4th GRADE STANDARDS
English-Language
Arts Standards
Reading
4.1.0
Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development
Students understand the basic features of reading. They select letter patterns
and know how to translate them into spoken language by using phonics,
syllabication, and word parts. They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent oral
and silent reading.
Word Recognition
4.1.1 Read narrative and expository text aloud with fluency
and accuracy and with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression.
Vocabulary and Concept Development
4.1.2 Apply knowledge of word origins, derivations,
synonyms, antonyms, and idioms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.
4.1.3 Use knowledge of root words to determine the meaning
of unknown words within a passage.
4.1.4 Know common roots and affixes derived form Greek and
Latin and use this knowledge to analyze the meaning of complex words.
4.1.5 Use a thesaurus to determine related words and
concepts.
4.1.6 Distinguish and interpret words with multiple
meanings.
4.2.0
Reading Comprehension
Students read and understand grade-level appropriate material. They draw
upon a variety of comprehension strategies (ex. questioning, predicting,
synthesizing). Students read a good representation of narrative and expository
text (ex. classics, magazines, newspapers, online information).
Structural Features of Informational Materials
4.2.1 Identify structural patterns found in informational
text (ex. compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential order) to support
comprehension.
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Text
4.2.2 Use appropriate strategies for different purposes
4.2.3 Make and confirm predictions using prior knowledge and
ideas presented in the text, including illustrations, titles, topic sentences,
important words, and foreshadowing clues.
4.2.4 Evaluate new information and hypotheses by testing
them against known information and ideas
4.2.5 Compare and contrast information on the same topic
after reading several passages or articles
4.2.6 Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact
and opinion in expository text
4.2.7 Follow multiple-step instructions in a basic technical
manual
4.3.0 Literary Response and Analysis
Students read and respond to a wide variety of significant works of
children's literature. They distinguish between the structural features of the
text and the literary terms or elements.
Structural Features of Literature
4.3.1 Describe the structural differences of various imaginative
forms of literature, including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, and fairy
tales.
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Texts
4.3.2 Identify the main events of the plot, their causes,
and the influence of each event on future actions.
4.3.3 Use knowledge of the situation and setting of a
character's traits and motivations to determine the causes for that character's
actions.
4.3.4 Compare and contrast tales from different cultures by
tracing the exploits of one character type and develop similar theories to
account for similar tales in diverse cultures.
4.3.5 Define figurative language (ex. simile, metaphor,
hyperbole, personification) and identify its use in literary works.
Writing
4.1.0
Writing Strategies
Students write clear, coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a
central idea. Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose.
Students progress through the stages of the writing process.
Organization and Focus
4.1.1 Select a focus, and organizational structure, and a
point of view based upon purpose, audience, length, and format requirements.
4.1.2 Create multiple-paragraph compositions:
a. Provide an introductory
paragraph.
b. Establish and support a central
idea with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of the first paragraph.
c. Include supporting paragraphs
with simple facts, details, and explanations.
d. Conclude with a paragraph that
summarizes the points.
e. Use correct indention.
4.1.3 Use traditional structures for conveying information
(ex. chronological, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and
answering a question).
Penmanship
4.1.4 Write fluidly and legibly in cursive.
Research and Technology
4.1.5 Quote or paraphrase information sources, citing them
appropriately.
4.1.6 Locate information in reference texts by using
organizational features.
4.1.7 Use various reference materials as an aid to writing.
4.1.8 Understand the organization of almanacs, newspapers,
and periodicals and how to use those print materials.
4.1.9 Demonstrate basic keyboarding skills and familiarity
with computer terminology (ex. cursor, software, memory, disk drive, hard
drive)
Evaluation and Revision
4.1.10 Edit and revise selected drafts to improve coherence
and progression by adding, deleting, consolidating, and rearranging text.
4.2.0
Writing Applications (Genres and their Characteristics)
Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects,
events, and experiences. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard
American English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies.
4.2.1 Write narratives:
a. Relate ideas, observations, or
recollections of an event
b. Provide a context to enable the
reader to imagine the world of the event
c. Use concrete sensory details
d. Provide insight into why the
selected event is memorable
4.2.2 Write responses to literature:
a. Demonstrate an understanding of
the literary work
b. Support judgments through
references to both the text and prior knowledge
4.2.3 Write information reports
a. Frame a central question about an
issue or situation
b. Include facts and details for
focus
c. Draw from more than one source of
information
4.2.4 Write significant summaries that contain the main
ideas of the reading selection and the most significant details.
