Ohio Standards
Ohio 4th Grade ELA Standards
All 46 Ohio English language arts standards for 4th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Ohio Department of Education and Workforce's document, linked at the end of this page.
46 standards
Reading Literature
9 standardsRL.4.1
Back up what you understand about a story, play or poem with details stated in the text, and use those details to make and support inferences.
RL.4.2
Find a theme in a story, play or poem using supporting details, and summarize the text with that theme and its key details.
RL.4.3
Describe characters, settings or events with text evidence, explain how the main character changes through thoughts, words and actions, and infer more about them.
RL.4.4
Work out what words and phrases mean in a story or poem, including figurative language like similes and idioms.
RL.4.5
Explain how parts like chapters in a novel, scenes in a play and stanzas in a poem shape how the whole text is organized.
RL.4.6
Tell point of view apart from perspective by naming who narrates a story and explaining how different characters see things.
RL.4.7
Compare the text of a story or play with a picture, video, live show or reading of it, noting which details are shown, spoken or acted.
RL.4.9
Find a shared theme or life lesson in stories, myths and folktales from different cultures, then compare and contrast how each text develops it.
RL.4.10
Read and understand grade 4 stories, plays and poems with support as needed, using background knowledge and experiences to connect them to yourself and other books.
Reading Informational
10 standardsRI.4.1
Show what you understand in a history, science or how-to text by citing details it states and using them to make and back up inferences.
RI.4.2
Find the main idea of a nonfiction text from its key details, then summarize the text with that main idea and those details.
RI.4.3
Explain what happens in a nonfiction text, like a historical event, a procedure or a science idea, and why it happens, using specific information.
RI.4.4
Figure out what general academic and topic-specific words and phrases mean in nonfiction, like analyze or photosynthesis.
RI.4.5
Identify how a section or whole nonfiction text is organized, like time order, cause and effect or problem and solution, and describe it with text details.
RI.4.6
Read two accounts of one event or topic and compare and contrast their viewpoints, using the facts each account provides.
RI.4.7
Interpret information in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines or media and explain how it helps a reader understand the text around it.
RI.4.8
Show which reasons and evidence an author gives for each key point in a nonfiction text, and explain how they support it.
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 make sense of grade 4 informational texts with support as needed, relating them to what you already know and to other texts you have read.
Reading Foundations
2 standardsRF.4.3
Decode longer words by matching sounds to spellings, splitting them into syllables, and using roots, prefixes and suffixes.
RF.4.4
Read decodable and grade 4 texts aloud smoothly and with expression at 95 percent accuracy, working toward 133 words correct per minute, and reread when meaning slips.
Writing Foundations
3 standardsWF.4.1
Handwrite in print or cursive clearly and fast enough to think about ideas, not letter shapes, while writing paragraphs or notes.
WF.4.2
Spell longer words by syllable type and by roots, prefixes and suffixes, spell common words that follow sound patterns, and pick the right homophone, like to, two or too.
WF.4.3
Write correct sentences using who, whose, which and that, where, when and how, irregular possessives, progressive tenses, and modal verbs like might or should.
Writing
10 standardsW.4.1
Write opinion pieces with a topic sentence, a clear opinion, reasons backed by text evidence, linking words, varied sentences, and a concluding statement.
W.4.2
Write informative pieces that introduce a topic, build it with facts, quotations and examples from texts, use linking words and varied sentences, and conclude.
W.4.3
Write real or imagined stories with a narrator or characters, dialogue, sensory details, transition words, events in order, and a satisfying ending.
W.4.4
Write clear, connected pieces alone and with others, organizing and developing ideas to suit the task, purpose and readers, like a letter to the principal.
W.4.5
With adult help fading over time, plan, revise and edit drafts to improve clarity and order and fix capitals, punctuation and spelling, using adult or peer feedback.
W.4.6
As adult help fades, use digital skills like keyboarding and tools like presentation software to create and share finished writing.
W.4.7
Research a topic from several angles, alone or in a group, by collecting facts from varied sources, recording observations and writing short reports.
W.4.8
Use relevant experiences or sources to take notes, sort information into groups, answer a focused question in writing and list your sources.
W.4.9
Draw evidence from grade 4 stories and nonfiction to back up your analysis, reflections and research, like quoting a passage to support a claim.
W.4.10
Write regularly, in short sittings and longer projects, planning, drafting, editing and revising for many subjects, purposes and audiences, like a science log.
Speaking and Listening
6 standardsSL.4.1
Join pair, group and class talks on grade 4 topics, coming prepared, following agreed rules, doing assigned roles, adding to others' ideas and asking follow-up questions.
SL.4.2
After a read-aloud, video or talk, restate its ideas in your own words, out loud or in writing, including facts from charts, diagrams or tables.
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
Share a story or personal experience in an organized way, backing the main ideas or themes with fitting facts and details, and speak clearly at an easy pace.
SL.4.5
Create a multimedia presentation about a nonfiction topic, adding visuals when useful to strengthen how main ideas develop, like a slideshow with maps.
SL.4.6
Decide when a situation calls for formal language, like presenting to the class, or informal language, like small-group talk, and use formal language when it fits.
Language
6 standardsL.4.1
Use correct grammar when writing or speaking, like ordering adjectives as in a small red bag, using prepositional phrases, and fixing fragments and run-ons.
L.4.2
Capitalize correctly, use commas and quotation marks for speech and quotes, put a comma before the joining word in a compound sentence, and spell grade 4 words well.
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
Figure out unknown words with context clues and Greek and Latin roots, like photo and graph, and check pronunciation and exact meaning in a dictionary or glossary.
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
Use everyday, academic and topic words from talk and reading, including precise action and feeling words like stammered and words that fit a topic like habitat.
The official Ohio documents
- Ohio's Learning Standards: English Language Arts, revised 2026 · adopted 2026 for K-8, 2017 for 9-12 · published July 2026
- Ohio's Learning Standards: English Language Arts, 2017 · replaced · adopted February 2017 · K-8 replaced in 2026, 9-12 carried forward
The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Ohio's standards, not the official wording, which Ohio Department of Education and Workforce publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.