How to Write Essays for Grade Four
A student's fourth-grade year marks the beginning of essay writing. A solid understanding of what is required in an essay and a little practice will ensure good marks on your student's papers. Teaching good writing habits early will encourage communication skills and build confidence. Not only is writing your first essay a rite of passage, but writing a paper will also help your fourth-grader develop organization skills, hone grammar and spelling skills and learn how to research a topic.
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Instructions
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Choose the type of essay your student wants to write. Persuasive, biographical, and process essays are good starting points for a fourth-grader. A persuasive essay will convince a reader to take action or support a viewpoint, while a biographical essay will detail a subject's life, accomplishments and impact on society. Process essays tell a reader how to do a task or explain how an object works.
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Have your fourth-grader gather information for the essay. Visit your local library or research the topic on the Internet. You can also create a lesson in people skills by having your fourth-grader conduct an interview.
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Have your fourth-grader state his opinion in the first paragraph. A good beginner's essay will include a strong introduction that whets the reader's appetite for the essay. If the essay is biographical, your fourth-grader can state an interesting fact about the person. This paragraph sets the tone for the essay and keeps the reader interested in finding out more.
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Have your fourth-grader support his opinion in the body of the essay. Facts should be presented in a logical, organized way. The body of an essay will be the bulk of the assignment. Have your fourth-grader use references to back up the statement made in the introduction. A good essay will share supporting ideas with details relevant to the introduction.
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Tell your fourth-grader to conclude the essay in the last paragraph. Have him re-state the introduction in a new way and draw conclusions. This is the last paragraph the audience reads, so point out to your fourth-grader to tie up loose ends in the conclusion of the essay.
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Encourage your fourth-grader to proofread his essay. Have him look for spelling errors, subject-verb agreement and run-on sentences. Encourage your student to proofread his own paper and correct the mistakes himself. Offer guidance if he needs extra help.
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Tips & Warnings
Use the writing assignment as an opportunity to teach your fourth-grader how to use the library.
Stress the importance of creating original work early on with your fourth-grader.
