Fourth Grade - ELA
1: Interdependence
Unit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 2
Little House in the Big Woods
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the lesson's language: instructions tell the child she "can" record observations and "can" complete story activities, and the question/answer guidance uses "may" (e.g., "Your child may mention wolves..."). The answer key and activity directions include modal verbs in context, showing how modals convey ability or possibility in example sentences.
Lesson 3
Winter Days and Winter Nights
The lesson includes prompts that use and invite discussion of modals, e.g., "Ask your child why we must take care of our homes" and directions that students "can answer" questions and "can record" information on activity pages. Discussion prompts about responsibilities (e.g., why every family member must help, assigning tasks to do) require students to explain obligations and abilities in speech or writing. Several activity directions (answering questions, describing similarities/differences, discussing chores) give students opportunities to use modal verbs in responses.
Lesson 5
Christmas
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the text of directions and answer keys: examples include "your child can record..." and "He can write the paragraphs...", the answer key phrasing "Answers may include...", and guidance statements using "should" (e.g., "He should think about what type of gift..."). These occurrences provide models of modal auxiliaries (can, may, should) within teacher prompts and example answers.
Lesson 7
The Sugar Snow
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in instructional language (e.g., directions that say the child "can" record, "can" cut apart pages, and Option 2 notes he "may" combine steps). Students are asked to write new sentences for vocabulary words and to record steps or directions, which gives opportunities to produce sentences that could include modal verbs. The recipe and activity directions use modal-like imperatives and permission language (e.g., "Provide assistance as needed," "Ask your child what he learned"), exposing students to contextual uses of auxiliaries.
Unit 2: The Sign of the Beaver
Lesson 1
Background Information
The paragraph prompt asks the child to write whether she would have wanted to be a settler or a Native American, which invites use of the modal 'would' and conditional language. Option 1 asks the child what she would have wanted her homestead to look like, and Option 2 asks the child to write a poem describing ways she would use resources on her homestead 'if she were' a settler; both prompts contain modal/conditional phrasing. The instructions themselves model modal forms ('would', 'if she were'), so students may produce sentences that include at least one modal auxiliary.
Lesson 2
Alone
Students encounter modal auxiliary language in the lesson directions: multiple instructions use the modal "should" (e.g., "He should find the word on the page indicated and read the word written in context," "He should look up the word in the dictionary"). Students also are asked to write sentences for vocabulary words, which could incidentally include modal verbs when they complete the sentence boxes.
Lesson 5
A Story
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the lesson text and directions: the introduction uses "might be confusing" and "may not translate," and Activity 2 directions state "she can only use natural resources." The directions to the child also use "can" repeatedly (e.g., "Then your child can answer"). These instances show modal verbs are present in language students read during the lesson.
Lesson 6
The Beaver
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the materials when they read directions and skill statements that use words like "can" and "may" (for example, "Explain what people can learn..." and "you may wish to share..."). Students are instructed they "can record" research information on the Beaver Research page, which uses a modal to indicate ability/possibility. Students also see conditional phrasing such as "If possible, watch a film adaptation," which presents a conditional context.
Lesson 11
A Choice
Several comprehension questions in the reading use modal auxiliaries explicitly: Question #2 uses 'would' ("Why would Matt not go..."), Question #3 uses 'might' ("might have chosen"), and Question #4 uses 'Would you have gone...'). The activities ask students to write journal responses (Activity 2) and to develop interview questions and answers (Activity 3), which involve composing sentences in response to prompts.
Unit 3: Native American Animal Stories
Lesson 4
Survival Stories
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the text and directions: for example, directions tell students to "identify any elements of your culture you can find in the myths" and to "draw or list ways Native Americans depended on each animal" (use of "can"/"can draw"). The explanatory text includes the modal "must" in the sentence "not because people must hunt in order to eat." These occurrences show students read and follow instructions that contain modals.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Ben and Me
Lesson 5
Electrifying
The text contains multiple modal auxiliaries in instructions and prompts that students will see, such as "your child can record a factual and fictional event," "he can follow the directions to create electricity," "it is possible to create a lightning effect," "your child will create a kite," and "The account should describe what happened." These instances show students encountering modals like can, will, and should in context.
Lesson 6
War
Several directions and prompts in the lesson include modal auxiliaries: e.g., "Your child can record a factual and fictional event...", "She can either cut the words out and paste them... or write the words in the blanks.", the comprehension question "How do you think France could help the colonists?", and the sample sentence in the Fact/Opinion activity "All people must have oxygen in order to live." These instances show students will read and respond to sentences that contain can, could, and must.
