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New York Standards

New York 4th Grade ELA Standards

All 28 New York English language arts standards for 4th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.

28 standards

Reading Standards (Literary and Informational Text)

9 standards
Key Ideas and Details
4R1
Point to details and evidence in a text when explaining what it states outright and what it hints at, and draw sensible conclusions from them.
Official wording
Locate and refer to relevant details and evidence when explaining what a text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences. (RI&RL)
4R2
Find a text's theme or central idea, show how key details develop it, and give a summary of the whole text.
Official wording
Determine a theme or central idea of text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize a text. (RI&RL)
4R3
Describe a story's character, setting or event in depth using text details, and explain what happened and why in a nonfiction text, using its evidence.
Official wording
In literary texts, describe a character, setting, or event, drawing on specific details in the text. (RL) In informational texts, explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts, including what happened and why, based on specific evidence from the text. (RI)
Craft and Structure
4R4
Figure out the meaning of words and phrases, including similes and metaphors and subject terms like erosion or fraction.
Official wording
Determine the meaning of words, phrases, figurative language, academic, and content-specific words. (RI&RL)
4R5
Analyze how poems and plays are built, using terms like verse, rhythm, dialogue and stage directions, and name a nonfiction text's structure, like cause and effect.
Official wording
In literary texts, identify and analyze structural elements, using terms such as verse, rhythm, meter, characters, settings, dialogue, stage directions. (RL) In informational texts, identify the overall structure using terms such as sequence, comparison, cause/effect, and problem/solution. (RI)
4R6
Compare and contrast who tells different stories, including first- versus third-person narrators, and a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event.
Official wording
In literary texts, compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations. (RL) In informational texts, compare and contrast a primary and secondary source on the same event or topic. (RI)
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
4R7
Find information given through visuals, sound or numbers, like charts, time lines and animations, and explain how it deepens understanding of the text.
Official wording
Identify information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, illustrations), and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text. (RI&RL)
4R8
Explain how an author supports each claim with reasons and evidence, like the data a text gives to show that plastic harms ocean animals.
Official wording
Explain how claims in a text are supported by relevant reasons and evidence. (RI&RL)
4R9
Recognize genres such as myths, tall tales and memoirs, and draw links between a text and other texts, ideas, cultures, time periods and real life.
Official wording
Recognize genres and make connections to other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, personal events, and situations. (RI&RL)

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

2 standards
Phonics and Word Recognition
4RF3
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.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.aUse 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.
Common Core RF.K.3
Fluency
4RF4
Read fourth-grade texts in many genres aloud accurately and expressively at a fitting speed on repeated tries, rereading and using context to self-correct.
Official wording
Read grade-level text with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.aRead grade-level text across genres orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.bUse context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Writing Standards

7 standards
Text Types and Purposes
4W1
Write an argument with a precise claim, well-organized reasons and facts, exact subject words, transitions like for example, and a conclusion tied to the claim.
Official wording
Write an argument to support claim(s), using clear reasons and relevant evidence.aIntroduce a precise claim, supported by well-organized facts and details, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.bUse precise language and content-specific vocabulary.cUse transitional words and phrases to connect ideas within categories of information.dProvide a concluding statement or section related to the argument presented.
4W2
Write to explain a topic in clear paragraphs and sections, using facts, definitions and details, text features like headings, exact terms, transitions and a conclusion.
Official wording
Write informative/explanatory texts to explore a topic and convey ideas and information relevant to the subject.aIntroduce a topic clearly and organize related information in paragraphs and sections.bDevelop ideas on a topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, or other relevant information; include text features when useful for aiding comprehension.cUse precise language and content-specific vocabulary.dUse transitional words and phrases to connect ideas within categories of information.eProvide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
4W3
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.
Official wording
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.aEstablish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters.bUse dialogue and description of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.cUse transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.dUse concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.eProvide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Common Core W.3.3
4W4
Respond to a text, author, theme or personal experience by making something original, like a poem, short play or artwork about a character's choice.
Official wording
Create a poem, story, play, artwork, or other response to a text, author, theme, or personal experience.
4W5
Draw on evidence from stories, poems and articles when responding in writing, analyzing, reflecting or researching, using the reading skills of fourth grade.
Official wording
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to respond and support analysis, reflection, and research by applying the grade 4 Reading Standards.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
4W6
Research questions, including your own, by looking into several sides of a topic, like the history, habitat and threats facing sea turtles.
Official wording
Conduct research to answer questions, including self-generated questions, and to build knowledge through investigating multiple aspects of a topic.
4W7
Gather facts from experience and several sources, take notes, sort them into groups, and list the sources used, like books and websites on the Erie Canal.
Official wording
Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from multiple sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

Speaking and Listening Standards

6 standards
Comprehension and Collaboration
4SL1
Join discussions prepared from your reading, follow norms and assigned roles, ask and answer follow-up questions, build on others' comments, and review key points.
Official wording
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, expressing ideas clearly, and building on those of others.aCome to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.bFollow agreed-upon norms 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 relevant ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding of the discussion.
4SL2
Put parts of information from charts, numbers or spoken presentations into your own words, like restating what a weather graph shows.
Official wording
Paraphrase portions of information presented in diverse formats (e.g., including visual, quantitative, and oral).
4SL3
Name the reasons and evidence a speaker gives for each point and judge how well they support it, like in a class debate about school uniforms.
Official wording
Identify and evaluate the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
4SL4
Give a report, tell a story or share an experience using facts and vivid details, speaking clearly at a pace and volume your audience can follow.
Official wording
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace and volume appropriate for audience.
4SL5
Add media or visuals to a presentation to stress its main ideas or themes, like a short video clip in a talk on recycling.
Official wording
Include digital media and/or visual displays in presentations to emphasize central ideas or themes.
4SL6
Tell when a situation calls for formal English or casual talk, and use formal English when the task demands it, like presenting a book report.
Official wording
Distinguish between contexts that call for formal English versus/or informal discourse; use formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

Language Standards

4 standards
Knowledge of Language
4L3
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.aChoose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.bChoose punctuation for effect.cDistinguish between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small group discussion).
Common Core L.2.3
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4L4
Figure out unknown and multiple-meaning words using context clues, Greek and Latin roots and affixes like bio and port, and dictionaries, glossaries or thesauruses.
Official wording
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, 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) to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
4L5
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 in context.bRecognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.cDemonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their antonyms and synonyms.
Common Core L.3.5
4L6
Build and use precise academic and subject vocabulary, including exact verbs like mumbled or trudged and topic terms like orbit and gravity when studying space.
Official wording
Acquire and accurately use general academic and content-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

The official New York documents

New York State Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards, Copyright 2017, New York State Education Department, used with permission.

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.