RI.4.1 Lesson Plans
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1
:"Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text."
Our Take: When explaining the meaning of a text or drawing inferences from a text, the fourth grader will cite specific examples to support his thoughts. A wide range of reading comprehension exercises can help build this skill. Teachers should prompt students to explain their impressions of a text thoroughly and make sound arguments.
These lesson plans can help students practice this Common Core State Standards skill.
Lesson Plans
Reading Closely
Lesson plan
Reading Closely
Young readers will love this story-filled reading comprehension lesson. It's packed with engaging exercises designed to help students become better at looking for details and annotating passages of text.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Reading to Find the Main Idea and Details
Lesson plan
Reading to Find the Main Idea and Details
Informational texts isn't just found in textbooks. In this reading lesson, kids will examine the writing of a middle school student and use it to learn more about main ideas and supporting details.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Endangered Species Exploration
Lesson plan
Endangered Species Exploration
Teach your students the importance of text features with informational readings about endangered species around the world. This lesson on wildlife doubles as a great way for young learners to hone their reading comprehension skills.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Biomes: Comparing and Contrasting
Lesson plan
Biomes: Comparing and Contrasting
This lesson combines an introduction to biomes with some fun Venn diagram exercises. Not only will students learn more about nature, they'll also learn how to make comparisons between different things in nature.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Cause and Effect: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Lesson plan
Cause and Effect: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Your students may know about Rosa Parks, but do they know about the Montgomery Bus Boycott that her famous action inspired? Enhance students' knowledge of this important part of the Civil Rights movement while teaching cause and effect.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Presidential Pets
Lesson plan
Presidential Pets
Holy cow! Did President George W. Bush really have a longhorn named Ofelia as a pet? Students learn about wacky White House pets in this fun research activity that includes “president interviews” and a pet choice writing page.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Great Lake Stories
Lesson plan
Great Lake Stories
Natural landmarks are a source of wonder and fascination, and they encourage people’s imaginations. Students will get a chance to use their imaginations in this lesson where social studies and writing combine.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Detective Reading
Lesson plan
Detective Reading
Roll up your sleeves and get out the magnifying glasses! In this lesson, your students will practice finding supportive details and examples in informational texts.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Amazing Animals Adaptations!
Lesson plan
Amazing Animals Adaptations!
Students put their knowledge of animal adaptations to the test when they create a new creature with its own unique set of adaptations!
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Jazzy Bio Poems
Lesson plan
Jazzy Bio Poems
Integrate reading, writing, and social studies in this lesson about famous jazz musicians! This lesson would fit perfectly in a unit about biographies or Black History Month.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Let's Play Rivers Jeopardy
Lesson plan
Let's Play Rivers Jeopardy
Let's play jeopardy! In this interdisciplinary lesson, students learn about American rivers, create game questions about the rivers, and then play the game.
4th grade
Lesson plan
Identifying the Author's Purpose
Lesson plan
Identifying the Author's Purpose
This lesson gives students foundational skills needed to identify the author's purpose in a variety of texts. Use the lesson as a stand alone or as a pre-lesson to What Were They Thinking?
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Making Strong Inferences
Lesson plan
Making Strong Inferences
Making inferences is a key skill to master before going on to read more difficult fictional texts in fifth grade. This lesson helps your students solidify their inference skills with a focus on citing evidence in fictional text.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Prepositional Phrases as Key Details
Lesson plan
Prepositional Phrases as Key Details
Help your ELs familiarize themselves with prepositional phrases as they search for supporting details in nonfiction texts. This lesson could stand alone or be taught prior to teaching the Detective Reading lesson.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
What Were They Thinking?
Lesson plan
What Were They Thinking?
What do Malala Yousafzai, Al Gore, and Michelle Obama all have in common? They are all nonfiction authors with a purpose. In this interactive lesson, students will gain practice looking at details in text to identify the author’s purpose.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Inferences in Nonfiction Texts: Cesar Chavez and Farmworker Rights
Lesson plan
Inferences in Nonfiction Texts: Cesar Chavez and Farmworker Rights
Cesar Chavez is a perfect example of a champion for social justice. Students will refine inference skills by using background knowledge and evidence from the text, while also discovering an important American civil rights activist.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Inferences and Introductory Phrases
Lesson plan
Inferences and Introductory Phrases
In this lesson, students are asked to cite the text for evidence as they make an inference in a nonfiction text. It can be taught on its own or used as a pre-lesson to Inferences in Nonfiction Texts: Cesar Chavez and Farmworker Rights.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Main Idea and Details in Nonfiction
Lesson plan
Main Idea and Details in Nonfiction
In this lesson, students will identify nouns and pronouns as they distinguish between the main idea and supporting details. It may be taught on its own or used as support for the lesson Compare and Contrast Texts on the Same Topic.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Steps to Make an Inference
Lesson plan
Steps to Make an Inference
It's time to infer! Students will read a variety of short passages and make inferences using modals and a step-by-step graphic organizer. It can be used on its own or as support for the lesson Inference Detectives.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Inference Detectives
Lesson plan
Inference Detectives
It’s time to make an educated guess! In this lesson, your students will practice using their background knowledge and evidence from the text to make inferences in nonfiction pieces about Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Who Was Amelia Boynton Robinson?
Lesson plan
Who Was Amelia Boynton Robinson?
Take your fourth and fifth graders on a deep dive into the civil rights movement with this lesson on Amelia Boynton Robinson. A key activist in the movement, Amelia played a critical role in organizing the Selma to Montgomery march. Your students will read, annotate, and analyze her biography through multiple reads, before discussing the text with their classmates.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Leaders in the Journey to the 19th Amendment
Lesson plan
Leaders in the Journey to the 19th Amendment
Use this lesson to teach your students about the lives of 10 important leaders during the suffrage movement. Children will read a picture book that highlights 10 leaders who strove to win the right to vote for American women. Children will then work in groups to research and learn more about these inspiring women who dreamed big and never gave up. Finally, students will share their findings with the rest of the class.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Fourth Grade Daily Sub Plan Day 3
Lesson plan
Fourth Grade Daily Sub Plan Day 3
Planning for a substitute in the classroom has never been easier than with this daily sub plan! Your substitute can keep your students learning in your absence by using these lessons, worksheets, and activities.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Writing Opinions About Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Lesson plan
Writing Opinions About Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th century writer and philosopher who today is considered one of the first documented feminists and advocates for women’s education. In this lesson, students will read two nonfiction texts about Sor Juana and discuss her life and accomplishments before writing an opinion piece about her.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lesson plan
The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Use this lesson to teach your students about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy he left behind. With a picture book that shares facts and beautiful illustrations to teach about his life, students will show understanding by organizing information on a graphic organizer.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Fourth Grade Daily Sub Plan Day 1
Lesson plan
Fourth Grade Daily Sub Plan Day 1
Planning for a substitute in the classroom has never been easier than with this daily sub plan! Your substitute can keep your students learning in your absence by using these lessons, worksheets, and activities.
4th grade
Math
Lesson plan
