Common Planner
K–12 Standards

4th Grade

Other Washington English Language Arts sets

Reading

  • Reading4th.

    Students read, comprehend, interpret, use, analyze, and appreciate fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and multimodal texts from a broad range of genres, cultures, and media in the context of grade-level content to understand themselves, others, and the world. WA.ELA-LITERACY.Reading4th

    1.  

      Print Environment and Foundational Skills

      1. 1

        interact with and explore texts in a language-rich environment. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.1

        1. a

          Select texts that interest them and/or that are recommended by peers and adults. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.1.a

        2. b

          Spend time exploring, viewing, reading and/or listening to texts. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.1.b

        3. c

          Make connections, tell stories and/or explain information based on imagination, images, and/or words they recognize in texts. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.1.c

      2. 2

        Students know and apply the basic features of print and how it is organized. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.2

        1. a

          Recognize the distinguishing visual features of fiction, poetry and plays.WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.2.a

      3. 3

        Students apply concepts of how sounds, syllables, words, and silence function in speech (phonological awareness) with automaticity. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.3

      4. 4

        Students decode words with accuracy and fluency using grade-level word analysis skills. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.4

        1. a

          Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllable patterns, and morphology to read multisyllabic words accurately in context and out of context. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.4.a

    2.  

      Comprehending and Interpreting Texts

      1. 5

        Students comprehend and interpret texts using a variety of strategies. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5

        1. a

          Reflect on their purpose for reading.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.a

        2. b

          Preview the text by noting author, illustrator, topic, genre, images, and text structures. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.b

        3. c

          Use personal connections and content knowledge to visualize and make sense of the text.   WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.c

        4. d

          Make inferences and predictions, checking them against what’s in the text.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.d

        5. e

          Use a variety of strategies that encourage and maintain motivation to engage with a text. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.e

        6. f

          Re-connect when the flow of reading is interrupted using a variety of strategies. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.f

        7. g

          Explain how the visual elements in a text represent and/or add to its meaning.WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.g

        8. h

          Summarize a text, referring to details and examples in the text.WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.h

        9. i

          Describe a story’s setting, major events, narrators, characters and their viewpoints in depth, drawing on specific details in the text.WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.i

        10. j

          Retell a story in their own words and/or say what they learned from a text, including key details and the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.5.j

    3.  

      Analyzing, Evaluating and Using Texts

      1. 6

        Students explain how the author, illustrator, and/or creator shape meaning and affect a reader’s experience of the text.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.6

        1. a

          Explain what the text makes them feel, think, and/or want to do and why.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.6.a

        2. b

          Explain the impact of visual elements, including multimedia and text features, on the reader’s understanding. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.6.b

        3. c

          Compare and contrast the written and performed versions of poems and plays. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.6.c

        4. d

          Compare and contrast the point of view, characters, settings, and plots of stories written by the same or different authors.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.6.d

      2. 7

        Students evaluate texts.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.7

        1. a

          Explain what they may or may not like about a topic, character, or event and why. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.7.a

        2. b

          Describe how well an element of a text engages the reader or provokes thought, understanding, or action. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.7.b

      3. 8

        Students use texts they have read for purposes relevant to them. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.8

        1. a

          Explore why characters think, feel, and act as they do, given their circumstances. WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.8.a

        2. b

          Use information or examples from texts for discussions and projects. [See W4.3 and SLDF4th.3.] WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.8.b

        3. c

          Use choices made by authors, illustrators, and creators as ideas for their own multimodal compositions. [See W4th.4b.] WA.ELA-LITERACY.R4th.8.c

Writing

  • Writing4th.

    Students compose multimodal texts in a variety of genres in the context of grade-level content.WA.ELA-LITERACY.Writing4th

    1.  

