What does a student learn in StateGeorgia,GradeGrade 4,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Foundations (F) Students build a foundation for achieving dynamic literacy practices to aid reading comprehension.

Practices (P) Students engage routinely in four literacy practices that ground, shape, and inform the expectations of the Foundations, Language, and Texts domains.

Language (L) Students learn and apply the structures and conventions of standard English. Students observe and analyze how grammar works in reading and writing. Students build vocabularies and determine word meanings as they relate to reading and writing.

Texts (T) Students grow in their learning as they purposefully engage with texts.

Phonological Awareness This big idea only applies to the K-2 grade band.

Concepts of Print This big idea only applies to the K-2 grade band.

Phonics Students learn the relationships between the sounds of spoken language and the letters of written language as they decode and encode words in context and in isolation.

Phoneme-Grapheme Correspondences This standard only applies to the K-2 grade band.

Decoding with Phonics This standard only applies to the K-2 grade band.

Encoding with Phonics This standard only applies to the K-2 grade band.

Decoding & Encoding with Phonics Use knowledge of phonics to decode and encode grade-level words.

Decode and encode words with graphemes that represent multiple letter-sound correspondences.

Decode and encode single-syllable and multisyllabic words of all syllable types.

Decode and encode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

Fluency Students read texts aloud or silently with speed, accuracy, and expression.

Oral & Silent Reading Fluency Demonstrate oral and silent reading fluency to read grade-level texts for understanding, self-correcting as necessary to ensure accuracy and aid comprehension.

Increase sight word vocabulary by reading regularly and irregularly spelled words in isolation and context with accuracy and automaticity. ​

Read a variety of unfamiliar grade-level texts with increasing automaticity.

Read a wide range of grade-level texts aloud with accurate prosody (phrasing, expression, juncture/pause, and intonation) to aid comprehension. ​

Self-correct while reading grade-level text (silently or aloud) to aid comprehension and fluency, rereading as necessary.

Handwriting Students develop handwriting skills in cursive.

Motor Skills & Letter/Word Formation This progression ends in 2nd grade.

Transcription & Handwriting Fluency This progression ends in 2nd grade.

Read Cursive Read texts written in cursive.

Read short texts written in cursive.

Write Cursive Use fine motor skills to form legible letters and words in cursive.

Form cursive letters and words legibly, using connectors between letters inside words.

Use appropriate spacing between cursive words in a sentence across lines on a page.

Engagement & Intention for Comprehension & Composition Students develop personal and academic identities as readers and writers, approaching texts for a variety of tasks and purposes and engaging in reading and writing processes in order to deepen comprehension and strengthen composition.

Reader & Writer Identity Build an identity as a reader and writer, developing a repertoire of resources and tools to continuously expand participation as an active consumer and producer of texts.

Generate, understand, monitor, and discuss personal and academic reading and writing goals, revising as appropriate. (I/C)

Discuss or write about personal and academic reading and writing preferences, referring to specific techniques, topics, modes, and genres that resonate most. (I/C)

Select, read, and write texts of personal interest and academic relevance to grade-level texts and topics. (I/C)

Build a repertoire of comprehension and composition skills, strategies, and techniques, drawing from them as needed to aid the interpretation and construction of texts. (I/C)

Participate in a community of readers and writers by developing group norms, discussing texts, sharing individual writing, listening as others share their writing, and offering and responding to feedback. (I/C)

Develop independence and autonomy as a reader and writer. (I/C)

Engagement & Intention Engage in written or spoken dialogue as author and audience for a variety of tasks and purposes, making intentional connections within, between, and beyond texts.

Share real or imagined experiences by interpreting and constructing texts that tell or include stories. (I/C)

Make use of texts to build knowledge, develop skills, make informed decisions, and share information and ideas. (I/C)

Explain and learn concepts and processes by interpreting and constructing texts. (I/C)

Interpret and construct texts to aid the analysis and evaluation of texts and ideas. (I/C)

Consume and produce texts in order to solve problems or influence decisions. (I/C)

Comprehension Strategies Engage with a range of complex texts for a variety of tasks and purposes, accessing and using strategies for comprehension* before, during, and after reading as part of the meaning-making process.

Establish a purpose and set goals for reading, monitor comprehension, and adjust as needed. (I)

Scan and skim the text, making note of structures and sections that might be most useful. (I)

Draw from, compare, build, and integrate prior knowledge with the material in the text, addressing inconsistencies or gaps and adding to knowledge repertoires as appropriate. (I)

Summarize and visualize sections of the text to maintain understanding. (I)

Make and track predictions about the events and information likely to come next. (I)

Make, track, and support inferences about different levels of meaning within the text. (I)

Determine the meanings of unfamiliar words and concepts by applying knowledge of context and of academic vocabulary and word parts. (I)

Writing Processes Compose a range of texts for a variety of purposes and audiences, flexibly engaging in writing processes to plan, draft, evaluate, revise, and edit texts.

