Skill plan for Units of Study for Teaching Writing - 4th Grade
IXL provides skill alignments with recommended IXL skills for each unit. Find the IXL skills that are right for you below!
Unit
Print skill plan
1
Unit 1
The Arc of Story: Writing Realistic Fiction
Bend I - Creating and Developing Stories and Characters that Feel Real
Session 1:  Imagining Stories from Ordinary Moments
Session 1:  Imagining Stories from Ordinary Moments
Session 2:  Imagining Stories We Wish Existed in the World
Session 2:  Imagining Stories We Wish Existed in the World
Session 3:  Developing Believable Characters
Session 3:  Developing Believable Characters
Session 4:  Giving Characters Struggles and Motivations
Session 4:  Giving Characters Struggles and Motivations
Session 5:  Plotting with a Story Arc
Session 5:  Plotting with a Story Arc
Bend II - Drafting and Revising with an Eye toward Believability
Session 6:  Show, Don't Tell: Planning and Writing Scenes
Session 6:  Show, Don't Tell: Planning and Writing Scenes
Session 7:  Feeling and Drafting the Heart of Your Story
Session 7:  Feeling and Drafting the Heart of Your Story
Session 8:  Studying Published Texts to Write Leads
Session 8:  Studying Published Texts to Write Leads
Session 9:  Orienting Readers with Setting
Session 9:  Orienting Readers with Setting
Session 10:  Writing Powerful Endings
Session 10:  Writing Powerful Endings
Bend III - Preparing for Publication with an Audience in Mind
Session 11:  Revision: Rereading with a Lens
Session 11:  Revision: Rereading with a Lens
Session 12:  Making a Space for Writing
Session 12:  Making a Space for Writing
Session 13:  Using Mentor Texts to Flesh Out Characters
Session 13:  Using Mentor Texts to Flesh Out Characters
Session 14:  Editing with Various Lenses
Session 14:  Editing with Various Lenses
Session 15:  Publishing Anthologies: A Celebration
Session 15:  Publishing Anthologies: A Celebration
Bend IV - Embarking on Independent Fiction Projects
Session 16:  Launching Independent Fiction Projects
Session 16:  Launching Independent Fiction Projects
Session 17:  Planning and Drafting Stories with Agency
Session 17:  Planning and Drafting Stories with Agency
Session 18:  Mining the Connections between Reading and Writing Fiction
Session 18:  Mining the Connections between Reading and Writing Fiction
Session 19:  Focusing the Reader's Gaze
Session 19:  Focusing the Reader's Gaze
Session 20:  Choosing Punctuation for Effect
Session 20:  Choosing Punctuation for Effect
Session 21:  Surveying Your Work and Planning for the Future
Session 21:  Surveying Your Work and Planning for the Future
2
Unit 2
Boxes and Bullets: Personal and Persuasive Essays
Bend I - Writing to Learn
Session 1:  Essay Structure Boot Camp
Session 1:  Essay Structure Boot Camp
Session 2:  Collecting Ideas as Essayists
Session 2:  Collecting Ideas as Essayists
Session 3:  Writing to Learn
Session 3:  Writing to Learn
Session 4:  Using Elaboration Prompts to Grow Ideas
Session 4:  Using Elaboration Prompts to Grow Ideas
Session 5:  Mining Our Writing
Session 5:  Mining Our Writing
Session 6:  Boxes and Bullets: Framing Essays
Session 6:  Boxes and Bullets: Framing Essays
Session 7:  Return to Boot Camp
Session 7:  Return to Boot Camp
Bend II - Raising the Level of Essay Writing
Session 8:  Composing and Sorting Mini-Stories
Session 8:  Composing and Sorting Mini-Stories
Session 9:  Creating Parallelism in Lists
Session 9:  Creating Parallelism in Lists
Session 10:  Organizing for Drafting
Session 10:  Organizing for Drafting
Session 11:  Building a Cohesive Draft
Session 11:  Building a Cohesive Draft
Session 12:  Becoming Our Own Job Captains
Session 12:  Becoming Our Own Job Captains
Session 13:  Writing Introductions and Conclusions
Session 13:  Writing Introductions and Conclusions
Session 14:  Revising Our Work with Goals in Mind
Session 14:  Revising Our Work with Goals in Mind
Session 15:  Correcting Run-On Sentences and Sentence Fragments
Session 15:  Correcting Run-On Sentences and Sentence Fragments
Bend III - Personal to Persuasive
Session 16:  Moving from Personal to Persuasive
Session 16:  Moving from Personal to Persuasive
Session 17:  Inquiry into Persuasive Essay
Session 17:  Inquiry into Persuasive Essay
Session 18:  Broader Evidence
Session 18:  Broader Evidence
Session 19:  Connecting Evidence, Reason, and Thesis
Session 19:  Connecting Evidence, Reason, and Thesis
Session 20:  Getting Ready to Put Our Opinions into the World
Session 20:  Getting Ready to Put Our Opinions into the World
Session 21:  Hey World, Listen Up!: Sharing Our Opinions Loudly and Proudly
Session 21:  Hey World, Listen Up!: Sharing Our Opinions Loudly and Proudly
3
Unit 3
Bringing History to Life
Bend I - Informational Books: Making a Conglomerate of Forms
Session 1:  Getting the Sense of Informational Books
Session 1:  Getting the Sense of Informational Books
Session 2:  Planning the Structure of Writing
Session 2:  Planning the Structure of Writing
Session 3:  Planning and Writing with Greater Independence
Session 3:  Planning and Writing with Greater Independence
Session 4:  Teaching as a Way to Rehearse for Information Writing
Session 4:  Teaching as a Way to Rehearse for Information Writing
Session 5:  Elaboration: The Details that Let People Picture What Happened Long Ago and Far Away
Session 5:  Elaboration: The Details that Let People Picture What Happened Long Ago and Far Away
Session 6:  Bringing Information Alive: Stories inside Nonfiction Texts
Session 6:  Bringing Information Alive: Stories inside Nonfiction Texts
Session 7:  Essays within Information Texts
Session 7:  Essays within Information Texts
Session 8:  Taking Stock and Setting Goals: A Letter to Teachers
Session 8:  Taking Stock and Setting Goals: A Letter to Teachers
Bend II - Writing with Greater Independence
Session 9:  Writers Plan for Their Research
Session 9:  Writers Plan for Their Research
Session 10:  The Intense Mind-Work of Note-Taking
Session 10:  The Intense Mind-Work of Note-Taking
Session 11:  Drafting is Like Tobogganing: First the Preparation, the Positioning... Then the Whoosh!
