Leap into Literacy
November/December- 4th Grade
Reading: Building Fluency
As students get older, our reading goals shift from an emphasis on oral reading fluency to reading comprehension. The main focus is to have the student closely read the text for a deeper understanding. However, reading fluency still plays an important role in reading for meaning. If your students are still making errors while reading or their reading does not sound fluent (conversation), they may need to practice their reading fluency. Accuracy, rate, and phrasing/expression are part of being a good reader.
Keep in mind that by fourth grade, students should be reading a minimum of 90 WPM (Words Per Minute). By the end of fourth grade, students should be reading at least 120 WPM. (Fountas and Pinnell).
Some tips for fluency practice:
Using the chrome books, have the students record their reading. Audacity is a free voice recording software you can download onto just about any computer (You could use any voice recording software for this). They listen back, while reading the page in their head. Then, they take notes on what they noticed about their reading (How was their prosody? Attention to punctuation? Did the dialogue sound authentic?). Using a self-assessment, they rate themselves and try to do better next time.
Readers’ Theatre with your students. Reading A-Z has leveled scripts for the different levels in your class (www.readinga-z.com).
- Use fluency task cards, like the ones below, that include short (2-3 sentences) statements for students to focus on reading with proper expression and phrasing with attention to dialogue, punctuation, and accuracy.
Remember, fluency is all about finding the “just right” balance of pace, phrasing, expression, and accuracy!
Writing: Identifying Reliable Sources and Citing Them
NewsELA: Write Feature
The Write feature can be used to embed CCSS Informational Reading skills. Some points to consider to focus on:
- Main Idea
- Structure
- Compare/Contrast Point of View
- Groundhog Gets a Say by Pamela Curtis Swallow
- Mr. Maxwell’s Mouse by Frank & Devin Asch
- A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech
- Dear Katie, The Volcano Is a Girl by Jean Craighead George
- Red is Best by Kathy Stinson
- Animals Nobody Loves by Seymour Simon
- Sophie Hartley On Strike by Stephanie Greene
- Not Norman: A Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennett
- The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
- The Best Town in the World by Byrd Baylor
OverDrive
Use OverDrive to borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and more from your local public library - anywhere, anytime. All you need is a library card.
Speaking and Listening: Discussion Strategies
Spice up your classroom by changing the structure of a class discussion. The article and podcast from Cult of Pedagogy outlines 15 different structures to use in your classroom.
- Gallery Walk
- Philosophical Chairs
- Pinwheel Discussion
- Socratic Seminar
Low-Prep Discussion Strategies
- Affinity Mapping
- Concentric Circles
- Conver-Stations
- Fishbowl
- Hot Seat
- Snowball Discussion
Ongoing Discussion Strategies
- Asynchronous Voice
- Backchannel Discussions
- Talk Moves
- Teach-OK
- Think-Pair-Share