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Language Model 2

 

Here is the analysis of the Grade 4 Language test items, reporting the L-N value for each item, organized by group. Items marked with (DEFICIT) were indicated as such on the report.

CAPITALIZATION

  • Titles of People: L-N = -3 (DEFICIT)

  • Proper / Common Nouns: L-N = 4

  • Letter Parts: L-N = 12

  • Works of Art: L-N = 12

  • First Word in Quotation: L-N = 25

CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION

  • Topic Sentence: L-N = 2

  • Supporting Sentence: L-N = 3

  • Sentence Combining: L-N = 9

  • Extraneous Sentence: L-N = 8

  • Purpose and Audience: L-N = 14

PUNCTUATION

  • Question Mark: L-N = -6 (DEFICIT)

  • Comma with Conjunction in Compound Sentence: L-N = -1 (DEFICIT)

  • Apostrophe with Contraction: L-N = 4

  • Quotation Marks with Title of Works: L-N = 5

  • Apostrophe with Possessive: L-N = 9

  • Period with Abbreviation: L-N = 12

  • Comma with Items in a Series: L-N = 13

  • Quotation Marks with Dialogue: L-N = 20

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

  • Awkward Construction: L-N = 0

  • Fragments: L-N = 2

  • Run-Ons: L-N = 5

USAGE

  • Subject-Verb Agreement: L-N = -4 (DEFICIT)

  • Pronoun Case: L-N = -3 (DEFICIT)

  • Verb Tense: L-N = -1 (DEFICIT)

  • Subject-Verb Agreement of Simple Subject: L-N = 0

  • Verb Formation: L-N = 0

  • Special Problems in Usage: L-N = 9

  • Comparison of Adjectives: L-N = 16

Note: Canvas

Interactive Web Page 

https://gemini.google.com/share/cfdffc7036f2 

Scatter Plot

https://gemini.google.com/share/9a27c9caf7ef 

create scatter plot

I've updated the interactive analysis to include a scatter plot.

This new chart plots each test item's L-N score against its ID, which can help visualize the distribution of scores and identify any potential patterns or outliers across the test.

I've added a new "Performance Distribution" section with the scatter plot. The plot's tooltips will show you the specific item name, category, and score when you hover over a point. Let me know what you think!

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Create a self-teaching lesson for each deficit  

Grade 4 Language: Self-Teaching Lessons

This guide provides a mini-lesson for each of the 6 deficit areas identified in the language report. Each lesson explains the rule, shows examples, and gives you practice problems to test your skills.

1. Capitalization: Titles of People

  • What It Is: This rule is about capitalizing titles of respect that are used with a person's name. Titles like Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Captain, Senator, and Mayor should always be capitalized when they come right before a name.

  • Why It Matters: Using a capital letter shows that the title is part of the person's official name and is a sign of respect.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: We spoke to dr. evans about the project.

    • Correct: We spoke to Dr. Evans about the project.

    • Incorrect: My neighbor is mr. cheng.

    • Correct: My neighbor is Mr. Cheng.

  • Practice: Rewrite the sentences below with the correct capitalization.

    1. Ask mrs. davis for the homework.

    2. The ship's leader was captain miller.

    3. We learned that governor smith will visit our school.

  • Answer Key:

    1. Ask Mrs. Davis for the homework.

    2. The ship's leader was Captain Miller.

    3. We learned that Governor Smith will visit our school.

2. Punctuation: Question Mark

  • What It Is: A question mark (?) is a punctuation mark that goes at the end of a sentence that asks a direct question.

  • Why It Matters: A question mark tells the reader that a response is expected. It changes the tone of the sentence from a statement to an inquiry.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: What time is the party.

    • Correct: What time is the party?

    • Be Careful: Do not use a question mark for an indirect question (a sentence that talks about a question).

      • Incorrect: She asked me what time the party was?

      • Correct: She asked me what time the party was.

  • Practice: Add the correct end punctuation (. or ?) to these sentences.

    1. Where did you put my backpack__

    2. I wonder why the sky is blue__

    3. Did you finish all of your lunch__

  • Answer Key:

    1. ?

    2. . (This is a statement, not a direct question.)

