4th Grade Resources

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Guided Reading Strategy Cards

$2.50

This set of Guided Reading Strategy Cards includes 12 pages of cards with 12 different reading strategies (4 on a page) that can be used in guided reading groups to reinforce the reading strategy you are teaching. You might also find these cards useful to support students during Independent Reading, Conferences, or to send home for parents. The strategy cards can be printed on paper or card stock and then laminated. You can keep the cards on a binder ring or in Ziploc bags. In my 4th grade classroom, we used these cards during small group to help students “SEE” the strategy we were working on. You can find more information about these particular strategies in the book The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson I hope you and your students find these cards useful!

Strategies Included:

*BME -(Beginning, Middle, End) a summarizing/retelling strategy

*Somebody-Wanted-But-So- A strategy to follow the plot structure and what the character wants in the story in order to summarize the story.

*5 Finger Retell- A retelling strategy to retell the characters, setting, problems, and events.

*Stop! Think. Paraphrase.- Helps students monitor their thinking.

*Who? and What?- Who is this part mostly about? What was the most important thing that happened? A strategy to keep track of the big events of the story.

*VIP {Very Important Part}- a strategy to focus on important things that are happening and character change.

*VIP {Very Important Part} Internal and External-a strategy to focus on the important things the character does (external) and how the character feels (internal)

*Ask Questions- a strategy to mark interesting parts with questions using What? How? and Why?

*It’s all about the Character!- Pay attention to the character’s action and dialogue.

*Green Questions- These types of questions can be found directly in the text. The author states the question exactly. I can GO directly to the text and find the answer. Who, What, When, Where, Why?

*Yellow Questions- I need to slow down and look in more than one place in the text to answer this kind of question. Compare & Contrast, Cause & Effect, Main Idea/Details

*Red Questions- The question is NOT answered directly in the text. I must STOP and THINK about the passage and what I know to help me answer this question.

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

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Rubrics, Charts, & Checklists, OH MY!

$6.00

This mini-bundle of resources includes:
Informational Writing Student/Peer Checklist
Informational Writing Teacher Rubric for grading purposes (2 versions)
Narrative Writing Student/Peer Checklist
Narrative Writing Rubric for grading purposes (2 versions)
Opinion Writing Student/Peer Checklist
Opinion Writing Rubric for grading purposes (2 versions)
Language Arts Short Response Rubric
Character Feelings and Traits Notebook Charts
Transitional Words and Phrases Notebook Chart
Words We All Should Spell Correctly Chart
Writing an Opinion Essay Chart
Writer’s Celebrate! 3-2-1 Style

This product is one that I see myself continuously updating and adding new material. hope you enjoy and I would love to hear your feedback about this product! I am always open to ways I can improve my products:)

How to use the Checklists:
The checklists are used to help students understand what is expected of them as they move through the writing process. In addition, the checklist requires them to reflect on themselves as a writer. In my classroom, I introduce the checklist shortly after we have started the unit so they can monitor themselves as we go along. As we move towards publishing our final draft, the “I’m done” declarations dwindle. I have found the checklist reiterates specific things students can work on as a writer. Furthermore, they are required to consult one another through peer editing and revising.

The Rubrics
Reading and Writing grades are not so quick and easy anymore. Although I have the abstract mind of a Language Arts Teacher, when it comes time for grades and assessments- the “measurement” of my student’s progress can be a bit gray and I have struggled with giving my students’ a fair grade. The Writing rubrics included in this product are aligned to the checklists and allow you as the teacher to attach a grade to their final writing piece in an objective manner.

The Language Arts Short Response Rubric is a new one I am trying out this year and am very excited about!!! No longer are our assessments simply multiple choice-you got it or you don’t, a quick and easy grade. Questions and tasks are open-ended, which requires students’ to think more critically. In many standardized district or state assessments, students are required to respond to a task in an essay form AND ALSO a short response. As a teacher, assigning grades isn’t so easy anymore. I have often wondered how my classroom assessments are aligning to the district and state assessments as well as the standards overall. Alas, this product was born.

