One way to teach fourth-graders how to distinguish between homophones is through a sentence reading activity. Print pairs of sentences on the board that contain homophones and also write out the definitions of the homophones. Encourage students to read the sentences aloud and decipher the meaning of each of the words. For example, in the sentences "I am going to the store" and "I like that shirt, too," ask children to read the sentences and decide the meaning of the homophones, using the definitions of the words.
Have children edit sentences, paragraphs or short stories that contain homophones. Compose written pieces that incorrectly use homophones, for example, "At knight, I like to look at the stars" and "We should meat at the park." Encourage children to read the written pieces and ask them to include the correct homophones; for instance, they should replace "knight" with "night" and "meat" with "meet." Supply students with a list of homophones and their definitions to use as a reference for this activity.
Have children create homophone dictionaries that they can use while reading. Provide students with homophones and encourage them to draw pictures that illustrate the words. For example, a child may draw a picture of someone writing for the word "write" and a picture of a right hand for the word "right." Assemble the dictionaries and place them in your classroom library, or make individual dictionaries for each student to use as a reference.
Have students compose paragraphs or short stories that use homophones. Provide them with a list of homophones and invite them to compose written pieces that contain the words. Pair students up and have them exchange their written pieces. Ask students to edit each other's writing to determine if the homophones are used correctly.