Fourth Grade Core Knowledge Language Arts Organization Guide

Welcome to the Organization Guide! The information below will help you get organized and prepared to use the Fourth Grade Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum to homeschool your student.

Important Notes

1^st vs. 2^nd Edition Materials: Please note, the support materials available here are specific to the 1^st edition CKLA curriculum which is available to download for free on the Core Knowledge website. CK’s partner Amplify offers 2^nd edition materials and homeschooling families can purchase hard copies of those 2^nd edition materials directly from the Amplify website (there is no “free” option for the 2^nd edition materials). If you choose to use the 2^nd edition materials, you may need to make significant changes to the schedule and prep information provided here. There is no advantage to using the 2^nd edition materials beyond the option to purchase preprinted copies online. We recommend using the 1^st edition curriculum so you can take full advantage of these support materials.

If You’ve Used CKLA in Previous Grade Levels: Please note, in Kindergarten through Third Grade, the Core Knowledge Curriculum splits Language Arts into two separate strands: Listening and Learning and Skills. In Fourth Grade, those two strands are merged and going forward there is a single language arts curriculum (CKLA) for each grade level. For more information on structural change, please see pg. 9 of the Unit 1 Teacher’s Guide.

Free Resources

How-to Videos: Watch the videos to learn to use the CKLA curriculum to homeschool Fourth Grade.


Unit-Specific Prep Checklist: View and download the notes for each unit of the Fourth Grade curriculum including which Instructional Masters (activity pages) to print, library books that may be needed, required advanced preparation broken out by lesson, as well as a list of additional unit-specific supplies.

Daily Schedule: View and download the free daily schedule for homeschooling Fourth Grade using the Core Knowledge curriculum and MEP Math curriculum.

Primary Materials

Units: There are 8 units in the Grade 4 CKLA curriculum. All students start with Unit 1 and progress through the units in order. You will download each unit separately from the CK website. Each unit will be downloaded as a file folder containing multiple files including the Teacher’s Guide and Student Reader. Some unit folders will also contain a Digital Components file.

Teacher’s Guide: This is the primary resource used for the language arts lessons. When you are ready to start a lesson with your student, you will simply open the PDF file for the Teacher’s Guide on your tablet or laptop, navigate to the lesson indicated on the daily schedule, and work through the instructions in the Teacher’s Guide for that lesson.

Please note, the Amplify website has hard copies of the Teacher’s Guides, Student Readers, and Activity Books available for purchase. However, these hard copies are 2^nd edition materials and won’t necessarily line up with the following organization information or the daily schedule which are designed for the 1^st edition materials available to download for free directly from Core Knowledge.

Student Reader: Units 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8 include a Student Reader. While you can print (and bind) the student reader if desired, the files can also be opened and read on a tablet or laptop when needed for a lesson.

Required Books: Please note, Units 1, 3, and 4 each use a trade book as the reader for the unit and those books will need to be purchased. Used copies of the books for Units 1 and 3 are often available on websites such as www.thriftbooks.com or www.abebooks.com.

• Unit 1: Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson, Penguin Young Readers Group, ISBN 9780147515827. It is possible to use a library copy of this book, but note the book is needed for 4-5 weeks to complete the unit. The audio book version is read by the author and is a lovely addition to a lesson—check with your local library as they may have the audio version available to borrow.
  
  
• Unit 3: Core Knowledge Core Classic, King Arthur and the Round Table, ISBN 1-890517-35-6. Please note, it is important to acquire this specific version of this famous story or the chapters, sections, etc. will not match up with the lesson instructions. It is possible to use a library copy of this book (although most libraries won’t own this version), but note the book is needed for a total of 4 weeks to complete the unit.
  
  
• Unit 4: Core Knowledge Publication, Listen My Children, Poems for Fourth Graders, ISBN  978-1-890517-32-8. The Teacher’s Guide will specify the poem to use for each lesson. As an alternative to purchasing this book, you can simply do an internet search for the specific poem(s) you need and access those when it is time for the lesson. All the poems used are readily available to read online.
  
  

Activity Book: The Activity Book file should be printed prior to beginning each unit. This will save you time each school day. The Activity Book can be printed as a double-sided document. Once printed you can choose to:

• Keep the loose workbook pages in a file folder or other safe place so you can access the appropriate work page each day.
• Three-hole punch the worksheets and store them in a three-ring binder.
• Have your local office supply store coil-bind or comb-bind the pages into a bound book (typically about $4-$5). Money-Saving Tip: Print multiple unit’s Activity Books and bind them together to make a multi-unit workbook.

