Ohio State Standards for Language Arts: Grade 4

OH.1. Phonemic Awareness, Word Recognition and Fluency: Students in the primary grades learn to recognize and decode printed words, developing the skills that are the foundations for independent reading. They discover the alphabetic principle (sound-symbol match) and learn to use it in figuring out new words. They build a stock of sight words that helps them to read quickly and accurately with comprehension. By the end of the third grade, they demonstrate fluent oral reading, varying their intonation and timing as appropriate for the text.

1.A. This standard is a K-3 standard. Therefore, there are no benchmarks beyond third grade.

OH.2. Acquisition of Vocabulary: Students acquire vocabulary through exposure to language-rich situations, such as reading books and other texts and conversing with adults and peers. They use context clues, as well as direct explanations provided by others, to gain new words. They learn to apply word analysis skills to build and extend their own vocabulary. As students progress through the grades, they become more proficient in applying their knowledge of words (origins, parts, relationships, meanings) to acquire specialized vocabulary that aids comprehension.

2.A. Use context clues and text structures to determine the meaning of new vocabulary.

2.B. Infer word meaning through identification and analysis of analogies and other word relationships.

2.C. Apply knowledge of connotation and denotation to learn the meanings of words.

2.D. Use knowledge of symbols, acronyms, word origins and derivations to determine the meanings of unknown words.

2.E. Use knowledge of roots and affixes to determine the meanings of complex words.

2.F. Use multiple resources to enhance comprehension of vocabulary.

2.1. Grade Level Indicator: Contextual Understanding: Determine the meaning of unknown words by using a variety of context clues, including word, sentence and paragraph clues.

2.2. Grade Level Indicator: Contextual Understanding: Use context clues to determine the meaning of synonyms, antonyms, homophones, homonyms and homographs.

2.3. Grade Level Indicator: Conceptual Understanding: Recognize the difference between the meanings of connotation and denotation.

2.4. Grade Level Indicator: Conceptual Understanding: Identify and apply the meaning of the terms synonym, antonym, homophone and homograph.

2.5. Grade Level Indicator: Conceptual Understanding: Identify and understand new uses of words and phrases in text, such as similes and metaphors.

2.6. Grade Level Indicator: Structural Understanding: Identify word origins to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases.

2.7. Grade Level Indicator: Structural Understanding: Identify the meanings of prefixes, suffixes and roots and their various forms to determine the meanings of words.

2.8. Grade Level Indicator: Tools and Resources: Identify the meanings of abbreviations.

2.9. Grade Level Indicator: Tools and Resources: Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.

OH.3. Concepts of Print, Comprehension Strategies and Self-Monitoring Strategies: Students develop and learn to apply strategies that help them to comprehend and interpret informational and literary texts. Reading and learning to read are problem solving processes that require strategies for the reader to make sense of written language and remain engaged with texts. Beginners develop basic concepts about print (e.g., that print holds meaning) and how books work (e.g., text organization). As strategic readers, students learn to analyze and evaluate texts to demonstrate their understanding of text. Additionally, students learn to self-monitor their own comprehension by asking and answering questions about the text, self-correcting errors and assessing their own understanding. They apply these strategies effectively to assigned and self-selected texts read in and out of the classroom.

3.A. Determine a purpose for reading and use a range of reading comprehension strategies to better understand text.

3.B. Apply effective reading comprehension strategies, including summarizing and making predictions, and comparisons using information in text, between text and across subject areas.

3.C. Make meaning through asking and responding to a variety of questions related to text.

3.D. Apply self-monitoring strategies to clarify confusion about text and to monitor comprehension.

3.1. Grade Level Indicator: Comprehension Strategies: Establish and adjust purposes for reading, including to find out, to understand, to interpret, to enjoy and to solve problems.

3.2. Grade Level Indicator: Comprehension Strategies: Predict and support predictions using an awareness of new vocabulary, text structures and familiar plot patterns.

