Kentucky Reading and Writing C.4.3.f

ELA4th GradeComposition

The Standard

C.4.3: Compose narratives, using writing and digital resources, to develop real or imagined experiences or multiple events or ideas, using effective technique, descriptive details and clear sequences.

Provide a conclusion that follows the narrated experiences or events.

Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing (2025) · Text Types and Purpose

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students write an ending that makes sense after the events in their story. They show what happens next or how the narrator reacts, without adding an unrelated problem.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student writing about a lost dog ends by showing what happens when its owner arrives. The last sentence connects to that moment instead of starting a new adventure.
Common Misconceptions: Some students stop after the biggest event and add only 'The End.' Others introduce a new character, add a surprise problem, or tack on a lesson that does not fit the story.
How to Assess It: Give students this opening: 'Jules dropped the class plant. He swept up the dirt and saw that the pot was not cracked.' Ask them to write two sentences that finish the story.

Lesson moves

Give pairs cards reading 'Nia lost her lunchbox,' 'She checked the playground,' and 'A friend found it'; have them write an ending card.
Read 'Sam missed the bus, but his neighbor offered a ride'; ask, 'What would be a believable last sentence, and why?'
Play Ending Swap: partners trade short stories and write a closing sentence; authors check whether it fits the last event.
After recess, have students write the last two sentences of a true account of a game, showing how it ended.

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