Puzzles that require students to decipher a secret code help advanced readers focus on rearranging letters to form words that they may not use regularly. Use vocabulary from the classroom and let students determine what vocabulary word the letters spell. Using the word “cat” as an example, you could scramble the letters so that the students see “tca.” In this case, there is more than one possible answer, since the students could unscramble the letters to spell cat or act. By asking students to only identify words in the current vocabulary lesson, you can avoid the possibility of multiple answers.
Building a large vocabulary of working words that the student can quickly access and use in regular conversation is one of the goals of advanced fourth-grade reading. Give students the first three letters of a word that provide the impetus for several other words. The letters “wor” could be the basis for words such as "worship," "worth," "worried" and "work." There are several other possibilities as well. Ask the students to create as many words as possible that start with the chosen three letters. Give them only one minute to create a list.
Once fourth-graders have developed a basic reading ability, it is time to advance those skills by reading out loud and memorizing lines for a play. Ensure that you provide simple phrases for students to memorize easily. Have students in the classroom audition for parts. This is a great activity to include advanced and beginning readers in the same activity. Advanced readers can memorize the lines and play the main characters. Beginning readers can read from a script and play supporting roles such as a combined talking chorus or a congregation reading from a book.
Advanced readers should develop reading comprehension skills through active reading. Active reading means that the student is attentive, absorbing information and actively searching for answers to questions. Provide the students with short passages that are no longer than three paragraphs. Ask students to answer a set of questions after each passage. The questions must relate directly to the reading material. Finding facts or making subjective judgments based on the material presented will challenge any fourth-grader. Students might be asked to talk about emotions exhibited in a narrative, or extract facts from a technical article.