4th Grade Curriculum Guide
This overview, primarily designed for parents, is based on the Michigan State Standards (Math and English/Language Arts) and Michigan
Department of Education Grade Level Content Expectations (Science and Social Studies) for 4th Grade, http://michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-14028753---,00.html. Mastery is expected by the end of 4th grade. Students are assessed on these 4th grade reading, math and science standards
in the spring by M-Step.
4th Grade English Language Arts:
Fourth graders are independently gaining information by reading and sharing thoughts, feelings and ideas by writing. K-5 classrooms use a
Readers’ Workshop and Writers’ Workshop format for teaching literacy to further their independent reading skills at a level sufficient to
understand grade level material at the required depth of comprehension. MAISA Unit materials are used to develop comprehension strategies
(visualizing, wondering/questioning, making inferences, understanding text structure, determining important ideas, and summarizing) and
social skills (talking and listening to one another, using prompts to add to another person’s thinking, asking clarifying questions, reaching
agreement, discussing opinions respectfully, confirming that they understood another person, including one another, contributing to group work).
Diagnostic Reading Assessment 2 is used to monitor the progress of each student.
Fourth Grade students use a Writer’s Workshop format (based on MAISA units) for writing. Students participate in mini-lessons, small-group
strategy sessions and conferences with teachers to build and expand their writing skills. The format fosters independence and self-direction. All
children build skills to synthesize, organize, reflect on, and respond to the data in their world. The expectations spiral throughout the upper
elementary as children learn to compose various forms of narrative and informational writing.
Reading Standards: Foundational Skills
Phonics and Word Recognition: I CAN
 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
 Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondence, syllabication patterns, and roots and affixes to read unfamiliar multisyllabic
words in and out of context
Fluency: I CAN
 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
 Read 4th grade text with purpose and understanding
 Read prose and poetry, orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression
 Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading when necessary
4th Grade Percentile
Fall Word Count Per Minute
Winter WCPM
Spring WCPM
75th percentile
125 words per minute
133 words per minute
143 words per minute
50th percentile
99
112
118
25th percentile
72
89
92
Norms (from “Curriculum-Based Oral Reading Fluency Norms for Students in Grades 2-5” by J. Hasbrouck and G. Tindal, 1992, Teaching Exceptional
Children, 24, p.42. Copyright 1992 by The Council for Exceptional Children
Reading Standards: Literature
Key Ideas and Details: I CAN
 Refer to details and examples in a text, explaining what the text says and drawing inferences from the text
 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text
 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text
Craft and Structure: I CAN
 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text
 Explain major differences between poems (verse, rhythm, meter), dramas (characters, settings, dialogue), refer to structural elements
 Compare and contrast the point of view from which stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: I CAN
 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentations of the text
 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics
Range and Reading and Level of Text Complexity: I CAN
 By the end of the year, read and comprehend 4th-5th grade literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry
Reading Standards: Informational Text:
Key Ideas and Details: I CAN
 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says and when drawing inferences from the text
 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text
 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
Craft and Structure: I CAN
 Determine the meaning of general academic and specific words or phrases in a 4 th grade text or topic
 Describe the overall structure (chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information
 Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic: describe the differences in focus and the information
provided
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: I CAN
 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, web pages) and explain
how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears
 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text
 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: I CAN
 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, concluding history/social studies, science and technical 4th/5th grade texts
Speaking and Listening Standards:
Comprehension and Collaboration: I CAN
 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led), building on others’ ideas
 Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in media formats
 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: I CAN
 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and descriptive details to
support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace
 Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate
 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal and informal English
Language Standards:
Conventions of Standard English: I CAN
 Demonstrate command of the conventions of English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
 Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why)
 Use the progressive tenses (am walking, will be walking)
 Use modal auxiliaries (can, may, must)
 Order adjectives within sentences (small, red bag instead of red, small bag)
 Form and use prepositional phrases
 Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting sentence fragments and run-ons
 Correctly use frequently confused words (to, too, two; there, their)
 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing: I CAN
 Use quotations marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text
 Use commas before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence (I like ice cream, but I don’t like sherbet.)
Knowledge of Language: I CAN
 Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely
 Choose correct punctuation
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: I CAN
 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on 4th grade reading and content
 Use context (definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to meaning or words and phrases
 Use common Greek and Latin affixes and roots (telegraph, photograph, autograph)
 Consult reference materials (dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses) for pronunciation, meaning
 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, nuances in word meaning
 Identify, understand, and use simple similes and metaphors
 Identify and understand common idioms, adages, proverbs
 Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to antonyms and synonyms
 Acquire and use grade appropriate vocabulary (precise actions, emotions, states of being; words basic to particular topic
Writing:
Text Types and Purposes: I CAN
 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly
 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences
Production and Distribution of Writing: I CAN
 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience
 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing
 Use technology to produce and publish writing. Use keyboarding to produce as least one page of writing in a single setting.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge: I CAN
 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of a topic
 Recall or gather relevant information from print and digital sources, take notes, categorize information and provide a list of sources
 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research
Range of Writing: I CAN
 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (one or two days)
4th Grade Math
According to Michigan State Standards, fourth grade focuses on three critical areas:
1. Develop understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication, and understanding of dividing to find quotients with multi-digit dividends
2. Develop understanding of fraction equivalence; addition/subtraction of fractions with like denominators; multiplication of fractions by whole
numbers
3. Understand that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties.
Bridges, focuses on developing students' deep understandings of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and ability to solve
complex and novel problems. The curriculum blends direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration.
http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/bridges
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems: I CAN
 Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison (35 = 5 x 7 is the same as 35 is 5 times as many as 7 and 7 times as many as 5)
 Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving comparison
 Solve multistep word problems using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted
Gain familiarity with factors and multiples: I CAN
 Find all factor pairs for a number in the range 1-100.
 Recognize that a whole number is a multiple of each of its factors.
 Determine whether a given whole number in the range 1-100 is a multiple of a one-digit number.
 Determine whether a whole number in the range 1-100 is prime or composite.
Generate and analyze patterns: I CAN
 Generate a number or shape pattern that follows a given rule.
Number and Operations in Base Ten
Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers: I CAN
 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
 Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers.
 Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.
Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic: I CAN
 Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm
 Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number and multiply two two-digit numbers. Illustrate and explain the
calculation using equations, rectangular arrays and area models.
 Find whole number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors. Illustrate and explain using equations,
rectangular arrays and/or area models.
Number and Operations - Fractions
Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering: I CAN
 Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n x a)/(n x b) by using visual fraction models
 Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, (creating common denominators or numerators, or by
comparing to a benchmark fraction such as ½). Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole.
Build fractions from unit fractions by applying and extending previous understandings of operations on whole numbers: I CAN
 Understand a fraction a/b with a > 1 as a sum of fraction 1/b
 Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number
Understand decimal notation for fractions, and compare decimal fractions: I CAN
 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 (express 3/10 as 30/100, and add 3/10 + 4/100 = 34/100)
 Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100
 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 >, + and <, and justify the conclusions.
Measurement and Data
Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit: I CAN
 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Record
measurement equivalents in a two-column table.
 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.
 Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems
Represent and interpret data: I CAN
 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.
Geometric measurement: Understand concepts of angle and measure angles: I CAN
 Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed wherever two rays share a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle
measurement
 Measure angles in whole-number degrees using a protractor. Sketch angles of specified measure
 Recognize angle measure as additive. When an angle is decomposed into non-overlapping parts, the angle measure of the whole is the
sum of the angle measures of the parts. Solve addition and subtraction problems to find unknown angles on a diagram in problems.
Geometry
Draw and identify lines and angles, and classify shapes by properties of their lines and angles: I CAN
 Draw and identify points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines.
 Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles.
Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.
 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 symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
4th Grade Science
The Battle Creek Math-Science Center materials based on Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCE) and national science standards
will be used in 4th grade for science lessons. The Michigan GLCE’s for 4th grade are:
Physical Science: Identify heat & electricity as forms of energy; Demonstrate how temperature can be increased in a substance by adding
energy; Describe heat as energy and how heat is produced through electricity, rubbing & burning; Explain how electrical energy is transferred &
changed – simple circuit; Create a simple working electromagnet; Measure weight & mass; volumes, capacities; Compare & contrast the states
of matter; Demonstrate magnetic field; Demonstrate non-magnetic objects are affected by strength and distance; Identify objects that are
good/poor conductors of heat and electricity; Explain how matter can change from one state to another by heating/cooling
Life Science: Determine that plants require air, water, light, and a source of energy & building material for growth & repair; Determine that
animals require air, water, and a source of energy & building material for growth & repair
Identify individual differences in organisms; Identify how variations in physical characteristics of individual organisms help with survival and
reproduction; Identify organisms as a part of a food chain/food web; Explain how environmental changes can produce a change in the food web
Earth Science: Identify common objects in the sky; Compare/Contrast the characteristics of the sun, moon and Earth; Describe the orbit and
spin of the Earth; Describe the motion of the moon around the Earth and the cycles of the moon; Explain how fossils provide evidence of the
history of the Earth; Compare/contrast life forms found in fossils and organisms
4th Grade Social Studies
United States Studies Materials used: MAISA Units
Geography: Use cardinal & intermediate directions; Use maps to describe elevation, climate, patterns of population in U.S.; Describe ways U.S.
can be divided into different regions; Migration push and pull; Impact of immigration on U.S.
Civics & Government: Identify and ask questions political scientists ask; Consequences of an absence of government and of rules & laws;
Describe purposes of government as identified in the Preamble and principles and rights outlined in the Constitution & Bill of Rights
Powers and limits of federal government; Branches of government; Checks and balances; Election & appointment; Use of taxes and spending
Responsibilities of citizenship; Rights and limits; Citizens working together
Economics: Market Economy: Characteristics of market economy; positive and negative incentives; Prices; Specialization and division of labor
– productivity; Competition – supply and demand; Circular flow model – model simulation; Public goods; National Economy – an introduction
The Specials Curriculum
Fourth grade students also participate in several “specials” to develop skills and knowledge in the areas of Art, Music, Physical Education,
Computers and Library. Students attend each of these classes once a week. The goal of these programs is to assist in the academic, social
and physical growth of each child. Fine and gross motor skills are built through a variety of activities.