      Writing Purposes and Products

      1. 1

        Students compose to process and reflect, respond to reading and learning, explore and develop ideas, record observations, experiment with language, and make sense of the world, events, and experiences. [Not all products from W4th.1 must be taken through W4th.2 – W4th.10.]WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.1

      2. 2

        Students compose multimodal texts in a variety of genres to communicate with others.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.2

        1. a

          Describe experiences, ideas, and imaginings, including concrete, sensory details.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.2.a

        2. b

          Inform others about their observations and explanations of the world.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.2.b

        3. c

          Express their opinions and preferences.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.2.c

        4. d

          Persuade others to consider new options, resolve conflicts, and create and strengthen communities.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.2.d

        5. e

          Tell stories and narratives.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.2.e

    2.  

      Plan and Generate Ideas

      1. 3

        Students plan and complete writing projects.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.3

        1. a

          Connect the prompt to their interests, perspectives, and/or experiences.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.3.a

        2. b

          Determine the process or steps needed to complete the project.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.3.b

        3. c

          Adjust focus and timeline when needed.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.3.c

      2. 4

        Students generate and gather ideas, including appropriate use of tools.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.4

        1. a

          Generate topics from experience, imagination, reading, research (see RML4th.4), media, conversations, products from W4th.1, and/or desire to communicate.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.4.a

        2. b

          Determine which features and/or genre conventions to follow or adapt from mentor texts.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.4.b

        3. c

          Identify what the writer knows that the audience does not.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.4.c

        4. d

          Choose material from research (see RML4th.4), images, and/or other media that illustrate and support their ideas, identifying when and how it’s fair to use the creative work of others.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.4.d

    3.  

      Draft and Establish Voice

      1. 5

        Students draft content within the genre to develop ideas, express voice, and engage the audience.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.5

        1. a

          Develop topics with facts, definitions, examples, and/or quotations.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.5.a

        2. b

          Logically group related information in paragraphs and/or sections.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.5.b

        3. c

          Support opinions with facts, reasons, and details using linking words, phrases, and clauses.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.5.c

        4. d

          Develop clear event sequences for stories by using details to elaborate, dialogue when relevant, and showing character’s responses to events.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.5.d

        5. e

          Use text features and/or formatting noticed in mentor texts, such as headings, titles, labels, illustrations, greetings, the formatting of dialogue, etc.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.5.e

        6. f

          Attribute sources in ways that are consistent with the genre.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.5.f

      2. 6

        Students compose introductions and conclusions within the genre that engage the audience, express voice, and support the development of content in the body of the text.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.6

        1. a

          Engage the reader in topics using a variety of strategies.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.6.a

        2. b

          Engage and orient the reader to stories by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.6.b

        3. c

          Compose concluding statements or sections that follow from the stories or ideas developed in the text and allow the reader to reflect on what they read and/or how they feel after reading.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.6.c

      3. 7

        Students organize content by using or adapting the genre’s structure. WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.7

    4.  

      Revise and Edit

      1. 8

        Students evaluate drafts.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.8

        1. a

          Re-read to determine whether the draft says what they want it to say.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.8.a

        2. b

          Re-read to identify differences between what they intend and what the audience would understand from the text itself.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.8.b

        3. c

          Gather feedback and determine whether it improves readers’ understanding and/or experience.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.8.c

      2. 9

        Students revise and edit using a variety of strategies, including use of appropriate technology.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.9

        1. a

          Use what they learned from re-reading and feedback to strengthen their compositions.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.9.a

        2. b

          Edit for conventions and consistency of text features, including attributions. [Demonstrate command of Language standards K–4.]WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.9.b

    5.  

      Share and Publish

      1. 10

        Students share and publish compositions in person and/or on digital or non-digital platforms for known and trusted audiences in ways that reinforce the communicative purposes of writing.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.10

        1. a

          Identify who might be able to access compositions and how it might make those people feel.WA.ELA-LITERACY.W4th.10.a

Speaking, Listening, and Digital Forums

  • SpeakingListeningDigitalForums4th.

    Students comprehend, engage in, and learn from collaborative discussions, presentations, and public speaking in a variety of genres in the context of grade-level content, in person and/or through teacher-moderated digital forums.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SpeakingListeningDigitalForums4th

    1.  

