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What Language Arts Should a 4th Grader Know?

By the end of fourth grade language arts, students should be able to:

Read with a higher level of fluency and expression.

Utilize root words, prefixes, suffixes, and context clues to analyze unfamiliar words.

Formulate multiple paragraph pieces that focus on a specific purpose or audience.

Apply comprehension strategies to literary and expository texts.

Identify and describe the theme of a story, as well as retell story elements with details.

Spell frequently used words correctly.

Write chronological pieces, pieces focusing on cause and effect and pieces that draw from personal experience.

First Grade Reading Goals/Objectives

Foundational skills for fourth grade readers involve making sure they are reading a wide variety of books and other written materials. They will be sharing what they are reading with others, both verbally and in writing. Your child should be reading fluently enough to read aloud comfortably as well.

Specifically, some of the objectives for this year’s reading instruction include:

Paying close attention to the key features of what is read, and being able to share details afterward

Comparing ideas, characters, events, and settings in stories

Gaining additional skills in reading comprehension including summarizing, predicting, visualizing, questioning, and clarifying details

Recognizing figurative language when reading (similes, metaphors, etc.)

Learning the difference between first and third person narration

Your fourth grader will become actively involved in the steps of the writing process this year. From prewriting to drafting to editing and revision, fourth graders will learn how to plan out their compositions and refine them.

Some of the specific writing goals our 4th grade language arts curriculum aims for this year include:

Using research tools to investigate and write about a specific topic.

Analyzing and interpreting a story they have read by writing about it.

Writing summaries or opinions of topics, using supporting details.

Writing an example news article.

Writing Goals/Objectives

Pencil and notepad

Grammar Goals/Objectives

In fourth grade, students learn to apply what they have learned about grammar and mechanics as they write original compositions. Our 4th grade language arts curriculum lessons focus on parts of speech, similes and metaphors, punctuation, double negatives, and spelling.

Fourth graders will continue to review the grammar rules they have learned to this point, and will add new concepts such as:

Rules of spelling

Regular and irregular verbs

Proper and common nouns

Recognizing and avoiding double negatives

Correctly using commas in series, dates, addresses, and compound sentences

A 4th grade language arts program has two primary goals: making sure your child understands what he/she is reading and being able to communicate ideas clearly. Your fourth grader will be comprehending a wide range of written texts, from articles to poems. They will also learn to summarize what they have read and share it using supporting details, facts, and examples.

 4th Grade Language Arts Scope & Sequence

  • Chapter 1: “Number Sense”
    Lesson 1: Read Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Ordinal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Count Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Compare with Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Count by Twos and Fives – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Odd and Even Numbers – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Number Sense
  • Chapter 2: “Fractions”
    Lesson 1: Equal and Unequal Parts – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Halves and Fourths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Thirds – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Equal Fractions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Fractions
  • Chapter 3: “Operations”
    Lesson 1: Adding and Subtracting – 4 Activities Lesson 2: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Equal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: One-digit Addition – 2 Activities Lesson 5: One-digit Subtraction – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Sum of Three Addends – 6 Activities Lesson 7: Two-digit Addition – 6 Activities Lesson 8: Zero as a Placeholder – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Addition and Subtraction Strategies – 7 Activities Lesson 10: One-Digit Word Problems – 2 Activities Lesson 11: Problem Solving Strategies – 2 Activities Lesson 12: Estimation Language – 2 Activities Lesson 13: Estimate – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Operations
  • Chapter 4: “Money”
    Lesson 1: Coin Values – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Count Money – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Model Money Amounts – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Add and Subtract Money – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Money
  • Chapter 5: “Patterns”
    Lesson 1: Sort Using One Attribute – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Sort Using Two Attributes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Rules for Sorting – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Build Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Classify Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Picture and Number Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Repeating and Growing Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Patterns on a Hundreds Chart – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Skip Counting – 2 Activities Lesson 10: Extend Number Patterns – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Patterns
  • Chapter 6: “Algebra”
    Lesson 1: Order Property – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Add and Subtract Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Fact Families – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Number Sentences – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Equal and Unequal – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Greater Than and Less Than – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Solve for Unknown Numbers – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Algebra
  • Chapter 7: “Shapes”
    Lesson 1: Straight and Curved Lines – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Open and Closed Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Plane and Solid Shapes – 4 Activities Lesson 4: Special Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Attributes of Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Name Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Attributes of Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Congruent Shapes – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Shapes
  • Chapter 8: “Positions”
    Lesson 1: Positions of Objects – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Direction Words – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Position Words – 2 Activities Lesson 4: The Number Line – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Positions
  • Chapter 9: “Using Shapes”
    Lesson 1: Slides and Turns – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Congruent Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Symmetry – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Shapes
  • Chapter 10: “Spatial Sense”
    Lesson 1: Build Shapes – 6 Activities Lesson 2: Plane and Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Perimeter and Area – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Shapes Around Us – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Pattern Blocks – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Spatial Sense
  • Chapter 11: “Time”
    Lesson 1: Calendar – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Passage of Time – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Tools for Telling Time – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Elapsed Time – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Time
  • Chapter 12: “Length”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Lengths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Tools and Units – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Length
  • Chapter 13: “Weight”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Weights – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 3 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Weight
  • Chapter 14: “Capacity”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Capacity – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Capacity
  • Chapter 15: “Temperature”
    Lesson 1: Measure Temperature – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Temperature – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Temperature
  • Chapter 16: “Graphing”
    Lesson 1: Tally Table – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Pictographs – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Bar Graphs – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Graphing
  • Chapter 17: “Using Data”
    Lesson 1: Compare Data – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Make Predictions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Data
  • Chapter 18: “Probability”
    Lesson 1: Certain or Impossible – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Most and Least Likely – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Probability

