Dictation

Sentences
7.11

Dictation Sentences: Words with VCV Pattern

> Directions to the Teacher: Read each boldfaced spelling word aloud, followed
by the sentence, and then repeat the word. Have students write the spelling word.

BASIC REVIEW
1.    The school carnival was an exciting event. 21.    The tiny chairs cannot support an adult.
2.    Juan has a great sense of humor. 22.    The old train’s steam engine was fueled by
3.    The rapid water in the stream is dangerous. coal.
4.    What type of music is your favorite? 23.    Our class will attend a children’s concert at
5.    What a relief it is that the math test is over! the symphony.
6.    What planet is farthest from Earth? 24.    What good fortune that Raoul won
7.    One detail I forgot was the name of the the contest!
main character’s brother.
8.    It is important that the team unite for the CHALLENGE
upcoming game. 25.    Sophia won an award at the spelling bee.
9.    The pond was frozen after the temperature 26.    The class loved the novel Guadalupe
dropped. suggested.
10.    The math problem was hard to figure out. 27.    The sign on the gate said, “Private!
11.    What a loud sound that siren has! Keep out!”
12.    Tamara is a polite child, so she always says 28.    The teacher gave us a decent amount of
thank you. time to finish our work.
13.    The students tried to decode the
secret message.
14.    We stayed at a motel on our family trip.
15.    The children always protest at bedtime.
16.    The teacher had to punish the class for
being too loud.
17.    The team is fighting to defend its title.
18.    Four runners participate in a relay race.
19.    Which student is in charge of the school
newspaper?
20.    The room was cold because the heater was
broken.

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Spelling
7.11

Spelling Word Cards: Words with VCV Pattern

event humor rapid

music relief planet

detail unite frozen

figure siren polite

decode motel protest

punish defend relay

student broken award

novel private decent

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Proofreading
7.11

Proofreading: Words with the VCV Pattern

> Read the passage. Circle the best answer to each question.

Everyone’s Got Talent

(1) This year the fourth grade was in charge of the school talent show,
the biggest event for the school. (2) Our teacher, Mr. Tanner, assigned everyone
a part. (3) Some kids were performers, and others worked backstage.
(4) Maria was one of the stars of the show. (5) She could play musik well
and had a pretty singing voice. (6) I preferred to work backstage. (7) The day of
the show Mr. Tanner announced that Maria had the flu and wouldn’t be able
to perform. (8) “What a shame!” we exclaimed. (9) “Who will replace her?”
Brian asked.

1. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 1?

A. Change year to yere

B. Change talent to tallent
C. Change biggest to bigest
D. Make no change

2. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 5?

A. Change well to good

B. Change voice to voise
C. Change musik to music
D. Make no change

> Reread the passage. Who do you think will sing Maria’s part? What do you think you
would do in that situation? Write two or three sentences explaining your answer. Use a
spelling word in each sentence.

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Fluency
7.11

Why Spiders Have Long, Thin Legs

Once there was a spider named Anansi who lived a good life in
Africa. His only complaint was that he was always hungry. His mother
made tasty meals, but they never gave him relief from his hunger. One
evening he decided to travel the plains with the hope of finding more food.
He promised his worried mother that he would not get lost and that he 5
would be polite to the other animals.
Soon Anansi smelled something delicious. Rabbit was making stew
and invited Anansi in to wait for it to cook. Anansi wanted stew, but in the
event that Rabbit would put him to work, the spider didn’t want to wait.
Anansi spotted a piece of string. 10
“How about we tie one end of this string around the pot of stew and
the other end around one of my legs?” he suggested. “Then, when the stew
is ready, you can tug on the string and I’ll return to eat!”
Rabbit agreed and Anansi quickly left. Again, the spider sniffed
something delicious and found some monkeys cooking beans. They, too, 15
invited him to wait for the beans to cook, but, again, Anansi did not want
to wait. He suggested the same agreement that he had made with Rabbit.
Anansi went on to make the same agreement with six more animals
making dinner that night. Each one of his eight legs was tied to a string.
Then, all at once, when the food was ready, his legs were being 20
tugged on and pulled in eight different directions!
“Oh my!” he cried. He had not expected this. Anansi’s legs were
pulled thinner and thinner.
And this is why spiders today have eight long, thin legs.

Word Count: 283

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Grammar
4.4.1

Comparative Forms of Adjectives

A comparative adjective compares two things, places, or people. Many

comparative adjectives end in -er.

slow–slower
A snail is slower than a cheetah. (comparative form)

> Write the comparative form of each adjective in parentheses to complete each
sentence.