Lesson 10
Back Home
Students are asked discussion questions that use the modal 'should' (Question #2: "Do you think Amos should stay home or continue to accompany Ben?") and the modal 'can' appears in the "Questions to Explore" prompts ("How can words be powerful?" and "How can power be used to help people?"). These prompts require students to respond in ways that may use modal verbs to express opinions or possibilities.
Unit 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lesson 3
Always Winter and Never Christmas
Students read sentences that contain modal auxiliaries: the Professor's line includes "we must assume she is telling the truth," and the Facts and Definitions statement says "Logical thinking can help people solve problems." The Narnia Logic activity asks students to evaluate logical conclusions that reference these sentences, exposing students to modal usage in context. These occurrences show students encounter modal verbs in reading and reasoning tasks.
Lesson 5
A Disappointment
Several instructional directions use modal auxiliaries in context: for example, "he can arrange them alphabetically and staple them" and "he can also make a title page" use 'can', and the vocabulary cube directions state "To play the game, he will roll the cube" and "whichever word it lands on must be used in a sentence." These instances show students reading and hearing modal verbs (can, will, must) in activity instructions.
Lesson 10
Back Through the Wardrobe
Students read character dialogue that contains modal auxiliaries, for example the professor's lines: "I don't think it will be any good trying to go back..." and "You won't get into Narnia again by that route." Students are asked to act out the situation as one of the siblings and to discuss and write responses (describe a route, write a movie review), which requires speaking and writing where modal forms may appear. Students also hear other sentences with modals in the text such as "It will happen when you're not looking for it."
Unit 3: The BFG
Lesson 3
The BFG
In Activity 1, students hear and compare three example sentences using can, might, and must with explicit meanings given (ability, possibility, obligation). The teacher text names other helping verbs (could, may, will, should) and instructs students to choose or circle the correct helping verb in sentences (e.g., "Across the road, she (should, could, will) see Mrs. Rance's shop..."). The worksheet requires students to select the correct helping verb for several sentences and to rewrite sentences with correct subject/verb agreement, including correcting the giant's use of helping verbs.
Lesson 6
Catching People and Dreams
Activity 3 explicitly tells students that "The giant must use a different strategy than the rest of the giants," placing the modal auxiliary must in a student task. Activity 4 (Interpreting the BFG) asks students to correct the giant's grammar in sentences that include modal use (for example, the corrected answer includes "it will sit quietly"). The Skills list includes "Gain increasing knowledge of grammar," and students are asked to substitute correct words and correct grammar on the activity pages.
Lesson 7
A Nightmare for Fleshlumpeater
Students read and encounter modal auxiliaries in context, for example in the definitional statement "Something tangible can be touched and seen" and in character dialogue such as "A dream isn't something you can catch a hold of" and "we can't touch them." These occurrences show students observing use of 'can'/'cannot' to express ability or possibility within reading and discussion activities.
Lesson 8
A Dreamy Plan
Students see modal auxiliaries used in the materials: the Introduction uses "may not" and "may be" when discussing how the BFG and Sophie relate to the giants, and the Student Activity Page prompt includes "The queen must always __." Teacher directions also use modal language (e.g., "Tell her she must use the vocabulary words") that students read or follow.
Lesson 10
A Breakfast Fit for a Queen
The lesson prompts students to respond to questions that contain modal auxiliaries and invite modal-based responses, e.g., "What might have happened if the queen did not believe Sophie?" and "If you serve pizza for dinner, how many pieces will the BFG eat?" The Hosting a Giant activity models conditional language ("If a normal 6-foot man requires..., then... would require...") and student prompts ask "How will he take a bath or a shower?" and "How much water will he use?" Students are also given permissions/ability-language in directions ("she can record..., she can make her length measurements...").
3: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Stories from Africa and Asia
Lesson 1
Meerkats in Botswana
Several student directions use the modal auxiliary "can," for example: "If he needs more space, he can write on the back of the sheet" and "he can use the back of the page if he needs more space." The craft instructions also use modal-like phrasing about abilities of the meerkat (e.g., "allows it to absorb the Sun's rays" and "helps the meerkat see"), showing incidental examples of auxiliaries that express ability or function.
Lesson 4
A Missing Cow
Students read sentences that include modal auxiliaries such as "can" ("can be aggressive", "can fill in", "can act it out"), "should" ("should be very cautious"), "might" ("might think"), and "would" ("would sell the cow's calf"). Students are asked to write a script for a scene and to complete activity pages, providing contexts in which they may produce modal verbs in their own writing. The lesson's questions and directions therefore contain multiple examples of modal auxiliaries in authentic contexts.
Lesson 6
African Bush Diorama
Students read and follow directions that include modal auxiliaries such as "she can use materials from nature," "she may want to sketch it," and "she can write or type her final copy." The activity instructions and prompts use modal verbs (can, may) repeatedly in guiding student choices for materials and steps. The editing step asks students to review and improve grammar, which could include noticing modal usage.
