Fourth Grade - ELA
1: Interdependence
Unit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 8
Dance at Grandpa's
Students are asked to draw a diagram of Grandma's house (Question #1), creating a visual representation of text details. In Activity 4 students can create a labeled bar graph of music genres (Song Graphing) and can write and sing an original two-verse song for their family (Writing a Song). Activity 2 has students listen to multiple audio examples and create a dance/movement routine that reflects a selected song, and the Square Dancing Student Activity Page provides illustrated step-by-step visuals.
Lesson 10
Summertime and Harvest
Students create visual displays in multiple activities: they draw and label illustrations for the "Seasons on the Farm" pages and design artwork showing the interdependence between bees and flowers (Activity 2 and Activity 3 Option 1). Students are asked to demonstrate learning through "productions and displays such as reports, illustrations, and dramatizations" in the Skills section. Students are encouraged to read their written paragraphs aloud (Activity 3 Option 2) and to write and illustrate a creative story (Activity 4).
Final Project
Pioneer Family Night
Students plan and present a multi-part Pioneer Family Night that includes musical performance (selecting, practicing, and playing or singing a song and demonstrating square dance moves) and a visible craft (leading the family in making an orange clove decoration and setting mood with candles). The Pioneer Family Night Checklist and activity pages require students to perform and explain how the music, craft, and storytelling relate to pioneer themes and main ideas.
Unit 2: The Sign of the Beaver
Lesson 6
The Beaver
Students are asked to create and use a Venn diagram to compare stories (Activity 2), which requires producing a visual display to organize similarities and differences. In the Beaver Research activity, students are directed to record information and illustrate the beaver in its habitat, filling boxes for habitat, adaptations, food, and predators. The Life Application suggests watching film adaptations, which exposes students to audio-visual media related to the themes.
Lesson 7
Real Life Learning
Students create visual materials: they draw illustrations for vocabulary cards in the Vocabulary Memory Game and design illustrations for each page of the "Rules of the Forest" book. Students record descriptions on the Character Timelines page, which can function as a visual organizer of main ideas about Matt and Attean. Students also answer questions orally in discussion, indicating opportunities for spoken explanation of ideas.
Final Project
The Sign of the Beaver Movie
Students create multiple visual artifacts: they design a movie poster (including a sentence), draw a set with props, and design costumes for characters, all of which are visual displays. Students also write a movie synopsis and a script and are prompted to "share written and oral products in a variety of ways" and to "present dramatic interpretations," indicating opportunities to present content. The skills list explicitly includes "Draw and discuss visual images based on text descriptions," supporting student practice with visual materials.
Unit 3: Native American Animal Stories
Lesson 2
People and Animal Stories
Students create multiple visual artifacts: they complete a Map of Native American Tribes, fill out Elements of Culture charts, draw and label an Animal Characters page, and use a Venn diagram (double bubble map) to compare stories. Students also complete a Story Map with labeled boxes for main characters, setting, problem, events, resolution, and ending, which organizes story ideas visually. These activities require students to produce visual displays that represent main ideas and themes of the texts.
Lesson 3
The Natural World
Students are asked to retell the butterfly story using a paper bag, natural materials, and the handmade butterfly as props (Activity 3), and to use body language and varied tone when telling the story. Students design and build puppets, write a short script, rehearse, and present a puppet show to the family (Activity 8), which involves creating visual aids for a presentation. The lesson also directs students to watch a short video (Lord Syntax) and to observe a professional storyteller's voice inflections and body language in the Life Application section.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Ben and Me
Lesson 1
Ben Franklin and the Colonies
Students are asked to create visual artifacts: Activity 5 directs students to illustrate the idea of power or force or to create a collage using pictures from magazines or online. Students label and color the thirteen colonies on a map (Activity 3) and record Ben Franklin's birth and death on a timeline (Activity 1), producing visual representations of content. Activity 6 has students view a virtual tour of Philadelphia and write a poem contrasting yesterday and today, which involves engaging with visual resources.
Lesson 3
Swimming
Students are asked to draw or create a model of a new swimming invention using materials that will work in the water, and to illustrate and label the hat from the story, which generates visual artifacts. Students are asked to write a script for a commercial advertising their invention, a task that could be presented orally or dramatically. The Skills list also identifies communicating with an audience through dramatic interpretations and demonstrating ideas through productions and displays such as oral reports and dramatizations.
Lesson 7
France
Students are asked to take a photo journey through France and find pictures of cities, Versailles, and the countryside. Students are instructed to record ideas in a variety of ways such as pictures and lists. Students are asked to include illustrations when writing a step-by-step rescue plan so that mice who cannot read English can follow it.
