What your child learns in Grade 4 in Alberta
Grade 4 raises the pace on reading, writing and number work: decimals to hundredths, percent, prime and composite numbers, and adding and subtracting within 10 000. Social studies turns to colonial Canada and Confederation.
Grade 4 subjects in the Alberta Curriculum
Math
Big Ideas
- Place value: whole numbers within 10 000 can be read, written, compared and ordered, and prime and composite numbers are described by their factors.
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers use strategies that work with place value, and the order of operations gives expressions one value.
- Fractions, decimals and percent are different ways to describe parts of a whole.
16 units, including numbers to 10 000, add & subtract, prime & composite, times tables.
English Language Arts
Big Ideas
- Listening and speaking build relationships and understanding.
- Reading aloud with emphasis, pausing, phrasing and intonation shows that you understand the text.
- Reading strategies help readers understand fiction and non-fiction texts.
16 units, including listen, speak & read aloud, reading detectives, text features, clues in texts.
Science
Big Ideas
- Waste materials need to be managed, and some materials are dangerous.
- Gravity and magnetism are forces that act without touching.
- Earth's land, air, water and living things are connected, and people can help conserve them.
8 units, including waste & dangerous materials, gravity & magnets, earth's systems, resources & conservation.
Social Studies
Big Ideas
- Colonial Canada and Confederation is the Grade 4 focus.
- Power and influence shifted among First Nations, France, Britain and the colonies before 1867.
- Explorers, settlers, Loyalists and traders shaped early Canada, and First Nations and Métis peoples were partners and neighbours throughout.
9 units, including who held power?, jacques cartier, champlain & new france, the fur trade & natural resources.
French Immersion
Big Ideas
- Listening and speaking in French grow every day when French is the language of learning.
- Reading French texts of many kinds builds comprehension and the habit of reading for meaning.
- Writing in French for a purpose and an audience uses the conventions of the language.
9 units, including tu ou vous?, poser des questions, synonymes et contraires, les adverbes en -ment.
Core French
Big Ideas
- Applications: using French to communicate in everyday situations, to explore and to have fun.
- Language competence: understanding and using the sounds, words, sentences and texts of French.
- Global citizenship: learning about Francophone communities in Alberta, Canada and the world, and about other cultures.
6 units, including greetings, my classroom, colours, numbers 0 to 20.
What to look for on the report card
Look for comments on reading for meaning, organized paragraphs, decimals and fractions, and showing steps in math.
Alberta report cards describe learning with Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. See what each level means.
Competencies grow alongside subject learning in every grade. Read about competencies.
Ready for Grade 4?
Grade 4 builds on what your child practised in Grade 3. If a skill feels shaky, a few short practice sessions before or early in the year can help:
- Math: numbers to 100 000, add & subtract, multiplication, division, fractions
- English Language Arts: speaking & listening, oral traditions, prefixes & suffixes, spelling patterns, word jobs
- Science: solids, liquids & gases, materials & changes, the water cycle, pushes, pulls & forces, simple machines
- Social Studies: alberta's regions & borders, first nations & métis in alberta, french-speaking albertans, fairness & respect, alberta's governments
- French Immersion: je me, tu te, il se, et, mais, ou, avec, ne… pas, le futur proche, les pluriels en -x
Common questions
What do kids learn in Grade 4 in Alberta?
Grade 4 covers math, english language arts, science, social studies, french immersion, core french in the Alberta Curriculum. Grade 4 raises the pace on reading, writing and number work: decimals to hundredths, percent, prime and composite numbers, and adding and subtracting within 10 000. Social studies turns to colonial Canada and Confederation.
How is Grade 4 reported in Alberta?
Alberta report cards describe learning with Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding.
How can I help my Grade 4 child at home?
Short, regular practice works better than long sessions: 10 to 15 minutes a few times a week, on the skills your child's teacher flags. Read together, use math in real life, and praise effort.
Practise Grade 4 skills with Gradelings
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