Written and Oral Language Conventions
4.1.0 Students write and speak with a command of standard English
conventions.
Sentence Structure
4.1.1 Use simple and compound sentences in writing and
speaking.
4.1.2 Combine short, related sentences with appositives,
participial phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.
Grammar
4.1.3 Identify and use regular and irregular verbs, adverbs,
prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions in writing and speaking.
Punctuation
4.1.4 Use parentheses, commas in direct quotations, and
apostrophes in the possessive case of nouns and in contractions.
4.1.5 Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to
identify titles.
Capitalization
4.1.6 Capitalize names of magazines, newspapers, works of
art, musical compositions, organizations, and the first word in quotations when
appropriate.
Spelling
4.1.7 Spell correctly roots, inflections, suffixes and
prefixes, and syllable constructions.
Listening and Speaking
4.1.0 Students listen critically and respond appropriately to oral
communication. They speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand
important ideas by using proper phrasing, pitch, and modulation.
Comprehension
4.1.1 Ask thoughtful questions and respond to relevant
questions with appropriate elaboration in oral settings.
4.1.2 Summarize major ideas and supporting evidence
presented in spoken messages and formal presentations.
4.1.3 Identify how language usages reflect regions and
cultures.
4.1.4 Give precise directions and instructions.
Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication
4.1.5 Present effective introductions and conclusions that
guide inform the listener's understanding of important ideas and evidence.
4.1.6 Use traditional structures for conveying information
(ex. cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a
question).
4.1.7 Emphasize points in ways that help the listener or
viewer to follow important ideas and concepts.
4.1.8 Use details, examples, anecdotes, or experiences to
explain or clarify information.
4.1.9 Use volume, pitch, phrasing, pace, modulation, and
gestures appropriately to enhance meaning.
Analysis and Evaluation of Oral Media Communication
4.1.10 Evaluate the role of media in focusing attention on
events and in forming opinions on issues.
4.2.0
Speaking Applications (Genres and their Characteristics)
Students deliver brief recitations and oral presentations about familiar
experiences or interests that are organized around a coherent thesis statement.
Student speaking demonstrates a command of standard American English and
organizational and delivery strategies.
4.2.1 Make narrative presentations
a. Relate ideas, observations, or
recollections about an event.
b. Provide a context that enables
the listener to imagine the circumstances of the event.
c. Provide insight into why the
selected event is memorable.
4.2.2 Make informational presentations
a. Frame a key question.
b. Include facts and details that
help listeners to focus.
c. Incorporate more than one source
of information.
4.2.3 Deliver oral summaries of articles and books that
contain the main ideas of the event or article and the most significant
details.
4.2.4 Recite brief poems, soliloquies, or dramatic
dialogues, using clear diction, tempo, volume, and phrasing.
Number Sense
4.1.0 Students understand the place value of whole numbers and decimals to
two decimal places and how whole numbers and decimals relate to simple
fractions. Students use the concepts of negative numbers to:
4.1.1 Read and write whole numbers in the millions.
4.1.2 Order and compare whole numbers and decimals to two
decimal places.
4.1.3 Round whole numbers through the millions to the
nearest ten, hundred,
thousand, ten thousand, or hundred thousand.
4.1.4 Decide when a rounded solution is called for and
explain why such a solution may be appropriate.
4.1.5 Explain different interpretations of fractions.
4.1.6 Write tenths and hundredths in decimal and fractions
notations and know the fraction and decimal equivalents for halves and fourths.
4.1.7 Write the fraction represented by a drawing of parts
of a figure; represent a given fraction by using drawings; and relate a
fraction to a simple decimal on a number line.
4.1.8 Use concepts of negative numbers.
4.1.9 Identify on a number line the relative positions of
positive fractions,
positive mixed numbers, and positive decimals to two decimal places.
4.2.0 Students extend their use and understanding of whole numbers to the
addition
and subtraction of simple decimals.
4.2.1 Estimate and compute the sum or difference of whole
numbers and positive decimals to two places.
4.2.2 Round two-place decimals to one decimal or the nearest
whole number and judge the reasonableness of the rounded answer.
4.3.0
Students solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division of whole numbers and understand the relationships among the
operations.