Lesson 9
The Rescue
Students create and decorate two "Ben Franklin" and "Amos" grocery sacks with illustrations, words, and representative items, producing a tangible visual display that they explain when items are pulled from the bags. Students are asked to sing or play the song "Yankee Doodle," and the teacher may play a video version of the song, giving students an opportunity to perform or listen to audio related to the unit. The skills list also includes sharing written and oral products in a variety of ways, implying opportunities to present work aloud or in different formats.
Final Project
An Interview or Party for Ben
Students are asked to act out an interview and present it to an audience, including practicing answers and dressing/acting like Ben Franklin. Students are also asked to write and sing a song for the party (an audio performance) and to make a card and a gift (visual artifacts). The lesson suggests students look at pictures of Ben Franklin in books or online, which could be used as visual references.
Unit 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lesson 2
Edmund Discovers Narnia
Students create a map of the fictional lands in Activity 1, drawing and labeling geographic locations, landform symbols, and a compass rose. Students record examples of the struggle between good and evil for each chapter in Activity 3 and are asked to illustrate each example with a simple drawing, symbol, or abstract representation. The Student Activity Page explicitly directs students to "draw a simple picture or symbol" to represent chapter examples, showing practice with visual displays tied to text content.
Lesson 5
A Disappointment
Students create visual materials: they make a picture dictionary by writing definitions and gluing related pictures, and they illustrate villains and describe their appearance and actions on the Villains activity page. Students record personal knowledge by drawing pictures and complete graphic organizers with spaces for written descriptions and drawings. The Vocabulary Cube and picture-dictionary activities require students to produce and use visual artifacts (cutting, folding, gluing, and attaching images) during word-study tasks.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked in Option 1 to develop a design for an award, decide on materials, complete the award, and present the award to the hero while explaining why they are giving it. Activity 1 asks students to record examples of good vs. evil on a page, which involves creating a visual list or record. The Student Activity Page includes an illustration and directions for creating sentences using possessive nouns, showing that students produce written and illustrated work.
Lesson 10
Back Through the Wardrobe
Students are asked to describe and illustrate the next route to Narnia and to act out the situation as one of the siblings, which requires creating a visual product and performing orally. The skills list asks students to "share written and oral products in a variety of ways" and to "present dramatic interpretations of experiences, stories, poems, or plays," indicating practice in presenting with visual or performative elements. The movie/book activity has students compare a film (audio/visual media) with the book and produce a movie review or a casting list with explanations, which can involve using visual choices to support opinions.
Final Project
Narnia Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to create tangible visual artifacts such as a model of a fictional creature, a crown design, and a flag, and to gather materials and finish three projects to share. Students are instructed to share their projects with family and other interested people and to summarize the book for their audience. The lesson also suggests videotaping the child's presentation so he can share the video with a group.
Unit 3: The BFG
Lesson 2
Snatched
Students are asked to illustrate the giant's environment and to write descriptions of settings (Activity 1 Options 1 and 2), producing visual representations of the text. Students are directed to locate pictures of London in books and online and to record information and draw illustrations on a cut-and-fold flap organizer (Activity 2). These tasks require students to create visual displays (drawings, collected images) related to main ideas about setting and place.
Lesson 3
The BFG
Students are asked to create visual displays in Giant Geography by locating countries on a world map and illustrating people from those places. Several activity pages direct students to "illustrate" and write descriptions (visual work) and to "record a quote" or "record and then correct it" in Giant Talk and Quotable Quotes. The activities therefore require students to produce visual artifacts and to make recorded entries of quotes.
Lesson 4
Ears and Snozzcumbers
Students are asked to illustrate a vivid dream and choose a color scheme (Activity 2), which has them create a visual display. Students collect and describe sounds on a nature walk and are asked to write a song about using a new power (Activity 3), which yields material for audio presentation. The Skills list explicitly includes sharing written, visual, and oral products and responding through music and art, indicating opportunities to produce visual and audio work.
Lesson 9
The Palace
Students are directed to locate pictures of London and to view a short video about London (web link) to introduce the setting. Students are prompted to "demonstrate learning through productions and displays such as oral and written reports, murals, and dramatizations," which encourages creation of displays or presentations. The activities include creating plans and graphic organizers that could be presented visually (e.g., quotable quotes page, Cause and Effect charts).
Lesson 10
A Breakfast Fit for a Queen
Students are asked to "describe or illustrate" their solutions on the "Hosting a Giant" sheet and the Student Activity Page includes illustration prompts (a pillow, a milk carton, a bucket of popcorn). Students are asked to "demonstrate learning through productions and displays such as oral and written reports, murals, and dramatizations," and they are prompted to pretend to be the queen and act out responses (dramatization).