Lesson 7
Japan
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in instructional and explanatory sentences: for example, Activity 1 uses "Your child can use small cookie cutters" and "Your child should help choose the ingredients," Activity 2 uses "your child can write an acrostic poem," and the question answers include "Your child may also mention..." These instances show students reading and following directions that contain can, may, and should.
Lesson 9
The Secret is Out
The lesson text contains multiple modal auxiliaries in instructions and explanations (for example: "he might create a chart," "he should find at least three ways," "may be in a certain academic area," "may be wrong," "could learn from him," and "can make a list"). Students are asked to speak and write (discuss, answer journal questions, write a paragraph, and explain Sadako's secret), which gives opportunities to encounter and potentially use modal words in oral and written responses.
Lesson 10
Kenji
The lesson includes multiple instances of modal auxiliaries in text and instructions: e.g., "Letters can be formal or personal," "She can make one, or ... she can pick one out at the store," and "The letter she writes to Sadako should be at least eight sentences." The Life Application also uses a modal: "You could take your child to a local hospital." These model uses of can, should, could, and would appear in contexts where students read and write.
Unit 2: Holes
Lesson 1
Texas and Desert Biomes
The student question "Would you go to a camp in the desert? Why or why not?" prompts students to respond using the modal auxiliary 'would' in a hypothetical/conditional context. The wrap-up asks students to use vocabulary words in sentences aloud, which could lead students to produce sentences that include modal auxiliaries. Multiple activity directions use the word 'can' (e.g., 'he can label,' 'he can write'), modeling a modal auxiliary in instructional language.
Lesson 7
Zero
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the lesson text: instructions state the child "can answer four of the questions," the prompt asks which job he "would have enjoyed most," and the guidance references things the child "might have read" or "may have seen." The Student Activity Page also uses a modal phrase when describing spiced peaches as something that "would have been a delicacy." These instances show modal auxiliaries appearing in reading and prompts.
Lesson 13
Innocent
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in multiple places in the text: instructions use "can" (e.g., "He can then answer...", "your child can use the page", "your child can type his letter"), a question answer uses "could" ("They could not locate his files."), and an explanation uses "has to" ("A movie has to present an entire novel..."). These instances show students reading and responding to sentences that contain modal verbs.
Unit 3: Stories from Europe
Lesson 2
Fiona's Luck
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in example sentences that they read and analyze: for example, the sentence "You must leave before midnight." uses the modal must, and the sentence "If so, I can wish for nothing," she asked. uses the modal can. These sentences appear in activities where students are asked to identify prepositional phrases and to read/answer comprehension questions, so students will read and work with sentences that contain modals.
Lesson 5
Comparing and Contrasting Stories
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the materials: a first-person paragraph includes the phrase "I may have made a different decision," and instructional directions use modals such as "can" when telling students they "can review" activity pages or "can start" at specified points in the stories. Students are asked to write 8–10 sentences retelling events from a first-person point of view, a task in which they could use modal verbs in context.
4: Exploration and Survival
Unit 1: Abel's Island
Lesson 3
Where Am I?
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in instructional sentences such as "He can draw a diagram" and "Your child can follow along with the lyrics on the screen." Students are asked to choose activities (e.g., build a boat or write a sailing song) and may read or speak these instructions aloud, thereby encountering the modal "can" in context.
Lesson 4
Who Is Abel?
The Skills section asks students to "explain and discuss how humans and other animals can adapt their behaviors," which uses the modal auxiliary "can." The Introduction prompt asks students to predict plans Abel "might devise," and the Life Application uses "could" when suggesting other units animals "could use" for measurements. Students are prompted to answer and discuss questions that include these modal verbs in context.
Lesson 5
Perseverance
The lesson uses modal auxiliary language in instructions and prompts (e.g., "Ask him if he can think of any other people…"; "Now your child can read through his organizer…"), showing students encounter the modal can in context. The grammar rubric prompts students to self-check general grammar features (capitalization, commas, subject/verb agreement) which may lead students to review sentence-level choices. Students are asked to write and revise multiple paragraphs, providing opportunities to produce sentences that could include modal auxiliaries.
Lesson 8
The Dead of Winter
Students read sentences that include the modal auxiliary "can," for example: the facts state that in torpor "the animal can wake up and move around," and the experiment directions tell the child she "can put her hand an inch away from her mouth" to measure breaths. Instructional prompts also use "can" in questions and directions (e.g., "What are some examples of animals that hibernate?" and "Answer the following questions using complete sentences").
