4th Grade

In 2011, Washington formally adopted the Learning Standards (Common Core State Standards) for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The Washington Learning Standards for English Language Arts provide a rich depth of knowledge and skills that young people will need to succeed in technical school, college, careers, and life. The standards are vital to ensuring our students can be successful in their communities and global society.

For more information from OSPI about ELA state standards, click here.

ELA - Reading Literature

• RL.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• RL.4.2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, summarize the text.
• RL.4.3. Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words or actions).
• RL.4.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

ELA - Reading Informational Text

• R1.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
• RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
• RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
• RI.4.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

ELA - Foundational Skills

• RF.4.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

ELA - Writing & Language

• W.4.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• W.4.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
• W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
• L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• L.4.2.  Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Adopted curricular materials meet the needs of all students through a variety of instructional strategies that provide multiple opportunities for mastery of skills.

Our adopted Kindergarten curricular materials for English Language Arts include:

• Benchmark Advance Core ELA Curriculum 
  • Core Novel: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
  • For Benchmark Advance's Recommended Reading List for Grades K-5, click here. Texts on BA's Recommended Reading List are optional and not used in all classrooms.
  • Benchmark Advance Unit Topic and Essential Question Alignment
• Heggerty Phonemic Awareness and Phonological Awareness

 

Washington state formally adopted the Mathematics and English Language Arts K–12 Learning Standards. These standards describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. 

Assessments for these standards began in the 2014–15 school year.

• Mathematics Learning Standards

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

• 4.OA.A Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems 

  • 4.OA.A.1 Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison, e.g., interpret 35 = 5 × 7 as a statement that 35 is 5 times as many as 7 and 7 times as many as 5. Represent verbal statements of multiplicative comparisons as multiplication equations.

  • 4.OA.A.3 Solve multi-step word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.

Number and Operations in Base Ten 

Expectations are limited to whole numbers less than or equal to 1,000,000.

• 4.NBT.A Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.

  • 4.NBT. A.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right. For example, recognize that 700 ÷ 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place value and division.

  • 4.NBT.A.2 Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.

  • 4.NBT.A.3 Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.

• 4.NBT.B Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

  • 4.NBT.B.4 Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

  • 4.NBT.B.5 Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

  • 4.NBT.B.6 Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

Number and Operations --Fractions

• 4.NF.A Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering.

  • 4.NF.A.1 Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n × a)/(n × b)

by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions.

• 4.NF.A.2 Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, e.g., by creating common denominators or numerators, or by comparing to a benchmark fraction such as 1/2. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.

• 4.NF.B Build fractions from unit fractions by applying and extending previous understandings of operations on whole numbers.

  • 4.NF.B.3 Understand a fraction a/b with a > 1 as a sum of fractions 1/b.

    • Understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts referring to the same whole.

    • Decompose a fraction into a sum of fractions with the same denominator in more than one way, recording each decomposition by an equation. Justify decompositions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. Examples: 3/8 = 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 ; 3/8 = 1/8 + 2/8 ; 2 1/8 = 1 + 1 + 1/8 = 8/8 + 8/8 + 1/8.

    • Add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators, e.g., by replacing each mixed number with an equivalent fraction, and/or by using properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.

    • Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole and having like denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem.

• 4.NF.C Understand decimal notation for fractions and compare decimal fractions.

  • 4.NF.C.5 Express a fraction with denominator 10 as an equivalent fraction with denominator 100, and use this technique to add two fractions with respective denominators 10 and 100.4 For example, express 3/10 as 30/100, and add 3/10 + 4/100 = 34/100.

  • 4.NF.C.6 Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100. For example, rewrite 0.62 as 62/100; describe a length as 0.62 meters; locate 0.62 on a number line diagram.

  • 4.NF.C.7 Compare two decimals to hundredths by reasoning about their size. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two decimals refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual model.

Our adopted curricular materials for Math include:

• Eureka Math - Core Math Curriculum
  • Eureka Math Curriculum Map

Washington has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for for science. Learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) here.

Fall

• 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
• 4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.
• 4-PS4-1 Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move.
• 4-PS4-2 Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
• 4-PS4-3 Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.

Winter

• 4-ESS1-1: Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
• 4-ESS2-1: Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
• 4-ESS2-2: Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth's features.
• 4-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.
• 4-ESS3-2: Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.

Spring

• -PS3-1: Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
• 4-PS3-2: Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
• 4-PS3-3: Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
• 4-PS3-4: Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Our adopted curricular materials for Science include:

• STEMScopes - Core Science Curriculum
  • K-5 STEMScopes Course Scope List

What Kids Learn in Personal Safety Unit
Kids start by learning rules about common safety hazards, then progress to learning about touching safety.

Lesson 1: Keeping Yourself Safe
In Kindergarten through Grade 3, your child learns how to stay safe by using the Ways to Stay Safe and following Never-Never Rules. In Grades 4 and 5, your child learns the Ways to Stay Safe and how to stay safe when alone, and what to do in case of emergency.

