English Language Arts Performance Standard B Grade 4

English Language Arts, Standard B: Writing
Performance Standards - Grade 4

By the end of grade four, students will:

B.4.1 Create or produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

• Write nonfiction and technical pieces (summaries, messages, informational essays, basic directions, instructions, simple reports) that convey essential details and facts and provide accurate representations of events and sequences
• Write expressive pieces in response to reading, viewing, and life experiences (narratives, reflections, and letters) employing descriptive detail and a personal voice
• Write creative pieces (poetry, fiction, and plays) employing basic aesthetic principles appropriate to each genre
• Write in a variety of situations (timed and untimed, at school and at home) and adapt strategies, such as revision and the use of reference materials, to the situation
• Use a variety of writing technologies, including pen and paper as well as computers

• Write for a variety of readers, including peers, teachers, and other adults, adapting content, style, and structure to audience and situation

B.4.2 Plan, revise, edit, and publish clear and effective writing.

• Produce multiple drafts, including finished pieces, that demonstrate the capacity to generate, focus, and organize ideas and to revise the language, organization, and content of successive drafts in order to fulfill a specific purpose for communicating with a specific audience
• Explain the extent and reasons for revision in conference with a teacher
• Given a writing assignment to be completed in a limited amount of time, produce a well developed, well organized, and effective response in correct English and an appropriate voice

B.4.3 Understand the function of various forms, structures, and punctuation marks of standard American English and use them appropriately in communications.

• Understand and use parts of speech effectively, including nouns, pronouns, and adjectives
• Use adverbials effectively, including words and phrases
• Employ principles of agreement related to number, gender, and case
• Capitalize proper nouns, titles, and initial words of sentences
• Use punctuation marks and conjunctions, as appropriate, to separate sentences and connect independent clauses
• Use commas correctly to punctuate appositives and lists
• Spell frequently used words correctly
• Use word order and punctuation marks to distinguish statements, questions, exclamations, and commands