Unit 2: Pedro's Journal
Lesson 3
September
Students are prompted to write about a hypothetical in Activity 3: "Ask your child what he would do if he won $10,000," which requires use of the modal would to express a conditional. The question-and-answer set includes sentences using will (e.g., "The crew will run out of food.") and the vocabulary answer passage contains will and would (e.g., "What if it was a sign... that will shipwreck us..." and "I would not be surprised..." ). Instructions also include can in contexts such as "he can fill out ‘The Journey' sheet," providing an instance of the modal can.
Lesson 4
October
Students encounter sentences that include modal auxiliaries, for example the quoted practice sentence "Can you swim, sir?" and the answer sentence "One day he will get what he deserves." Students are asked to read and insert punctuation for quoted lines and to write two original quoted sentences, which could include modal verbs.
Lesson 6
November
The lesson text uses modal auxiliaries in procedural directions and examples: multiple instructions use "can" (e.g., "She can cut the poster board...", "She can cut out the holes for eyes.") and a suggestion uses "could" ("Materials could include rice, beans, leaves..."). These occurrences show students encounter modal verbs in context while completing the mask activity and following directions.
Lesson 8
The Island of the Skog
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the text and tasks: QUESTION #7 uses "could" (What could Columbus and his crew have learned...), Activity 3 uses "can" (Tell your child to pretend she can go back...) and includes "should" in describing Columbus's view (he believes the natives... should be servants). Students are prompted to write journal responses and an anthem, tasks in which they may use modal verbs while explaining hypothetical history or obligations.
Lesson 9
January
The text uses modal auxiliaries in content sentences such as "Manatees are aquatic mammals that must come to the surface to breathe," demonstrating the modal 'must' in a factual context. Instructional language also includes modals: "there are many words that can be substituted for 'said'" and directions telling the student they "must use words instead of 'said'" when writing dialogue. Several occurrences of 'can' appear in activity descriptions (e.g., "can be used as journal and discussion questions," "can 'adopt a manatee'," "can illustrate"), showing modals appear throughout the materials.
Unit 3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Lesson 1
Sickness
Students read and hear modal auxiliaries in multiple places: the Introduction asks the child to guess what "might" make the novel a fantasy, activity instructions state the child "will" keep a Plot Flowchart and "will" record events, and Question #7/answer includes Mr. Ages' recommendation that Timothy "should" stay warm and indoors for a month. These instances show modal auxiliaries appearing in both instructional text and story content.
Lesson 2
Spring is Coming
The lesson text uses the modal auxiliary 'may' in the Introduction sentence: "her fight for her son's survival may be more challenging than she had imagined." Activity 2 also uses a modal in the prompt: "describe three or four ways that an animal's survival in the woods may be threatened in the winter." These instances provide models of a modal auxiliary expressing possibility.
Lesson 6
A Plan for Mrs. Frisby
The text contains explicit modal auxiliaries in student-facing directions and narration, for example: "the rats decide what they must do to keep Mrs. Frisby and her family safe," "She can calculate the problems on paper or use a calculator," and "her plan can't involve magic." Students are also prompted to describe and devise a plan ("Ask your child to describe the rats' plan..." and "then she will devise a plan"), which includes opportunities to use modals in spoken or written responses.
Lesson 7
The Capture
Several instructional sentences and questions use modal auxiliaries: QUESTION #1 asks, "What tools did the rats say they would need?" (would); Activity 2 says the student "can make a list" (can); Activity 3 and directions use "might" in "think of what each acronym might stand for" (might). These instances show students encounter modal verbs in reading prompts and activity instructions.
Lesson 8
Life at NIMH
The scientist dialog used in the Scientific Vocabulary activity contains modal auxiliaries: e.g., "We may even be able to see mutations by the morning," and "Then tomorrow, when we return to the laboratory, we can compare the control group...". Students are asked to fill in and/or write a dialogue that reproduces that example dialog, exposing them to sentences that use can and may. The reading passages and questions include these same sentences, so students encounter modal auxiliaries in context while reading and completing activities.
Lesson 9
The Escape
Students encounter modal auxiliaries in the text and activities: instructions state that the child "can answer" questions and "will learn" about the escape, the journal question asks "How would they use these materials?", and the game tells the child he "must find his way" to the end of the yarn. Several other modal forms appear in guidance (e.g., "will have to"), giving examples of can/would/must in context. These instances show modal verbs are present in student-facing language and questions.
Lesson 10
Amazing Rats
The directions and activities repeatedly use modal auxiliaries: students are told they "can answer" questions, "can record" events on the Plot Flowchart, and "can find information" if unfamiliar. Activity 3 asks students to "brainstorm ways the mice could have gotten electricity" and invites them to consider how the mice "might have used electricity." Activity 2 and other prompts encourage students to write or brainstorm possible uses, which could lead students to produce sentences containing modals (can, could, might).
