4th grade English Language Arts
12 units matched to the Washington State Learning Standards. Kids see this subject as “Reading & Writing”.
Focus areas
- Reading: text structure, theme and evidence
- Writing: opinion, information and story writing
- Speaking, Listening and Digital Forums: sharing ideas and building on what others say
- Language: grammar, vocabulary and conventions
- Research and Media Literacy: finding information and thinking about media messages
Units
Unit 1
Reading Detectives
Reading short original stories and articles, then finding the main idea and key details, making inferences from clues, working out word meanings and choosing the best summary.
Learning standard: ELA.4.R.4 · main idea, details and summaries
Unit 2
Text Features
Using the parts of a nonfiction book to find information: reading a table of contents and index, knowing what glossaries, captions, labels and timelines are for, and choosing headings.
Learning standard: ELA.4.R.1 · headings, glossaries, maps and indexes
Unit 3
Point of View
Telling first-person stories (I, me, we) from third-person stories (he, she, they), finding pronoun clues, and noticing when dialogue uses “I” in a third-person story.
Learning standard: ELA.4.R.5 · first- and third-person narration
Unit 4
Word Builders
Using word parts to work out meanings: prefixes like re- and mis-, suffixes like -able and -ment, finding the base word, and (at the stretch level) roots such as port and tele.
Learning standard: ELA.4.R.3; ELA.4.L.3 · prefixes, suffixes and roots
Unit 5
Figurative Language
Spotting similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia and alliteration (plus hyperbole at the stretch level), and explaining what figurative phrases really mean.
Learning standard: ELA.4.L.4 · similes, metaphors and idioms
Unit 6
Sound-Alikes
Choosing between words that sound alike (there/their/they're, to/too/two, its/it's) and using context to tell which meaning of a word like “bark” or “bow” is meant.
Learning standard: ELA.4.L.4 · homophones and homographs
Unit 7
Parts of Speech
Naming the job each word does in a sentence, with a focus on Grade 4's pronouns, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions. Easier levels stick to nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns.
Learning standard: ELA.4.L.2 · pronouns, adverbs and other parts of speech
Unit 8
Super Sentences
Joining sentences with and, but, or and so; spotting and fixing fragments and run-ons; and choosing verbs that agree with the subject and match the tense.
Learning standard: ELA.4.L.2 · compound sentences, fragments and run-ons
Unit 9
Grammar Gears
Choosing who, which, that and whose, using have, has and had with the right verb form, telling questions from commands, and using my, your, their, this and these.
Learning standard: ELA.4.L.2 · relative pronouns and verb forms
Unit 10
Paragraph Power
Choosing topic and concluding sentences, finding the sentence that doesn't belong, using transition words, identifying cause and effect, and putting sentences in order.
Learning standard: ELA.4.W.4 · topic sentences, details and transitions
Unit 11
Media and Sources
Children practice naming the target audience and purpose of a message, spotting techniques like close-ups and “hurry” words, telling facts from opinions, searching with keywords and judging whether a source is reliable.
Learning standard: ELA.4.RML.1; ELA.4.RML.2; ELA.4.RML.3; ELA.4.RML.4; ELA.4.RML.5 · research and reliable sources, reactions to media, purposes and techniques, and who makes messages
Unit 12
Spelling Rules
Children practice US spelling rules for adding endings (doubling, dropping e, changing y to i), plurals and common tricky words.
Learning standard: ELA.4.L.5 · spelling words accurately using rules for endings, plurals and common words
Ready to try Gradelings?
Curriculum-matched practice for Kindergarten to Grade 9 in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Nunavut, and in Washington, Oregon and California, with kind hints, learning games and no ads. Subscribe now, or try everything free for 30 days with no card.