3.3. Grade Level Indicator: Comprehension Strategies: Compare and contrast information on a single topic or theme across different text and non-text resources.

3.4. Grade Level Indicator: Comprehension Strategies: Summarize important information in texts to demonstrate comprehension.

3.5. Grade Level Indicator: Comprehension Strategies: Make inferences or draw conclusions about what has been read and support those conclusions with textual evidence.

3.6. Grade Level Indicator: Comprehension Strategies: Select, create and use graphic organizers to interpret textual information.

3.7. Grade Level Indicator: Comprehension Strategies: Answer literal, inferential and evaluative questions to demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate print texts and electronic and visual media.

3.8. Grade Level Indicator: Self-Monitoring Strategies: Monitor own comprehension by adjusting speed to fit the purpose, or by skimming, scanning, reading on or looking back.

3.9. Grade Level Indicator: Self-Monitoring Strategies: List questions and search for answers within the text to construct meaning.

3.10. Grade Level Indicator: Independent Reading: Use criteria to choose independent reading materials (e.g., personal interest, knowledge of authors and genres or recommendations from others).

3.11. Grade Level Indicator: Independent Reading: Independently read books for various purposes (e.g., for enjoyment, for literary experience, to gain information or to perform a task).

OH.4. Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text: Students gain information from reading for purposes of learning about a subject, doing a job, making decisions and accomplishing a task. Students need to apply the reading process to various types of informational texts, including essays, magazines, newspapers, textbooks, instruction manuals, consumer and workplace documents, reference materials, multimedia and electronic resources. They learn to attend to text features, such as titles, subtitles and visual aids, to make predictions and build text knowledge. They learn to read diagrams, charts, graphs, maps and displays in text as sources of additional information. Students use their knowledge of text structure to organize content information, analyze it and draw inferences from it. Strategic readers learn to recognize arguments, bias, stereotyping and propaganda in informational text sources.

4.A. Use text features and graphics to organize, analyze and draw inferences from content and to gain additional information.

4.B. Recognize the difference between cause and effect and fact and opinion to analyze text.

4.C. Explain how main ideas connect to each other in a variety of sources.

4.D. Identify arguments and persuasive techniques used in informational text.

4.E. Explain the treatment, scope and organization of ideas from different texts to draw conclusions about a topic.

4.F. Determine the extent to which a summary accurately reflects the main idea, critical details and underlying meaning of original text.

4.1. Grade Level Indicator: Make inferences about informational text from the title page, table of contents and chapter headings.

4.2. Grade Level Indicator: Summarize main ideas in informational text, using supporting details as appropriate.

4.3. Grade Level Indicator: Locate important details about a topic, using different sources of information, including books, magazines, newspapers and online resources.

4.4. Grade Level Indicator: Identify examples of cause and effect used in informational text.

4.5. Grade Level Indicator: Draw conclusions from information in maps, charts, graphs and diagrams.

4.6. Grade Level Indicator: Clarify steps in a set of instructions or procedures for completeness.

4.7. Grade Level Indicator: Distinguish fact from opinion.

OH.5. Literary Text: Students enhance their understanding of the human story by reading literary texts that represent a variety of authors, cultures and eras. They learn to apply the reading process to the various genres of literature, including fables, folk tales, short stories, novels, poetry and drama. They demonstrate their comprehension by describing and discussing the elements of literature (e.g., setting, character and plot), analyzing the author's use of language (e.g., word choice and figurative language), comparing and contrasting texts, inferring theme and meaning and responding to text in critical and creative ways. Strategic readers learn to explain, analyze and critique literary text to achieve deep understanding.

5.A. Describe and analyze the elements of character development.

5.B. Analyze the importance of setting.

5.C. Identify the elements of plot and establish a connection between an element and a future event.

5.D. Differentiate between the points of view in narrative text.

5.E. Demonstrate comprehension by inferring themes, patterns and symbols.

5.F. Identify similarities and differences of various literary forms and genres.

