As part of our balanced literacy approach (reading, writing, speaking/listening, word study/grammar) we use the Lucy Calkins Units of Study. See the description below of our units of study:

In fourth grade, you’ll help children delve into complex texts and see significance in details. In the first unit, Interpreting Characters: The Heart of the Story, children study the complexity of characters and explore themes while developing skills such as inference and interpretation. In the second unit, Reading the Weather, Reading the World, children form research teams to delve into topics about extreme weather and natural disasters while developing their skills in cross-text synthesis, practicing close reading, comparing and contrasting, and evaluating sources to determine credibility. In the third unit for fourth grade, Historical Fiction Clubs, children practice reading analytically, synthesizing complicated narratives, comparing and contrasting themes, and incorporating nonfiction research into their reading. 

Empowering Writers offers a systematic approach to writing narrative, expository and opinion pieces. Students generate narrative, personal experience and response to text writing through the foundational writing skills.  Foundational informational writing skills are applied to paragraphs, essays and reports, as well as the more challenging writing in response to text.