New Jersey Grade 4 English

Compare what two participants emphasize about the same event

Compare two original accounts in New Jersey Grade 4 English, identify shared facts and differing viewpoints, and practice a supported response with clear next steps. The selected 2023 New Jersey standards identify this activity’s focus; use the complete grade expectations and the school’s teaching sequence for broader planning.

Curriculum reference: 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, official grade page, from the official New Jersey ELA standards directory.

New Jersey Grade 4 references for this activity

The 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts define grade-specific end-of-year expectations. These selected references point to the activity’s reading focus; the complete grade page also includes language, writing, speaking, and listening. Use the full expectations and the school’s teaching sequence when planning instruction.

These selected reference labels identify an activity focus, with links to the official grade page. Read the complete New Jersey standards and the school’s learning 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.

Two reports from the book exchange

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

Report A — Student organizer

Our class book exchange ran from ten until eleven on Friday. We put picture books on the low table and chapter books on the tall table. Three volunteers helped readers find a table. All the donated books had found new readers by closing time. I was proud that our signs and table plan helped the exchange go smoothly.

Report B — Classroom observer

The Friday book exchange lasted one hour, beginning at ten. Readers found the picture-book table easily, but a group waited near the tall table while a volunteer explained where to line up. After another volunteer moved a sign, the line became clearer. Every donated book was taken by the end. I would put the line sign in place before opening next time.

Try the activity

Identify two facts both accounts share. Explain one important difference in what the writers emphasize. Does that difference prove that one report is false? Support your answer with details from each report.

Follow the reasoning

Both accounts place the exchange on Friday, starting at ten and lasting until eleven or one hour. Both also say every donated book had been taken by the end. The organizer emphasizes the success of the signs, tables, and volunteers and expresses pride. The observer describes an initial difficulty near the tall table, the moved sign, and a possible improvement for next time. These emphases can coexist: a successful overall event can include a short confusing line. The organizer does not claim that nobody ever waited or needed an explanation. A careful comparison therefore identifies shared facts and different viewpoints without inventing a contradiction. The first writer participated in organizing; the second presents observations and a recommendation. Those roles help explain their emphasis, but the reader should still cite the language each actually uses.

Notice what needs more practice

Do not convert “go smoothly” into an exact claim that there was no wait anywhere. Also do not label the organizer dishonest merely because the observer supplies a detail the first report omits. Point of view includes what the writer notices and stresses; agreement about the timing does not make every emphasis identical. These classroom reports are invented for reading practice and are not news accounts of an actual New Jersey school event.

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. Mark facts that appear in both reports.
2. Underline an evaluation or recommendation unique to each writer.
3. Write a comparison with one agreement, one difference, and an explanation of whether the accounts conflict.

Ask two readers to write separate reports of the same classroom demonstration. Compare which details they include and what each emphasizes. If they disagree about a factual detail, return to the event record instead of treating every difference as just a matter of opinion.

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

New Jersey Grade 4 English: useful planning questions

Do different viewpoints always produce contradictory facts?

No. Two writers can agree about an event’s timing and outcome while emphasizing different parts. Check whether one account actually denies a fact stated by the other.

Which standards does the school use?

The 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts define grade-specific end-of-year expectations. These selected references point to the activity’s reading focus; the complete grade page also includes language, writing, speaking, and listening. Use the full expectations and the school’s teaching sequence when planning instruction. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.