Written expression is an important 21st century skill that comes in many forms. In the fourth grade, students are working on more complex sentence structures, developing an interesting story arc for narrative writing, and conducting research in order to write informational pieces. Additionally, fourth graders work on developing opinions and arguments with an opinion writing unit.
Reading and writing go hand-in-hand in order to create a balanced literacy program. That being said, it's super important for fourth graders to practice reading in order to become better writers.