Do you struggle with teaching grammar in your fourth grade classroom? It can be tough because there are so many grammar skills and so little time. Keep reading to get your top 5 grammar questions answered:
Where To Start?
There are so many grammar skills to teach and never enough time!. By the time students get to 4th grade, they have been exposed to a variety of grammar skills.
Usually schools do not have a set grammar curriculum like they do in math or reading. It’s difficult to know what skills your students are coming in knowing because students have been exposed to different levels of grammar instruction based on who their previous teachers were.
Within the first two weeks of fourth grade, you should assess your students on grammar (Beginning of the Year Grammar Assessment) This will help you narrow down the strengths and weaknesses of your students.
If a large majority of your class is lacking in a particular skill, you can hit that hard in class. If just a small group of students are lacking a certain skill, they can be pulled in a small group to reteach.
For those who are teaching in Texas, we know that the STAAR Writing test is given in 4th grade. It’s extremely important for students to understand grammar rules in order to answer the revise and edit questions on the test.
What Skills Are Most Important?
The TEKS list 11 grammar skills that should be taught in 4th grade (TEKS 4.11 D (i-xi), but some standards are more of a priority than others. The grammar skills that are heavily tested on STAAR Writing are extremely important. Additionally, there are certain grammar skills needed to be an to become an exceptional writer.
- Sentence Structure– Students must be able to write a complete sentence! They also need to be able to include a variety of sentence structures in their writing by 4th grade.
- Capitalization– We assume 4th graders come in with capitalization knowledge. I’m sure that they have been taught the rules, but it’s clear it has not always been reinforced. Some fourth graders don’t capitalize the beginning of a sentence or an “i.” Not only should you go over the rules with your 4th graders, you should also have them correct their capitalization errors every time you see them in their writing.
- FANBOYS– combining sentences with a comma and a conjunction (FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) is an important 4th grade skill. It is the most commonly asked question on the STAAR Writing test. Students should know when to use a comma and when NOT to use a comma with one of the FANBOYS.
- Word Choice– Word choice is a broad term that combines several TEKS. Many STAAR editing questions ask about using the correct regular or irregular verb, plural nouns, matching nouns and pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
What Should a Grammar Lesson Look Like?
Grammar lessons should be kept short, about 15-20 minutes. Texas fourth grade teachers should heavy load grammar lessons in the beginning of the year since knowledge of grammar skills is needed when students start practicing revising and editing questions.
- Introduce the Skill– Students should have a notes section in their writing notebook. All 4th Grade TEKS are hit in my STAAR Writing Notebook. Each time a skill is introduced they put the notes in their notebook which they reference throughout the year.
- Visuals– Students need to see the grammar rule in action. This year I was able to get a subscription to Flocabulary. This website includes a catchy song with nearly every grammar rule. There are also many videos on YouTube. Just be sure to preview the video before showing it to your class. Yes, I learned that the hard way!
- Practice– Every time a new skill is introduced students need the opportunity to practice the skill in a small group. Working on a grammar game in a small group allows them to talk to each other about the grammar rule. Perhaps a peer can explain information in a different way than a teacher.
There are several ways students can practice in small groups, check out more info on grammar games here in my Grammar Games Blog Post:
- Task Cards
- Sorting Cards
- Sentence Strips
- Mentor text (searching for the way an author uses a grammar skill)
- Creating sentences
- Independent Work– Students need the opportunity to show what they have learned in independent practice.
- Grammar Practice Pages
- Student Writing
- Technology- Kahoot, Education Galaxy, Quizz
After grading the independent work, the teacher can use this information to pull groups of students who need to be retaught a particular grammar skill.
How Often?
Grammar should be included in your writing lessons. Once all of the grammar skills have been taught, it’s important to build in a recursive review time for grammar skills. Students will not just remember the skills after being taught once. It’s imperative to go back over grammar skills throughout the year to help reinforce the concept.
Also when you see a student make a grammatical error in their writing, have them correct it immediately. They can learn from their mistakes if they are pointed out right away.
There are many opportunities to review grammar skills while go over revise and edit question with your fourth graders.
How to Fit in All In?
It’s important at the beginning of the year to make a PLAN on when you will teach each grammar skill. Think about what grammar skills are most important, how they build upon each other, and the available timeframe.
If you are looking for a GRAMMAR PACING GUIDE, fill in the form below for a FREE copy. I am sharing what I use in my own classroom.
I used to struggle with planning grammar, but after using this pacing guide, I’m confident I teaching all the grammar skills my 4th graders must know.