    3. ?

3. Punctuation: Comma in a Compound Sentence

  • What It Is: A compound sentence is two complete sentences (thoughts) joined together by a conjunction (like for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so - FANBOYS). You must use a comma before the conjunction.

  • Why It Matters: The comma separates the two complete thoughts, which makes the sentence much easier to read and understand.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: I wanted to play outside but it was raining.

    • Correct: I wanted to play outside, but it was raining.

    • Incorrect: Maria likes soccer and her brother likes basketball.

    • Correct: Maria likes soccer, and her brother likes basketball.

  • Practice: Add a comma to these sentences if it is needed.

    1. We can go to the library or we can go to the park.

    2. He did not study but he still passed the test.

    3. The cat ran up the tree and the dog barked at it.

  • Answer Key:

    1. We can go to the library, or we can go to the park.

    2. He did not study, but he still passed the test.

    3. The cat ran up the tree, and the dog barked at it.

4. Usage: Subject-Verb Agreement

  • What It Is: The subject (who or what the sentence is about) and the verb (the action) must "agree" in number.

    • If the subject is singular (one), the verb usually ends in -s.

    • If the subject is plural (more than one), the verb usually does not end in -s.

  • Why It Matters: This is a basic rule of sentence building. When subjects and verbs don't agree, the sentence sounds incorrect.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: The dog run fast. (Dog is singular, run is plural)

    • Correct: The dog runs fast.

    • Incorrect: The students walks to school. (Students is plural, walks is singular)

    • Correct: The students walk to school.

  • Practice: Choose the correct verb for each sentence.

    1. My brother (like / likes) to play video games.

    2. The birds (sing / sings) every morning.

    3. She (is / are) my best friend.

  • Answer Key:

    1. likes

    2. sing

    3. is

5. Usage: Pronoun Case

  • What It Is: Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns (like I, me, he, him, she, her, we, us). The "case" of a pronoun changes depending on its job in the sentence.

    • Subject Pronouns (do the action): I, he, she, we, they. (Example: She is tall.)

    • Object Pronouns (receive the action): me, him, her, us, them. (Example: Give the ball to me.)

  • Why It Matters: Using the wrong pronoun (like "Me and him went to the store") is a very common error. Using the correct case makes your writing clear and correct.

  • A Simple Trick: To check, take the other person out of the sentence.

    • Incorrect: Me and my mom went shopping. (Would you say: "Me went shopping"? No.)

    • Correct: My mom and I went shopping. (You would say: "I went shopping.")

    • Incorrect: He gave the snacks to my friend and I. (Would you say: "He gave the snacks to I"? No.)

    • Correct: He gave the snacks to my friend and me. (You would say: "He gave the snacks to me.")

  • Practice: Choose the correct pronoun for each sentence.

    1. (She / Her) and I are in the same class.

    2. My teacher gave (we / us) a reward.

    3. Please share the drawing with (he / him) and (I / me).

  • AnswerKey:

    1. She

    2. us

    3. him, me

6. Usage: Verb Tense

  • What It Is: Verb tense tells the reader when an action is happening (past, present, or future). You should keep the tense consistent and not jump around in time without a reason.

  • Why It Matters: If your verb tenses are mixed up, your reader will be confused about when events are happening.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: Yesterday I go to the park and played on the swings. (This mixes present tense go with past tense played.)

    • Correct: Yesterday I went to the park and played on the swings. (Both are past tense.)

    • Incorrect: Tomorrow we watched a movie. (This mixes future Tomorrow with past tense watched.)

    • Correct: Tomorrow we will watch a movie. (Both are future.)

  • Practice: Fix the underlined verb to match the time of the sentence.

    1. Last night, my family <u>eat</u>\ pizza for dinner.

    2. Next week, I <u>visited</u>\ my aunt.

    3. She <u>runs</u>\ in the race yesterday and won!

  • Answer Key:

    1. ate

    2. will visit (or am visiting)

    3. ran

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Longer

Grade 4 Language: Self-Teaching Lessons

This guide provides a mini-lesson for each of the 6 deficit areas identified in the language report. Each lesson explains the rule, shows examples, and gives you practice problems to test your skills. The goal is to help you understand why the rule exists and how to use it correctly every time.

