Grades 3 to 4 - Developing Ideas

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Third and fourth grade students learn to focus on a single topic long enough to develop their ideas. Using strong verbs, sensory detail, and dialogue to show (rather than tell) they provide evidence to support those ideas. Students pay careful attention to the impact of their choice of words in their own writing and when they read and respond to texts. As they improve their expressive abilities, they practice the technical skills necessary to communicate their ideas clearly and correctly. These include writing complete sentences, using correct punctuation, and learning the first steps in formatting dialogue.

Getting Started:

WEX Habits and Routines to Develop a Writing Community

Skills Covered:

Focus (topic development)
Showing (using evidence)
Sentence Mechanics: The Complete Sentence
Dialogue and Evidence I
Logical Structure
Setting & Context I
Strong Verbs
Sensory Detail
Character Development
Subject Verb Agreement
Punctuating and Formatting Quotations

Genre Units:

Personal Essay
Short Story
Response to Literature

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