Establish a purpose and goals for writing and identify a target audience. (C)

Plan how to organize the text by selecting modes, genres, and structures that will achieve the purpose and meet the needs of the target audience. (C)

Generate ideas for content by assessing prior knowledge, gathering information from texts, and engaging in discussions with others. (C)

Link ideas and information to the organization plan, highlighting ideas and information that are most relevant, useful, and impactful. (C)

Construct an initial draft by integrating ideas and information; selecting words, phrases, and sentences; and incorporating craft techniques that will best achieve the purpose of the text and resonate with the target audience. (C)

Evaluate the text’s effectiveness based on self-review or feedback from others, determining whether the text matches the purpose and goals for writing. (C)

Make changes to the text based on self-evaluation or external feedback, revising the organization, ideas, information, word choices, and craft techniques in order to increase the text’s effectiveness. (C)

Edit the text, ensuring it adheres to the conventions of written language. (C)

Situating Texts Students develop and apply a multilayered understanding of context, author, audience, and purpose to ground and propel the interpretation and construction of texts.

Context Develop and apply knowledge of key components of context such as background information, geographic location, cultural influences, time period, and contemporary events when interpreting and constructing texts.

Use prior knowledge, formal or informal research, and discussions with others to identify the key components of context that are most relevant. (I/C)

Consider how context impacts the purposes of the author and the audience. (I/C)

Explore how context shapes the author’s decisions and the audience’s responses during the interpretation and construction of texts. (I/C)

Author, Audience, & Purpose Interpret and construct texts by developing and applying knowledge of the strategies and techniques authors use to accommodate the target audience and achieve the text’s purpose.

Develop and apply knowledge of author, audience, and context to discern and establish the purpose of texts being interpreted or constructed and to evaluate the extent to which those texts achieve those purposes. (I/C)

Draw from knowledge of author, audience, and context to discern and establish a clear point of view or unique perspective when interpreting and constructing texts. (I/C)

Draw from knowledge of how authors consider context and audience to determine which information and ideas to highlight, which text design is most accessible, which word choices and language structures are most effective, and which craft techniques are most impactful. (I/C)

Author’s Craft Students apply knowledge of author’s craft to enhance the interpretation and construction of texts.

Reading like a Writer Interpret texts through the author’s lens by identifying, analyzing, and evaluating craft techniques that are connected to the responses, thoughts, decisions, and questions triggered by the text.

Identify, apply, and analyze the literary, expository, and opinion (grades K-5) or rhetorical (grades 6-12) elements in texts, explaining or evaluating how specific elements affect the target audience and support the text’s purpose. (I/C)

Identify, apply, and analyze important, interesting, or effective uses of language, explaining or evaluating how specific word choices affect the target audience and support the text’s purpose. (I/C)

Explain, analyze, and evaluate how the author’s use of sentence structure and syntax affects the target audience and supports the text’s purpose. (I/C)

Describe, analyze, and evaluate the design and organization of the text, explaining how specific formats, structures, patterns, and features influence the audience, contribute to the text’s accessibility, and support the text’s purpose. (I/C)

Writing like a Reader Construct texts with the audience’s experience in mind, basing decisions about craft techniques on context and purpose.

Integrate literary, expository, and opinion (grades K-5) or rhetorical (grades 6-12) elements to appeal to target audiences and achieve specific purposes. (I/C)

Craft words and phrases in order to influence the responses, thoughts, decisions, and questions of the target audience and achieve a specific purpose. (I/C)

Make decisions about sentence structure and syntax in order to accommodate and influence the audience and achieve a specific purpose. (I/C)

Organize texts by incorporating specific formats, structures, patterns, and features to influence the audience, facilitate accessibility, and support the text’s purpose. (I/C)

Text Design Consider the impact of text design on audience and purpose when consuming and producing texts across modes and genres.

Explore and create texts in various modes and genres, developing and applying knowledge of how specific features impact meaning, tone, style, purpose, and audience. (I/C)

Apply knowledge of how mode and genre impact what kinds of ideas and information are included in texts. (I/C)

Apply knowledge of how mode and genre impact how ideas and information are structured and arranged in texts. (I/C)

Consume and produce multimodal texts, integrating a variety of genres, text features, and craft techniques to influence target audiences and achieve specific purposes. (I/C)

Collaboration & Presentation Students build and share knowledge as they engage with others in a range of settings and for a variety of purposes.

