4th Grade Reading Passages for Opinion Writing
This past year I have been wrapping up a project that has been quite the labor of dear: Monthly Text Sets. The monthly text sets solve a list of issues I consistently ran into when teaching 4th Grade ELA. But commencement, what are the monthly text sets? The monthly text sets are a set up of nonfiction passages based around ane topic. Students use the passages/manufactures to write in response to reading. The text set includes an opinion or advisory writing prompt and reading comprehension questions. This means that you tin use Ane set up of texts to teach both reading and writing.
What does each monthly text set include?
- 2 – 3 Nonfiction Passages based around 1 topic
- Comprehension Questions aligned to standards
- Writing Prompt for Opinion or Informational Text-based writing in response to reading
- Graphic Organizer for Students
- Teacher Model Graphic Organizer
- Instructor Model Essay
- Differentiated for Grades 3-v
Reading Comprehension
Each text set includes 2 – iii passages/manufactures (texts). They are nonfiction topics and the texts are differentiated for grades three-5. The 4th and 5th course manufactures sometimes remain the same, only the questions are different for each grade level. The questions follow the type of questions students might see on a state test such as the Florida State Assessment, and are aligned to the Common Cadre State Standards. Even if your state doesn't exactly follow mutual cadre standards and they have their own, the questions are based on skills too such as master idea, text structure, crusade and effect, etc.
The questions follow a arrangement. They are divided up between each commodity with a heading so students know which commodity to look for the information. The last section of questions always requires students to use at least 2 articles. That means that you are consistently hitting the R.nine standards of integrating two texts. If you have students use the writing portion of the text sets, then you are digging even deeper into that standard.
You can see examples of the question types below. Each grade level is included. I kept it this way so that even if you lot teach another grade level, you tin differentiate for your students if needed. Don't forget to take hold of this gratuitous shark text set before you lot go! Click here or on whatsoever of the images.
third Grade Reading Comprehension
4th Grade Reading Comprehension
5th Grade Reading Comprehension
You will also get a link that gives y'all access to the Standards Alignment Google Canvass. This way you can continue track of which standards each text set is covering. If you wanted to cover a specific skill, y'all take an easy way to rails and access which standards are covered in which text gear up.
Writing
The writing portion includes a prompt in which students volition write using both texts to reply. The prompt for this text set is an informational writing prompt:
Write an essay in which you explain the importance of sharks in the bounding main ecosystem.
If you are familiar with my writing units, so you lot know that boxes and bullets are the standard around here. I have a lot of thoughts about that, but the gist is that they are so simple and provide a consistent structure for your students. Each text set includes a boxes and bullets graphic organizer for students and a teacher case to model or guide your students. Depending on where you are in your writing instruction, you tin can also accept students do this in their notebook.
Writing paper is also included for a final published piece. Depending on how long you have and/or if you are in examination-prep way, you may choose to have students write a rough typhoon on notebook paper or in their writing notebook and so write a last re-create on the publishing paper. Then, display in your classroom or hallway for the world to see all of your students' amazing writing!
Probably 1 of your favorite parts of the text sets is that there is a teacher case plan and essay. Teaching writing is time-consuming enough, so when you have an example then y'all can focus on HOW to teach it.
The plan and example essay includes 2-three body paragraphs. So your students will be writing four – 5 paragraph essays. Depending on which you adopt to have your students write, you'll just add/remove a body paragraph.
- Paragraph ane: Introduction
- Paragraph 2: Trunk Paragraph 1
- Paragraph 3: Body Paragraph 2
- Paragraph 4: Conclusion
There is besides an editable teacher plan and essay available as a PowerPoint and Google md so that you tin can edit and adapt the essay to your needs.
You might also use a Google Doc/PowerPoint to write the essay with your students and apply the instance equally a guide.
What are the topics for each month?
One of my favorite parts about these text sets is that they have a monthly theme. HOWEVER, most topics can exist used at whatever point in the year. Some topics are month-specific such as "Martin Luther King, Jr. Mean solar day" in January and "The Benefits of Bees" in April (it mentions Earth Twenty-four hour period), only you lot can definitely fit these into to your current curriculum. And I take to tell yous that even though all 12 months take been released, we're still creating these each month.
