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Florida Standards

Florida 4th Grade ELA B.E.S.T. Standards

All 26 Florida English language arts standards for 4th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.

26 standards

Foundational Skills

2 standards
Learning and Applying Foundational Reading Skills
ELA.4.F.1.3
Use letter sounds, syllable patterns and word parts to read and spell new short and long words, both on their own and in sentences.
Official wording
Use knowledge of grade-level phonics and word-analysis skills to decode words.aApply knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read and write unfamiliar single-syllable and multisyllabic words in and out of context.
ELA.4.F.1.4
Read fourth-grade texts aloud accurately, at a natural pace and with expression, like pausing at commas.
Official wording
Read grade-level texts with accuracy, automaticity, and appropriate prosody or expression.

Reading

11 standards
Reading Prose and Poetry
ELA.4.R.1.1
Explain how the setting, events, conflict and the way characters grow shape a story's plot.
Official wording
Explain how setting, events, conflict, and character development contribute to the plot in a literary text.
ELA.4.R.1.2
Explain a theme that is stated or only hinted at and how details develop it across a story.
Official wording
Explain a stated or implied theme and how it develops, using details, in a literary text.
ELA.4.R.1.3
Name the point of view a story's narrator tells it from, and explain how that differs from a character's perspective.
Official wording
Identify the narrator’s point of view and explain the difference between a narrator’s point of view and character perspective in a literary text.
ELA.4.R.1.4
Explain how rhyme and the way a poem is built, like its stanzas and line breaks, create meaning.
Official wording
Explain how rhyme and structure create meaning in a poem.
Reading Informational Text
ELA.4.R.2.1
Explain how text features add meaning and spot texts organized as problem and solution, sequence or description.
Official wording
Explain how text features contribute to the meaning and identify the text structures of problem/solution, sequence, and description in texts.
ELA.4.R.2.2
Explain how the important details in a text support its central idea, whether stated or implied.
Official wording
Explain how relevant details support the central idea, implied or explicit.
ELA.4.R.2.3
Explain how an author feels about or views the topic of a nonfiction text, like admiring it or doubting it.
Official wording
Explain an author’s perspective toward a topic in an informational text.
ELA.4.R.2.4
Explain the claim an author makes and the reasons and evidence offered to back it.
Official wording
Explain an author’s claim and the reasons and evidence used to support the claim.
Reading Across Genres
ELA.4.R.3.1
Explain how figurative language, like similes, metaphors and idioms, adds to the meaning of a text.
Official wording
Explain how figurative language contributes to meaning in text(s).
ELA.4.R.3.2
Write or tell a brief summary that captures a story's plot and theme, or an informational text's central idea and supporting details.
Official wording
Summarize a text to enhance comprehension.aInclude plot and theme for a literary text.bInclude the central idea and relevant details for an informational text.
ELA.4.R.3.3
Compare two accounts of one event from firsthand and secondhand sources, like a soldier's diary and a textbook chapter.
Official wording
Compare and contrast accounts of the same event using primary and/or secondary sources.

Communication

10 standards
Communicating Through Writing
ELA.4.C.1.1
Write neatly in cursive so that others can read it easily.
Official wording
Demonstrate legible cursive writing skills.
ELA.4.C.1.2
Write a true or made-up story with events in order, using techniques like description and transition words to tell it well.
Official wording
Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical sequence of events and demonstrating an effective use of techniques such as descriptions and transitional words and phrases.
ELA.4.C.1.3
Write an argument for a position with logical reasons, evidence from several sources, elaboration and clear organization with transitions.
Official wording
Write to make a claim supporting a perspective with logical reasons, using evidence from multiple sources, elaboration, and an organizational structure with transitions.
ELA.4.C.1.4
Write to explain a topic using several sources, with elaboration and clear organization tied together by transitions.
Official wording
Write expository texts about a topic, using multiple sources, elaboration, and an organizational structure with transitions.
ELA.4.C.1.5
Plan, revise and edit writing with help from adults and feedback from classmates, like tightening a paragraph.
Official wording
Improve writing by planning, revising, and editing, with guidance and support from adults and feedback from peers.
Communicating Orally
ELA.4.C.2.1
Give an oral presentation in a clear order, with eye contact, gestures, a voice everyone can hear and careful pronunciation, like a book talk.
Official wording
Present information orally, in a logical sequence, using nonverbal cues, appropriate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Following Conventions
ELA.4.C.3.1
Use fourth-grade grammar, punctuation, capitals and spelling correctly, like commas in compound sentences.
Official wording
Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.
Researching
ELA.4.C.4.1
Research to answer a question, organizing findings and using several trustworthy sources.
Official wording
Conduct research to answer a question, organizing information about the topic and using multiple valid sources.
Creating and Collaborating
ELA.4.C.5.1
Order pictures, audio or video to highlight key points in a talk or written piece, like a photo shown at the climax.
Official wording
Arrange multimedia elements to create emphasis in oral or written tasks.
ELA.4.C.5.2
Plan, draft and revise using digital writing tools alone or with classmates, like comments in a shared document.
Official wording
Use digital writing tools individually or collaboratively to plan, draft, and revise writing.

Vocabulary

3 standards
Finding Meaning
ELA.4.V.1.1
Use fourth-grade academic words, like analyze, contrast and perspective, correctly when speaking and writing.
Official wording
Use grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately in speaking and writing.
ELA.4.V.1.2
Break unfamiliar words into Greek or Latin roots, base words, prefixes and suffixes to find their meaning, like bio meaning life in biology.
Official wording
Apply knowledge of common Greek and Latin roots, base words, and affixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in grade-level content.
ELA.4.V.1.3
Figure out unknown words, phrases and words with several meanings using context, figurative language, related words, a thesaurus or background knowledge.
Official wording
Use context clues, figurative language, word relationships, reference materials, and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of multiple-meaning and unknown words and phrases, appropriate to grade level.

The official Florida documents

Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts, Florida Department of Education.

The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.