Louisiana Standards
Louisiana 4th Grade ELA Standards
All 43 Louisiana English language arts standards for 4th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Louisiana Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.
43 standards
Reading Standards for Literature
9 standardsRL.4.1
Back up what you say about a story with its own details and examples, both for what the story states plainly and for what it only hints at.
RL.4.2
Work out the theme of a story, play or poem, such as kindness is repaid, from the details in it, then retell the whole in a short summary.
RL.4.3
Describe a character, setting or event in a story or play in depth, using specific details such as what the character thinks, says and does.
RL.4.4
Figure out what words and phrases mean in a story, including a simile or metaphor such as the classroom was a zoo.
RL.4.5
Explain how poems, plays and prose differ, and use terms like verse, rhythm and meter for poems and cast, dialogue and stage directions for plays when discussing a text.
RL.4.6
Compare the points of view from which different stories are told, including an I narrator telling his own story versus a narrator outside it.
RL.4.7
Link a story or play's written text with a visual or spoken version of it, like a movie or an audiobook, noting where they match.
RL.4.9
Compare how stories, myths and folktales from different cultures handle a similar theme, like good versus evil, or a pattern of events, like a quest.
RL.4.10
Read and understand stories, plays and poems in the grades 4 to 5 difficulty range by year’s end, with help as needed at the top of the range.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
10 standardsRI.4.1
Back up what you say about a story with its own details and examples, both for what the story states plainly and for what it only hints at.
RI.4.2
Say in one sentence what an informational text is about, explain which key details support that idea, and summarize the text in your own words.
RI.4.3
Explain what happened and why in a history, science or how-to text, such as the steps of an experiment, using the specific facts the text gives.
RI.4.4
Work out the meaning of school words like compare and subject words like habitat in a text on a grade 4 topic.
RI.4.5
Describe how a text or a section of it is organized, such as in time order, as a comparison, as cause and effect or as a problem and its solution.
RI.4.6
Compare a firsthand account, like a diary entry, with a secondhand account, like a textbook page, of the same event, noting what each focuses on and tells.
RI.4.7
Explain what a chart, graph, diagram, timeline, animation or web page feature shows and how it helps you understand the text it goes with.
RI.4.8
Explain how an author backs up each point in an informational text with reasons and evidence, such as a fact or a statistic.
RI.4.9
Put together facts from two texts on the same topic, such as two articles on volcanoes, so you can write or speak about it with real knowledge.
RI.4.10
Read and understand history, science and technical texts in the grades 4 to 5 difficulty range by year’s end, with help as needed at the top of the range.
Reading Standards for Foundational Skills
2 standardsRF.4.3
Say the main sound of each consonant, know the long and short sounds of a, e, i, o and u, and read common sight words like the, of and you.
RF.4.4
Read 1st-grade books aloud smoothly and accurately with expression, understand them, and reread when a word or sentence does not make sense.
Writing Standards
10 standardsW.4.1
Write an opinion piece that introduces the topic, states the opinion, gives reasons backed by facts, links them with phrases like for instance, and closes.
W.4.2
Write an informative piece that introduces a topic, groups related facts and definitions, links them with words like also, and closes with a final sentence.
W.4.3
Write a story, real or made up, that sets the scene, introduces the characters, uses dialogue and time words like later, and ends with a sense of closure.
W.4.4
Write clearly, with ideas developed and organized to fit the task, purpose and readers, like a report with an introduction, body and conclusion.
W.4.5
With help from classmates and adults, plan, revise and edit to strengthen a draft, like reorganizing paragraphs in an opinion piece.
W.4.6
With some adult help, use technology to create and publish grade-level writing alone or with classmates, like a typed report with pictures.
W.4.7
Do a short research project that looks into different sides of a topic, such as a state’s history, land and people, to build knowledge about it.
W.4.8
Pull facts from memory, books and websites, take notes, sort them into categories, and list where they came from.
W.4.9
Use evidence from fourth grade stories and nonfiction to support analysis, reflection and research, like describing a character with details from the text.
W.4.10
Write regularly, from a report built over several days to a journal entry finished in one class, for different subjects, purposes and readers.
Speaking and Listening Standards
6 standardsSL.4.1
Come to discussions on grade 4 topics having read the material, follow the rules and your role, ask and answer follow-up questions, and review the key ideas at the end.
SL.4.2
Restate in your own words part of a text read aloud or information from a video, a chart or a speaker.
SL.4.3
Pick out the reasons and evidence a speaker gives to support each point, such as the facts behind a classmate’s case for a longer recess.
SL.4.4
Report on a topic or book, tell a story or recount an experience in an organized way, with facts and vivid details, speaking clearly at a pace listeners can follow.
SL.4.5
Add an audio recording or a visual display, such as a poster or slide, to a presentation when it helps develop the main ideas.
SL.4.6
Tell when a situation calls for formal English, like presenting, and when casual talk is fine, like small-group chat, and speak formally when it fits.
Language Standards
6 standardsL.4.1
Print many letters, use everyday nouns, verbs and little words like in and on, make plurals like dogs and wishes, ask with who and where, and speak in full sentences.
L.4.2
Capitalize the first word of a sentence and the word I, name the period and question mark, and spell simple words the way they sound, like kat for cat.
L.4.3
Notice the difference between formal and casual English, like Good morning, Mrs. Lee versus Hey, and choose which fits the moment.
L.4.4
Work out an unknown word on a grade 4 topic from context clues, from Greek and Latin roots like graph in telegraph, or by checking a dictionary or thesaurus.
L.4.5
Explain a nonliteral phrase like take steps, name someone who is friendly to link a word to real life, and rank knew, believed and suspected by how sure they are.
L.4.6
Learn and use grade 4 school and subject words, including precise verbs for actions and feelings like quizzed, whined and stammered, and topic words like conservation.
The official Louisiana documents
- K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts · adopted March 2016, revised 2019 · since 2016-17, through 2026-27
- 2026 K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts · coming next · adopted 2026 · from 2027-28
The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Louisiana's standards, not the official wording, which Louisiana Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.