Washington 4th Grade ELA Curriculum

4th Grade ELA in Washington State

Washington 4th grade English covers a wide range of reading, writing, and language skills. Students learn to analyze both literary and informational texts, develop their narrative and opinion writing, and strengthen grammar and vocabulary knowledge. All topics follow the Washington State K-12 English Language Arts Standards, the same standards taught in Washington classrooms.

Reading and Comprehension Skills

In 4th grade, Washington students read fiction, poetry, and nonfiction texts. They practice identifying main ideas, summarizing stories, comparing characters, and understanding author's purpose. Strong reading comprehension in Grade 4 builds the foundation for more complex texts in Grade 5 and beyond.

Writing in 4th Grade

4th graders in Washington write opinion pieces, informational essays, and narrative stories. They learn to organize their ideas clearly, support claims with evidence, and revise their work for clarity. These writing skills align directly to the SBA writing tasks students encounter in Grade 4.

Grammar and Vocabulary

Grammar lessons in Grade 4 cover parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling patterns. Vocabulary work focuses on context clues, word relationships, and academic language students encounter across subjects.

Preparing for the SBA

Washington tests 4th grade ELA using the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA). Practicing reading comprehension, written response, and language skills throughout the year helps students feel confident and prepared when test time arrives.

• Reading literary and informational texts
• Opinion, informational, and narrative writing
• Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure
• Vocabulary and context clues
• Speaking, listening, and presenting