Collaboration Collaborate with others to accomplish shared goals and projects.

Arrive to group discussions and collaborative meetings prepared to be an active participant in the work. (I/C)

Collaborate with others to determine group norms, establish goals and procedures, and facilitate productivity when working on shared projects. (I/C)

Contribute to discussions and shared projects by offering ideas, listening to the ideas of others, and providing feedback. (I/C)

Work with others to discuss topics, investigate questions, solve problems, and explore and create texts. (I/C)

Presentation Use presentation skills to tailor communication to target audiences for specific purposes.

Communicate clearly to present ideas, information, and texts. (I/C)

Integrate modes and genres most appropriate to purpose and audience. (I/C)

Vary tone, pace, and nonverbal gestures as appropriate to purpose and audience. (I/C)

Engage in dialogue with audiences by asking and answering questions. (I/C)

Build background knowledge by reciting all or part of significant poems and speeches as appropriate by grade level. (I/C)

Grammar Conventions Students observe, analyze, and use the structures and conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics as they interpret and construct texts.

Grammar, Usage, & Mechanics Learn and apply conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics to aid the comprehension and analysis of texts and to communicate clearly and precisely in written and spoken language.

Grammar: Form and use prepositional phrases. (Master)

Grammar: Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs. (Master)

Usage: Ensure pronoun-antecedent agreement. (Master)

Mechanics: Recognize and use conventional capitalization, quotation marks, and commas to indicate exact words and dialogue. (Master)

Grammar: Use relative pronouns and relative adverbs. (Master)

Grammar: Use interjections. (Master)

Grammar: Use helping and linking verbs. (Master)

"Usage: Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to/too/two; there/their/they’re; advice/advise). (Master)

Mechanics: Recognize and use conventional capitalization in abbreviations, proper adjectives, and formal titles. (Master)

Mechanics: Use commas to indicate direct address and to set off the words yes and no. (Master)

Mechanics: Use apostrophes to form plural possessive nouns. (Master)

"Grammar: Use indefinite pronouns, ensuring correct agreement. (Continue)

Grammar: Use subordinating conjunctions to join clauses. (Continue)

Mechanics: Use commas after introductory phrases or clauses. (Continue)

Mechanics: Use conventional capitalization and underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works. (Continue)

Grammar: Use intensive pronouns. (Introduce)

Grammar: Form and use the progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive verb aspects. (Introduce)

Grammar: Form and use participles. (Introduce)

Usage: Recognize and correct vague pronoun references. (Introduce)

Syntax Apply understandings of sentence structure to comprehend and compose varied sentences.

Apply understandings of sentence structure to comprehend a wide variety of grade-level texts. (I)

Use a variety of simple, compound, and complex sentences to strengthen clarity and coherence, maintaining consistent verb tense within and between paragraphs. (C)

Use correct subject-verb agreement to consistently achieve clarity in a variety of sentences. (C)

Elaborate on ideas and information, using adjectives and adverbs when incorporating details and descriptions to convey precise meaning and engage audiences. (C)

This progression begins in 9th grade.

Vocabulary Students engage in a wide range of written and spoken activities during which they expand and deepen their vocabularies, build word analysis skillsets (morphology), and determine or clarify the meanings of words and phrases.

General, Academic, & Specialized Vocabulary Acquire and use general, academic, and specialized vocabulary words and phrases with precision in a variety of settings.

Acquire a range of general, academic, and specialized vocabulary words and phrases through grade-level texts and content. (I)

Use grade-level general, academic, and specialized vocabulary words and phrases to enhance communication in a variety of settings. (C)

Word Analysis Acquire and apply word analysis skills to determine the meanings of words and to communicate with precision in a variety of settings.

Deconstruct words using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, root words, and affixes to determine meaning. (I)

Explain how the part of speech and the meaning of a root or root word changes based on the use of different affixes (e.g., beautiful as an adjective vs. beautifully as an adverb). (I)

Construct words using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, root words, and affixes. (C)

This progression begins in 6th grade.

Meaning & Purpose Make connections between words and phrases and use reference materials to determine or clarify word meanings in a variety of settings and for a variety of purposes.

Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) to determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple- meaning words and phrases. (I)

Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and homographs. (I)

Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related adverbs (e.g., quickly, swiftly, rapidly). (I)

Use print and digital reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses) to check spelling and determine or clarify the precise meaning of words and phrases. (I)

Use knowledge of word relationships and learned vocabulary words and phrases to make precise word choices when speaking and writing. (C)

Context Students describe the influences of purpose and audience on texts.