The Activity Book answer key is always located in the back of the Teacher’s Guide.

Digital Components: The Digital Components are a separate file located in the folder of unit files you downloaded from the CK website. Please note, not all units will include a digital components file. The lessons in the Teacher’s Guide will specifically reference when a digital component should be used. While it is not necessary to print these files, you can do so if desired. Alternatively you can access the file on a tablet or laptop when needed and complete the exercise orally. A good rule of thumb: If you are having trouble locating a resource called for during a lesson, check the unit’s Digital Components file (if available) and the Teacher’s Resources section in the back of the unit’s Teacher’s Guide.

Ancillary Components: The CKLA Fourth Grade Ancillary Materials should also be downloaded from the Core Knowledge website. These materials are designed to primarily support students who need reinforcement across their language arts skills (reading, spelling, grammar, composition). Please read the introduction packet file located in the ancillary materials folder for an overview of how to use these components. Because they are optional support materials, these components and files are not specifically scheduled or referenced in the following organization information or on the daily schedule.

Please note, the optional Fluency Supplement is mentioned as an option in multiple units throughout the school year. To learn more about this resource, please see pg. 12 and 25 of the Unit 1 (Brown Girl Dreaming Memoir) Teacher’s Guide.

Getting Organized

Catch-up Days: Catch-up days have been scheduled for you with an average of 2-3 catch-up days following each unit. The lessons in these units are quite full and these catch-up days are meant to serve as a buffer so you don’t fall behind. If you do not need a catch-up day you can choose to read a library book related to the unit or enjoy a lighter school day.

Mid-Unit and End-of-Unit Assessments: Some units contain a mid-unit assessment and all units include an end-of-unit assessment. These are an important part of each unit. This information learned during the assessment can then be used to review with the student as they move forward in the current unit or into the next unit. Information on mid-unit content assessments can be found in the unit-specific prep checklist for units where these assessments occur.

Pausing Points: Pausing Point days are set aside at the end of each unit. Pausing Point activities will generally include enrichment readings (located in the back of the student reader) as well as Activity Book pages focused on reinforcing material taught in the unit and further developing a student’s skills. Specific information will be located in the Pausing Point section of each unit’s Teacher’s Guide. Please note, while the Pausing Point readings and activity pages are useful and should be completed if possible, if you are running behind on core lessons when you reach a set of Pausing Point days on the schedule, complete the core lessons instead.

Enrichment Readings & Activity Pages: Many units include options for enrichment readings (located at the back of the student reader) and activity pages (located at the back of the activity book). If time is available on pausing point days and/or catch-up days, you are encouraged to use these resources but these resources are not specifically scheduled on the daily schedule.

Optional Fluency Assessments: Many units have an optional fluency assessment at the end of the unit. To use the assessment, you would print the pages and then score the assessment per the instructions. These assessments are not specifically scheduled on the daily schedule.

Beginning-of-the-Year Assessment: A Beginning-of-the-Year Assessment is scheduled across several days at the end of Unit 1. This is used to assess where a student is at across a wide range of language arts skill areas so potential weaknesses can be identified and remediated over the coming weeks. The timing of this assessment assumes a student has just had the summer months off from school so they have the first three weeks of the school year to reacclimate to language arts prior to taking the Beginning of the Year Assessment. The instructions for this assessment are located at the end of the Unit 1 Teacher’s Guide and the worksheets for the assessment are located in the back of the Unit 1 Activity Book.

Please note, in the event weaknesses are found, please refer to the Fourth Grade Ancillary Materials folder you downloaded from the Core Knowledge website for materials that can be used to remediate skills as needed.

End-of-the-Year Assessment: Several days at the end of the final unit are set aside for an End-of-the-Year Assessment. The instructions for this assessment are located at the end of the Unit 8 Teacher’s Guide and the worksheets for the assessment are located in the back of the Unit 8 Activity Book.

Important Tips

Writing Journal: Your student will be using a writing journal throughout the school year. While a more fancy bound journal can be purchased, you can also use a simple composition notebook.

Library Books: Some unit’s contain list of additional resources as part of the introduction portion of the Teacher’s Guide. Whenever possible, please select several of the recommended books from the unit’s resource list and request them from the library in advance. These books can be used as time allows, when specifically called for in a lesson, or can be left out for your student to read on their own in their free time.

Classroom-Based Activities: Some activities in this program are clearly designed for a classroom setting. Please adjust the activity as needed for your situation. For example, for an activity that suggests students work in teams, you can act as your student’s teammate. For activities that involve putting on a play or presentation, your student can present one part of the information or you can make the activity a family activity and involve siblings, etc.