4.3.1 Demonstrate an understanding of, and ability to use,
standard algorithms for the addition and subtraction of multidigit numbers.
4.3.2 Demonstrate and understanding of, and ability to use,
standard algorithms for multiplying a multidigit number by a two-digit number
and for dividing a multidigit number by a one-digit number; use relationships
between them to simplify computations and to check results.
4.3.3 Solve problems involving multiplication of multidigit
numbers by two-digit numbers.
4.3.4 Solve problems involving division of multidigit
numbers by one-digit numbers.
4.4.0
Students know how to factor small whole numbers.
4.4.1 Understand that many whole numbers break down in
different ways.
4.4.2 Know that numbers such as 2,3,5,7, and 11 do not have
any factors except 1 and themselves and that such numbers are called prime
numbers.
Algebra and Functions
4.1.0 Students use and interpret variables, mathematical symbols, and
properties to write and simplify expressions and sentences:
4.1.1 Use letters, boxes, or other symbols to stand for any
number in simple expressions or equations
4.1.2 Interpret and evaluate mathematical expressions that
now use parentheses
4.1.3 Use parentheses to indicate which operation to perform
first when writing expressions containing more than two terms and different
operations.
4.1.4 Use and interpret formulas (ex. area) to answer
questions about quantities and their relationships.
4.1.5 Understand that an equation such as y=3x + 5 is a
prescription for determining a second number when a first number is given.
4.2.0
Students know how to manipulate equations:
4.2.1 Know and understand that equals added to equals are
equal.
4.2.2 Know and understand that equals multiplied by equals
are equal.
Measurement and Geometry
4.1.0 Students understand perimeter and area:
4.1.1 Measure the area of rectangular shapes by using
appropriate units.
4.1.2 Recognize that rectangles that have the same area can
have different perimeters.
4.1.3 Understand that rectangles that have the same
perimeter can have different areas.
4.1.4 Understand and use formulas to solve problems
involving perimeters and areas of rectangles and squares. Use those formulas to
find the areas of more complex figures by dividing the figures into basic
shapes.
4.2.0
Students use two-dimensional coordinate grids to represent points and graph
lines and simple figures:
4.2.1 Draw the points corresponding to linear relationships
on graph paper (ex. draw10 points on the graph of the equation y= 3x + 5 and
connect them by using a straight line).
4.2.2 Understand that the length of a horizontal line
segment equals the difference of the x-coordinates.
4.2.3 Understand that the length of a vertical line segment
equals the difference of the y-coordinates.
4.3.0
Students demonstrate an understanding of plane and solid geometric objects and
use this knowledge to show relationships and solve problems.
4.3.1 Identify lines that are parallel and perpendicular.
4.3.2 Identify the radius and diameter of a circle.
4.3.3 Identify congruent figures.
4.3.4 Identify figures that have bilateral and rotational
symmetry.
4.3.5 Know the definitions of a right angle, an acute angle,
and an obtuse angle.
Understand that 90°, 180°, 270°, and 360° are associated, respectively, with ¼,
½, ¾, and full turns.
4.3.6 Visualize, describe, and make models of geometric
solids in terms of the number and shape of faces, edges, and vertices;
interpret two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects; and
draw patterns (of faces) for a solid that, when cut and folded, will make a
model of the solid.
4.3.7 Know the definitions of different triangles and
identify their attributes.
4.3.8 Know the definition of different quadrilaterals (ex. rhombus,
square, rectangle, parallelogram, and trapezoid).
Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
4.1.0 Students organize, represent, and interpret numerical and categorical
data and clearly communicate their findings:
4.1.1 Formulate survey questions; systematically collect and
represent data on a number line, and coordinate graphs, tables, and charts.
4.1.2 Identify the mode(s) for sets of categorical data and
the mode(s), median, and any apparent outliers for numerical data sets.
4.1.3 Interpret one- and two-variable data graphs to answer
questions about a situation.
4.2.0
Students make predictions for simple probability situations:
4.2.1 Represent all possible outcomes for a simple
probability situation in an organized way (ex. tables, grids, tree diagrams).
4.2.2 Express outcomes of experimental probability
situations verbally and numerically (ex. 3 out of 4; ¾)
Mathematical Reasoning
4.1.0 Students make decisions about how to approach problems:
4.1.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships,
distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information, sequencing and
prioritizing information, and observing patterns.
4.1.2 Determine when and how to break a problem into simpler
parts.
