Fourth grade is an important time for students to continue developing their writing skills. At this stage, writing assignments are becoming more complex and students are expected to write longer, multi-paragraph essays on various topics. While writing longer essays can be challenging for young writers, it helps prepare them for the writing demands of middle and high school. Providing fourth grade students with essay writing samples to model their own writing after can be very beneficial. Here are a few examples of different types of essays fourth graders may encounter, along with sample essays for each:
Narrative Essay Sample:
A Day at the Beach
One hot summer Saturday last July, my family decided to spend the day at the beach. We packed our beach bag with towels, sunscreen, snacks and drinks and loaded up the car. The one hour drive to the coast felt like forever in the hot car.
When we arrived at the beach parking lot, I could see the sparkling ocean stretching as far as I could see. I ran down to the soft, white sand as soon as I took off my flip flops. The sand felt warm and powdery between my toes. My brother and I started building a sandcastle right away while my parents spread out our towels. We dug a moat around our castle and used seashells we found as decorations.
After working on our castle for a while, I wanted to go in the water. The ocean waves sounded so inviting as they crashed on the shore. At first, the water felt chilly on my feet as I waded in. But it wasn’t long before I was splashing around, letting the waves wash over me. I collected colorful shells and seaweed that had washed up on the beach.
For lunch, we sat on our towels and ate the sandwiches, fruit and chips my mom had packed. The beach was starting to get crowded as more families arrived to enjoy the beautiful day. After lunch, my dad joined my brother and me to kick a beach ball around. I tried boogie boarding for the first time and had a blast riding the waves back to shore, even though I wiped out a few times.
All too soon, it was time to pack up and start the ride home. I fell asleep in the car, tired from all the fun in the sun. That beach day was one I’ll always remember as the perfect summer day!
In this narrative essay sample, the writer effectively sets the scene at the beach and uses vivid sensory details like the warm sand between toes and crashing ocean waves to engage the reader. The essay follows a chronological sequence of events throughout the beach day from arriving to leaving. It is a well-written personal narrative that fourth graders could model aspects of their own writing after, such as integrating descriptive details or using time order transition words.
Informative Essay Sample:
The California Condor
The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America. Its wingspan can reach up to 9 and a half feet! The condor has black feathers all over its body except for white patches on its wings. Its large hooked beak and bare gray skin around its eyes help it stand out.
Condors are carnivores, which means their diet consists only of meat from dead animals. In the past, condors would mainly eat large mammal carcasses like deer. But as their habitat decreased, they had to hunt smaller animals too. Condors locate food by scanning the ground with their keen eyesight from high places. Their giant wings allow them to soar for hours without flapping.
Sadly, by the 1980s there were only 22 California condors left in the wild due to poaching and habitat loss. Conservationists captured all remaining condors to start a captive breeding program to save the species. Now after decades of hard work caring for condors in zoos, their numbers are slowly growing again. Biologists continue releasing captive-bred condors back into protected canyon areas in California, Arizona and Baja California where they can live safely. With ongoing protection and management, it is hoped condor populations will keep increasing for future generations.
This informative essay includes the key elements of an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement, multiple body paragraphs developing facts about the California condor’s description, diet and conservation status with transitions between ideas, and a concluding paragraph that wraps up and hints at ongoing efforts. It is a clear example of the structure and style of informational writing appropriate for fourth grade level.
Persuasive Essay Sample:
School Uniforms Should Be Required
School uniforms have many benefits for students and schools. All students should be required to wear uniforms to create a safer, more focused learning environment.
Uniforms reduce distractions in the classroom caused by who is wearing what brand or style of clothing. When everyone looks the same in uniforms, it takes the pressure off of judging others based on their appearance or family’s income. Kids can focus more on schoolwork instead of clothes. Bullies also have less reason to pick on others about their clothes or lack of name brands.
Uniforms encourage school spirit and pride. Whether it’s a polo shirt or jumper in school colors, uniforms make students feel part of their school community. They create a professional look that says “We are serious about learning.” Having uniforms cuts down on competition between students and fits the serious work environment schools need to provide.
Wearing uniforms is also cost effective for families. Clothes do not need to be changed as frequently or replaced when they are outgrown. The average parent can save hundreds of dollars per child each year by having standard uniforms rather than trendy clothes. This reduces the financial burden on busy families.
Clearly school uniforms offer multiple advantages for both students and schools. They should be required for all public schools to enhance education, safety and community. It’s a small sacrifice that makes a big positive difference.
This persuasive essay sample includes an introductory paragraph with a clear thesis statement followed by three body paragraphs each supporting the thesis with different reasons and evidence. Transition words are used to logically connect ideas while the conclusion restates the thesis. Fourth graders could model structuring their persuasive arguments using this example.
Providing essay writing samples tailored for different fourth grade writing assignments is an effective way to teach young writers the components and structure of various types of essays. The samples included cover narrative, informative and persuasive essays and demonstrate developmentally appropriate formatting and language. Fourth graders can refer to them as models when planning, drafting and revising their own essays to learn different writing styles and have clear expectations. With continued guided practice and feedback, essay writing samples are a valuable tool to enhance students’ literacy skills at this important stage.
Andrew Stroud