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Reading/English/History/Social Studies

Language Arts in Grade 4

Grade 4 students continue to build their vocabularies,

adding letters at the beginnings and ends of root words

to create new words, such as happy/unhappy or wonder/

wonderful. Students also learn variations in word meanings

— synonyms, antonyms, idioms, and words with more

than one meaning.

Students recognize key features of informational text,

including the main idea; compare-and-contrast patterns;

and use of facts, details, and examples. They learn the

basics of narrative, such as plot, characterization, and setting,

and use these standards in their writing and speaking.

Grade 4 students use correct grammar in their oral and

written communications.

TOPICS COVERED

Reading/English language arts standards cover the following eight topics, or strands.

Expectations for what a child should be able to do increase from one grade to the next.

• Using and understanding spoken words (Language Development)

• Moving from spoken language to print (Beginning Reading)

• Getting facts from books and other writing (Informational Text)

• Learning from and enjoying stories, poems, and plays (Literary Text)

• Using materials to find out information (Research)

• Using written words to share information, ideas, and feelings (Writing)

• Getting information from television, film, Internet, or videos (Media)

• Knowing how to spell and use grammar correctly (English Language Conventions)

WHAT YOUR CHILD SHOULD KNOW

BY THE END OF GRADE 4, YOUR CHILD SHOULD KNOW AND BE ABLE TO PERFORM THESE SKILLS:

1. Follow agreed-on rules for class discussion. In self-run small group discussions, pose relevant questions and build on the ideas of others.

2. Organize and express an opinion of a political speech using supporting details.

3. Identify the meanings of common idioms and figurative phrases (such as last straw, cold feet).

4. Read out loud from familiar literary and informational text fluently, accurately, and with comprehension.

5. Identify the purpose and main points of a text (reading). Summarize its supporting details.

6. Identify similarities and differences between the characters or events in a story and the experiences in

an author’s life (for example, Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books).

7. Write short poems that contain sensory details (like the sound of the sea or the way a pet’s fur feels)

and include elements of rhyme, meter, and verse.

8. Revise writing to improve word choice and level of detail after determining what could be added or deleted.

9. Compare stories in print with their film versions, considering characters, plot, and settings.

10. Identify four basic parts of speech (adjective, noun, verb, adverb).

HOME ACTIVITIES

1. Keep reading with your child. Take turns reading from the same book or read your own books side by side. Many fourth grade students enjoy these books:

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume; Witcracks: Jokes and Jests from American Folklore, by Alvin Schwartz; and Your Mother Was a Neanderthal, by Jon Scieszka.

2. Ask your child to write a review of a film you have seen together. Discuss what your child thinks about characters, plot, and other elements.

3. Ask your child to defend an opinion using facts and logical thinking.

4. Encourage your child to write poems for special days: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or birthdays.

Talk about words that express the colors, emotions, and other qualities of each day.

Grade 4 Reading Course Outline

Fourth Grade English/Language Arts Worksheets

Children's Authors Worksheet 3 - rewrite using correct punctuation
Using a or an
Why Are They Nouns
Parts of Speech Matching
Reading A Label - healthy tonic
Reading the Want Ads - tlsbooks.com Daily
Using Homophones
Dictionary Skills Review
Scream to Scrubber - dictionary skills, guide words
Haymow to Headrest - dictionary skills, guide words
Thesaurus 1
Word Wizard - making new words
The Newspaper - making new words

Poetry Worksheets and Activities

My Alphabet Poem - writing activity
Acrostic Poems - months of the year, 12 pages
Acrostic Poem - Spring

Quotation Worksheets and Activities

Quote Worksheet #11 - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Quote Worksheet #10 - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Quote Worksheet #9 - Charles Dickens
Quote Worksheet #8 - Helen Keller
Quote Worksheet #7 - Henry David Thoreau
Quote Worksheet #6 - John Adams
Quote Worksheet #5 - Nathan Hale
Quote Worksheet #4 - Abigail Adams
Quote Worksheet #3 - Thomas Paine
Quote Worksheet #2 - Thomas Jefferson
Quote Worksheet #1 - Benjamin Franklin