Purpose & Audience Use knowledge of purposes and audiences, as well as the language that develops those relationships, to make meaning of texts in multiple modes.

Determine audience and identify the development of the purpose across a text. (I)

Classify various texts by mode and describe how the author's choice of mode influences audiences and contributes to the overall purpose and effect. (I)

Create multimodal texts, using features of pre-selected modes for a specific purpose and audience. (C)

Authors & Speakers Make connections between authors of texts, speakers in texts, varying perspectives, and the circumstances in which texts are produced.

Compare and contrast the perspectives of different narrators or speakers in a text. (I)

This progression begins in 6th grade.

Identify the context in which a text is written (e.g., time period, individual, situational). (I)

This progression begins in 6th grade.

Structure & Style Students build and apply knowledge about language and organizational structures and elements used to convey and arrange ideas and information in texts.

Organization Demonstrate and apply understanding of organizational structures and elements to create coherent and engaging texts.

Compare and contrast the text features (e.g., icons, hyperlinks) and organizational structures (e.g. chronological order, rhyme pattern) of texts written in different genres/for certain purposes, on the same topic. (I)

Design texts using a variety of text structures and features, according to purpose and audience. (C)

Use conjunctions and transition words or phrases, such as similarly and in contrast, to show relationships between ideas and information. (C)

Craft related sentences into cohesive paragraphs that follow a chosen structure using transitions. (C)

Craft Use language to interpret meaning and craft engaging texts.

Identify and explain how figurative language, such as hyperboles and personification, shapes how ideas and information in texts are understood. (I)

Use figurative language for intentional effects when expressing ideas or conveying information. (C)

This progression begins in 6th grade.

Techniques Students explain, analyze, and use various techniques to comprehend and shape meaning.

Narrative Techniques Explain, analyze, and use narrative techniques to shape understandings.

Analyze the use of narrative techniques to present ideas, design texts, and convey information about characters, setting, and plot. (I)

Describe how the text’s protagonist and antagonist function in the plot, drive the conflict, and contribute to the development of other characters. (I)

Identify and describe common themes in texts (e.g., good vs. evil) that are revealed through details about characters. (I)

Compare and contrast the approach to similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from diverse cultures. (I)

Apply narrative techniques (e.g., character, setting, problem, resolution, and dialogue) to develop a real or imagined experience using descriptive details, clear event sequences, and a conclusion. (C)

Expository Techniques Explain, analyze, and use expository techniques to shape understandings.

Discuss and evaluate techniques used to present and design expository texts, including facts and key details used to support the main idea. (I)

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. (I)

Integrate and classify information from multiple texts on the same topic in relationship to important points and key details. (I)

Apply expository techniques that clearly introduce a topic, group paragraphs or sections to develop the topic with facts and other information (e.g., definitions, concrete details, quotations), use precise language, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Opinion Techniques Explain, analyze, and use opinion techniques to shape understandings.

Discuss and evaluate techniques used to present and design opinion and argumentative texts, including author’s opinion or claim, supporting reasons, and evidence. (I)

This progression begins in 9th grade.

Apply opinion techniques to create opinion pieces that introduce the topic, state an opinion about the topic, supply reasons and evidence to support the opinion with linking words (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect the opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. (C)

This progression begins in 9th grade.

Poetic Techniques Explain, analyze, and use poetic techniques to shape understandings.

Discuss and explain techniques used to present and design different types of poetry, including free verse, rhymed verse, haiku, and limerick. (I)

Apply poetic techniques to produce poetry and engage audiences that use a predetermined rhyme scheme to achieve an intended effect. (C)

Research & Analysis Students use, discuss, analyze, and curate texts as they engage in various conversations, activities, and projects about a range of grade-level texts and topics.

Research & Inquiry Conduct research to ask and answer questions that clarify, deepen, and extend understanding of a topic of interest using credible sources and communicating relevant and accurate information.

Generate questions about a self-selected topic of interest to be researched, asking open-ended questions to deepen and extend understanding of the topic and related ideas and information. (I)

Conduct research by locating, gathering, curating, and integrating information from multiple credible sources, including print, digital, and personal communication, about a self-selected topic. (I)

Consider and integrate information from research, including relevant and accurate evidence from two or more credible sources. (C)

Curating Sources & Evidence Integrate evidence from print and digital sources, assessing credibility and relevance and avoiding plagiarism.

Refer to specific passages or quotations from a text to support an idea, answer, or opinion. (I)

Determine the credibility and relevance of a source text based on known information about the author and/or organization. (I)

This progression begins in 5th grade.