Fourth Grade

A family guide to the standards for fourth grade developed by Kentucky Department of Education can be found here.

In fourth grade your child's learning is divided into a progression of units or clusters that will lead to understanding of mathematics in three major areas:

1. Number and Operation in Base Ten

• Students generalize their understanding of place value to 1,000,000, understanding the relative sizes of numbers in each place.
• Students apply their understanding of models for multiplication (equal-sized groups, arrays, area models), place value, and properties of operations, as they develop, discuss, and use accurate methods to compute products of multi-digit whole number.
• Students select and accurately apply appropriate methods to estimate or mentally calculate products.
• Students develop fluency with efficient procedures for multiplying whole numbers; understand and explain why the procedures work, based on place value and properties of operations; and use them to solve problems.
• Students apply their understanding of models for division, place value, properties of operations, and the relationship of division to multiplication as they develop, discuss, and use efficient, accurate, and generalizable procedures to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends.
• Students select and accurately apply appropriate methods to estimate and mentally calculate quotients, and interpret remainders based upon the context.

2. Number and Operation - Fractions

• Students develop understanding of fraction equivalence and operations with fractions.
• Students recognize that two different fractions can be equal (e.g., 15/9 = 5/3), and they develop methods for generating and recognizing equivalent fractions.
• Students extend previous understandings about how fractions are built from unit fractions, composing fractions from unit fractions and decomposing fractions into unit fractions.
• Students use the meaning of fractions and the meaning of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.

3. Geometry

• Students describe, analyze, compare, and classify two-dimensional shapes.
• Through building, drawing, and analyzing two-dimensional shapes, students deepen their understanding of properties of two-dimensional objects and the use of them to solve problems involving symmetry.

To access math resources to support your child, use the drop menu from above or click here.

In the area of Reading/Writing, there are five critical components in which your child will focus his/her learning as a fourth grader. The instruction in your child's classroom through the reading units will help your child increase skill development in the following:

1. Phonics and Word Recognition

• Students know and apply grade level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Students use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to accurately read unfamiliar multisyllabic words.

2. Fluency

• Students read fluently (accuracy, speed and prosody - the patterns of rhythm and sound) on grade level to support comprehension.
• Students read grade level text with purpose and understanding.
• Students fluently read grade level prose and poetry orally on successive readings.
• Students use context to confirm or self correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

3. Reading Comprehension (Literature and Informational)

• Students refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Students analyze how the theme/central idea is reflected in a text and cite relevant implicit and explicit evidence from the text.
• Students describe in depth a character's thoughts, words and/or actions, the setting or event(s) in a story or drama, drawing on specific details to analyze their interaction over the course of the text.
• Students explain the individuals, events, procedures, ideas or concepts in a historical, scientific or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information over the course of the text.
• Students determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including but not limited to figurative language such as metaphors and similes, and describe and explain how those words and phrases shape meaning.
• Students determine the meaning of general academic and domain specific words of phrases in a grade level text, and describe and explain how those words and phrases shape meaning.
• Students analyze the overall structure, in a text or part of the text, the author uses in poems, stories and dramas, including but not limited to linear, non-linear and circular structures.
• Students describe the overall structure, in a text or part of a text, the author uses to organize the events, ideas, concepts or information.
• Students compare/contrast the point of view of first and third person narrators and the effect they have on the reader.
• Students compare/contrast a firsthand and a secondhand account of the same event or topic.
• Students make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation, including making connections with what they see and hear when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
• Students compare/contrast themes, topics and patterns of events in stories, myths and traditional literature from different cultures.
• Students interpret information presented in print and non-print formats and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
• Students explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular claims the author makes in a text.
• Students integrate information from two or more texts on the same theme or topic.
• By the end of the year, students flexibly use a variety of comprehension strategies (i.e., questioning, monitoring, visualizing, inferencing, summarizing, using prior knowledge, determining importance) to read, comprehend and analyze grade level appropriate, complex literary or informational texts independently and proficiently.

4. Composition Writing

• Students have the opportunity throughout the year to utilize digital resources, but not every writing experience must utilize those digital resources.
• Students compose opinions, using writing and digital resources, on topics or texts, supporting an author's perspective with reasons and information by:

a. producing clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

b. introducing a topic or text clearly, stating an opinion and creating an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.

c. providing reasons that are supported by facts and details.

d. using grade appropriate transitions.

e. providing a concluding section.

f. developing and strengthening writing as needed by planning, revising, editing and rewriting with guidance and support from peers and adults.

• Students compose informative and/or explanatory texts using writing and digital resources, to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly by:

a. producing clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

b. introducing a topic clearly, and grouping related information in paragraphs and sections; including formatting, illustrations and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

c. developing the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations or other information and examples related to the topic.

d. using grade appropriate conjunctions to develop text structure within sentences.

e. using grade appropriate transitions to develop text structure across paragraphs.

f. using precise language and domain specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

g. providing a concluding section.

h. developing and strengthening writing as needed by planning, revising, editing and rewriting with guidance and support from peers and adults.

• Students compose narratives, using writing and digital resources, to develop real or imagined experiences or multiple events or ideas, using effective technique, descriptive details and clear sequences by:

a. producing clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

b. orienting the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organizing an event sequence that reflects linear, nonlinear or circular structure.

c. using dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.

d. using a variety of conjunctions and transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.

e. using concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.

f. providing a conclusion that follows the narrated experiences or events.

g. developing and strengthening writing as needed by planning, revising, editing and rewriting with guidance and support from peers and adults.

• With some guidance and support from adults, students use digital resources to create and publish products as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
• Students conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• Students summarize relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from various print and digital sources; take notes, categorize information and provide a list of sources.
• Students compose routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a variety of tasks, purposes and audiences.

5. Language and Vocabulary:

• When writing or speaking, students demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage by:

a. using relative pronouns and relative adverbs.

b. using progressive verb tenses.

c. using modal auxiliaries to convey various conditions, such as can, may and must.

d. ordering adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns.

e. using prepositional phrases.

f. producing complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.

g. using frequently confused words, such as to, too, two; there, their, they're.

• When writing, students:

a. demonstrate appropriate use of capitalization rules.

b. use commas and quotation marks to indicate direct speech and quotations for a text.

c. use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.

d. consult reference materials as needed to check and correct spellings.

• Students use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading or listening.
• Students choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.
• Students use punctuation for effect.
• Students differentiate between formal and informal discourse patterns based on context.
• Students determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies by:

a. using context (e.g., definitions, examples or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

b. using common affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.

c. consulting print and digital reference materials to find the pronunciation, and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

d. acquiring and using accurately, grade appropriate general academic and domain specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions and that are basic to a particular topic.

• Students demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings by:

a. explaining the meaning of simple similes and metaphors in context.

b. recognizing and explaining the meaning of common idioms, adages and proverbs.

c. demonstrating understanding of words by relating them to their synonyms and antonyms.

To access reading and writing resources to support your child, use the drop menu from above or click here.