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How to learn Grade 4: English language arts

Colorado academic standards: English language arts, Grade 4

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1. Research Inquiry and Design · Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

  1. Literary Evidence in Writing: Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research in writing, applying grade-level reading standards to literature
  2. Evidence-Based Writing: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research in writing, applying grade-level reading standards to non-fiction

2. Research Inquiry and Design · Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

  1. Short Research Projects: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic, gather information from print and digital sources, and take brief organised notes

3. Writing and Composition · Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

  1. Formal and Informal English: Recognise and compare formal and informal uses of English, understanding that language choices vary based on audience, purpose and context
  2. Adapting Speech to Context: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation while adjusting tone, vocabulary, and style for different audiences
  3. Writing for an audience: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organisation are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience, maintaining a consistent style and structure throughout
  4. Sharing and Publishing Your Writing: Read own writing aloud clearly enough to be heard by peers and the teacher; use digital tools to produce and publish writing

4. Writing and Composition · Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

  1. Commas Before Joining Words: Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, so, yet) when joining two independent clauses in a compound sentence
  2. Punctuating Titles of Works: Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works, applying conventions for different types of works such as books, stories, poems, songs, and articles

5. Writing and Composition · Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  1. Adjective Order in Sentences: Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional English patterns (opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose) to produce natural-sounding descriptions
  2. Modal Verbs and Possibility: Understand and use modal verbs (can, may, must, might, shall, will, could, should, would) and modal adverbs (perhaps, surely, certainly) to indicate degrees of possibility, necessity, and permission
  3. Progressive and Continuous Tenses: Form and use the progressive (continuous) verb tenses — past progressive (was walking), present progressive (am walking), and future progressive (will be walking) — to convey ongoing actions at different times
  4. Relative Clauses: Form and use relative clauses beginning with relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why) to add detail, qualify nouns, and create complex sentences

6. Reading for All Purposes · Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

  1. Antonyms & Synonyms: Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their antonyms (opposites) and synonyms (words with similar meanings), using synonym and antonym relationships to refine vocabulary and improve precision in writing
  2. Figurative Language and Literary Devices: Determine the meaning of figurative and connotative language in context, analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, and identify literary devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, allusion, and irony

7. Reading for All Purposes · Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

  1. Discussing and Questioning New Words: Ask and answer questions about unknown words in texts; discuss word meanings and link new vocabulary to words already known
  2. Reading between the lines: Ask and answer questions about key details in literary and informational texts; make simple inferences based on what characters say and do
  3. Prefixes and suffixes: Read words containing common prefixes and suffixes from the Y3-4 programme, applying knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology) to read aloud and understand new words
  4. Author's word choices: Recognise how an author's deliberate choices — of words, structure, tone, and perspective — create particular effects on you as a reader
  5. Greek and Latin Roots for Word Meaning: Use knowledge of Greek and Latin affixes (prefixes and suffixes) and roots as clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, building a bank of common roots and their meanings
  6. Vocabulary Strategies: Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases using a flexible range of strategies — including context clues, Greek and Latin affixes and roots, reference materials, and verification of inferred meaning

8. Reading for All Purposes · Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

  1. Reading with Expression and Accuracy: Read aloud with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression (prosody), re-reading familiar texts to build fluency and confidence, and using context to self-correct

9. Reading for All Purposes · Use Range of Reading and Complexity of Text to:

  1. Wide Independent Reading Across Genres: Read widely and independently across fiction and non-fiction — including whole novels, short stories, plays, poetry, and non-fiction from different genres, periods, and cultures — building stamina, breadth, and personal taste as a reader

10. Reading for All Purposes · Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:

  1. Combining information from texts: Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably, combining and comparing what each source contributes
  2. Supporting ideas with evidence: Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which specific points
  3. Interpreting visual information in texts: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively in informational texts (e.g., charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations) and explain how it contributes to understanding the text
  4. Themes Across Cultures and Traditions: Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes, topics, and story patterns (e.g., good vs evil, quest narratives, trickster tales) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures
  5. Text & Media Connections: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions from the text