I don’t know about your students, but when my kiddos get a short response it is…definitely short!! They either answer in 2-3 words or a sentence or two that may or may not answer the question.  No more! This rubric will help you get students in the habit of answering short responses in complete sentences and require them to efficiently and quickly reflect on their work. Because after all, it is a SHORT response I use these at least once a week with a question about the current text or Read Aloud we are using in the classroom. They respond in their Reading Response Journal (or Reading Notebook). An added bonus is that throughout the year you can watch your students grow and become not only better readers, but also better writers

The Charts
Charts, charts, charts-I Love Charts. The problem is that we run out of wall space in our classrooms. I have found that students are sometimes more likely to use charts when they are at their fingertips- in their notebooks. I try to create the charts that they can continually refer to in their Reading and Writing work into half sheet versions they can simply glue into their notebooks. This product includes charts students can use in both Reading and Writing as well as a sample of charts found in the product My Opinion Matters!

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

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My Opinion Matters! {An Opinion Writing Unit}

Comic Strip Book Response

$3.00

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

This resource is a fun and interactive way to have your students respond to a book they have read. You might use this after finishing a Read Aloud or when students finish their Book Club or Independent Reading Book. This resource leaves a lot of room for creativity and individual response. I used this project in my classroom after we finished the book The Landry News by Andrew Clements. Students used their Reader’s Response Journal to take notes throughout the book. Once we finished the book, students jotted ideas in their notebooks about which characters changed (how and why). The theme charts included in this product are charts my students keep in their Reader’s Response Journals. You can find more charts like this here. These charts were especially helpful in planning for this project.

Students used their notes (although you could do this any way that works for you:) ) to answer the questions. Then, they created a rough draft sketch of their comic strip. Finally, students illustrated a colorful comic strip demonstrating their understanding of the text. This product lends itself to much creativity and is wonderful for an end of the year, keep-your-students-engaged activity!
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact us at help@theliteracyloft.com.

Happy Reading!

Student Led Conferences & Goal Setting

$3.00

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Reader’s Notebook Anchor Charts

My Life is A Story {A Personal Narrative Writing Unit}

About the Product:
This product contains the following tools to help you conduct Student Led Conferences in which students have direction about what to share with their parents and more importantly- you have direction as a teacher to implement Student Led Conferences! Additionally, students have tools to help them set goals for themselves based on current grades or test scores. In our 4th grade classrooms, we used a Student Data Sheet for students to record and keep track of their data. Because districts use different assessments, I have provided a power point document which is editable so you can change to suit your needs. If you would like to use the same fonts I used, head over to KG Fonts to get your font fix. :) The other documents are generic enough that you can use them in your own classroom.

What this product includes
*Save the Date! - This document is editable to add in the dates and times for your Student Led Conferences.

*Welcome to our classroom! - This is a welcome sheet students can leave on their desks when the parents come in. Students also used this as an agenda/guide for going through the process and remembering the steps for their Student Led Conference. (This helps to work through the awkward moments of, “What do I say next?...”)

*Questions for Parents to Ask Your Child - This form is for parents to fill out during the conference. This serves as a guide to help parents ask their child questions while their child walks them through their work.

*Setting Goals - Ideas for improvement in Language Arts, Math, Science, Work Habits, and Behaviors. These are slightly a combination for tools to set goals and goals themselves. This will help students, parents, and you identify HOW to reach goals. In my classroom, students set goals based on their grades, test scores, or assessment data. Then, they used this sheet to identify ways to reach the goals they set. However, for some of your students- these may be the actual goals. Use this sheet to suit the needs of your classroom and your students.

*Goal Setting Sheets for Language Arts, Math, Science, Work Habits & Behaviors - These sheets can be completed in class or during the Student Led Conference. Students use the Setting Goals sheet to help them complete these sheets.

*Tracking my Reading Progress - This chart is a tool for students to track how many books they are reading each month. This can help you to monitor students’ Independent Reading as well as help students to set Reading goals.

*Setting Monthly Goals for Reading - This is intended to go with #6. When students are keeping track of how many books they are reading each month, they can use this data to set monthly goals.

*What did you think? {Parent Feedback Form} - This form is a reflection/survey for parents after the student led conference. Parents can complete during the conference or after.

