Chicopee Public School
Academic Benchmarks
Grade 4
Composition Strand
19. Students will write with clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail.
20. Students will write for different audiences and purposes.
21. Students will demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone, and word choice (diction) in their compositions after revising them.
22. Students will use knowledge of standard English conventions in their writing, revising, and editing.
23. Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose.
24. Students will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of the information they obtain, and use it to answer their own questions.
25. Students will develop and use appropriate rhetorical, logical, and stylistic criteria for assessing final versions of their compositions or research projects before presenting them to varied audiences.
Grade 4
Composition Strand
Students will be able to:
For imaginative/literary writing:
19.9 Write stories that have a beginning, middle, and end and contain details of setting.
Explain and use the writing process (Prewriting, Draft, Revision, Edit, Final Copy, Publish).
After the
teacher has modeled the writing process, write an account based on personal
experience that has a clear focus and
sufficient
supporting details.
Write
well-developed compositions that have a beginning, middle, and end, drawing on
a variety of strategies, generating and
organizing
ideas, and focusing on details and richness of language.
Write
well-developed compositions that have at least five paragraphs; an introductory
paragraph, at least three detail paragraphs,
and a closing
paragraph.
Write paragraphs that have a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences, and a closing sentence.
Use a variety of graphic organizers in the prewriting process.
19.13 Write an account based on personal experience that has a clear focus and sufficient supporting detail.
Write a well-developed composition that has an
introductory paragraph, at least supporting detail paragraphs, and a closing
paragraph.
All paragraphs should have a topic sentence, at least three detail
sentences, and a closing sentence.
20.2 Use appropriate language for different audiences (other students, parents)
and purposes (letter to a friend, thank you note, invitation).
Use language that is appropriate for compositions on personal experiences.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be
added or deleted.
Revise and rewrite multiple drafts for content.
Use the following revision strategies to improve topic development:
Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Freeze Frame Technique – Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the event
they are writing about. Ask them
what they do feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, taste.
Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)
Be more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common nouns.
Instead of “The boy ran down the street to the park.”
change to
“James ran down Front Street to Szot Park.”
21.3 Improve word choice by using dictionaries.
Use dictionaries, thesauruses, or glossaries to improve word choices.
22.3 Write legibly in cursive, leaving space between letters in a word and between
words in a sentence.
Use correct letter formation for lower and upper case letters.
Leave appropriate spaces between letters and words.
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure already taught.
22.5 Use knowledge of letter sounds, word parts, word segmentation, and syllabication
to monitor and correct spelling.
Edit compositions for correct spelling.
Spell commonly used words in compositions (Dolch & Fry lists can also be used)
23.3 Organize plot events of a story in an order that leads to a climax. Sequence events in a story using a graphic organizer.
23.4 Organize ideas for a brief response to a reading.
Use graphic organizers.
23.5 Organize ideas for an account of personal experience in a way that makes sense.
Organize ideas for an account of a personal experience in a way that makes sense using a graphic organizer.
Use detail and logical sequence in their own writing.
Edit compositions for meaning, organization, and content.
25.2 Form and explain personal standards or judgments of quality, display them in the
classroom, and present them to family members.
Use the MCAS rubric and sample compositions from previous MCAS writing prompts to self assess compositions.
Use proofreading guides and checklists to self and peer edit (refer to edit checklist).
Set and monitor goals for writing.
Publish, share, and display written work.
Grade 4
Composition Strand
Second Term Academic Benchmarks
Students will be able to:
For imaginative/literary writing:
After assessment, review previous skills as necessary for mastery.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be
added or deleted.
Revise and rewrite multiple drafts for content.
Use the following revision strategies to improve topic development:
Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Freeze Frame Technique – Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the event they are writing about. Ask them what they do feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, taste.
Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)
Be more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common nouns.
Instead of “The boy ran down the street to the park.”
change to
“James ran down Front Street to Szot Park.”
Use a variety of sentence lengths within the paragraphs.
Use a variety of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory).
Use figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification.