11. Reading for All Purposes · Use Craft and Structure to:

  1. Structure of information texts: Describe the overall structure of an informational text (chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) and explain how the author's chosen structure helps convey information and ideas
  2. Comparing Structure in Information Texts: Compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more informational texts, identifying patterns such as chronology, comparison, cause/effect, or problem/solution
  3. Domain Vocabulary Across Subject Areas: Acquire and use accurately academic and domain-specific vocabulary relevant to grade-level topics, including words that signal precise meaning in informational texts across subject areas
  4. Narrator's Point of View: Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including distinguishing between first-person and third-person narration and explaining how the narrator's perspective shapes the reader's understanding
  5. Poems, Drama & Prose: Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, identifying structural elements unique to each form: verse, rhythm, and meter in poetry; cast of characters, dialogue, and stage directions in drama; chapters and paragraphs in prose
  6. Cultural Allusions and Word Meaning: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as used in literary texts, including understanding references to mythology and cultural allusions (e.g., Herculean, Achilles' heel)

12. Reading for All Purposes · Use Key Ideas and Details to:

  1. Explaining Events & Ideas: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in an informational text, including what happened and why, by citing specific textual evidence about causes, effects, and steps in a process
  2. Main Topic & Key Details: Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph informational text, determine the focus of specific paragraphs, and explain how key details support the main idea
  3. Summarising Non-Fiction Main Ideas: Determine two or more main ideas of an informational text and explain how they are supported by key details, then summarise the text without personal opinions
  4. Plot Structure and Character Development: Analyse how plot structure unfolds through episodes or key events, and how characters develop, respond to challenges, and change over the course of a narrative — including the relationship between character, setting, and plot
  5. In-Depth Character and Setting Analysis: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details from the text such as a character's thoughts, words, actions, and interactions
  6. Finding Theme and Summarising: Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, and provide an objective summary that captures the key events without personal opinions

13. Oral Expression and Listening · Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on other

  1. Listening and responding: Listen and respond appropriately to adults and peers; follow agreed-upon rules for discussion such as listening to others and taking turns speaking
  2. Group discussions: Participate actively in collaborative conversations staying on topic; continue a conversation through multiple exchanges; maintain attention in discussions
  3. Building on Others in Discussions: Pose and respond to specific questions in discussions, making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others

14. With guidance and support students can:

  1. Using Multiple Sources: Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or solve a problem efficiently
  2. Revising and editing (age 8+): Read back your own writing critically and independently — notice where meaning is unclear, where a word could be stronger, or where the reader might be confused; make revisions without needing teacher prompts, using your own judgment about what is and isn't working
  3. Shared Research Projects: Participate in shared research and writing projects; recall information from experiences or gather information from sources to answer a question
  4. Connecting Ideas in Texts: Describe connections between events, ideas, or concepts in informational text using time, sequence, cause-and-effect, and comparison language, and identify logical connections between sentences and paragraphs
  5. Structured Opinion Writing: Compose opinion pieces that introduce a topic, state a clear point of view, provide organised reasons linked with connecting words, and include a concluding statement or section
  6. Using New Vocabulary: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, being read to, and responding to texts in own speech and writing
  7. Listening to Texts Read Aloud: Listen to and discuss poems, stories, and non-fiction at a level beyond independent reading; confirm understanding of texts read aloud by asking and answering questions about key details
  8. Discussing Texts as a Group: Participate in discussions about what is read, taking turns and listening to others; explain understanding clearly; actively engage in group reading activities
  9. Multimedia Presentations: Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes
  10. Pictures and Text Working Together: Describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear; use pictures to support and extend comprehension
  11. Reporting & Recounting: Report on a topic or recount an experience with organised facts and descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace
  12. Identifying Reasons Behind a Speaker's Points: Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points, evaluating whether the reasoning is logical and the evidence is relevant