1. Capitalization: Titles of People

  • What It Is: This rule is about capitalizing titles of respect that are used with a person's name. Titles like Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Captain, Senator, and Mayor should always be capitalized when they come right before a name, as they are considered part of the person's proper name.

  • Why It Matters: Using a capital letter shows that the title is part of the person's official name and is a sign of respect. It separates a job title (like "the doctor") from a personal title (like "Dr. Evans").

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: We spoke to dr. evans about the project.

    • Correct: We spoke to Dr. Evans about the project.

    • Incorrect: My neighbor is mr. cheng.

    • Correct: My neighbor is Mr. Cheng.

  • Be Careful: Only capitalize a title if it's used with a specific name.

    • Correct: We are waiting for the senator to arrive. (No name, no capital)

    • Correct: We are waiting for Senator Smith to arrive. (With a name, needs a capital)

  • Practice: Rewrite the sentences below with the correct capitalization.

    1. Ask mrs. davis for the homework.

    2. The ship's leader was captain miller.

    3. We learned that governor smith will visit our school.

    4. The president will be speaking tonight. (Tricky one!)

  • Answer Key:

    1. Ask Mrs. Davis for the homework.

    2. The ship's leader was Captain Miller.

    3. We learned that Governor Smith will visit our school.

    4. The president will be speaking tonight. (Correct as is! It's not used with a specific name like President Biden.)

2. Punctuation: Question Mark

  • What It Is: A question mark (?) is a punctuation mark that goes at the end of a sentence that asks a direct question. This is also called an "interrogative sentence."

  • Why It Matters: A question mark tells the reader that a response is expected. It changes the tone of the sentence from a statement to an inquiry. Without it, a question can be misread as a statement.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: What time is the party.

    • Correct: What time is the party?

    • Incorrect: Did you see that.

    • Correct: Did you see that?

  • Be Careful: Do not use a question mark for an indirect question. This is a sentence that talks about a question someone asked, but it is not a direct question itself. These are statements.

    • Incorrect: She asked me what time the party was?

    • Correct: She asked me what time the party was.

    • Incorrect: I wonder if it will rain today?

    • Correct: I wonder if it will rain today. (This is a statement about what you are wondering.)

  • Practice: Add the correct end punctuation (. or ?) to these sentences.

    1. Where did you put my backpack__

    2. I wonder why the sky is blue__

    3. Did you finish all of your lunch__

    4. He asked me where I put my backpack__

  • Answer Key:

    1. ?

    2. . (This is a statement, not a direct question.)

    3. ?

    4. . (This is an indirect question, or a statement about a question.)

3. Punctuation: Comma in a Compound Sentence

  • What It Is: A compound sentence is two complete sentences (thoughts) joined together by a coordinating conjunction (like for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so - FANBOYS). Each part must be a full sentence that could stand on its own. You must use a comma before the conjunction.

  • Why It Matters: The comma separates the two complete thoughts, which makes the sentence much easier to read and understand. It signals to the reader that one complete idea is ending and another is beginning.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: I wanted to play outside but it was raining.

    • Correct: I wanted to play outside, but it was raining. ("I wanted to play outside" is a complete sentence. "It was raining" is a complete sentence.)

    • Incorrect: Maria likes soccer and her brother likes basketball.

    • Correct: Maria likes soccer, and her brother likes basketball.

  • Be Careful: Do not use a comma if the part after the conjunction is not a complete sentence.

    • Incorrect: I wanted to play outside, but got rained on. ("Got rained on" is not a complete sentence.)

    • Correct: I wanted to play outside but got rained on.

  • Practice: Add a comma to these sentences if it is needed.

    1. We can go to the library or we can go to the park.

    2. He did not study but he still passed the test.

    3. The cat ran up the tree and the dog barked at it.

    4. She sang and danced in the show.

  • Answer Key:

    1. We can go to the library, or we can go to the park.

    2. He did not study, but he still passed the test.

    3. The cat ran up the tree, and the dog barked at it.

    4. She sang and danced in the show. (No comma needed! "danced in the show" is not a complete sentence.)

4. Usage: Subject-Verb Agreement

  • What It Is: The subject (who or what the sentence is about) and the verb (the action) must "agree" in number.

