Subscribe

4th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 15 of 20

Listen, Speak & Read Aloud

Listening well, speaking clearly and reading with expression

What your child practices

Good listening and speaking habits (taking turns, asking questions, speaking clearly) and reading aloud with pauses at punctuation, stress on key words and a voice that rises or falls with the meaning.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 4SL1; 4SL4; 4RF4 · listening well, speaking clearly and reading aloud with expression

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Listen, take turns and build on others’ ideas: “I agree, and I would add…”
  2. Check you understood by saying the idea back in your own words.
  3. When reading aloud, pause at commas and periods, let your voice go up for questions and show feeling at !

Example: Reading aloud, you see a question mark. What should your voice do? Questions sound different from statements. Our voice usually rises at the end of a question. Answer: go up a little

Listen, Speak & Read Aloud in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 15 of 20 in 4th grade English Language Arts, after Clues in Texts and before Listening & Talking Together.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A speaker says, “We meet at the library at three.” Which reply checks that you understood?

    👂
    • “I like the park better.”
    • “What is your favorite book?”
    • “So we meet at the library at three o'clock?”
    • “Is it time for lunch?”

  2. Question 2

    What should your voice do at a full stop (period)?

    📖
    • come down and stop
    • speed up
    • go up high
    • get louder

  3. Question 3

    Which opening is a respectful way to disagree?

    💬
    • “I see it a different way. Can I share my idea?”
    • “You are wrong.”
    • “Nobody cares.”
    • “That is a silly idea.”

  4. Question 4

    Which word do you stress to ask for the blue book, not the red one? “Please pass me the blue book.”

    📘
    • book
    • pass
    • please
    • blue

  5. Question 5

    Why does a speaker slow down when explaining something tricky?

    🐢
    • because they are tired
    • listeners get time to follow each step
    • to run out the clock
    • to confuse the audience

  6. Question 6

    A listener says, “I heard you say the park is closed.” This is called…

    👂
    • ignoring
    • forgetting
    • paraphrasing what you heard
    • interrupting

More 4th grade