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Minnesota Standards

Minnesota 4th Grade ELA Standards

All 43 Minnesota English language arts standards for 4th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Minnesota Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.

43 standards

Reading

21 standards
4.1.1.2
Decode unfamiliar long words, in a sentence or on their own, using letter sounds, syllable patterns and Anglo-Saxon parts like un- or -ness.
4.1.1.3
Read fourth grade books aloud smoothly, at a steady pace, with few errors and natural expression, so the meaning comes through.
4.1.2.1
Keep track of understanding while reading alone and fix confusion, using strategies like making inferences and linking to prior knowledge, with guidance.
4.1.2.2
Choose and read fourth grade level texts with skill and understanding for school assignments, like a science chapter or a history article.
4.1.2.3
Find books on a favorite topic, using award winner lists and curated reading lists, like Newbery titles, to guide the choice.
4.1.3.1
Choose and read texts for fun, interest or school that show the views and identities of Dakota and Anishinaabe people, past and present.
4.1.4.1
Point to details and examples in a text to explain what it says directly and what it suggests, then sum up the text.
4.1.4.2
Figure out a theme or central idea of a story, play or poem, using clues the author gives along the way.
4.1.4.3
Describe a story element like a character, the setting or an event in depth, using specific details from the text.
4.1.4.4
Explain what happened and why in a nonfiction text, like the steps of an experiment or the causes of a historical event, using specific details.
4.1.5.1
Explain how literary features and the point of view a story is told from, first, second or third person, affect the text.
4.1.5.2
Describe how a nonfiction text or section is organized, like in time order or as a series of steps.
4.1.5.3
Explain what pictures, charts, videos and other visuals add to a text, and compare and contrast the visuals in different kinds of texts.
4.1.6.1
Figure out whether an author, including Dakota and Anishinaabe authors, aims to entertain, inform or persuade, and how the words or characters show it.
4.1.6.2
Find when a text was published and judge whether its information is current enough for the task, like a 1990 article on space travel.
4.1.6.3
Tell fact from fiction or opinion in a text and place the text on a scale from factual to made-up, like memoir, historical fiction or fantasy.
4.1.7.1
Explain how an author backs up an argument with sound thinking and evidence, like facts, examples and expert quotes.
4.1.8.1
Tell when words in stories, poems or songs mean exactly what they say and when they are figurative, like a heart of gold.
4.1.8.2
Show understanding of where school vocabulary words come from, using roots and word history, like tele- meaning far in telescope.
4.1.9.1
Gather information on a topic of interest or a school subject from many kinds of sources, like books, websites and videos.
4.1.9.2
Question whether information is accurate and trustworthy for the task, using a checklist like the CRAAP test to judge each source.

Writing

16 standards
4.2.1.1
Use correct punctuation, including dialogue punctuation and commas with clauses, plus correct spelling, capitals and grammar in everyday writing.
4.2.1.2
Spell words of Anglo-Saxon origin correctly in everyday writing by applying spelling patterns and rules, like doubling the consonant in hopping.
4.2.1.3
Make subjects agree with verbs and pronouns agree with the nouns they stand for in simple, compound and complex sentences of real writing.
4.2.2.1
Write often for many tasks, reasons and readers, like a journal entry for fun or a report for class.
4.2.2.2
Write about how one's own views and identity compare with those of a story character or a real person in a nonfiction text.
4.2.3.1
Take several pieces of writing from planning to first draft, then pick the best ones to revise, edit and publish.
4.2.3.2
Choose exact words, phrases and punctuation to make ideas clear in both formal and casual writing, like a report or a note to a friend.
4.2.4.1
Write an argument that takes a position and backs it with reasons, with a clear opening and closing, building on earlier skills.
4.2.4.2
Write a persuasive piece that tries to win readers over, like a letter asking for a longer recess, with an opening and a closing.
4.2.5.1
Write to inform or explain with clear organization, precise topic words, varied structures, and an introduction and conclusion, like a report on wolves.
4.2.5.2
Write a response to how a story ends, like whether the ending fits the characters or what it leaves open.
4.2.6.1
Write stories, poems or plays that develop characters, setting, a problem and its solution with rich detail.
4.2.6.2
Use details of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch to bring stories, poems or other creative writing to life.
4.2.7.1
Ask questions that fit the topic to steer an investigation, like asking how wolves survive the winter.
4.2.7.2
Plan and carry out research alone, judging each source's viewpoint, trustworthiness and relevance, avoiding plagiarism, and write up the findings.
4.2.8.1
Use several sources on a topic, quoting and summarizing them and giving credit to each one so nothing is plagiarized.

Listening, Speaking, Viewing and Exchanging Ideas

6 standards
4.3.1.1
Join discussions and storytelling that include Dakota, Anishinaabe and other voices, keeping group norms, building on others' ideas and compromising toward a shared goal.
4.3.1.2
Ask and answer questions in a discussion to clear up or dig deeper into what classmates think.
4.3.1.3
Take feedback and use it, reflect on one's own work, and give helpful comments on classmates' work in writing, out loud or with gestures.
4.3.2.1
Speak with precise words and clear sentence structure to get ideas across in conversations with friends and in class discussions.
4.3.3.1
Create organized written, spoken or digital work, like a slideshow or poster, using relevant, reliable facts and vivid details to support the main idea.
4.3.3.2
Make and share work with digital tools of one's choice, explain why the tools fit the task and audience, and show awareness of one's digital footprint.

The official Minnesota documents

The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Minnesota's standards, not the official wording, which Minnesota Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.