    • If the subject is singular (one), the verb usually ends in -s. (Think: One = -s)

    • If the subject is plural (more than one), the verb usually does not end in -s.

  • Why It Matters: This is a basic rule of sentence building. When subjects and verbs don't agree, the sentence sounds incorrect and can be confusing.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: The dog run fast. (Subject dog is singular/one. Verb must end in -s.)

    • Correct: The dog runs fast.

    • Incorrect: The students walks to school. (Subject students is plural/many. Verb must not end in -s.)

    • Correct: The students walk to school.

  • Be Careful: This is also true for verbs like is/are and was/were.

    • Singular: He is. She was.

    • Plural: They are. They were.

  • Practice: Choose the correct verb for each sentence.

    1. My brother (like / likes) to play video games.

    2. The birds (sing / sings) every morning.

    3. She (is / are) my best friend.

    4. The people in the car (was / were) waving.

  • Answer Key:

    1. likes (Subject brother is singular.)

    2. sing (Subject birds is plural.)

    3. is (Subject She is singular.)

    4. were (Subject people is plural.)

5. Usage: Pronoun Case

  • What It Is: Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns (like I, me, he, him, she, her, we, us). The "case" of a pronoun changes depending on its job in the sentence.

    • Subject Pronouns (do the action): I, he, she, we, they. (Example: She is tall. He ran the race.)

    • Object Pronouns (receive the action): me, him, her, us, them. (Example: Give the ball to me. He told her a secret.)

  • Why It Matters: Using the wrong pronoun (like "Me and him went to the store") is a very common error. Using the correct case makes your writing clear and sound correct.

  • A Simple Trick: To check a pronoun in a pair (like "My mom and I"), take the other person out of the sentence. This trick works because your ear can usually tell which one is right when the pronoun is alone.

    • Incorrect: Me and my mom went shopping. (Would you say: "Me went shopping"? No.)

    • Correct: My mom and I went shopping. (You would say: "I went shopping." This is correct.)

    • Incorrect: He gave the snacks to my friend and I. (Would you say: "He gave the snacks to I"? No.)

    • Correct: He gave the snacks to my friend and me. (You would say: "He gave the snacks to me." This is correct.)

  • Practice: Choose the correct pronoun for each sentence.

    1. (She / Her) and I are in the same class.

    2. My teacher gave (we / us) a reward.

    3. Please share the drawing with (he / him) and (I / me).

    4. (Them / They) are coming over later.

  • Answer Key:

    1. She (Test: "She is in the same class.")

    2. us (This is an object, receiving the reward.)

    3. him, me (Test: "Please share with him." "Please share with me.")

    4. They (Test: "They are coming over." Not "Them are coming over.")

6. Usage: Verb Tense

  • What It Is: Verb tense tells the reader when an action is happening (past, present, or future). You should keep the tense consistent and not jump around in time without a reason, especially within the same story or paragraph.

  • Why It Matters: If your verb tenses are mixed up, your reader will be confused about when events are happening. A story that starts in the past should generally stay in the past.

  • Examples:

    • Incorrect: Yesterday I go to the park and played on the swings. (This mixes present tense go with past tense played.)

    • Correct: Yesterday I went to the park and played on the swings. (Both are past tense.)

    • Incorrect: Tomorrow we watched a movie. (This mixes future Tomorrow with past tense watched.)

    • Correct: Tomorrow we will watch a movie. (Both are future.)

  • Be Careful: Make sure your verbs match the time words in the sentence (like yesterday, today, next week).

    • Incorrect: Last week, he tells me a joke.

    • Correct: Last week, he told me a joke.

  • Practice: Fix the underlined verb to match the time of the sentence.

    1. Last night, my family <u>eat</u>\ pizza for dinner.

    2. Next week, I <u>visited</u>\ my aunt.

    3. She <u>runs</u>\ in the race yesterday and won!

    4. Right now, I <u>walked</u>\ to the store.

  • Answer Key:

    1. ate

    2. will visit (or am visiting)

    3. ran

    4. am walking (or walk)

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