4th Grade Writing Test Practice and Prep
In 4th grade, children are expected to recognize grammar and usage errors. Some standardized tests have a paragraph children are required to edit. They may also have a written prompt, which may be a short passage of text or a poem. Using creative ways to motivate and inspire kids can help them practice and prepare for writing tests.
Education.com's Activities
Education.com has reading activities that range in difficulty from easy to advanced to inspire and challenge 4th graders. One activity, called 'Be a Detail Artist,' helps kids develop descriptive writing skills using art. 'Nutsy News Stories' is a more challenging but fun way for students to practice writing composition by finding silly news headlines and writing stories to go with them.
Family-friendly activities using writing skills include creating an encyclopedia of family members and making shape poem greeting cards. An activity to help build critical thinking skills has kids making a 'flash-back' book by interviewing family members.
The Animal Inquiry activity supports inquiry-based research projects. Using writing prompts to guide and record their findings, elementary students are invited to explore animal facts and habitats.
Writing Activities from Rainbow Elementary School
A group of 4th grade teachers at Rainbow Elementary School in Florida have posted several interactive writing activities and lessons on their school website to help prepare kids for the state standards test. Your child can listen to podcasts to learn vocabulary, write sentence pyramids with prompts and self-check his or her own work with a scoring rubric. An 'idea generator' helps kids begin writing an essay and another link will allow your child to learn about self-editing. This website also provides links to other websites and resources you might find helpful.
ReadWriteThink's Interactive Lessons
ReadWriteThink has interactive lessons categorized into the areas of writing that 4th graders are expected to know. Your child can use games and other motivating activities to practice organizing, summarizing, inquiry, analysis and writing.
The Compare and Contrast Map is a graphic organizer that helps kids plan and organize their essays. The Essay Map takes kids through the writing process in a non-linear format, showing that there are multiple ways to navigate information.
Other Articles You May Be Interested In
-
Is Less Writing a Good Thing for Your Student?
Everywhere you look there seems to be some sort of educational reform being proposed, implemented or suggested. In many cases reform is intended to be for the better, but a recent bill being sponsored in Washington state calls for doing away with statewide writing assessments. Is less writing necessarily a good thing?
-
Reading, Writing and Raising Hens?
Your child may have no intention of becoming a farmer. Perhaps even having a garden as an adult is unlikely. Still, as students around the country are learning, when schools add farming to the school day, students benefit in numerous ways.
We Found 7 Tutors You Might Be Interested In
Huntington Learning
- What Huntington Learning offers:
- Online and in-center tutoring
- One on one tutoring
- Every Huntington tutor is certified and trained extensively on the most effective teaching methods
K12
- What K12 offers:
- Online tutoring
- Has a strong and effective partnership with public and private schools
- AdvancED-accredited corporation meeting the highest standards of educational management
Kaplan Kids
- What Kaplan Kids offers:
- Online tutoring
- Customized learning plans
- Real-Time Progress Reports track your child's progress
Kumon
- What Kumon offers:
- In-center tutoring
- Individualized programs for your child
- Helps your child develop the skills and study habits needed to improve their academic performance
Sylvan Learning
- What Sylvan Learning offers:
- Online and in-center tutoring
- Sylvan tutors are certified teachers who provide personalized instruction
- Regular assessment and progress reports
Tutor Doctor
- What Tutor Doctor offers:
- In-Home tutoring
- One on one attention by the tutor
- Develops personlized programs by working with your child's existing homework
TutorVista
- What TutorVista offers:
- Online tutoring
- Student works one-on-one with a professional tutor
- Using the virtual whiteboard workspace to share problems, solutions and explanations