Unit Materials for 4th Grade English Language Arts

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You can request a current spreadsheet with all unit texts needed to teach Fishtank ELA for the 2025-26 school year by emailing [email protected].

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Finding Fortune: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Core Texts

Book: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011) — 810L

Supporting Texts

Supplies: White paper
Supplies: Scissors
Markers or crayons
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Preparing for the Worst: Natural Disasters

Core Texts

Book: Unforgettable Natural Disasters (TIME FOR KIDS Nonfiction Readers) by Tamara Hollingsworth (Teacher Created Materials; 2 edition, 2013)
Book: Hurricanes by Seymour Simon (HarperCollins, 2007)
Book: Wildfires by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2016) — 990L
Book: Earthquakes by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2006) — 1010L
Book: Volcanoes by Seymour Simon (Collins, 2006) — 880L

Supporting Texts

Supplies: 3 Posters with Headings - Past, Present, Future
Research Materials
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Interpreting Perspectives: Greek Myths

Core Texts

Book: Greek Myth Plays by Carol Pugliano-Martin (Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2008)
Book: I am Arachne: Fifteen Greek and Roman Myths by Elizabeth Spires (Square Fish, 2009)
Book: The McElderry Book of Greek Myths by Eric A. Kimmel (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Book: Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths by Marilyn Singer (Dial Books) — 670L

Supporting Texts

Template: Two-Paragraph Outline
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Examining Our History: American Revolution

Core Texts

Book: Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began by Lucille Recht Penner (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2002) — 780L
Book: A Young People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, Adapted by Rebecca Stefoff (Seven Stories)
Book: Black Heroes of the American Revolution by Burke Davis (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1992) — 1330L
Book: Great Women of the American Revolution by Brianna Hall (Capstone Press, 2015)
Book: A Young People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, Adapted by Rebecca Stefoff (Seven Stories)

Supporting Texts

Book: Black Heroes of the American Revolution by Burke Davis (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1992)
Book: Great Women of the American Revolution by Brianna Hall (Capstone Press, 2015)
Article: “William Barton’s Opinion Letter” (Retrieved from Engage NY Grade 4, Module 3B, Unit 3, Lesson 1)
Article: “Just Say No: The Daughters of Liberty” by Jennifer Barefoot (CommonLit)
Article: “Native Americans in Colonial America” by National Geographic (National Geographic)
Article: “Betwixt & Between: Growing up African American in Revolutionary Times” by Leslie Anderson Morales (Appleseeds)
Template: American Revolution Research Note-Taker
Various websites for research
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Believing in Yourself: The Wild Book

Core Texts

Book: The Wild Book by Margarita Engle (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2014) — 1050L

Supporting Texts

Article: “Governor's personal mission to support screening for dyslexia” by Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff (Newsela)
Article: “After setbacks, dyslexia screening for young students moves forward in California schools” by Carolyn Jones (EdSource)
Book: Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015)
Book: Rules by Cynthia Lord (Scholastic Paperbacks, 2008)
Book: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2012)
Video: “What is Dyslexia?” by TED-Ed
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Core Texts

Book: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson (Balzer + Bray, 2013) — 1050L

Supporting Texts

Book: Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2013)
Book: Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Pinkney (Disney-Hyperion, 2012)
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Taking a Stand: Shiloh

Core Texts

Book: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000) — 890L

Supporting Texts

Template: Opinion Writing Brainstorm Note-taker
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Politics and People: U.S. Government

Core Texts

Book: Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Susan Zimet (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2018) — 1090L
Book: For Which We Stand: How Our Government Works and Why It Matters by Jeff Foster (Scholastic, 2020) — 1130L

Supporting Texts

Book: Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Pinkney (Disney-Hyperion, 2012)
Book: Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera (Dial Books) (August 2014)
Book: Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2013)
Book: Kid's Guide to Government: Understanding Your Role in Elections by Jessica Gunderson (Capstone Press, 2018)
Template: US Government Research Note-Taker
Various websites for research
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Discovering Self: Bud, Not Buddy

Core Texts

Book: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Laurel Leaf, 2014) — 950L

Supporting Texts

Book: Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2010)
Template: Two-Paragraph Outline
Template: Great Depression Research Note-Taker
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading

Unit Materials for 4th Grade English Language Arts

Need to purchase texts for this course?

Finding Fortune: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Preparing for the Worst: Natural Disasters

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Interpreting Perspectives: Greek Myths

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Examining Our History: American Revolution

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Believing in Yourself: The Wild Book

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Taking a Stand: Shiloh

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Politics and People: U.S. Government

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Discovering Self: Bud, Not Buddy

Core Texts

Supporting Texts

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