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4th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 17 of 20

Revise & Polish

Vivid details, fixing what's unclear, neat finished work

What your child practices

Practices adding sensory details, choosing stronger words, revising to make writing clearer, using feedback and presenting final work neatly with words and images.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 4W3; 4L3; 4L6 · vivid details, precise words and revising unclear writing

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Revising means making your writing better and clearer.
  2. Add sensory details and stronger words so readers can picture it.
  3. Finish neatly: a clear title, pictures and short labels.

Example: Which is clearer: “I put them in there.” or “I put my red mitts in my backpack.”? “Them” and “there” don’t tell the reader what or where. The second sentence names both. Answer: I put my red mitts in my backpack.

Revise & Polish in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 17 of 20 in 4th grade English Language Arts, after Listening & Talking Together and before Poems and Plays.

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

    You notice a sentence does not make sense. What should you do?

    • Make it longer with random words
    • Leave it
    • Revise it so it is clear

  2. Question 2

    When you use a computer to write, which choice makes text easy to read?

    • A clear font and a good size
    • Tiny curly font
    • A pale yellow font on white

  3. Question 3

    Which word is stronger than "nice"?

    • good
    • okay
    • friendly

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence uses a sensory detail (something you smell)?

    • The warm bannock smelled like fresh bread.
    • It was a lunch.
    • The food was food.

  5. Question 5

    Why add a picture or graph to a report?

    • To help the audience understand
    • To hide the words
    • To fill space only

  6. Question 6

    Which change improves "The dog is good"?

    • Dog good.
    • The dog is good dog.
    • The dog fetched the ball and wagged its tail.

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