- January: MLK Twenty-four hour period (Opinion Writing Prompt) →Read the blog mail hither.
- February: Equality in Education: Mary McLeod Bethune and Thurgood Marshall (Informational Writing Prompt)
- March: Ants: Perk or Pest? (Opinion Writing Prompt)
- April: The Benefits of Bees (Informational Writing Prompt)
- May: Salvage the Sea Turtles (Informational Writing Prompt)
- June: Shark Shenanigans (Informational Writing Prompt) Take hold of this one for FREE here or at the end of this post.
- July: Hurricanes (Advisory Writing Prompt)
- August: Video Games: Helpful or Harmful? (Opinion Writing Prompt)
- September: Homework: Helpful or Harmful? (Opinion Writing Prompt)
- October: Bats: Benefit or Carp? (Opinion Writing Prompt)
- Nov: Paid to Play: Should College Athletes be Paid? (Opinion Writing Prompt)
- December: Polar Deport Bug (Informational Writing Prompt)
WHY utilise monthly text sets?
Let's talk about WHY you might want to utilise text sets in your classroom. While teaching 4th course in a self-contained classroom, I consistently felt like we were giving our students besides many texts to grapple with. At any point in time, nosotros juggled some (and sometimes ALL ) of the following texts:
- Read Aloud (chapter book)
- Read Aloud (motion-picture show book)
- Writing Mentor Text (motion picture book)
- Reading Text Sets (passages every bit part of a center or independent practice)
- Guided Reading Text (small groups)
- Shared Reading Text (textbook used in whole groups or small groups)
(This is Merely for Reading)
- Writing Text Sets for test prep or writing in response to reading (In 4th and fifth Grade, this was ALLLLL the time.)
- Scientific discipline Textbook
- Social Studies Text
When you list it out similar that, information technology'south a LOT of texts. And they all serve a purpose. And they're all important.Merely nosotros continuously ran into issues.
❌We couldn't fit them all in. (Shocking, right?)
❌We felt behind or overwhelmed because we were trying to exercise too much and unable to arrive #allthethings.
❌Science and social studies were not getting the time they deserved. And honestly, I don't think the future of our globe tin afford to non make scientific discipline and social studies a priority.
The bottom line is we were trying to use Likewise. MANY. TEXTS. 1 big event that I began to see is that we treated the texts that we were using for writing as if we didn't accept to actually read them. As if we didn't have to read them closely, dissect, analyze, and synthesize to produce a clear and concise essay with a controlling idea, supporting details, voice, etc. And, of class, in a style that did not copy the text. You and I both know that'due south a lot to ask of a 4th grader (or tertiary grader or 5th grader or quite bluntly – an adult.)
In that location had to be a meliorate style.So I decided to ELIMINATE or INTEGRATE.
✅Eliminate the texts that we didn't need to utilize, that didn't support other content expanse standards or that didn't offer high-engaging content or just weren't the all-time quality of texts in the offset place. If my students weren't interested in it and it didn't align to other content area standards – I needed to notice ameliorate texts.
✅Integrate Science and Social Studies into our ELA curriculum.
How practise the monthly text sets fit into this?
Each monthly text set can exist used for both Reading and Writing. The topic of each text set is either high-engaging or supports Social Studies/Scientific discipline standards. It may not directly align with science or social studies standards, merely topics support those areas. For example, many of the animal topics discuss life cycles and roles in the ecosystem.
HOW practice I teach writing using the text sets?
If y'all're looking for more support in didactics writing, and then you may be interested in the complete writing units. Both the informational and opinion writing unit include daily lesson plans, PowerPoints that aid you navigate writing workshop.
Are you ready to attempt the monthly text sets?
If you're prepare to give the monthly text sets a try in your classroom, y'all can grab the Sharks Text Set freebie by clicking on the push button below.
Or, if yous're looking for a yearlong resources of monthly text sets, I take that for you too. What'southward even ameliorate well-nigh this resource is you can use information technology as consequent reading and writing do. Think: literacy centers, whole group lessons, pocket-sized grouping lessons, homework, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Just click here or on the epitome beneath to snag them.
Source: https://theliteracyloft.com/2020/01/opinion-and-informational-text-sets-reading-and-writing-from-one-text-set-a-freebie/
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