*What did you think? {Student Feedback Form} - This form is a reflection/survey for students after the student led conference. Students can complete during the conference or after.

*My Progress Portfolio Binder Cover - This is a binder cover for students Progress Portfolio or some people like to call it a Data Binder. I personally prefer Progress Portfolio because in my classroom we keep a binder with tabs for each subject area. Students put work they are proud of inside the binder behind the appropriate tab. This sheet serves as a cover page.

*Sample Student Self-Evaluation - This is a form kept inside the Progress Portfolio used to track student’s data. This form is an example of how we used it based on the assessments in our districts and state. This product includes 2 editable Power Point files in which you might use this document based on your state and districts’ standards and assessments. If you need any assistance with this document, please contact me at help@theliteracyloft.com

Also, MOST of my fonts come from Kimberly Geiswein Fonts on Teachers Pay Teachers. She offers them FREE for personal use. So, if you like the look of the editable documents, downloading the fonts will allow you to personalize them even more to suit your needs. Plus, her fonts are amazing and you might become slightly addicted! So, go enjoy some free fonts!

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Please contact me if you have any questions or issues with this resource :) help@theliteracyloft.com

Let’s connect!

The Literacy Loft on Facebook

Email: help@theliteracyloft.com

Writing Charts

$2.00

These charts are for students’ use in their writing notebooks, but also for teachers! At the beginning of the year, one of the most important things we can do for our students is teach them how to get ideas for their own personal narratives. This will lead to better writing in other genres. More importantly, this will get students excited about writing! I like to focus on these key points at the beginning of the year:

Volume, Stamina, & Confidence

This chart is a simple tool students can glue into their notebook as a reminder of ways they can generate ideas for entries, drafts, or stories. Also, teachers can use these as teaching points for mini lessons at the beginning of the year. I would strongly advise teachers to teach students HOW to use this tool & model ways to get ideas, before giving to students. I have included 4 copies:

One half-page (so 2 on a page) for students with my examples
One half-page (so 2 on a page) for students with a blank t-chart
One full page with a blank t-chart
One cute colorful one which could be displayed in the writing center or however you choose.

By giving students a resource to get ideas, you may be less likely to hear, “I don’t have anything to write about…”
And when you do, you have a simple response:

“Let’s take a look at some ways writers get ideas…”

This chart could also be displayed in the classroom for students in the writing center. I would love to hear how this works for you! I appreciate any feedback

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Let’s connect!

Happy Writing!
Jessica

Raving Reviews - Sampler Opinion Writing Unit on Book Reviews

$2.00

This product is a small piece of my Book Review Unit that is growing larger than I imagined! In my 4th grade classroom, we completed a small Opinion Writing Unit on Book Reviews. My kids LOVED it! I began this unit by explaining to my students that “reviews” are a special type of Opinion Writing that a writer writes based on their experience. There are reviews on EVERYTHING! Restaurants, Movies, Video Games, EVERYTHING! I also told my students a funny little story about when I went to try a new Chinese restaurant by my new house and found that my mother had written a review- and it was not a good one! Needless to say, I tried somewhere else. My students got a nice chuckle out of that and it was a nice way to get them excited about Book Reviews. I then showed them the website Crixut.com, which are Movie Reviews written by kids. Even though they are movie reviews, they are excellent examples of a Review and Opinion Writing written by kids. This is just an idea to help you get Book Reviews & Opinion Writing up and running in your classroom.
This sampler includes:

“Building a Book Review” Anchor Chart- This helps to explain the structure of a Book Review. I have included two versions depending on the needs of your classroom. Their essays could be 4 or 5 paragraphs.

“A Book Review” (stepped out version) - This version is for those students who need a little more scaffolding or you could use this as a homework assignment or in a center.

“Planning my Book Review” - a planner for your students to organize their writing Boxes and Bullets style. There are two of these planners, one for a 4 paragraph essay and one for a 5 paragraph essay.

“A Book Review” Publishing Paper- this is the final landing spot for their Book Review with a small window for them to include an illustration of the book cover.

“Bookagram” – an Instagram inspired book recommendation sheet. If you are interested in purchasing this product alone, please see my Bookagram product.

