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

Reading closely enough to answer questions, explain what happened, and point to the part of the text that backs up the answer. Students practice this with both stories and nonfiction.

Students read a story or article, then explain their thinking using specific lines from the text. They do not just state what happened; they connect clues from the page to reach a conclusion the author never spelled out.

Students read a passage and back up their conclusions with specific lines or details from the text itself, not just a general feeling about what happened.

Students learn the meanings of new words they meet while reading, using context clues and word parts like prefixes and roots to figure out what unfamiliar words mean.

Students use Latin and Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes as clues to figure out what an unfamiliar word means. A root like "rupt" or a prefix like "un-" can unlock the whole word without a dictionary.

Students use the surrounding words in a sentence to figure out what an unfamiliar word means, or what meaning a word like "bat" or "fair" carries in that particular sentence.

Students figure out what phrases like "it's raining cats and dogs" or "break a leg" actually mean, even though the words don't mean what they say.

Students sort words by how formal they are, from everyday talk to the precise vocabulary used in science, history, or other subjects.

Students read on their own for longer stretches, for different reasons: to enjoy a story, to learn something new, or to find an answer. The goal is building the habit of sitting with a book and reading it through.

Reading fiction, poetry, and plays closely enough to figure out ideas the author never states outright. Students go beyond what the text says to explain why characters act, how events connect, and what the writing really means.

Students read a story and put the key events in order, explain how earlier moments lead to later ones, and figure out the lesson the story is teaching.

Characters in a story rarely stay the same. Students read to find how two or more characters affect each other and how those relationships shift as the plot moves forward.

Students look at two stories and decide who is telling each one. They explain whether a character is speaking in their own voice ("I went to the store") or whether an outside narrator is describing the action.

Nonfiction texts use tools like headings, captions, and diagrams to organize information. Students read those features closely to figure out what the author means, even when it isn't stated directly.

Nonfiction books use tools like headings, indexes, and captions to help readers find information fast. Students practice using those tools together to understand what a text covers before reading every word.

Students read charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams in nonfiction texts and explain in their own words what the visual is showing.

Students read nonfiction passages and figure out ideas the author hints at but never states directly. They notice how word choice, structure, and detail shape the meaning beneath the surface.

Students read a persuasive article or speech and figure out what the author wants them to think or do. Then they point to specific sentences from the text that show why the author wrote it.

Students read a nonfiction passage and explain how the author's word choices are meant to shape what the reader thinks or believes. The focus is on noticing when language is doing more than just reporting facts.

Students read nonfiction passages and figure out how the author organized the information, such as cause and effect or problem and solution. Then they use that structure to draw conclusions the text doesn't spell out directly.

Students find the connections between ideas in a nonfiction text. Some connections are stated outright; others have to be pieced together from clues the author leaves behind.

Students apply what they know about letter patterns and word parts to decode unfamiliar words while reading. This is the mechanics work that keeps reading moving when a new or tricky word appears on the page.

Students break apart long, unfamiliar words by sounding out each part, splitting the word into syllables, and using prefixes or suffixes as clues. The goal is to read those words smoothly inside a sentence.

Students read words by breaking them into parts: a root word plus any prefix or suffix added to the front or back. They also practice key vocabulary words from subjects like science and social studies.

Students take their prewriting notes or outline and turn them into a full draft, using the shape and details that fit the type of writing they chose.

Students go back through a draft to fix unclear sentences, check spelling and punctuation, and make the writing stronger. A teacher or peer helps guide the changes.

Students pick a topic, state what they think about it, and back up that opinion with reasons and details from what they have read or know.

Students explain a topic clearly, grouping related facts and details into paragraphs with a strong opening and a closing that wraps up what they learned.

Students write their own stories, true or made-up, and poems. This standard covers the full range of creative and personal writing students do in fourth grade.

Students gather facts and details from more than one source, such as books, articles, or websites, then use that information in their writing.

Students learn to pull information from more than one kind of source, such as a book, an article, or a poem, and judge whether each one actually fits the topic they are researching.

Students learn the difference between putting someone else's idea into their own words and copying it without credit. Paraphrasing means restating the idea honestly; plagiarism means passing it off as your own.

Students use correct grammar in sentences they write and say out loud. That means choosing the right verb forms, pronouns, and punctuation so their meaning comes through clearly.

Students write complete sentences, then practice stretching them with extra details. They work with all four sentence types (statements, questions, commands, and exclamations) in both simple and compound forms.

Students use correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in their own writing, not just in practice exercises.

Students learn when to put a comma before joining words like "and," "but," or "so" when connecting two complete sentences into one longer sentence.

Students practice capitalizing the right words in their writing: names, places, the start of a sentence, and titles like "Dr." or "President."

Students practice listening carefully in class discussions and presentations. They learn to track what a speaker is saying, ask relevant questions, and build on what they heard.

Students ask follow-up questions when something is unclear and build on what classmates say instead of just waiting for their turn to talk.