Lesson 2: The Always Ask First Rule
In Kindergarten through Grade 3, your child learns an important rule for staying safe, called the Always Ask First Rule: Always ask a parent or the person in charge first before doing something, going somewhere, or accepting something from someone. They also practice identifying adults they can ask and asking them assertively for permission. Grade 4 and 5 students also learn the Always Ask First Rule and also what to do if no one is nearby to ask first.

Lesson 3: Safe and Unsafe Touches
Your Kindergarten through Grade 3 student learns the difference between safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and how to use assertiveness skills to refuse unsafe and unwanted touch. Grade 4 and 5 students how to identify unsafe and unwanted touches and that it’s never okay for someone to touch him or her in a way that’s unsafe or unwanted. They also learn to pay attention to uncomfortable feelings in his or her body to help recognize unwanted touches and practices refusing and reporting unsafe and unwanted touches.

Lesson 4: The Private Body Parts Rule
Children in Kindergarten through Grade 3 learn an important rule to help protect them from child sexual abuse, called the Touching Rule: A bigger person should never touch your private body parts except to keep you healthy. Your child also learns how to refuse and report assertively when someone breaks this rule, and that it's never his or her fault that someone broke the rule. Your Grade 4 or Grade 5 child learns the Private Body Parts Rule and how to use the Ways to Stay Safe to respond if someone breaks it.

Lesson 5: Practicing Staying Safe
Kindergarten through Grade 3 children practice using the Ways to Stay Safe when someone has broken the Touching Rule. Your child also learns that it’s never okay to keep secrets about touching—the Never Keep Secrets Rule—and that he or she should keep reporting until someone helps. Grades 4 and 5 children learn that breaking the Private Body Parts Rule is wrong and it’s never their fault if someone else breaks it. Your child also learns that people who break the Private Body Parts Rule may do things to keep it a secret, but he or she should never keep it secret and should keep reporting until an adult helps.

Lesson 6: Reviewing Safety Skills
Children in Kindergarten through Grade 3 watch a video story about a boy or girl who uses the skills and concepts from the Child Protection Unit to stay safe. Grades 4 and 5 children review skills by participating in an interactive story online or watching a video story with the whole class. You can go through the Online Stories with your child at home.

The Washington Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards and benchmarks were adopted in January 2020.

• SEL Standards and Benchmarks One-Pager
• SEL Standards, Benchmarks and Indicators 

Coming soon! 

Washington has adopted the following educational technology standards for LIT (Library). Learn more about the EdTech Standards Document here.

Library - WA Educational Technology - Information Literacy

• 3.a. Students collaborate with a teacher to employ appropriate research techniques to locate digital resources that will help them in their learning process. 
• 3.b. Students learn how to evaluate sources for accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance.

Library - WA Educational Technology - Digital Citizen

• 2.a. Students demonstrate an understanding of the role an online identity plays in the digital world and learn the permanence of their decisions when interacting online. 
• 2.d. Students demonstrate an understanding of what personal data is, how to keep it private and how it might be shared online.

Library - WA Educational Technology - Computer Science

• 5.c. With guidance from an educator, students break (deconstruct) a problem into parts and identify ways to solve the problem.  

Library - WA Educational Technology - Design Thinking

• 6.b. Students create original works and learn strategies for remixing or repurposing to create new artifacts. 

Library - American Library Association - Library Skills

• Learners act on an information need by making critical choices about information sources to use.

Coming Soon!

Washington has adopted the following arts learning standards for music. Learn more about the Music Standards Document here.

CREATING

• MU: Cr1.1.4a: Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, and explain connection to specific purpose and context (such as social and cultural).
• MU: Cr2.1.4b: Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document personal rhythmic, melodic, and simple harmonic musical ideas.
• MU: Cr3.1.4: Evaluate, refine, and document revisions to personal music, applying teacher-provided and collaboratively-developed criteria and feedback to show improvement over time.
• MU: Cr3.2.4: Present the final version of personal created music to others, and explain connection to expressive intent.

PERFORMING

• MU: Pr4.2.4b: When analyzing selected music, read and perform using iconic and/or standard notation.
• MU: Pr6.1.4a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and appropriate interpretation.
• MU: Pr6.1.4b: Demonstrate performance decorum and audience etiquette appropriate for the context, venue, and genre.

Coming Soon!

Washington has adopted the following standards for PE. Learn more about the PE Document here.

Standard 1: Skill

Students will demonstrate competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns.

• Overhand Throw
  • Demonstrate throwing to simple moving targets.
• Catch
  • Apply mature pattern while catching in a variety of lead-up activities and small-sided game play.

Standard 3: Knowledge

Students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.

• Engagement in Physical Activity
  • Actively engage in physical education class.
• Engagement in Fitness Activities
  • Participate in developmentally appropriate activities to improve overall fitness.

Standard 4: Behavior

Students will exhibit responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others.

• Personal Responsibility
  • Demonstrate responsible behavior in a variety of physical activity environments.
• Working with Others
  • Recognize importance of accepting students of all skill abilities into physical activity.
  • Demonstrate conflict resolution using a variety of strategies.

Our adopted curriculum for PE:

• Five for Life Program
  • Physical Education Curriculum
  • Nutrition Curriculum
  • Fitness Curriculum