1.    His car is than mine. (loud)

2.    My sister’s room is than my brother’s room. (clean)
3.    Checkers is to learn than chess. (easy)
4.    After working all day, Stan is than ever! (grumpy)
5.    She ran today than she did yesterday. (fast)

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure comparative forms
of adjectives are used correctly.

Grade 4 • Comparative and Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs Printable

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Name Grammar
4.4.2

Superlative Forms of Adjectives

A superlative adjective compares more than two things, places, or people.

Many superlative adjectives end in -est.

slow–slowest
A sloth is the slowest of them all. (superlative form)

> Write the superlative of each adjective in parentheses to complete each

sentence.

1.    The alligator was the reptile I saw at the zoo. (scary)

2.    The Miller family has the garden in the neighborhood.
(pretty)
3.    Carrie has the dog on the block. (small)
4.    Anabel thought her grandma was the person in the world.
(nice)
5.    Jorge was the runner on the track today. (fast)

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure superlative forms of
adjectives are used correctly.

Grade 4 • Comparative and Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs Printable

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 Decoding
Name

Words with VCV Syllable Division Pattern

> Read each sentence. Underline the word with the VCV pattern.

1. The tornado siren is tested once a month.

2. We left our classroom the moment school was over.

3. We live on the planet Earth.

4. Our music festival occurs in April.

5. On field day we have many relay races.

6. It was a big relief when the test was over.

7. I have a habit of talking to myself.

8. Raoul has a great sense of humor.

9. Every detail of the book fair was organized.

10. We stayed at a nice motel on our trip.

Grade 4 162 Module 7 • Week 3

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Name Grammar
4.4.3

Comparative and Superlative Forms of

Adverbs

A comparative adverb compares the action of two or more things. The word
more is often used. A comparative adjective compares two things, places, or
people. Many comparative adjectives end in -er. A superlative adverb
compares the action of more than two things. The word most is often used. A
superlative adjective compares more than two things, places, or people. Many
superlative adjectives end in -est.

Adverb Comparative Superlative

slowly more slowly most slowly
soon sooner soonest
prompt more promptly most promptly

> Use a comparative or superlative adverb for each blank below. Use the word
bank to help you complete the sentences.

louder more quickly closer more completely harder

loudest most quickly closest most completely hardest

1.    Although many musicians were loud, Donald played the trumpet

.
2.    Sarah could add numbers than her brother.
3.    Of all my friends, Carmen lives .
4.    Marty worked on the project than his partner.
5.    Jeremy answered the question of the three contestants.

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure comparative and
superlative forms of adverbs are used correctly.

Grade 4 • Comparative and Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs Printable

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Name Grammar
7.2.4

Review Abbreviations

Both letters of state name abbreviations are capital letters, and no period is
used.
Use abbreviations when writing street names and states in a mailing address.
Abbreviate words such as road or avenue with a capital letter and end with a
period.
The abbreviations for days and months begin with a capital letter and end with
a period. Some other abbreviations for time and measurements begin with a
lowercase letter and end with a period.

> Write these groups of words using correct abbreviations.

1.    Mister Harry Bradley

2.    7 hours, 17 minutes
3.    237 East Jefferson Street
4.    Post Office Box 318
5.    September 4, 1980
6.    Stephen Andrews, Senior
7.    October 24, 1888
8.    Tuesday – Friday
9.    4 miles
10.    Doctor Yves Mclean

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure that you have used
abbreviations correctly.

Grade 4 • Abbreviations Printable

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Name Grammar
4.4.5

Connect to Writing: Using Comparative and

Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs
> Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Read the following paragraph about hiking in the woods. Look for any revisions
that should be made. Then answer the questions that follow.

(1) On Sunday, we drove to the state park to go hiking. (2) It was a hot
day! (3) We found our trail. (4) It was a long trail, not like the one we hiked last
week. (5) We hiked into the evening and used the North Star to guide us back
to our car. (6) The star shined brightly in the night sky.

1. How can you change sentence 4 using a comparative adjective?

A. It was the longest trail we have ever hiked.

B. It was a longer trail than the one we hiked last week.
C. It was a long, long trail and not like the one we hiked last week.
D. It was a very long trail, not like the one we hiked last week.

2. How can you change sentence 6 using a superlative adverb?

A. The star shined most brightly among the stars in the night sky.
B. The star shined more bright among the stars in the night sky.
C. The star shined brightliest among the stars in the night sky.
D. The star shined most brightlier among the stars in the night sky.