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Let’s connect!

Christmas Around the World Newspaper Bingo {Informational Text}
History of Earth Day Reading
History of Halloween Newspaper Bingo {Informational Text}
Memorial Day & Fourth of July Informational Text {Newspaper Style Bingo}
MLK Day Reading Bingo
Thanksgiving Informational Text (Newspaper-Style Bingo)
Valentine's Day Informational Text

You try the free Veterans Day Bingo by clicking here!

Raving Reviews - Sampler Opinion Writing Unit on Book Reviews

Valentine's Day Informational Text

$4.00

*DIGITAL OPTIONS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED FOR GOOGLE SLIDES AND FORMS/GOOGLE CLASSROOM* Be sure to re-download! There are directions and links inside the pdf.

About this Product
This is an informational newspaper style text fun to use around Valentine’s Day. Included in this product are Bingo sheets which have questions from the entire "newspaper." This activity can be used over a few days. Students read facts and information about the history of Valentine’s Day from the newspaper and then record their answers in the bingo grid. The bingo grid comes in 26 different versions. Having each student use a different version of the answer grid will allow you to reinforce the content of the informational text by playing a game of bingo…possibly on or around Valentine’s Day. The questions range from vocabulary, finding the main idea, using text features, as well as finding key details.

How to Play

The first page is an answer key, which can be used to play the game of bingo. Cut up each square, place in a Ziploc bag or container of your choice and call out questions. Students must answer the question correctly and have 5 in a row. Up, down, or diagonally.

This resource is part of the Reading Comprehension Bingo (Holiday Bundle)

You might also enjoy these other Reading Comprehension Bingos:

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Let’s connect!

Email: help@theliteracyloft.com

Thanksgiving Homework {Thanksgiving Tic-Tac-Toe}

$1.50

Thanksgiving Homework

This Tic-Tac-Toe style homework is a fun way for you and your students to celebrate the season. This one page form comes with 9 squares filled with homework choices that involve conversations with families, helping others, and writing directions for recipes!

This resources also includes 2 templates to help students with the homework choices:

*Make Your Own Thanksgiving Word Search page for students who choose this activity or you might find this to be a fun activity for your classroom.

*Thanksgiving Recipe Template

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

We hope this homework provides a fun way for you and your students to mix it up this holiday season!

Let’s connect!

Happy Fall!
Jessica & Erin

Thanksgiving Homework {Thanksgiving Tic-Tac-Toe}

Writing Process Signs {Calming Blue}

$2.00

These writing process signs will help you and your students identify the steps/parts of the writing process as well as keep track of where they are when working on a project and what to do next! Implementing a routine at the beginning of the year will help students be successful as writers throughout the year as well as in the rest of their writing life. These Writing Process Signs come in a calming blue with clear steps and visually pleasing clip art that will catch the eyes of you and your students. If you would like to see these posters in another color, please email me at help@theliteracyloft.com.

Steps Included
*A Writer's Thinking labels (3 different versions, rectangle, oval, circle)
*Generate Ideas
*Develop & Plan
*Rehearse
*Draft
*Revise
*Edit
*Peer Edit
*Publish
*Celebrate!

Ideas for Classroom Use
These posters come landscape 11 x 8.5. If you are looking for a different format, please email me! I suggest printing and laminating each of the signs. You may or may not want to use all of the signs. In general, there are variations in the steps of the writing process. Printing on card stock would allow these signs to be more durable, but is not necessary! You could even print and slip into sheet protectors. If you do not have access to a color printer, or find that it is too expensive, simply print in gray-scale and you are good to go! Here are some ways I have used writing process signs in my classroom:

*Writing Center- Put signs in sheet protectors and then attach on a binder ring and have students use as a reference.

*Bulletin Board- Display in a row above or on a bulletin board or even in the writing center as a reminder of the steps writers go through during the writing process.

*Writers’ Tracking System- Use as a way to track your young writers’ status in the writing process. You could do this by connecting the signs using binder rings. Then, hang on a bulletin board and use clothespins with your students’ names or numbers to track where they are in the writing process.

Are you looking for something else?
Please email me at help@theliteracyloft.com! I would love to add any words or signs that you use in your classroom.

