New Jersey Standards
New Jersey 4th Grade ELA Standards
All 35 New Jersey English language arts standards for 4th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.
35 standards
Foundational Skills: Reading Language
2 standardsL.RF.4.3
Read and spell unfamiliar long words accurately, in a sentence or on their own, by combining letter sounds, syllable patterns, roots, prefixes and suffixes.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words; use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
L.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.
Official wording
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.ARead grade-level text with purpose and understanding.BRead grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.CUse context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Foundational Skills: Writing Language
2 standardsL.WF.4.2
Spell longer words with Latin roots and affixes, including ones where the base word changes, like happy to happiness, checking print or online dictionaries as needed.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of encoding and spelling.AAnalyze and spell multi-syllable words with the most common Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes.BWrite affixed words that involve a sound or spelling change in the base word.CSpell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.DConsult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
L.WF.4.3
Indent paragraphs, use comparative words like faster and fastest, progressive tenses like was running, possessives, title formatting and quotation marks for speech.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of writing, including those listed under grade three foundational skills:AUse basic paragraphing, including using paragraph indentations and using paragraphs in dialogue.BPlace adjectives and adverbs and form comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs.CUse independent clauses and coordinating conjunctions.DForm irregular verbs; form and use progressive tenses.EForm and use possessive nouns and pronouns.FCapitalize the first word in quotations as appropriate, capitalize other important words (e.g., section headings).GUse underlining, quotation marks, or italics for titles; use quotation marks for direct speech; use comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.HUse apostrophes for possession.
Language Domain
3 standardsL.KL.4.1
Notice the difference between formal and casual English, like Good morning, Mrs. Lee versus Hey, and choose which fits the moment.
Official wording
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.AAcquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.BChoose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.CChoose punctuation for effect.DDifferentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion).
L.VL.4.2
Figure out unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words with context clues, Greek and Latin parts like tele or scope, and print or online dictionaries and glossaries.
Official wording
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning academic and domain-specific words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.AUse context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.BUse common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).CConsult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
L.VI.4.3
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.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.AExplain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.BDetermine the meaning of words and phrases that allude to significant characters found in literature.CRecognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.DDemonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).
Reading Domain
15 standardsRL.CR.4.1
Use details and examples from a story to explain what it says directly and to support inferences, connecting ideas across the text.
Official wording
Refer to details and examples as textual evidence when explaining what a literary text says explicitly and make relevant connections when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.CR.4.1
Point to details and examples in a nonfiction text to explain what it states outright and to back up conclusions drawn from it.
Official wording
Refer to details and examples as textual evidence when explaining what an informational text says explicitly and make relevant connections when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.CI.4.2
Sum up a story in a few sentences and explain its theme, backing it with key details from the text.
Official wording
Summarize a literary text and interpret the author’s theme citing key details from the text.
RI.CI.4.2
Sum up a nonfiction text and explain the author's purpose or main idea, backing it with key details.
Official wording
Summarize an informational text and interpret the author’s purpose or main idea citing key details from the text.
RL.IT.4.3
Describe how characters and events shape a whole story, digging deeply into one character, setting or event with evidence from the text.
Official wording
Describe the impact of individuals and events throughout the course of a text, using an in-depth analysis of the character, setting, or event that draws on textual evidence.
RI.IT.4.3
Explain what happened and why in a history, science or how-to text, describing how people, events, steps or ideas affect what follows, using text evidence.
Official wording
Describe the impact of individuals and events throughout the course of a text, explaining events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on evidence in the text.
RL.TS.4.4
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.
Official wording
Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
RI.TS.4.4
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.
Official wording
Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
RL.PP.4.5
Compare the points of view from which different stories are told, including an I narrator telling his own story versus a narrator outside it.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.
RI.PP.4.5
Compare two or more accounts of one event or topic, like a firsthand diary and a textbook, noting how their points of view are alike and different.
Official wording
Compare and contrast multiple accounts of the same event or topic; noting important similarities and differences in in the point of view they represent.
RL.MF.4.6
Match passages that describe or give directions in a story to a picture, film scene or read-aloud version of the same story.
Official wording
Make connections between specific descriptions and directions in a text and a visual or oral representation of the text.
RI.MF.4.6
Use evidence to show how charts, diagrams, timelines and other visuals help explain a nonfiction text's central ideas.
Official wording
Use evidence to show how graphics and visuals (e.g., illustrations, charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations) support central ideas.
RI.AA.4.7
Explain how the facts, details and explanations a writer chooses build up the ideas and support the reasoning in a nonfiction text.
Official wording
Analyze how an author uses facts, details and explanations to develop ideas or to support their reasoning.
RL.CT.4.8
Compare how stories from authors of different cultures handle similar themes, topics and plot patterns, like a hero's quest.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes, topics and patterns of events in literary texts from authors of different cultures.
RI.CT.4.8
Compare how nonfiction writers from different cultures handle shared themes, topics and series of events, like celebrations of a new year.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes, topics and patterns of events in informational texts from authors of different cultures.
Writing Domain
7 standardsW.AW.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.
Official wording
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.AIntroduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.BProvide reasons that are supported by facts from texts and/or other sources.CLink opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).DProvide a conclusion related to the opinion presented.
W.IW.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.
Official wording
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.AIntroduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), text features (e.g., illustrations, diagrams, captions) and multimedia when useful to aid in comprehension.BDevelop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, text evidence, or other information and examples related to the topic.CLink ideas within paragraphs and sections of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).DUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.EProvide a conclusion related to the information or explanation presented.
W.NW.4.3
Write a real or imagined story with a narrator, natural event order, dialogue, varied transitions, vivid sensory words and figurative language, and a fitting ending.
Official wording
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using narrative technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.AOrient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.BUse dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.CUse a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.DUse concrete words, phrases, and sensory details and explore using figurative language to convey experiences and events precisely.EProvide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
W.WP.4.4
With feedback from classmates and adults, plan, revise and edit, choosing topic words for the audience and expanding or combining sentences until the writing meets its goal.
Official wording
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.AIdentify audience, purpose, and intended length of composition before writing.BUse specialized, topic-specific language appropriate for the audience, purpose and subject matter.CConsider writing as a process, including self-evaluation, revision and editing.DWith adult and peer feedback, and digital or print tools such as a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or spell checker, evaluate whether the writing achieved its goal and make changes in content or form as necessary.EAfter initial drafting, expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, audience, and style.
W.WR.4.5
Do short research projects using several print and online sources to learn about different sides of a topic.
Official wording
Conduct short research projects that use multiple reference sources (print and non-print) and build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
W.SE.4.6
Collect useful information from print and online sources, take notes, sort it by importance and category, and list the sources used.
Official wording
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; take notes, prioritize and categorize information; provide a list of sources.
W.RW.4.7
Write often, both in one sitting and over longer stretches with time to research and revise, for many tasks, purposes and audiences.
Official wording
Write routinely over extended time frames (with time for research and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening Domain
6 standardsSL.PE.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.
Official wording
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.AExplicitly draw on previously read text or material and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.BFollow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.CPose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.DReview the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
SL.II.4.2
Put parts of a text read aloud, or information from charts, videos or talks, into your own words.
Official wording
Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, and orally).
SL.ES.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.
Official wording
Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.
SL.PI.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.
Official wording
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
SL.UM.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.
Official wording
Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
SL.AS.4.6
Tell when to use formal English, like in a presentation, versus casual talk, like in a small group, and speak formally when the task calls for it.
Official wording
Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation.
The official New Jersey documents
- New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, 2023 · adopted October 2023 · since 2024-25
New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, New Jersey Department of Education.
Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.