      Discussion

      1. 1

        Students listen, respond respectfully, and contribute during discussions. WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1

        1. a

          Reflect on who is present in a conversation and what they know about their interests, strengths, and skills.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.a

        2. b

          Discuss expectations and roles within the community, changing them when needed.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.b

        3. c

          Review previous conversations when continuing a discussion.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.c

        4. d

          Draw on experience, prior knowledge, and/or research to contribute.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.d

        5. e

          Explain what they understood from others’ contributions and ask for clarification or more information to build common understanding.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.e

        6. f

          Connect statements to others’ contributions to build community and propel conversation. WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.f

        7. g

          Summarize points of agreement or disagreement.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.g

        8. h

          Respond to feedback about how others interpret their communication by reflecting on how and why others might experience their communication differently than intended.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.h

        9. i

          Explain when, how, and why opinions or understandings have changed.    WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.i

        10. j

          Review memorable and/or important moments or ideas. WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.1.j

      2. 2

        Students prepare for planned discussions by thinking, reading, and/or researching the topic.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.2

    2.  

      Collaboration 

      1. 3

        Students collaborate on projects or tasks.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.3

        1. a

          Discuss expectations, roles, and timelines, changing them when needed.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.3.a

        2. b

          Connect the project or prompt to their interests, experiences, and/or community needs.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.3.b

        3. c

          Prepare for meetings by completing portions of the project as agreed.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.3.c

        4. d

          Review progress and discuss what needs to happen next.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.3.d

    3.  

      Public Speaking and Presentations  

      1. 4

        Students present reports, speeches, and creative work in a variety of genres such that listeners are engaged and/or can follow the line of reasoning.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.4

        1. a

          Identify topics from the situation, experience, imagination, reading, research (see RML4th.4) media, conversations, and/or products from W4th.1.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.4.a

        2. b

          Develop content by considering what they want to communicate within the situation and what the audience already knows.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.4.b

        3. c

          Use images, media, and artifacts in presentations to clarify content and support the audience’s engagement.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.4.c

    4.  

      Voice

      1. 5

        Students determine how to present themselves and their ideas.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.5

        1. a

          Express voice by building on strengths, experiences, and personality.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.5.a

        2. b

          Determine how to respond to others given the expectations of the community, their role, and how they wish to express themselves and their ideas. WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.5.b

        3. c

          Determine which language and/or languages support their purpose.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.5.c

        4. d

          Determine what they want or do not want to share and why.WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.5.d

      2. 6

        Students use an audible voice, gesture, and pacing to illuminate the content and engage the audience.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.SLDF4th.6

Language 

  • Language4th.

    Students demonstrate command of the English language to speak and write clearly, and to comprehend more fully when reading, listening, or viewing. WA.ELA-LITERACY.Language4th

    1.  

      Knowledge of Language

      1. 1

        Students identify and discuss when and why language is used differently according to the setting.  WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.1

        1. a

          Differentiate between contexts and situations that call for formal and informal discourse. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.1.a

        2. b

          Distinguish literal and figurative or colloquial meanings of words and phrases and the contexts in which they occur. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.1.b

      2. 2

        Students read and recite grade-level poetry and prose orally with purpose, understanding, and accuracy, improving speed and expression on successive readings. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.2

        1. a

          Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology to read unfamiliar multisyllabic words accurately. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.2.a

    2.  