4.2.0
Students use strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions:
4.2.1 Use estimation to verify the reasonableness of
calculated results.
4.2.2 Apply strategies and results from simpler problems to
more complex problems.
4.2.3 Use a variety of methods, such as words, numbers, symbols,
charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, and models, to explain mathematical
reasoning.
4.2.4 Express the solution clearly and logically by using
the appropriate mathematical notation and terms and clear language; support
solutions with evidence in both verbal and symbolic work.
4.2.5 Indicate the relative advantages of exact and
approximate solutions to problems and give answers to a specified degree of
accuracy.
4.2.6 Make precise calculations and check the validity of
the results from the context of the problem.
4.3.0
Students move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations:
4.3.1 Evaluate the reasonableness of the solution in the
context of the original situation.
4.3.2 Note the method of deriving the solution and
demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the derivation by solving similar
problems.
4.3.3 Develop generalizations of the results obtained and
apply them in other circumstances.
History-Social Science Standards
California: A Changing State
4.1.0 Students demonstrate an understanding of the physical and human
geographic features that define places and regions in California.
4.1.1 Explain and use the coordinate grid system of latitude
and longitude to determine the absolute locations of places in California and
on Earth.
4.1.2 Distinguish between the North and South Poles; the
equator and the prime meridian; the tropics; and the hemispheres, using
coordinates to plot locations.
4.1.3 Identify the state capital and describe the various
regions of California including how their characteristics and physical
environments affect human activity.
4.1.4 Identify the locations of the Pacific Ocean, rivers,
valleys, and mountain passes and explain their effects on the growth of towns.
4.1.5 Use maps, charts, and pictures to describe how
communities in California vary in land use, vegetation, wildlife, climate,
population density, architecture, services, and transportation.
4.2.0 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and
interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the
Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.
4.2.1 Discuss the major nations of California Indians,
including their geographic distribution, economic activities, legends, and
religious beliefs; and describe how they depended on, adapted to, and modified
the physical environment by cultivation of land and use of sea resources.
4.2.2 Identify the early land and sea routes to, and
European settlements in, California with a focus on the exploration of the
North Pacific (ex. by Captain James Cook, Virus Bering, Juan Cabrillo), noting
especially the importance of mountains, deserts, ocean currents, and wind
patterns.
4.2.3 Describe the Spanish exploration and colonization of
California, including the relationships among soldiers, missionaries, and
Indians (ex. Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola).
4.2.4 Describe the mapping of, geographic basis of, and
economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; and
understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and
Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America.
4.2.5 Describe the daily lives of the people, native and
nonnative, who occupied the presidios, missions, ranchos, and pueblos.
4.2.6 Discuss the role of the Franciscans in changing the
economy of California from a hunter-gatherer economy to an agricultural
economy.
4.2.7 Describe the effects of the Mexican War for
Independence on Alta California, including its effects on the territorial
boundaries of North America.
4.2.8 Discuss the period of Mexican rule in California and
its attributes, including land grants, secularization of the missions, and the
rise of the rancho economy.
4.3.0
Students explain the economic, social, and political life in California from
the establishment of the Bear Flag Republic through the Mexican-American War,
the Gold Rush, and the granting of statehood.
4.3.1 Identify the locations of Mexican settlements in California
and those of other settlements, including Fort Ross and Sutter's Fort.
4.3.2 Compare how and why people traveled to California and
the routes they traveled (ex. James Beckwourth, John Bidwell, John C. Fremont,
Pio Pico).
4.3.3 Analyze the effects of the Gold Rush on settlements,
daily life, politics, and the physical environment (ex. using biographies of
John Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
4.3.4 Study the lives of women who helped build early
California.
4.3.5 Discuss how California became a state and how its new
government
differed from those during the Spanish and Mexican periods.
4.4.0
Students explain how California became and agricultural and industrial power,
tracing the transformation of the California economy and its political and
cultural development since the 1850s.
4.4.1 Understand the story and lasting influence of the Pony
Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the
transcontinental railroad, including the contributions of Chinese workers to
its construction.
4.4.2 Explain how the Gold Rush transformed the economy of
California, including the types of products produced and consumed, changes in
towns, and economic conflicts between diverse groups of people.
4.4.3 Discuss immigration and migration to California
between 1850 and 1900, including the diverse composition of those who came/ the
countries of origin and their relative locations; and conflicts and accords
among the diverse groups (ex. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882).