Use imagery (vivid language to create a mental picture.)
Develop voice and tone in their writing by expressed your own
viewpoint (words that express emotion such as happiness,
fear,
excitement, respect, fascination, etc.)
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure already taught.
Third Term Academic Benchmarks
Students will be able to:
For imaginative/literary writing:
After assessment, review previous skills as necessary for mastery.
9.10 Write short poems that contain simple sense details.
Write poems such as Haiku, rhymed poems with patterns such as ABAB, unrhymed poems, limericks, free verse, etc.
19.12 Write a brief interpretation or explanation of a literary or informational text using evidence from the text as support.
Write paragraphs with a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences that site information from the text, and a closing sentence in literature and math.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be
added or deleted.
Revise and rewrite multiple drafts for content.
Use the following revision strategies to improve topic development:
Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Freeze Frame Technique – Ask students to close their eyes and
imagine the event they are writing about.
Ask them what they do feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, taste.
Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)
Be more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common nouns.
Instead of “The boy ran down the street to the park.”
change to
“James ran down Front Street to Szot Park.”
Use a variety of sentence lengths within the paragraphs.
Use a variety of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory).
Use figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification.
Use imagery (vivid language to create a mental picture).
Develop voice and tone in their writing by expressed your own viewpoint (words that express emotion such as happiness, fear, excitement, respect, fascination, etc.)
Use more interesting verbs. For instance, instead of “The boy ran
down the street.” Substitute verbs such as bounded, darted,
dashed, etc.
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure already taught.
Fourth Term Academic Benchmarks
Students will be able to:
For informational/expository writing:
After assessment, review previous skills as necessary for mastery.
.20.2 Use
appropriate language for different audiences (other students, parents) and
purposes (letter to a friend,
thank you note, invitation).
Use language appropriate for report writing.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be
added or deleted.
Use criteria to revise their work and explain the revisions.
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure already taught.
24.2 Identify and apply steps in conducting and reporting research:
a) Define the need for information and formulate open-ended research questions.
b) Initiate a plan for searching for information.
c) Locate resources.
d) Evaluate the relevance of the information.
e) Interpret, use, and communicate the information.
f) Evaluate the research project as a whole.
Formulate open-ended questions to explore topic of interest.
Define the need for information and formulate open-ended research questions through teacher directed classroom activity.
Locate resources through teacher directed whole class activity.
Evaluate the relevance of information in a research project.
Record information by taking notes and drawing pictures and labeling through teacher directed whole class activity.
Obtain a variety of technological resources (databases, networks, videos) to gather, synthesize, and communicate knowledge.
Obtain and use information from graphs, charts, maps, and diagrams.
25.2 Form and explain personal standards or judgments of quality, display them in the
classroom, and present them to family members.
Use checklists to self-evaluate reports.
Self Evaluation Check List
Name __________________________________________ Date _______________
Did you:
1. Include an introductory paragraph?
2. Include at least three supporting detail paragraphs?
3. Include a closing paragraph?
4. Use paragraph format (indent)?
Did you:
1. Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how?
2. Use your senses and include what you were feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting?
3. Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)?
6. Use a variety of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory)?
4. Become more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common
nouns. Instead of “The boy ran down the street to the park.”
Change to “James ran down Front Street to Sot Park.”
5. Use a variety of sentence lengths within the paragraphs?
7. Use figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification?
8. Use imagery (vivid language to create a mental picture)?
9. Develop voice and tone in their writing by expressed your own viewpoint (words that express emotion such as happiness, fear, excitement, respect, fascination, etc.
10. Use more interesting verbs. For instance, instead of “The boy ran down the street.” Substitute verbs such as bounded, darted, dashed, etc.?
11. Use figurative language (similes, metaphor, personification)?
12. Use imagery (vivid language to create a mental picture)?
13. Use sensory details (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste)?
14. Express your own viewpoint (words that express emotion
Such as happiness, fear, anger, fascination, etc.?
Explain how you will try to improve your writing over the next term?
What goals will you set for yourself?
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