Topic Duplication: You may notice what appears to be duplication between topics in the CKHG lessons and the CKLA lessons. This is intentional and provides the opportunity to reinforce key concepts by approaching them from multiple perspectives and providing opportunities for depth on the second pass over the material. For example, a student will have a CKLA unit about the American Revolution and then a few weeks later will also study the American Revolution in a history unit.

Pacing of Language Arts Topics: Please note, Unit 1 assumes a student is returning to school after summer break and eases the student back into the language arts topics. Grammar instruction starts at the beginning of Unit 2 and spelling instruction starts in the middle of Unit 2. For homeschooling parents coming from other language arts curriculum, it may initially seem like important topics are not being covered. Please be sure to complete at the first 3-4 units of the curriculum prior to considering supplementation. CKLA is a very full and rigorous curriculum. All important topics are covered (and covered thoroughly) but not all at once and not everyday.

Unit-Specific Prep Checklist

This checklist will help you prepare for each new unit of the Core Knowledge Fourth Grade History and Geography curriculum. Please refer to the specific unit list prior to starting a new unit. It will guide you through what what documents to print, when a library book is needed, unit-specific supplies that should be gathered, and special notes for lessons in that unit.

Unit 1: Brown Girl Dreaming Memoir

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 9-30

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • This unit does not use a student reader file. Instead you will need to obtain the memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson, Penguin Young Readers Group, ISBN 9780147515827 and you will need to have this book on hand for the entire 4-5 weeks of this unit. Your local library likely owns a copy of this very popular book.
  • Reminder: Print the Activity Book for each unit before starting the unit.
  • If working with your own copy of the book for this unit, it is strongly recommended that you number the lines of the poems used in the lessons prior to starting a lesson. This will make it much easier to follow the instructions in the Teacher’s Guide.
  • The optional Fluency Supplement mentioned in a number of lessons is located in the Fourth Grade Ancillary Materials folder you downloaded from the CK website. Information on this resource can be found on TG pg. 12 and 25.
  • “Take Home Material” listed in the Teacher’s Guide refers to activity pages that can be assigned as homework by a classroom teacher. If time is available in your school day, it’s a good idea to complete these activity pages whenever possible.
  • The “Who Am I?” journals students create in this unit will be used again in later units so please keep them in a safe place.
  • Advanced preparation is required for all lessons in this unit as well as the assessment and pausing point days.
  • Pausing Points: There are two sets of pausing point days, one on each site of the beginning-of-the-year assessment. The potential pausing point activities can be found on pg. 177-188. Differentiated instruction activities for the pausing point can be found on pg. 179-180. These activities should be used for remediation and enrichment if skill weaknesses were found during the beginning-of-the-year assessment.

• Gather the Unit-Specific Supplies:
  • Chalk (Warm Up Lessons)
  • Masking tape (Warm Up Lessons)
  • Shape cards and small basket or lunch bag to hold them (Warm Up Lessons)
  • Writing journal or notebook (Multiple Lessons)
  • Images of dandelions seeds blowing via internet search (Lesson 15)

Unit 2: The Middle Ages

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 1-7

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • The Student Reader file is located in the folder of unit files you downloaded from the CK website.
  • The Digital Components file used throughout this unit is located in the folder of unit files you downloaded from the CK website. The posters referred to in the Teacher’s Guide (ex. “Elements of an Informative Paragraph Poster”) are part of this Digital Components file.
  • Many important resources such as the timeline cards, rubrics, editing checklist, resources for enrichment and answer keys are located in the Teacher’s Resources section starting on TG pg. 284.
  • See TG pg. 9 for information on setting up a timeline prior to starting this unit.
  • All lessons (except Lesson 1) require advance preparation.
  • Mid-Unit Content Assessment: A day is scheduled between Lessons 6 and 7 for a mid-unit content assessment. Information on this assessment can be found on TG pg. 120. See also Activity Page PP.1.
  • Pausing Point Days: Information about the pausing point days is located on TG pg. 279-283. The activity pages for the pausing point days are located at the end of the activity book and are marked as PP.  
  • Enrichment Readings & Activity Pages: This unit includes options for enrichment readings (located at the back of the student reader) and activity pages (located at the back of the activity book). If time is available on pausing point days and/or catch-up days, you are encouraged to use these resources.

