Second Semester
ELA Common Core Standards
Reading Literature
• 4.RL.5. Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural
elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings,
descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
Second Semester
ELA Common Core Standards
Reading Informational Text
• 4.RI.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts,
graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and
explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it
appears.
• 4.RI.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a
text.
• 4.RI.9. Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak
about the subject knowledgeably.
Second Semester
ELA Common Core Standards
Language
• 4.L.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or
listening.
• 4.L.3a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.*
• 4.L.3b. Choose punctuation for effect.*
• 4.L.3c. Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas)
and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion).
• 4.L.4. 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.
• 4.L.4b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the
meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
• 4.L.4c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print
and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key
words and phrases.
Second Semester
ELA Common Core Standards
Language Continued…
• 4.L.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.
• 4.L.5a. Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a
picture) in context.
• 4.L.5b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
• 4.L.5c. Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites
(antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).
Second Semester
ELA Common Core Standards
Writing
• 4.W.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons
and information.
• 4.W.1a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational
structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.
• 4.W.1b. Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• 4.W.1c. Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to,
in addition).
• 4.W.1d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
• 4.W.2. Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly.
• 4.W.2a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and
sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
Second Semester
ELA Common Core Standards
• 4.W.2b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other
information and examples related to the topic.
• 4.W.2c. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g.,
another, for example, also, because).
• 4.W.2d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or
explain the topic.
• 4.W.2e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information
• 4.W.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of
different aspects of a topic.
• 4.W.8. (a) Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information
from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list
of sources.
• 4.W.8. (b) Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information
from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list
of sources.
• 4.W.10. (ac) Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection,
and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Second Semester
ELA Common Core Standards
Speaking & Listening
• 4.SL.2. Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse
media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
• 4.SL.3. Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points
• 4.SL.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized
manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or
themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
• 4.SL.5. Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to
enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
• 4.SL.6. Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas)
and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use
formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
Second Semester
MATH Common Core Standards
Geometry
• 4.G.1 Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and
perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these two dimensional figures.
• 4.G.2 Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of angles of a
specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.
• 4.G.3 Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the
figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify linesymmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
Second Semester
MATH Common Core Standards
Measurement and Data
• 4.MD.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz; l, ml;
hr, min, sec. In a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in
terms of smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two-column table.
• 4.MD.2 Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of
time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple
fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a
larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
• 4.MD.3 Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and
mathematical problems.
• 4.MD.4 Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2,
1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using
information presented in line plots.
• 4.MD.5 Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed whenever two rays share
a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle measurement.
• 4.MD.6 Measure angles in whole-numbers degrees using a protractor. Sketch angles of
specified measure.
• 4.MD.7 Recognize that when an angle is decomposed into non-overlapping parts, the
angle measure of the whole is the sum of the angle measure of the parts.
Second Semester
MATH Common Core Standards
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
• 4.OA.1 Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison, e.g., interpret 35 = 5 x 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.2 Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative comparison,
e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to
represent the problem, distinguishing multiplicative comparison from additive
comparison.
• 4.OA.3 Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having wholenumber 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.
Second Semester
Science Essentials
Earth History
4.E.2.1: Compare fossils (including molds, casts, and preserved parts of plants and animals)
to one another and to living organisms.
4.E.2.2: Infer ideas about Earth’s early environments from fossils of plants and animals that
lived long ago.
4.E.2.3: Give examples of how the surface of the earth changes due to slow processes such
as erosion and weathering, and rapid processes such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and
earthquakes.
Ecosystems
4.L.1.1: Give examples of changes in an organism’s environment that are beneficial to it
and some that are harmful.
4.L.1.2: Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to
information received from the environment.
4.L.1.3: Explain how humans can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats (e.g.,
recycling wastes, establishing rain gardens, planting trees and shrubs to prevent flooding
and erosion)
4.L.1.4: Explain how differences among animals of the same population sometimes give
individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing
in changing habitats.
Second Semester
Science Essentials
Molecular Biology
4.L.2.1: Students know that living things derive their energy from food. Plants produce
their own food, while other organisms must consume plants or other organisms in order to
meet their food (energy) needs.
4.L.2.2: Students know that humans have needs for vitamins, minerals, and exercise in
order to remain healthy.
Second Semester
Social Studies Essentials
Conceptual Strand: Economics and Financial Literacy
Concepts: Market Economy, Supply, Demand, Scarcity, Productivity, Entrepreneurship,
Spending
Clarifying Objectives:
• 4. E.1.1 Understand the basic concepts of a market economy: supply, demand, scarcity,
productivity, and entrepreneurship.
• 4. E.1.2 Understand how scarcity and choice in a market economy impacts business
decisions.
• 4. E.1.3 Analyze the historical and contemporary role that major North Carolina
industries have played in the state, nation, and world.
• 4. E.1.4 Explain the impact of entrepreneurship on the economy of North Carolina.
• 4. E.2.1 Explain how personal financial decisions such as spending, saving, and paying
taxes, can positively and/or negatively affect everyday life.
• 4. E.2.2 Explain how limited personal financial resources affect the choices people make
based on their wants and needs.
Second Semester
Social Studies Essentials
Conceptual Strand(s): Civics and Governance
Concepts: Governmental Systems, Regulations, Rule of Law, Rights and Responsibilities,
Individual Rights
Clarifying Objectives:
• 4. C&G.1.1 Summarize the key principles and revisions of the North Carolina
Constitution.
• 4. C&G.1.2 Compare the roles and responsibilities of state elected leaders.
• 4. C&G.1.3 Explain the influence of the colonial history of North Carolina on the
governing documents of our state.
• 4. C&G.1.4 Compare North Carolina’s government with local governments.
• 4. C&G.2.1 Analyze the preamble and articles of the North Carolina Constitution in terms
of rights and responsibilities.
• 4. C&G.2.2 Give examples of rights and responsibilities of citizens according to North
Carolina Constitution.
• 4. C&G.2.3 Differentiate between rights and responsibilities reflected in the North
Carolina Constitution.