Montana Grade 4 English

Repair a fragment and a run-on

A complete sentence expresses a complete thought. In classroom prose, a fragment leaves that thought unfinished, while a run-on joins independent clauses without a suitable boundary. Use the intended meaning below to revise two original drafts.

Curriculum reference: Montana ELA and Literacy standards, adopted November 2011, from the Montana Office of Public Instruction ELA directory.

Montana Grade 4 references for this activity

OPI currently lists its November 2011 ELA standards alongside adopted replacement standards scheduled for implementation in July 2027. The selected references here use the current 2011 framework, not an assumption that the replacement is already implemented. Follow the school’s curriculum and transition guidance, and read the complete grade-level requirements.

Read the adopted replacement standards for July 2027 implementation. This is transition planning, not a statement that these requirements are already in force for this activity.

Montana’s complete literacy expectations include American Indian texts and perspectives. Choose resources through the OPI directory’s tribally vetted IEFA materials and the school’s approved curriculum. These original examples do not represent tribal narratives or fulfill that broader requirement.

These selected reference labels identify an activity focus, with the grade column and PDF page linked separately. Read the complete state requirements and the school’s sequence, including reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. This short original example does not fulfill the entire curriculum or establish a student’s grade-level proficiency.

A worked Grade 4 sentence revision

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

Draft A: Because the hallway display was full.

Draft B: The class chose a smaller board they pinned the drawings there.

Intended meaning: The full hallway display led the class to choose a smaller board. The class then pinned its drawings to that smaller board.

Try the activity

Explain what is missing in Draft A and what needs a boundary in Draft B. Write one possible revision that preserves the supplied relationship and actions.

Follow the reasoning

Draft A begins with because and gives a reason, but it does not finish the thought about what happens because of that reason. Draft B contains two independent clauses: the class chose a smaller board, and they pinned the drawings there. A possible revision is: “Because the hallway display was full, the class chose a smaller board. They pinned the drawings there.” The first sentence connects the reason to its result. The period gives the second action its own boundary. Another suitable choice joins the clauses in Draft B with a comma and and. The revision should retain the full display, the smaller board, and the drawings.

Notice what needs more practice

Adding a period after full does not complete a because-clause by itself. A long sentence is not necessarily a run-on, and a short group of words is not necessarily a fragment. Look at the grammar and the complete thought, not the number of words. Do not fix the draft by inventing that the teacher rejects the drawings. Also avoid a comma alone between two independent clauses; choose a period or another grammatically suitable connection.

Grade 4 English worksheets

Choose printable practice that matches the skill being taught. Check the task, reading difficulty, and directions before assigning it; the collection is independently published.

Browse Grade 4 English worksheets

Use the next session to build independence

1. Identify the dependent because-clause and the action that completes its thought.
2. Find the two independent clauses in Draft B and choose a suitable boundary.
3. Reread the revision to check that the intended reason and event order remain clear.

Look for one sentence in your own draft whose thought feels unfinished and one place where two thoughts run together. Revise each deliberately. Read the surrounding sentences too; context helps you preserve the writer’s intended meaning.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 4 English Online Center.

Montana Grade 4 English: useful planning questions

Can I recognize a run-on by its length?

No. Check how independent clauses are joined. Draft B needs a suitable boundary even though it is fairly short.

Where are the complete state requirements?

OPI currently lists its November 2011 ELA standards alongside adopted replacement standards scheduled for implementation in July 2027. The selected references here use the current 2011 framework, not an assumption that the replacement is already implemented. Follow the school’s curriculum and transition guidance, and read the complete grade-level requirements. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.