Unit 3: King Arthur and the Round Table

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 11-23

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • This unit does not use a student reader file. Instead you will need to obtain the book Core Knowledge Core Classic, King Arthur and the Round Table, ISBN 1-890517-35-6. Please note, it is important to acquire this specific version of this famous story or the chapters, sections, etc. will not match up with the lesson instructions. It is possible to use a library copy of this book (although most libraries won’t own this version), but note the book is needed for a total of 4 weeks to complete the unit.
  • Please note, the lessons in this unit call for reading some (but not all) of the chapters in book. If your student enjoys these stories, consider reading the non-scheduled chapters as time allows, in the evening as a family, etc.
  • Advanced preparation is required for all lessons in this unit.
  • Pausing Points: Specific activities are scheduled for each pausing point day and are noted on the daily schedule. Details about each of these activities is located on TG pg. 146-147. Please review these details in advance. Day 3 includes watching a King Arthur-themed movie and you’ll need to find one on a streaming service or obtain a copy from your local library.

• Gather the Unit-Specific Supplies:
  • King Arthur-themed movie, see TG pg. 146 for suggested titles (Pausing Point)

Unit 4: Listen, My Children: Poems for Fourth Graders

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 9-21

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • This unit does not use a student reader file. Instead you will need to obtain the book Core Knowledge Publication, Listen My Children, Poems for Fourth Graders, ISBN  978-1-890517-32-8. The Teacher’s Guide will specify the poem(s) to use for each lesson. As an alternative to purchasing this book, you can simply do an internet search for the specific poem(s) you need and access those when it is time for the lesson.
  • Advanced preparation is required for all lessons in this unit.
  • Pausing Points: See TG pg. 86 for a list of suggested culminating activities to use on the pausing point days.

• Gather the Unit-Specific Supplies:
  • Books of nursery rhymes (Pausing Point)

Unit 5: Geology

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 1-7

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • Many important resources such as area of study cards, image cards, pronunciation guides, rubrics, editing checklists, enrichment selections, and answer keys are located in the Teacher’s Resources section starting on TG pg. 301.
  • Advanced preparation is required for all lessons in this unit.
  • Mid-Unit Content Assessment: A day is scheduled between Lessons 7 and 8 for a mid-unit content assessment. Information on this assessment can be found on TG pg. 160. See also Activity Page PP.1.
  • Pausing Points: The first pausing point day should be used for a content assessment. Information on this assessment can be found on TG pg. 296-297. Remediation and enrichment information for the remaining pausing point days can be found on TG pg. 297-300. The back of the student reader also contains enrichment readings and the back of the activity book contains a number of pausing point activity sheets, and some enrichment activity sheets.

Unit 6: American Revolution

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 1-9

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • At this time, the cover pages for the Teacher’s Guide, Student Reader, Activity Book, and other materials for this unit list it as Unit 7. This is an error. The American Revolution is Unit 6 for CKLA Grade 4 per the CK website.
  • Many important resources such as rubrics, editing checklists, enrichment selections, and answer keys are located in the Teacher’s Resources section starting on TG pg. 291.
  • Mid-Unit Content Assessment: A day is scheduled between Lessons 7 and 8 for a mid-unit content assessment. Information on this assessment can be found on TG pg. 128. See also Activity Page PP.1.
  • Pausing Points: The first pausing point day should be used for a content assessment. Information on this assessment can be found on TG pg. 286. Remediation and enrichment information for the remaining pausing point days can be found on TG pg. 287-290. The back of the student reader also contains enrichment readings and the back of the activity book contains a number of pausing point activity sheets, and some enrichment activity sheets.

Unit 7: The United States Constitution

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 1-8

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • Timeline Cards for this unit must be accessed from a specific page on the Core Knowledge website. See pg. 8 for more information.
  • Advanced preparation is required for all lessons in this unit.
  • Pausing Points: See TG pg. 91-92 for a list of suggested culminating activities to use on the pausing point days.

Unit 8: Treasure Island

• Read the Unit Introduction: Teacher’s Guide pg. 1-8

• Review the Unit-Specific Notes:
  • The Digital Components file used throughout this unit is located in the folder of unit files you downloaded from the CK website. The posters referred to in the Teacher’s Guide (ex. “Character Chart”) are part of this Digital Components file.
  • Many important resources such as diagrams, rubrics, editing checklists, enrichment selections, assessment materials, and answer keys are located in the Teacher’s Resources section starting on TG pg. 291.
  • Advanced preparation is required for all lessons in this unit.
  • Pausing Points: See TG pg. 277-280 for information on differentiated instruction including options for remediation and enrichment during the scheduled pausing point days.
  • End-of-Year Assessment: The assessment materials are located in the Teacher’s Resources section starting on TG pg. 311. The assessment pages are located in the back of the Activity Book starting on pg. 170.

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MEP Math has been made available through the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching.