What does a student learn in StateMaine,GradeGrade 4,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students find sentences or details straight from a story to back up answers they give in writing or conversation. They also read between the lines to figure out what the author implies but never says directly.

Students find the main message or lesson a story is really about, then trace how it grows through key moments in the text. They also sum up the most important details without retelling everything.

Students explain how a character changes across a story and why those changes happen. They also trace how one event leads to the next, showing how the story builds on itself.

Students figure out what words mean in a story or poem, including phrases that don't mean what they literally say. They also look at how an author's word choices make writing feel tense, sad, funny, or something else entirely.

Students look at how a story or poem is built, noticing how one paragraph connects to the next and how specific sentences tie back to the bigger picture.

Students figure out who is telling the story and how that choice changes what gets noticed, what gets left out, and how the writing sounds.

Students compare what a story says in words with what a picture, map, or illustration shows. They explain what the visual adds or changes about the meaning.

Students read a story or article and decide whether the author's argument makes sense. They check whether the reasons are logical and whether the details given actually support the point being made.

Students read two stories or poems on the same topic and explain what each author does differently. They look at how the topic is handled, not just what happens, to build a clearer picture of the subject.

Students read full books, stories, and poems on their own at a fourth-grade level. The goal is real reading without help on every page.

Students read a nonfiction passage carefully, then back up their answers with specific lines or details from the text. They explain what the text says directly and make reasonable guesses about what it implies.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction text and explain how the details build on it. Then they write a short summary in their own words, leaving out the small stuff.

Students read a nonfiction passage and explain how a person, event, or idea changes from beginning to end. They also describe what caused those changes or how two things in the text affected each other.

Students figure out what tricky or unusual words mean in a nonfiction passage, including words used in a special field or words that carry a feeling. They also look at how an author's word choices change the mood of what they read.

Students look at how a nonfiction article is built: how one paragraph sets up the next, how a key sentence connects to the bigger point. The goal is to see how the pieces fit together, not just what the text says.

Students figure out who wrote a piece and why, then explain how that shapes what details the author included and how the writing sounds.

Students look at a chart, photo, or diagram alongside a written passage and explain what the visual adds to the words. Reading isn't just text; pictures and graphs carry information too.

Students read a nonfiction passage and decide whether the author's opinion makes sense. They check if the reasons given are logical and if the facts used actually support the point being made.

Students read two texts on the same topic and compare how each author explained it. They look for what the authors agreed on, what they left out, and how each one organized the information differently.

Grade 4 students read nonfiction on their own, without help sounding out words or understanding the meaning. That includes textbooks, articles, and other real-world writing at a level that prepares them for fifth grade.

Grade 4 students already know how print works. This standard confirms they can read left to right, recognize sentence boundaries, and understand how punctuation shapes meaning on the page.

Students listen to spoken words and identify how they break into syllables and individual sounds. This builds the foundation for reading and spelling more complex words in fourth grade.

Students use phonics patterns and word parts to sound out and read unfamiliar words on the page. This is the decoding work that makes reading faster and more independent in fourth grade.

Students read aloud smoothly and accurately enough to actually understand what they're reading, not just say the words. Practice at this level means fewer stumbles and more attention left over for meaning.

Students write a paragraph (or more) that takes a clear position on a topic or book and backs it up with reasons and evidence from the text. The argument has to hold up, not just state an opinion.

Students write to explain a topic clearly, using facts and details to help a reader understand something new. The focus is accuracy: every sentence earns its place.

Students write a story about something real or made up, with a clear order of events and details that make the story come alive. The focus is on structure and word choice, not just getting ideas on the page.

Students write paragraphs that fit the assignment: the right structure for a story, the right tone for a report, the right level of detail for the reader. Form and content work together on purpose.

Students plan, draft, and revise their writing more than once, fixing what isn't working and trying a different approach when a piece needs more than small edits.

Students use computers or tablets to write, finish, and share their work. They also use the internet to give feedback to classmates or work on a piece together.

Students pick a focused question and research it, reading sources and pulling together what they find. The goal is to show real understanding of the topic, not just a list of facts.

Students find facts from books and websites, check that each source can be trusted, and put the information into their own words instead of copying it.

Students pull quotes or details from a book or article to back up their ideas in writing. Instead of just stating an opinion, they point to a specific line or fact that supports it.

Students write often, both in quick bursts and over several days, for different reasons and different readers. Practice across short and longer assignments builds the habit of putting ideas on paper in any situation.

Students come to a discussion ready to listen and add on to what others say, not just wait for their turn to talk. They build on classmates' ideas and say their own point clearly.

Students watch a video, study a chart, or listen to a talk, then piece together what they learned from each source to form one clear picture of the topic.

Students listen to a speaker and decide whether the argument makes sense, whether the reasons hold up, and whether the examples actually support what the speaker is claiming.

Students organize their ideas before speaking, then present them clearly enough that listeners can follow along from point to point. The words and details they choose fit the topic and the people listening.

Students add pictures, charts, or short video clips to a presentation to make their ideas clearer. The visuals aren't decoration, they help the audience understand something words alone can't show as well.

Students practice shifting how they talk depending on the situation. Explaining something to a friend sounds different from presenting to the class, and students learn to tell the difference and adjust.

Students apply grammar rules in their writing and speech: choosing the right verb forms, building complete sentences, and using words correctly in context.

Fourth graders apply capitalization and punctuation rules when writing, and spell grade-level words correctly. This covers commas in addresses, quotation marks in dialogue, and using a dictionary or spelling tools to check their work.

Students learn to notice how a word choice or sentence structure changes the feel of a passage. They practice picking words that fit the situation, whether writing a story or explaining a fact.

When students hit an unfamiliar word, they figure out its meaning by reading the surrounding sentences, breaking the word into roots or prefixes, or looking it up in a dictionary or glossary.

Students learn to spot figurative language like similes and metaphors, understand how words relate to each other, and notice the small differences in meaning between similar words.

Students learn and correctly use the kinds of words that show up across subjects, like words in science chapters, social studies discussions, and classroom instructions. Knowing these words helps students read, write, and talk about new topics with confidence.