Learning Expectations
Fourth Grade

Language Arts

Reading :

• Uses a variety of decoding strategies
• Uses a variety of comprehension strategies
• Identifies story elements (character, setting, main events, problem, solution)
• Comprehends and understand the characteristics of a variety of genres (including biography and autobiography, adventure stories, legends)
• Summarizes main idea and key points
• Makes text to text, text to self, and text to world connections
• Understands cause and effect relationships
• Makes inferences

Writing:

• Writes informative pieces
• Writes expressive pieces
• Writes creative pieces
• Writes for a variety of audiences
• Applies the trait of idea in writing
• Applies the trait of organization in writing
• Applies the trait of word choice in writing
• Uses pre-writing strategies
• Revises own writing to improve idea, organization and word choice
• Edits own writing to improve capital letters, punctuation, spelling, indenting of paragraphs, commas in a series and sentence clarity
• Understands parts of speech
• Uses parts of speech correctly (nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, pronouns)
• Writes complete sentences
• Uses capitalization correctly (beginning of sentences, proper nouns)
• Uses punctuation correctly (period, questions marks, exclamation points, commas in a series, quotation marks)
• Spells high frequency words correctly
• Uses spelling strategies to spell unfamiliar words correctly

Speaking & Listening:

• Speaks clearly to a group
• Follows basic directions
• Comprehends oral communication
• Uses active listening behaviors
• Participates effectively in discussions

Research:

• Uses a variety of informational sources for research
• Organizes information during research

Mathematics

Problem Solving:

• Uses a variety of problem solving strategies for real world problems and situations
• Explains mathematical thinking in a variety of ways

Number Operations and Relationships:

• Understands relationships between numbers and sets (to 999,999)
• Understands and uses decimals (to hundredths place)
• Understands and uses fractions (with mixed numbers)
• Understands place value (to 6-digits)
• Understands equivalent forms of fractions, decimals, and whole numbers
• Uses the skill of estimation
• Adds and subtracts whole numbers
• Multiplies and divides whole numbers (3-digit by single digit)
• Knows the multiplication and division facts
• Adds and subtracts fractions
• Knows the relationship between the four operations
• Selects appropriate operation in problem solving situations

Geometry:

• Understands and recognizes two- and three-dimensional figures in the real world
• Understands the concepts of spatial sense (symmetry, congruence)
• Understands coordinate geometry

Measurement:

• Measures length, height, and width (to ¼ inch and centimeter)
• Measures liquid capacity and weight (mass)
• Measures time and money
• Converts units within the same system
• Calculates perimeter and area

Statistics and Probability:

• Collects, organizes and displays data in simple graph formats
• Reads and interprets data from simple graph formats
• Determine the range of a set of data
• Calculate mode and median within a simple set of data

• Understands that future events are more, less, or equally likely, impossible, or certain to occur
• Conducts guided probability experiments

Algebraic Relationships:

• Solves for a variable in an equation
• Recognizes and extends number patterns and the relationship within them
• Understands a function describes a relationship of one quantity to another quantity when constant change occurs

 Science

Animals:

• Knows how organisms respond to their environment

• Knows the life cycle of a variety of organisms (specifically animals)

Energy and Resources:

• Knows the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources
• Knows the different sources of energy

Machines:

• Knows simple machines
• Knows compound machines
• Knows how devices and machines are invented and have changed over time

Motion:

• Knows the difference between kinetic and potential energy
• Knows that force is a push or a pull on an object
• Knows how an object will react when a force is applied to it

Transport Systems of the Human Body:

• Knows the basic systems of the human body (specifically respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems)
• Knows how science has contributed to health care

Science Investigations

• Uses a variety of sources to gather information for science-related questions
• Uses the scientific method to conduct investigations ( P roblem – H ypothesis - E xperiment - O bservation - C onclusion)
• Uses simple science equipment safely and effectively
• Communicates observations and conclusions from scientific investigation
• Asks additional questions that might help focus or further an investigation
• Knows how people have contributed to major scientific discoveries

 Social Studies

Geography- Map Skills:

• Locates places and features on a variety of maps and globes

• Creates maps
• Knows the relative location of the continents, major bodies of water and mountain ranges

• Seven continents, four oceans, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Rocky and Appalachian Mountains, Mississippi River

Introduction to Government:

• Knows the purpose of documents that guarantee the rights of citizens
• Knows the three levels of government
• Knows that people have different values and beliefs

Why People Came to Wisconsin:

• Knows important events in Wisconsin and United States history
• Knows ways in which ethnic cultures influence the daily lives of people
• Understands how life today is alike and different from life of the past
• Knows the factors that influence individual identity and development
• Knows how people learn about each other
• Gather information from a variety of sources
• Knows how various sources of information are used to construct an understanding of the past

Environment and State Economy:

• Knows how environmental changes impact social and economic conditions
• Knows how science and technology has led to environmental changes
• Knows how local goods and services are part of the global economy
• Knows how workers have specialized skills to make production more efficient
• Knows the economic roles of various institutions