Lesson 12
Snozzcumbers
Students are asked to design a new book cover that reflects something important in the story, creating a visual display that represents main ideas. In the directing activity, students choose actors for characters and explain their casting reasons, which involves planning elements of a staged presentation. The theme graphic organizer asks students to record events, quotes, and characters' actions that support each theme, providing material that could be used in a presentation.
Final Project
Recipe for a Dream or Newspaper Report
Students create a 5x5-inch illustration and title to tape to a jar along with their written description for the "A Dream in a Jar" project. Students draw a photograph to accompany their newspaper article in "The London Times" option. Students may type the final copy and use a Microsoft Word newspaper template to produce a visual newspaper-style presentation. Students are asked to share the dream with a person or distribute copies of the newspaper article to others.
3: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Stories from Africa and Asia
Lesson 5
A Good Idea
Students are asked in Activity 4, Option 1 to draw a picture on poster board of an animal in its habitat and write a few descriptive sentences on the poster, producing a visual display. The Skills list includes that students should 'Present information in a sequenced, logical manner' and 'Share information and ideas,' which implies practice with presenting. Students are also prompted to describe favorite parts and recount experiences orally in the Wrapping Up and Activities, suggesting opportunities for spoken sharing.
Lesson 6
African Bush Diorama
Students are instructed to create a diorama of the African bush and to use descriptions of the book's setting to help design it, connecting a visual display to the story's setting and themes. The skills list and rubric note that students should "Share written, oral, and constructed projects in a variety of ways," and the parent instructions suggest asking a library to display the diorama alongside the book and book report. The report organizer asks students to write paragraphs focused on characters, setting, and how Precious's life compares to life in the United States, which a diorama could visually support.
Lesson 7
Japan
Students create visual products such as a travel poster for Japan, a Venn diagram comparing Japan and America (with words and pictures), and a labeled map of Japan. The skills inventory notes that students "share written, oral, and constructed projects in a variety of ways," which implies opportunities to present work visually.
Lesson 12
Racing the Wind
The lesson explicitly encourages students to use a program like PowerPoint or online tools (emaze, Prezi) to type their haiku and insert nature images that reflect the poem, and it includes a web link to presentation and slideshow tools. Students are asked to read the poem aloud, paying attention to syllables, which supports oral presentation practice. Activity 3 asks students to sketch and create a small model of a peace monument, producing a visual artifact related to their theme.
Lesson 13
Precious and Sadako
Students are asked to illustrate each character on the 'Precious and Sadako: Similarities and Differences' activity pages and to record descriptive details, quotes, and actions for each character. In Activity 3 Option 1, students draw a picture for each character's scrapbook, paste images on cardstock, and add stickers, borders, and other materials to make a scrapbook page. The skills list also notes responding through art (and music) as acceptable ways to reflect understanding.
Unit 2: Holes
Lesson 1
Texas and Desert Biomes
Students are directed to create visual materials: they label an outline map of Texas, draw the state animal, produce a Venn diagram comparing states, and illustrate a desert on an activity page. Students are asked to use available technology to compile notes into outlines, reports, or summaries and to use oral language to report information on a topic. The lesson also provides video links about desert plants and adaptations that students can view as visual/audio resources.
Lesson 3
Digging
Students create visual displays by cutting out or drawing the four soil layers and gluing them onto brown construction paper (Activity 2, Options 1 and 2). Students match labels and definitions to the illustrated layers and use an illustrated answer key, and they complete a nickname matching page with illustrations and spaces for writing. These activities require students to produce labeled, displayed visual artifacts that represent content knowledge.
Lesson 7
Zero
Activity 3 asks the student to draw Green Lake as it would have looked 100 years ago and to draw Camp Green Lake today, then discuss similarities and differences, providing students with visual displays tied to the main idea of change over time. Activity 1 requires students to record information on the "Happy Campers" pages, indicating students create and keep materials that could be shared. The Skills section lists "Share written products in a variety of ways," which implies students may present their work.
Lesson 9
Driving a Truck
Students are asked to design a Wanted Poster for a character, which requires them to create a visual display (styled like an Old West poster) and to look up examples online for inspiration. Students complete a "Character Comparisons" graphic organizer, writing similarities and differences in a pentagon-connected visual layout. Students also fill out activity pages (Happy Campers and adverb pages) that use visual organizers and pages for recording information.
Final Project
Welcome to Camp
Students are asked to illustrate elements of the camp (illustrations of a campfire, guitar, and tree) and to draw and describe a camp uniform and welcome pack items. Students write a camp song or chant and develop an exercise routine, creating materials that could serve as audio or visual content. Students are asked to present their ideas for the camp to the family.
