Unit Plan 23 (Grade 4 ELA): Writing Dialogue & Building Scenes

Focus: Dialogue punctuation; actions/thoughts; modal verbs for nuance

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Writing, Language)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This week turns storytellers into scene builders. Students will write believable dialogue that is correctly punctuated and anchored to actions and thoughts so readers always know who’s speaking and why it matters. They will use modal auxiliaries (can, may, might, must, should, would, could) to add nuance to characters’ voices, make sequence clear with temporal words, and end scenes with a brief closure that fits the moment. By Friday, each learner will draft a compact narrative scene with clean dialogue, purposeful beats, and a satisfying wrap.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Use dialogue, description, and pacing to develop experiences and show responses (W.4.3b).
2. Punctuate and capitalize dialogue correctly with commas and quotation marks; use appropriate end punctuation (L.4.2b).
3. Manage sequence with temporal words/phrases and paragraphing; provide a sense of closure (W.4.3c–d).
4. Choose modal auxiliaries to show possibility, permission, obligation, advice, or politeness in character speech/thought (L.4.1c).

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 4

• W.4.3b–d (dialogue/description; temporal words; closure)
• L.4.2b (use commas/quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations; capitalization)
• L.4.1c (use modal auxiliaries)

Success Criteria — student language

• My dialogue is punctuated/capitalized correctly and readers know who is speaking.
• I used action beats and thoughts to reveal how characters feel or react.
• I used temporal words to sequence and wrote a closing beat that wraps the scene.
• I chose modal verbs (must, might, should…) that match the character’s intent.