Our
4th Grade Program
Fourth grade challenges students to think more deeply, communicate more clearly, and take greater responsibility for their learning. With a maximum of 8 students per class, teachers can provide personalized support while helping students develop the academic stamina and independence expected in upper elementary school.
Students analyze increasingly complex fiction and informational texts, support their ideas with evidence, and develop organized multi-paragraph writing. Mathematics expands into multi-digit operations, fractions, measurement, geometry, and increasingly complex problem-solving. Science and social studies encourage research, investigation, note-taking, collaboration, and the application of knowledge to meaningful questions and projects.
4th Grade Focus
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Science of Reading: Continued fluency, multisyllabic decoding, morphology (prefixes/suffixes), and deeper comprehension
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Complex Reading & Analysis: Identifying themes, comparing texts, making inferences, analyzing informational text, developing vocabulary, and supporting ideas with evidence.
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Organized Written Expression: Developing structured multi-paragraph narrative, informational, and opinion writing with supporting evidence, transitions, revision, and editing.
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Advanced Mathematical Thinking: Building fluency with multi-digit multiplication and division, developing understanding of fractions and decimals, and applying mathematics to multi-step and real-world problems.
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Research & Inquiry: Gathering information from multiple sources, taking notes, conducting investigations, interpreting information, and presenting conclusions in science and social studies.
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Executive Functioning & Independence: Strengthening planning, organization, time awareness, self-monitoring, problem-solving, and responsibility for longer and more complex assignments.
Why the Science of Reading in 4th Grade?
By fourth grade, students encounter longer texts, more advanced vocabulary, and significantly greater reading demands across every academic subject. Reading instruction therefore expands beyond basic decoding while continuing to provide structured support when foundational skills require reinforcement.
Instruction emphasizes:
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Reading increasingly complex literature and informational text
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Developing vocabulary and understanding word structure
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Building fluency and reading stamina
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Making inferences and analyzing ideas
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Comparing information across texts
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Using text evidence to support conclusions
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Applying reading skills in science, social studies, and other subjects
What Reading Instruction Looks Like in 4th Grade
Fourth-grade reading places greater emphasis on understanding, analyzing, and communicating ideas from text.
Students work on:
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Word Analysis: Using syllables, roots, prefixes, and suffixes to understand unfamiliar words
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Fluency & Stamina: Reading longer and more complex material accurately and efficiently
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Vocabulary: Developing academic vocabulary across subject areas
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Literary Analysis: Examining theme, character, point of view, structure, and evidence
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Informational Reading: Identifying main ideas, interpreting details, and integrating information
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Evidence-Based Response: Using information from texts to explain, compare, and defend ideas
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