4th Grade Language Arts Extensions

  • Chapter 1: “Number Sense”
    Lesson 1: Read Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Ordinal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Count Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Compare with Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Count by Twos and Fives – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Odd and Even Numbers – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Number Sense
  • Chapter 2: “Fractions”
    Lesson 1: Equal and Unequal Parts – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Halves and Fourths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Thirds – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Equal Fractions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Fractions
  • Chapter 3: “Operations”
    Lesson 1: Adding and Subtracting – 4 Activities Lesson 2: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Equal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: One-digit Addition – 2 Activities Lesson 5: One-digit Subtraction – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Sum of Three Addends – 6 Activities Lesson 7: Two-digit Addition – 6 Activities Lesson 8: Zero as a Placeholder – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Addition and Subtraction Strategies – 7 Activities Lesson 10: One-Digit Word Problems – 2 Activities Lesson 11: Problem Solving Strategies – 2 Activities Lesson 12: Estimation Language – 2 Activities Lesson 13: Estimate – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Operations
  • Chapter 4: “Money”
    Lesson 1: Coin Values – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Count Money – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Model Money Amounts – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Add and Subtract Money – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Money
  • Chapter 5: “Patterns”
    Lesson 1: Sort Using One Attribute – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Sort Using Two Attributes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Rules for Sorting – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Build Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Classify Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Picture and Number Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Repeating and Growing Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Patterns on a Hundreds Chart – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Skip Counting – 2 Activities Lesson 10: Extend Number Patterns – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Patterns
  • Chapter 6: “Algebra”
    Lesson 1: Order Property – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Add and Subtract Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Fact Families – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Number Sentences – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Equal and Unequal – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Greater Than and Less Than – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Solve for Unknown Numbers – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Algebra
  • Chapter 7: “Shapes”
    Lesson 1: Straight and Curved Lines – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Open and Closed Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Plane and Solid Shapes – 4 Activities Lesson 4: Special Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Attributes of Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Name Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Attributes of Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Congruent Shapes – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Shapes
  • Chapter 8: “Positions”
    Lesson 1: Positions of Objects – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Direction Words – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Position Words – 2 Activities Lesson 4: The Number Line – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Positions
  • Chapter 9: “Using Shapes”
    Lesson 1: Slides and Turns – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Congruent Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Symmetry – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Shapes
  • Chapter 10: “Spatial Sense”
    Lesson 1: Build Shapes – 6 Activities Lesson 2: Plane and Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Perimeter and Area – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Shapes Around Us – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Pattern Blocks – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Spatial Sense
  • Chapter 11: “Time”
    Lesson 1: Calendar – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Passage of Time – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Tools for Telling Time – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Elapsed Time – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Time
  • Chapter 12: “Length”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Lengths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Tools and Units – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Length
  • Chapter 13: “Weight”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Weights – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 3 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Weight
  • Chapter 14: “Capacity”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Capacity – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Capacity
  • Chapter 15: “Temperature”
    Lesson 1: Measure Temperature – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Temperature – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Temperature
  • Chapter 16: “Graphing”
    Lesson 1: Tally Table – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Pictographs – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Bar Graphs – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Graphing
  • Chapter 17: “Using Data”
    Lesson 1: Compare Data – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Make Predictions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Data
  • Chapter 18: “Probability”
    Lesson 1: Certain or Impossible – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Most and Least Likely – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Probability
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