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

Students read a story or poem carefully, then back up their ideas with specific lines or details from the text. They point to exactly what the author wrote, not just what they think or remember.

Students find the main message of a story and track how it builds across chapters or scenes. Then they sum up the key details that support it, in their own words.

Students track how a character changes, how a problem builds, or how one event leads to the next across a story. They explain why those changes happen, not just that they did.

Students figure out what a word means by how it's used in a story or poem, including words that carry emotion or paint a picture. They also notice how an author's word choices change the feeling of a passage.

Students look at how a story or poem is built, noticing how one paragraph sets up the next and how individual sentences connect to the bigger picture.

Reading the same event through a narrator's eyes changes what details show up and how the story sounds. Students identify who is telling the story and explain how that choice affects what gets included and left out.

Students compare what a story says in words with what a picture, map, or illustration in the same book shows. They explain what the image adds that the words alone don't.

Students read a persuasive passage and decide whether the author's reasons actually support the main point. They check whether the evidence fits the argument or just sounds convincing.

Students read two stories or books on the same topic, then explain what the authors do differently: how they tell the story, what they include, and what point they seem to be making.

Students read full-length stories and novels on their own, without much help. By the end of fourth grade, they work through books at the level their grade expects.

Students read a nonfiction passage closely, then back up their answers with specific sentences or details pulled straight from the text. They learn to tell the difference between what the text actually says and what they figured out on their own.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction passage and explain how details across the text back it up. They also write a short summary that captures the key ideas without copying the text word for word.

Students track how a person, event, or idea changes from the beginning of a nonfiction text to the end, and explain what caused those changes. The focus is on how one thing influences another.

Students figure out what tricky or unusual words mean in a nonfiction passage, then think about why the author chose those words and how that choice changes the feeling or meaning of the writing.

Students look at how a paragraph connects to the rest of an article, and how individual sentences build toward the main point. It's about seeing how the pieces fit together, not just reading them one by one.

Students figure out who wrote a text and why, then notice how that shapes what the author included and left out. A nature guide and a news article about the same topic can look very different depending on who wrote it and what they wanted readers to think.

Students look at a chart, photo, or diagram alongside a written passage and explain what the visual adds that the words alone don't.

Students read a nonfiction passage and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They check if the reasons make sense and if the facts given actually support what the author is trying to prove.

Students read two texts on the same topic and compare what each author chose to include, how each explained it, and what a reader learns by putting both texts together.

Students read nonfiction passages on their own, without help, and understand what they've read. By fourth grade, that means handling longer articles and multi-paragraph texts at a solid grade-level pace.

By fourth grade, students already know how print works. This standard checks that the foundation is solid: reading left to right, recognizing where sentences start and stop, and understanding how letters and words sit on a page.

Reading foundational skills at Grade 4 focus on how spoken words are built. Students break words into syllables, identify individual sounds, and manipulate those sounds to read and spell more accurately.

Students break apart unfamiliar words using spelling patterns and word parts they know, like prefixes, suffixes, and roots. This helps them read new words without stopping to ask for help.

Students read aloud smoothly and accurately enough that they can focus on what the words actually mean, not just how to say them.

Students write a paragraph or short essay that takes a clear position on a topic or text, then back it up with reasons and details pulled from what they read. The argument has to hold up, not just state an opinion.

Students write to explain a topic clearly, using facts and details that help a reader understand something new. The focus is on accuracy and organization, not opinion.

Students write a story, real or made-up, with a clear sequence of events and specific details that bring the experience to life. The focus is on making the story feel organized and vivid, not just summarizing what happened.

Students write a complete piece, picking the right structure and tone for who will read it and why. A story for a classmate sounds different from a report for a teacher, and both should stay on topic from start to finish.

Students learn to look back at a draft and improve it by planning ahead, making revisions, fixing errors, or starting fresh. Writing is a process, not a single attempt.

Students use a computer or tablet to write, finish, and share their work. They also use it to give and get feedback from classmates or teachers.

Students pick a focused question and research it. They gather information from sources and write up what they found, showing they understand the topic, not just copied from it.

Students find facts from books and websites, check whether each source can be trusted, and blend what they learn into their own writing without copying word for word.

Students find specific lines or details from a book or article that back up what they're saying in their writing. They use the text itself as proof, not just their own opinion.

Students write often, in both short bursts and longer projects, for different reasons and different readers. Some pieces take a day; others take a week.

Students come to discussions ready to talk, listen to what classmates say, and build on those ideas with their own. The goal is to keep the conversation moving, not just wait for a turn to speak.

Students watch, listen to, or read information presented as a video, chart, or spoken talk, then explain what they learned and whether the information makes sense.

Students listen to a speaker and decide whether the reasons given actually support the point being made. They look for whether the evidence is real and whether the speaker is being straight with the audience.

Students organize a short presentation or report so listeners can follow the thinking from start to finish. The facts and details they include match the topic, the purpose, and whoever is listening.

Students add charts, images, or short video clips to a presentation to make an idea clearer. The visuals are chosen on purpose, not just for decoration.

Students adjust how they speak depending on the situation. Talking to a teacher or giving a presentation calls for more formal language than chatting with friends at lunch.

Students apply the rules of standard English when they write or speak. That means using correct verb tenses, pronouns, and sentence structure so readers and listeners can follow along without confusion.

Fourth graders apply capitalization, punctuation, and spelling rules when they write. That means using commas, quotation marks, and correctly spelled words in sentences and paragraphs.

Students practice choosing words and sentences that fit the situation, whether writing a letter, a story, or an explanation. Reading and listening become clearer when students notice how word choice shapes meaning.

When students hit a word they don't know, they figure it out by reading the sentences around it, breaking the word into parts like roots or prefixes, or looking it up in a dictionary or glossary.

Students learn to recognize phrases that don't mean exactly what they say, like "it's raining cats and dogs." They also study how words relate to each other and why two words that seem similar can feel different in a sentence.

Students build a working vocabulary by learning words that show up across subjects and in more advanced reading. They use those words accurately when writing, talking, and reading on their own.