Fourth Grade English Language Arts Quotations Lesson Plan

Fourth Grade English Language Arts Quotations Lesson Plan 

Big Idea- Rules of grammar and convention of language support clarity of communications between writers/speakers, and readers/listeners.     

Essential Questions- How do grammar and the conventions of language influence spoken and written communication?

PA Academic Standard(s) – CC.1.4.4.L Demonstrate grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, capitalization, and spelling.   

Competency(ies)- Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey a well-defined perspective and appropriate content.

Objectives – Fourth grade students will be able to create a comic strip that contains 3 punctually correct quotations. 

Materials needed- Make Beliefs Comix, white boards and markers, laptops

Lesson Outline

Motivation (Anticipatory Set)  Display the following paragraph on the board:

The girl walked into the classroom. Her teacher was waiting for her when she walked in. Good morning! How are you today? Good, I guess. What did you have for breakfast today? Toast. That’s good. Are we learning about snails today? No. We are going to an assembly today though. That will be fun. Yes, it will be. Please put your things away and then start working. 

Ask the students: Is this paragraph confusing? Why? Do you know who is talking? Why not? How could we fix it?

Display the following paragraph on the board:

The girl walked into the classroom. Her teacher was waiting for her when she walked in.

“Good morning!” her teacher said. “How are you today?” 

“Good, I guess,” the girl replied.

“What did you have for breakfast today?” 

“Toast.”

“That’s good,” her teacher nodded. 

“Are we learning about snails today?” the girl asked.

“No,” her teacher replied.

“We are going to an assembly today though,” the girl remembered. “That will be fun.”

“Yes, it will be,” her teacher nodded in agreement. “Please put your things away and then start working.”

Ask the students: Was this conversation easier to understand? Why? Today we are going to talk about the importance of using quotation marks when communicating speech in writing. 

Development of the Concept or Skill (Information Activity)- Show the following sentences on the Promethean Board and demonstrate how to properly add quotation marks. Students can follow along by writing and correcting the sentences on their white boards:

1. Have a good day. “Have a good day.”

2. Can I have a cookie? “Can I have a cookie?”

3. His dad said put on your shoes. His dad said, “put on your shoes.”

4. The ball is over there the boy yelled to the dog. “The ball is over there,” the boy yelled to the dog.

5. I like brownies Anna said and ice cream, too. “I like brownies,” Anna said, “and ice cream, too.”

Conclusion (Application Activity)-  Students will sign out laptops and go to Make Beliefs Comix. Show students how to construct their own comic strips online by demonstrating on the board. Students will be required to create a comic strip on any topic that contains at least 3 quotations. Students can send the comics to the printer when they are finished. Comics will be shared with the class after they are proofread. 

Evaluation of Learning- post-assessment- Students will be evaluated on their ability to construct a comic that contains 3 correct quotations.