Session 11:  Drafting is Like Tobogganing: First the Preparation, the Positioning... Then the Whoosh!
Session 12:  Developing a Logical Structure Using Introductions and Transitions
Session 12:  Developing a Logical Structure Using Introductions and Transitions
Session 13:  Text Features: Popping Out the Important Information
Session 13:  Text Features: Popping Out the Important Information
Session 14:  Quotations Accentuate Importance: Voices Chime In to Make a Point
Session 14:  Quotations Accentuate Importance: Voices Chime In to Make a Point
Session 15:  Using All We Know to Craft Essay and Narrative Sections
Session 15:  Using All We Know to Craft Essay and Narrative Sections
Session 16:  The Other Side of the Story
Session 16:  The Other Side of the Story
Session 17:  Self-Assessment and Goal Setting: Taking on New Challenges
Session 17:  Self-Assessment and Goal Setting: Taking on New Challenges
Bend III - Building Ideas in Informational Writing
Session 18:  Information Writing Gives Ways to Idea Writing
Session 18:  Information Writing Gives Ways to Idea Writing
Session 19:  Digging Deeper: Interpreting the Life Lessons that History Teaches
Session 19:  Digging Deeper: Interpreting the Life Lessons that History Teaches
Session 20:  Using Confusions to Guide Research
Session 20:  Using Confusions to Guide Research
Session 21:  Questions without a Ready Answer
Session 21:  Questions without a Ready Answer
Session 22:  Editing
Session 22:  Editing
Session 23:  A Final Celebration: An Expert Fair
Session 23:  A Final Celebration: An Expert Fair
4
Unit 4
The Literary Essay: Writing About Fiction
Bend I - Writing About Reading: Literary Essays
Session 1:  Close Reading to Generate Ideas About a Text
Session 1:  Close Reading to Generate Ideas About a Text
Session 2:  Gathering Writing by Studying Characters
Session 2:  Gathering Writing by Studying Characters
Session 3:  Elaborating on Written Ideas Using Prompts
Session 3:  Elaborating on Written Ideas Using Prompts
Session 4:  Finding and Testing a Thesis
Session 4:  Finding and Testing a Thesis
Session 5:  Using Stories as Evidence
Session 5:  Using Stories as Evidence
Session 6:  Citing Textual Evidence
Session 6:  Citing Textual Evidence
Session 7:  Using Lists as Evidence
Session 7:  Using Lists as Evidence
Session 8:  Putting It All Together: Constructing Literary Essays
Session 8:  Putting It All Together: Constructing Literary Essays
Bend II - Raising the Quality of Literary Essays
Session 9:  Writing to Discover What a Story Is Really About
Session 9:  Writing to Discover What a Story Is Really About
Session 10:  Adding Complexity to Our Ideas
Session 10:  Adding Complexity to Our Ideas
Session 11:  Flash-Drafting Literary Essays
Session 11:  Flash-Drafting Literary Essays
Session 12:  Beginnings and Endings
Session 12:  Beginnings and Endings
Session 13:  Using Descriptions of an Author's Craft as Evidence
Session 13:  Using Descriptions of an Author's Craft as Evidence
Session 14:  Editing
Session 14:  Editing
Bend III - Writing Compare-and-Contrast Essays
Session 15:  Building the Muscles to Compare and Contrast
Session 15:  Building the Muscles to Compare and Contrast
Session 16:  Comparing and Contrasting Familiar Texts
Session 16:  Comparing and Contrasting Familiar Texts
Session 17:  Using Yesterday's Learning, Today and Always
Session 17:  Using Yesterday's Learning, Today and Always
Session 18:  Developing Distinct Lines of Thought
Session 18:  Developing Distinct Lines of Thought
Session 19:  Exploring Commas
Session 19:  Exploring Commas
Session 20:  A Celebration
Session 20:  A Celebration
This document includes the IXL® skill alignments to Heinemann's Units of Study for Teaching Writing curriculum. IXL provides skill alignments as a service to teachers, students, and parents. The skill alignments are provided by IXL and are not affiliated with, sponsored by, reviewed, approved or endorsed by Heinemann or any other third party. IXL® and IXL Learning® are registered trademarks of IXL Learning, Inc. All other intellectual property rights (e.g., unregistered and registered trademarks and copyrights) are the property of their respective owners.