Are you looking for a different color? I will be adding other versions of this same product with a different color. Please email me if you are looking for something specific!

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

I look forward to hearing how you implement these in your classroom! Please contact me with any questions, issues, or feedback! help@theliteracyloft.com

Let’s connect!

Happy Writing!
Jessica

Writing Process Signs

$2.00

These writing process signs will help you and your students identify the steps/parts of the writing process as well as keep track of where they are when working on a project and what to do next! Implementing a routine at the beginning of the year will help students be successful as writers throughout the year as well as in the rest of their writing life. These Writing Process Signs come in 3 different designs and patterns (navy & white quarter foil, navy & white stripes, teal & white chevron) If you like the signs, but would like to see them in different colors, please contact me! There are also two “title” posters. {The Writer’s Process and A Writer’s Thinking}

I suggest printing and laminating each of the signs. You may or may not want to use each of the signs. There are slight variations on the steps in the writing process, as a general rule of thumb. Printing on card stock would allow these signs to be more durable, but is not necessary! You could even print and slip into sheet protectors. If you do not have access to a color printer (or find that it is too expensive) simply print in gray-scale.

The signs could be used in several ways...
Writing Center- put signs in sheet protectors and then attach on a binder ring and have students use as a reference.

Bulletin Board- Display in a row above or on a bulletin board or even in the writing center as a reminder of the steps writers go through during the writing process.

Writers’ Tracking System- Use as a way to track your young writers’ status in the writing process. You could do this by connecting the signs using binder rings. Then, hang on a bulletin board and use clothespins with your students’ names or numbers to track where they are in the writing process.

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Let’s connect!

I look forward to hearing how you implement these in your classroom! Please contact me with any questions, issues, or feedback!
Happy Writing!
-Jessica

State Research & History Project {Wisconsin}

$4.00

This interactive, printable booklet is a fun way for your students to study the state of Wisconsin. The booklet totals in 10 pages on the inside with a front and back cover. The pages are copied back to back and then folded to form a booklet in a brochure style format.

Students will research the following about the state of Wisconsin:

-State Capital
-State Symbols (Bird, Flower, Flag, Tree, Song, Dog, Nickname, Beverage, Insect, Seal, Wildflower, Fish, State Fossil). There is also a blank page for State Symbols so students can choose symbols they like.
-State History
-City History (Students can choose a city from the state or the teacher can assign each student a different city to give each brochure some variety.)
-Animals Native to the City
-Special Landmarks or Landforms
-Important People
-Goods or Resources from the Area

Throughout the booklet, there are boxes for each section in which students can draw and write about the state.

Students can use the planning page to gather their information and then transfer their information to the booklet as a final product. Students can be creative by drawing pictures of each symbol, landform, etc.

A rubric for grading purposes is included as well.

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

I hope you have as much fun as we did! Please contact me with any questions!

Happy Teaching!

Let’s connect!

The Literacy Loft on Facebook

Email: help@theliteracyloft.com

State Research & History Project {Wisconsin}

State Research & History Project {Washington}

$4.00

This interactive, printable booklet is a fun way for your students to study the state of Washington. The booklet totals in 10 pages on the inside with a front and back cover. The pages are copied back to back and then folded to form a booklet in a brochure style format.

Students will research the following about the state of Washington:

-State Capital
-State Symbols (Bird, Flower, Flag, Tree, Song, Dog, Nickname, Beverage, Insect, Seal, Wildflower, Fish, State Fossil). There is also a blank page for State Symbols so students can choose symbols they like.
-State History
-City History (Students can choose a city from the state or the teacher can assign each student a different city to give each brochure some variety.)
-Animals Native to the City
-Special Landmarks or Landforms
-Important People
-Goods or Resources from the Area

Throughout the booklet, there are boxes for each section in which students can draw and write about the state.

Students can use the planning page to gather their information and then transfer their information to the booklet as a final product. Students can be creative by drawing pictures of each symbol, landform, etc.

A rubric for grading purposes is included as well.

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

I hope you have as much fun as we did! Please contact me with any questions!

Happy Teaching!

Let’s connect!