4.4.4 Describe rapid American immigration, internal
migration, settlement, and the growth of towns and cities.
4.4.5 Discuss the effects of the Great Depression, the Dust
Bowl, and World War II on California.
4.4.6 Describe the development and locations of new
industries since the turn of the century, such as the aerospace industry,
electronics industry, large-scale commercial agriculture and irrigation
projects, the oil and automobile industries, communications and defense industries,
and important trade links with the Pacific Basin.
4.4.7 Trace the evolution of California's water system into
a network of dams, aqueducts, and reservoirs.
4.4.8 Describe the history and development of California's
public education system, including universities and community colleges.
4.4.9 Analyze the impact of twentieth-century Californians
on the nation's artistic and cultural development, including the rise of the
entertainment industry (ex. Louis B. Meyer, Walt Disney, John Steinbeck, Ansel
Adams, Dorothea Lange, John Wayne).
4.5.0 Students understand the structures, functions, and powers of the
local, state, and federal governments as described in the U.S. Constitution.
4.5.1 Discuss what the U.S. Constitution is and why it is
important.
4.5.2 Understand the purpose of the California Constitution,
its key principles, and its relationship to the U.S. Constitution.
4.5.3 Describe the similarities and differences among
federal, state, and local governments.
4.5.4 Explain the structures and functions of state
governments, including the roles and responsibilities of their elected
officials.
4.5.5 Describe the components of California's governance
structure.
Physical Sciences
4.1.0 Electricity and magnetism are related effects that have many
useful applications in everyday life.
4.1.1 Students know how
to design and build simple series and parallel circuits by using components
such as wires, batteries, and bulbs.
4.1.2 Students know how to build a simple
compass and use it to detect magnetic effects, including Earth’s magnetic
field.
4.1.3 Students know electric currents produce
magnetic fields and know how to build a simple electromagnet.
4.1.4 Students know the role of electromagnets
in the construction of electric motors, electric generators, and simple
devices, such as doorbells and earphones.
4.1.5
Students know electrically charged objects attract or repel each other.
4.1.6 Students know that magnets have two poles
and that like poles repel each other and unlike poles attract each other.
4.1.7
Students know electrical energy can be converted to heat, light, and motion.
Life Sciences
4.2.0 All organisms
need energy and matter to live and grow.
4.2.1 Students know plants
are the primary source of matter and energy entering most food chains.
4.2.2
Students know producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and
decomposers) are related in food chains and food webs and may compete with each
other for resources in an ecosystem.
4.2.3 Students know decomposers, including
fungi, insects, and microorganisms, recycle matter from dead plants and
animals.
4.3.0 Living organisms depend on one
another and on their environment for survival.
4.3.1 Students know
ecosystems can be characterized by their living and nonliving components.
4.3.2 Students know that in any particular
environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive less
well, and some cannot survive at all.
4.3.3 Students know many plants depend on
animals for pollination and seed dispersal, and animals depend on plants for
food and shelter.
4.3.4 Students know that most microorganisms do
not cause disease and that many are beneficial.
Earth Sciences
4.4.0 The properties of rocks and minerals reflect
the processes that formed them.
4.4.1 Students know how
to differentiate among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by referring
to their properties and methods of formation (the rock cycle).
4.4.2 Students know how to identify common
rock-forming minerals and ore minerals by using a table of diagnostic
properties.
4.5.0 Waves, wind,
water, and ice shape and reshape Earth’s land surface.
4.5.1 Students know some
changes in the earth are due to slow processes, such as erosion, and some
changes are due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and
earthquakes.
4.5.2 Students know natural processes, including
freezing and thawing and the growth of roots, cause rocks to break down into
smaller pieces.
4.5.3 Students know moving water erodes
landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and depositing
it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and
deposition).
Investigation and Experimentation
4.6.0 Scientific progress is
made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
Students should develop their own questions and perform investigation.
4.6.1 Differentiate
observation from inference and know scientists’ explanations come partly from
what they observe and partly from how they interpret their observations.
4.6.2 Measure and estimate the weight,
length, or volume of objects.
4.6.3 Formulate and
justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships.
4.6.4 Conduct
multiple trials to test a prediction and draw conclusions about the
relationships between predictions and results.
4.6.5 Construct and
interpret graphs from measurements.
4.6.6 Follow a set
of written instructions for a scientific investigation.