



Questioning



Making inferences based on evidence/support from the text and revising based on new information



Interpreting information from the book and through conversations
 



Determining importance

Responding personally and making connections



Having purposeful conversations about books



 
 
Reading Poetry
 Content 
 Skills 
Touchstone Text

Love That Dog by Sharon Chreech

haiku

concrete poems

couplet

tercet

quatrain

cinquain

limerick

riddle poem

acrostic

free verse

ballad

 
Understanding how to read different poetry forms

Reading with phrasing: using lines, white space, and punctuation



Reading with fluency



Reading orally so voices convey meaning



Re-reading to make sense


Making inferences

Constructing interpretations


Using the title to set the purpose and monitor for meaning



Making visualizations



Making connections to other texts



 
 
Writing Poetry
 Content 
 Skills 
Poetry

 
Comparing and contrasting types of poetry

Exploring free verse poetry

Defining line breaks and white space

Generating ideas

Using simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration

Utilizing a thesaurus

Using repetition

Revising poems

Editing poems

 
 
Book Clubs/Social Issues
 Content 
 Skills 
Book Clubs -With social issues Possible Text Choices: Owl in My Shower, Hoot, Weasel, Samuel's Choice, Teammates, On My Honor

 
Reading with a lens 1. Looking carefully through a particular point of view or focus

Holding story elements together as the story unfolds to understand the issues

Synthesizing ideas within the text through discussions

Making connections

Comparing and contrasting

Understanding cause and effect

Identifying different perspectives

Revising thinking

 
 
Book Clubs/Social Issues
 Content 
 Skills 
Book Clubs -With social issues Possible Text Choices: Owl in My Shower, Hoot, Weasel, Samuel's Choice, Teammates, On My Honor

 
Reading with a lens 1. Looking carefully through a particular point of view or focus

Holding story elements together as the story unfolds to understand the issues

Synthesizing ideas within the text through discussions

Making connections

Comparing and contrasting

Understanding cause and effect

Identifying different perspectives

Revising thinking

 
 
Reflections: My Year as a Writer
 Content 
 Skills 
Portfolio pieces

Seed ideas from writers notebook

New piece

 
Reflect on their growth as a writer

Set personal goals for improvement as a writer

To evaluate a previous writing piece or a new idea

Consider and utilize all strategies appropriate to the chosen genre

 
 
 
Putnam Valley Central School District, 146 Peekskill Hollow Road, Putnam Valley, NY 10579
Phone (845) 528-8143 Fax (845) 528-0274