As your child goes through 4th grade, it’s exciting to watch them grow in their reading, writing, and speaking skills. They truly become independent readers and analyzers. When they near the end of 4th grade, students already possess many of the skills they will need to successfully read, write, and analyze texts for the rest of their lives. Even if your child seems to be doing well, it’s normal to wonder if they’re staying on track with their peers and learning everything they should be learning.
4th Grade English Language Arts Standards
These are some of the major skills your child should possess by the end of 4th grade.
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Understand and identify different types of writing
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For example, your child should be able to tell the difference between a play and a poem, and will understand how each function differently.
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Summarize and analyze on level texts
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For example, your child should be able to describe the plot and theme of a story.
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Write various genres, such as opinion, informative, and narrative pieces.
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For example, when writing an informative piece, your child should include facts and will structure and organize the piece correctly.
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Understand the difference between formal and informal language
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For example, your child should understand that they should use more formal language when talking to the principal, but that they can be less formal when working on a group project in class.
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How Will They Build on These Skills in 5th Grade?
Just as many of these skills have been built from previous years in school, the skills students learn in 4th grade will lay the groundwork for success in 5th grade. 5th grade is the last grade before students move on to middle school and begin to analyze and interpret texts in a much more complex fashion. Because of this, students will spend a lot of time in 5th grade refining and deepening their knowledge in the skills they learned in 4th grade. In 5th grade, the teacher will also begin to step back and allow students to be much more independent. Because of this, it’s crucial that students have a really strong foundation, as they may easily struggle and get frustrated with their increased independence.
What if They Need Help?
If you’re afraid that your child hasn’t fully mastered the skills in 4th grade, or if you just want to make sure they have a really solid foundation, it’s a great idea to help them work on their skills over the summer. Since 5th grade is really focused on practice and refining, you want them to enter 5th grade ready to do that; you don’t want them to spend the first few months of 5th grade playing catch up. Even if your child isn’t behind, it’s easy to lose skills over the summer, so the best thing you can do is to continue to read, write, and practice with your child over the summer. Reading Genie can help you do that while giving you the peace of mind that your child is learning and practicing the correct skills at a rigorous level that is appropriate for them.
Sourced through
https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/school-success-guides/guide-to-4th-grade.html
https://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2016/ela/g04.pdf
https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/school-success-guides/guide-to-5th-grade.html