Unit 3: Stories from Europe
Lesson 1
Tradition Stories
Students watch an instructional video titled "Myths, Fables, Legends, and Fairy Tales" (Activity 1), and they answer any questions about it. Students create a visual map of Europe by cutting, gluing, labeling, shading countries, and pasting story picture boxes into the correct countries (Activity 3 and 4). Students sort and record stories into categorized boxes (folktale, fable, fairy tale, myth, legend) on student activity pages, producing organized visual artifacts that represent story types and origins.
Final Project
Writing Your Own Story
The lesson explicitly offers a slideshow alternative to a paper book and tells students they may "find images online to enhance her writing". It requires that if students choose a slideshow, "each page of the book will be one slide, and each slide will need at least three images related to the story being told on that slide" and asks for an introductory slide with title/author and related images. The lesson also asks students to create illustrations or images that "reflect the setting" and "help the reader visualize some action," and to read their story aloud to the family.
4: Exploration and Survival
Unit 1: Abel's Island
Lesson 1
Survival
Students are asked to design a book cover and create a title for their novel, providing an explicit opportunity to produce a visual display (Activity 1 and the student activity page with a large blank cover box). Students complete a graphic organizer titled "Natural River Resources," which requires them to represent information visually in a table format. The lesson also directs students to read/view online river habitat resources, which involves interpreting visual information.
Lesson 3
Where Am I?
Students are asked to draw and illustrate Abel's boats and label parts on the 'Parts of a Boat' activity, and to build a model boat from natural resources (visual displays). Students are given recorded songs (YouTube links) and are encouraged to sing along or play an instrument while singing the "Sailing Song," exposing them to audio examples and musical performance (audio recordings). The student activity pages include a diagram of a boat that students match and label, which requires producing a visual representation tied to story details.
Lesson 4
Who Is Abel?
Students are asked to illustrate Abel in a framed picture and record words and phrases describing his physical appearance and personality, using textual evidence. Students draw a scaled map of the island (Mouse Measurements) and convert measurements, applying a map scale to create a visual representation. The skills list and activities instruct students to "draw and discuss visual images based on text descriptions" and to "represent text information in different ways, including story maps, graphs, and charts."
Lesson 7
Threats
Students are asked to illustrate Abel and his adaptations on the "Adaptations for a Mouse" activity page, which requires them to create a visual depiction tied to main ideas about survival. Students fill in a "Using Natural Resources" chart and create "Chapters 11-20 Vocabulary Cards," activities that produce visual artifacts (charts and cards) that represent key information. These tasks have students produce visual materials that relate to the book's themes and vocabulary.
Lesson 9
The Newcomer
Students prepare a script that must include a set description and three props (Activity 3). The Student Activity Page provides a labeled space for three props and lines for the script, prompting students to plan visual stage elements. The Life Application asks students to watch a live play and observe the set and props, reinforcing attention to visual elements in a presentation.
Final Project
Your Own Deserted Island
Students are instructed to draw an Island Map with a scale, symbols, and a key, and to write descriptive paragraphs that accompany the map. The project asks students to prepare multiple visual artifacts (map, lists, written paragraphs, letter, escape steps) and encourages them to share the project with family and to dress up when giving their presentation. The rubric for Part 1 specifically checks for map creation (title, key, scale) which students produce as part of their work.
Unit 2: Pedro's Journal
Final Project
Story Blocks
Students design and illustrate eight story cubes (setting, characters, vocabulary, survival, similes, quotes, historical fiction, exploration) using colored pens, graphics, and written content on each face. Students cut out, assemble, and display the cubes and are instructed to use the cubes to discuss the story and to explain information as they place each block in a story tower. Students record quotes, facts, similes, and illustrations on the cube faces, creating content-rich visual displays tied to main ideas and themes.
Unit 3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Lesson 4
Rats in the Rosebush
Students are asked to create visual displays: they draw a picture of Mrs. Frisby in the center of a bubble map labeled "Bravery" and list ways she showed bravery. Students are also asked to design a new home for the owl using arts-and-crafts materials, a textured picture, or a model and to look for pictures and descriptions of owls online or in books. The lesson directs students to fill in a plot flowchart, which requires organizing story elements visually.
Lesson 11
The Plan
Students are instructed to create a pop-up picture titled "A Perfect Place to Live" that visually illustrates Thorn Valley, including step-by-step folding/cutting directions and materials. Students can record important events from each chapter on a "Plot Flowchart," which has them produce a visual organizer of plot events. Students also write a speech about animal testing that requires them to develop and communicate main ideas and reasons in a spoken-form text.
Final Project
The Next Chapter or Book Float
Students create a three-sided parade float that visually displays the story's setting, characters, and the rats' advancements and place items inside the box to represent theme, main character, problem, and solution. Students select a song to play while pulling the float and the rubric explicitly asks whether the song reflects the story. Students present the float by pulling it through the room for family to observe while the chosen music is played.