> Write about a time you have hiked, camped, or played in the park with your friends or
family. Be sure to use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs in your writing.

Grade 4 • Comparative and Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs Printable

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 MODULE
7
WEEK 3

Exploring
Redwood Park
by Lynn Frankel

Mrs. Keith and her students are exploring

Redwood
Redwood National Park in California. National
Park
The park was founded in 1968 to protect
the redwood trees and other resources
California
in the region.
Pacific
Ocean

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

READ & RESPOND Text and Graphic Features

Where in California is Redwood National Park? How do you know?

162
 An American Indian greeted the
visitors. “Welcome to Redwood National
Park!” he said. “My name is Standing Elk.
I will show you the park today.”
Standing Elk stepped onto the trail.
Paco, Sarah, Carlos, Lakota, and Mrs. Keith
followed him.
“Our park has many kinds of trees,”
Standing Elk said. “However, it’s named
for an exceptional tree, the redwood.
Redwoods are the tallest trees on the
continent. Actually, they’re the tallest
trees in the world!”
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

READ & RESPOND Main Ideas and Details

What is special about redwood trees?

163
 “Wow!” said Paco. He stared up at
the redwoods. “I can’t see the tops of the
trees.”
“That’s because the trees are so tall,”
Standing Elk said. “It’s also because the
forest is so dense. These trees grow close
together.”

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

“Look how big!” The four students
tried to touch hands around a redwood’s
trunk. They couldn’t reach!
“Some of the trees in the park have
been growing for six hundred years,”
Standing Elk said. “Some redwoods
live for two thousand years!”

READ & RESPOND Text and Graphic Features

How does the picture help you understand how big the redwood
trees are?

164
 Redwood National Park
Timeline
Redwood National Park
1968 is created by Congress.

California creates three state

1920s parks in the redwood region.
Only a small area of
1910s redwood forest remains.

Logging of redwood
1850s forests begins.
Gold discovers starts a rush of
1850 people to the redwood region.
Jedediah Smith is the first
1828 explorer who isn’t an American
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Indian to travel through the

redwood region.

Some redwoods that sprout

2,000 now will still be alive in the
years ago
21st century.
more than
American Indians live in the
3,000 redwood region.
years ago

READ & RESPOND Text and Graphic Features

Write two things from the timeline that help you understand why
Redwood National Park was created.

165
 The group walked along the trail. They were
awed by the giant redwoods.
“It’s so quiet here,” whispered Sarah. “Do any
animals live in this forest?”
Standing Elk chuckled. “We have many
animals here. Wrens, jays, chickadees, and owls
live high in the trees. Foxes live in hollow trunks.
Moles, insects, and worms dig in the soil around
the shallow roots.”

Stellar’s jay

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READ & RESPOND Text and Graphic Features

What animals are shown in the photos on pages 166 and 167?

166
 Suddenly a leaf jumped next to Carlos. “That leaf
looks like a frog!” he said.
“Good eye, Carlos!” Standing Elk pointed to the
small frog. “Just like redwoods, these frogs need lots of
moisture. They like the rainy, mild climate of this forest
habitat.”
“Are any of the animals dangerous?” asked Mrs.
Keith. She looked around nervously.
“Just about any animal can be dangerous.
It’s best to keep your distance,”
Standing Elk warned. “No one
wants to mess with a black bear
or a bobcat.”

northern spotted owl

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READ & RESPOND Main Ideas and Details

What animal and plant share a need for lots of moisture?

167
 “Large animals live in other
areas of the park, too,” said
Standing Elk. “Elk live in the
grasslands of our prairies.
Whales, sea lions, and
dolphins live in the ocean along
the coast of the park.” bald eagle
“I thought this park was just about redwood
trees,” Lakota said. “I can see that it’s not.”
Standing Elk smiled. “There is a lot to see,
and plenty of time to see it. The park isn’t
going anywhere.”

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Roosevelt elk

READ & RESPOND Text and Graphic Features

What animal is shown in a picture but not talked about in the text? Why
do you think that is?

168
 Reread and Respond
1 What is the purpose of Redwood National Park? Hint
For a clue, see
page 162.

2 Look at the map on page 162. How does it help Hint

you understand the location of Redwood National Think about what
Park? you see when you
look at the map.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

3 How do different animals live in and use redwood Hint

trees? For clues, see pages
166 and 167.

169