      Structure and Function of English

      1. 3

        Students produce and expand sentences in group and individual activities in the context of conversations and writing about experiences, events, and fourth grade content.WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.3

        1. a

          Produce, expand, and combine simple, compound, and complex sentences, including the use of prepositional phrases. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.3.a

        2. b

          Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.3.b

        3. c

          Form and use modal auxiliaries to convey various conditions. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.3.c

        4. d

          Capitalize the appropriate words in titles. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.3.d

        5. e

          Use commas in addresses. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.3.e

        6. f

          Use commas and quotation marks to mark dialogue, direct speech, and quotations. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.3.f

      2. 4

        Students determine the meaning of and use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading, and being read to. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.4

        1. a

          Determine or clarify the meaning of new and multiple-meaning words and phrases. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.4.a

        2. b

          Identify and use abstract and concrete nouns and the words that describe them. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.4.b

        3. c

          Identify and use relative pronouns and adverbs. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.4.c

        4. d

          Use frequently confused words correctly, including homonyms. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.4.d

      3. 5

        Students demonstrate understanding of figurative language, explore word relationships and distinguish shades of meaning in the context of fourth grade conversations and reading about experiences, events, and ideas. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.5

        1. a

          Use grade-appropriate Greek and Latin root words and affixes as clues to the meaning of an unknown word. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.5.a

        2. b

          Compare words to their synonyms and antonyms to better understand nuances in their meanings. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.5.b

        3. c

          Distinguish shades of meaning among words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.5.c

        4. d

          Recognize and explain the meaning of simple similes, metaphors, idioms, and proverbs. WA.ELA-LITERACY.L4th.5.d

Research and Media Literacy

  • Research4th .

    Students ask and revise questions, seek answers using relevant tools and techniques to select and access sources, and use their learning.WA.ELA-LITERACY.Research4th

  • MediaLiteracy4th.

    Students think critically about the effects, purposes, and parts of media messages, the people responsible for information sources, and how they will engage with media messages.WA.ELA-LITERACY.MediaLiteracy4th

    1.  

      Research and Inquiry

      1. 1

        Students ask questions about things that make them curious and refine their questions as they learn new things about a topic.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.1

      2. 2

        Students seek answers from information sources.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.2

        1. a

          Generate ideas for where they might find information based on what they and/or others know about the topic.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.2.a

        2. b

          Select and access a variety of relevant print and digital information sources, including by navigating libraries.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.2.b

        3. c

          Use different technologies and different search terms to generate different results when using digital search tools.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.2.c

        4. d

          Talk with adults or peers with relevant experience or knowledge.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.2.d

      3. 3

        Students gather relevant information using a variety of strategies. WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.3

      4. 4

        Students use and/or share new learning.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.4

    2.  

      Media Literacy and Critical Thinking

      1. 5

        Students identify the effects of media messages. WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.5

        1. a

          Identify how media messages make them feel and what these emotions may make them want to say or do.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.5.a

        2. b

          Identify reasons people are more or less likely to change their minds about something when they encounter a media message.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.5.b

      2. 6

        Students identify the purposes of media messages and how those purposes are achieved.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.6

        1. a

          Determine whether a media message is mainly helping people learn new things, trying to change people’s minds, selling something, or just for fun.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.6.a

      3. 7

        Students compare different parts of media messages.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.7

        1. b

          Determine whether statements in media messages express an opinion or can be verified as true or false.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.7.b

        2. c

          Compare what multiple sources have to say about information that can be verified as true or false in a media message.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.7.c

        3. d

          Describe how changing an image or the words used to describe an image can change the meaning of a media message. WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.7.d

      4. 8

        Students identify people who create information sources and choices they make.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.8

        1. a

          Identify individuals and/or organizations responsible for the content of information sources.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.8.a

        2. b

          Identify different ways to be an expert about a particular topic.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.8.b

        3. c

          Identify some of the choices those responsible for information sources make about what to include or exclude.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.8.c

      5. 9

        Students make informed choices about how they will engage with media messages based on their personal and community experiences and goals.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.9

        1. a

          Describe how a media message might influence them to say or do things that could have real-life effects for themselves and/or their communities.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.9.a

        2. b

          Describe why they encounter the messages they encounter and how media messages capture their attention, so people or organizations benefit.WA.ELA-LITERACY.RML4th.9.b

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 4
Where can I read the official document?
Public Draft WA State Learning Standards ELA

Keep exploring

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