Grade 4 Language Arts — Term 1, Week 8
5 day-plan(s) · WeLearn JA LA T1M2
Day 1: Vocabulary: Synonyms and Antonyms (Context)
Grade 4 Language Arts · Term 1, Week 8 · 60 minutes
| Objectives | (1) use a thesaurus; (2) choose the BEST synonym based on context; (3) understand nuance. |
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| Materials | Thesauruses, sentence worksheets. |
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| Key vocabulary | synonym, antonym, nuance, context |
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| Engage (starter) | (10 min) "Is a giant 'big'? Is a mouse 'small'? Let's find better words!" |
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| Develop (main) | (35 min) Review synonyms/antonyms. Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for common words. Discuss nuance (e.g., mad vs furious). Replace boring words in sentences with better synonyms. |
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| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Share improved sentences. |
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| Assessment | Appropriate word choice based on context. |
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| Teacher notes | Focus on expanding vocabulary beyond basic words. |
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Day 2: Grammar: Using Quotation Marks in Dialogue
Grade 4 Language Arts · Term 1, Week 8 · 60 minutes
| Objectives | (1) format basic dialogue; (2) use quotation marks and commas correctly. |
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| Materials | Comic strips, rule charts. |
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| Key vocabulary | dialogue, quotation marks, tag, comma |
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| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Look at a comic. "Speech bubbles show talking. We use quotes in writing." |
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| Develop (main) | (35 min) Teach the formula: "Words," tag. Practice writing dialogue on the board. Worksheet: insert quotation marks and commas into sentences. |
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| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Whiteboard practice. |
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| Assessment | Correct placement of quotes and commas. |
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| Teacher notes | Mechanical skill that requires strict formatting rules. |
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Day 3: Reading: Text Structure (Cause and Effect)
Grade 4 Language Arts · Term 1, Week 8 · 60 minutes
| Objectives | (1) identify cause and effect text structure; (2) find signal words; (3) map the text. |
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| Materials | Informational texts (e.g., weather phenomena), graphic organizers. |
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| Key vocabulary | text structure, cause, effect, consequently, therefore |
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| Engage (starter) | (10 min) "Why do earthquakes happen? The author will use a specific structure to tell us." |
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| Develop (main) | (35 min) Define structure. Identify signal words (because, as a result). Read text. Map out causes and effects on a graphic organizer. |
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| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Discuss findings. |
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| Assessment | Accurate mapping of cause and effect relationships. |
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| Teacher notes | Higher-level comprehension skill. |
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Day 4: Writing: Narrative Writing (Dialogue Practice)
Grade 4 Language Arts · Term 1, Week 8 · 60 minutes
| Objectives | (1) write a short scene; (2) incorporate correctly punctuated dialogue; (3) use tags other than "said". |
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| Materials | Drafting paper, dialogue tag list. |
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| Key vocabulary | narrative, dialogue, dialogue tag |
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| Engage (starter) | (10 min) "Said is dead! Let's use whispered, yelled, replied." |
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| Develop (main) | (35 min) Review dialogue rules. Provide a list of tags. Give a prompt (e.g., "Two friends find a map"). Students write a short scene featuring at least 3 lines of dialogue. |
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| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Read scenes aloud with emotion. |
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| Assessment | Correctly punctuated dialogue in the scene. |
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| Teacher notes | Focus strictly on the dialogue mechanics. |
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Day 5: Month 2 Check-In: Language Skills
Grade 4 Language Arts · Term 1, Week 8 · 60 minutes
| Objectives | (1) demonstrate grammar (commas, quotes, helping verbs); (2) identify text structures; (3) use homophones. |
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| Materials | Assessment booklet. |
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| Key vocabulary | assessment, review |
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| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Brain break and deep breaths. |
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| Develop (main) | (35 min) Administer Month 2 check-in covering grammar mechanics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. |
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| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Collect and free read. |
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| Assessment | Formal rubric data. |
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| Teacher notes | Use to plan Term 1 Month 3. |
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