I-CANyons Parent Toolkit for Fourth Grade Language Arts (ELA)
Language: I CAN...
Standard
Use grammar skills when writing or speaking.
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Core Standard
L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why). b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. c. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various conditions. d. Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag). e. Form and use prepositional phrases. f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.* g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).* L.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use correct capitalization. b. Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. c. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. |
In Other Words
Students will use the correct verb tense (was walking, am walking, will be walking), pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that), adverbs (where, when, why), order of adjectives (small red bag instead of red small bag), homophones (to, too, two; there, their, they're) and prepositions (on, over, from, toward, etc.). Students will use complete sentences.
Students capitalize where appropriate and use punctuation (commas, quotation marks, etc.) correctly. Students spell 4th grade level words correctly and use dictionaries as needed. |
If Mastered
Encourage your student to add dialogue to their stories to practice and apply using commas and quotation marks. There are some additional online interactive games that can be used to provide additional practice and extension found here.
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If Not Yet Mastered
Write short notes back and forth with your child. Use these notes to show your child correct capitalization and punctuation. Also, intentionally add mistakes to have your child practice correct capitalization and punctuation including commas. Make sure to add some dialogue to practice the proper use of quotation marks. There are several sites with games or activities to practice spelling, capitalization and punctuation. A few are:
Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 |
StandardApply grade level spelling when writing.
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Core StandardL.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Use correct capitalization. b. Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. c. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. |
In Other WordsStudents capitalize where appropriate and use punctuation (commas, quotation marks, etc.) correctly. Students spell 4th grade level words correctly and use dictionaries as needed.
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If MasteredA fun way to maintain mastery is to play Add Meat to Those Bones. Start with a simple verb such as walking, then take turns adding adverbs, adjectives and pronouns. You may end up with something silly like: Who was walking down the street when the gorilla jumped out from behind the large green pizza delivery truck? Change the verb tense(was walking, am walking, will be walking).
Click here for Read, Write, Think or play Free Rice Grammar and also use activities found here. |
If Not Yet Mastered Choose an -ing verb that your child can act out like jumping, skipping, laughing, crying etc. Use prompt words such as Today I....Yesterday I... and Tomorrow I.... to help your child hear the correct verb tense. Make it into a jump rope ditty they can jump to while they practice. When your child has the tenses down, add pronouns and adverb phrases. Example: Who was jumping rope when the monkeys got free? _____ ______ jumping rope when the monkeys got free. This gives children opportunity to match verb to pronoun. Another example is-Yesterday I was walking down the street where.... Today I am walking down the street where.... Tomorrow I will be walking down the street where... An app that will provide practice in sentence construction can be found here.
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Standard
Use context clues, affixes, and roots to determine the meaning of vocabulary words and phrases.
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Core Standard
L. 4.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibility from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (i.e., telegraph, photograph, autograph). c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases. RL.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean). RI.4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. |
In Other Words
Students use parts of a given word (root, prefix, suffix) to derive the meaning of a given word and/or phrase. Students also use aspects of the context to better determine meaning (e.g. the apex of a hill, it took a long time to climb to such a high point).
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If Mastered
Continue to read with your child, often focusing on more complex books that can enrich the child's vocabulary and use of context clues to establish meaning. Many fun activities can be found here.
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If Not Yet Mastered
Support your child in learning strategies associated with context clues and using word parts (roots, affixes) by using activities from the Florida Center on Reading Research. Parent and child can go to this link and choose from dozens of activities focused on learning these skills.
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