5.G. Explain how figurative language expresses ideas and conveys mood.

5.1. Grade Level Indicator: Describe the thoughts, words and interactions of characters.

5.2. Grade Level Indicator: Identify the influence of setting on the selection.

5.3. Grade Level Indicator: Identify the main incidents of a plot sequence, identifying the major conflict and its resolution.

5.4. Grade Level Indicator: Identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first- and third-person narration.

5.5. Grade Level Indicator: Determine the theme and whether it is implied or stated directly.

5.6. Grade Level Indicator: Identify and explain the defining characteristics of literary forms and genres, including poetry, drama, fables, fantasies, chapter books, fiction and non-fiction.

5.7. Grade Level Indicator: Explain how an author's choice of words appeals to the senses and suggests mood.

5.8. Grade Level Indicator: Identify figurative language in literary works, including idioms, similes and metaphors.

OH.6. Writing Process: Students' writing develops when they regularly engage in the major phases of the writing process. The writing process includes the phases of prewriting, drafting, revising and editing and publishing. They learn to plan their writing for different purposes and audiences. They learn to apply their writing skills in increasingly sophisticated ways to create and produce compositions that reflect effective word and grammatical choices. Students develop revision strategies to improve the content, organization and language of their writing. Students also develop editing skills to improve writing conventions.

6.A. Generate ideas and determine a topic suitable for writing.

6.B. Determine audience and purpose for self-selected and assigned writing tasks.

6.C. Apply knowledge of graphics or other organizers to clarify ideas of writing assessments.

6.D. Spend the necessary amount of time to revisit, rework and refine pieces of writing.

6.E. Use revision strategies to improve the coherence of ideas, clarity of sentence structure and effectiveness of word choices.

6.F. Use a variety of resources and reference materials to select more effective vocabulary when editing.

6.G. Edit to improve sentence fluency, grammar and usage.

6.H. Apply tools to judge the quality of writing.

6.I. Prepare writing for publication that is legible, follows an appropriate format and uses techniques such as electronic resources and graphics.

6.1. Grade Level Indicator: Prewriting: Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material.

6.2. Grade Level Indicator: Prewriting: State and develop a clear main idea for writing.

6.3. Grade Level Indicator: Prewriting: Develop a purpose and audience for writing.

6.4. Grade Level Indicator: Prewriting: Use organizational strategies (e.g., brainstorming, lists, webs and Venn diagrams) to plan writing.

6.5. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Organize writing, beginning with an introduction, body and a resolution of plot, followed by a closing statement or a summary of important ideas and details.

6.6. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Vary simple, compound and complex sentence structures.

6.7. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Create paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting sentences that are marked by indentation) and are linked by transitional words and phrases.

6.8. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Vary language and style as appropriate to audience and purpose.

6.9. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Use available technology to compose text.

6.10. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Reread and assess writing for clarity, using a variety of methods (e.g., writer's circle or author's chair).

6.11. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Add descriptive words and details and delete extraneous information.

6.12. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Rearrange words, sentences and paragraphs to clarify meaning.

6.13. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Use resources and reference materials, including dictionaries, to select more effective vocabulary.

6.14. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Proofread writing and edit to improve conventions (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization) and identify and correct fragments and run-ons.

6.15. Grade Level Indicator: Drafting, Revising and Editing: Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

6.16. Grade Level Indicator: Publishing: Prepare for publication (e.g., for display or for sharing with others) writing that follows a format appropriate to the purpose, using techniques such as electronic resources and graphics to enhance the final product.

OH.7. Writing Applications: Students need to understand that various types of writing require different language, formatting and special vocabulary. Writing serves many purposes across the curriculum and takes various forms. Beginning writers learn about the various purposes of writing; they attempt and use a small range of familiar forms (e.g., letters). Developing writers are able to select text forms to suit purpose and audience. They can explain why some text forms are more suited to a purpose than others and begin to use content-specific vocabulary to achieve their communication goals. Proficient writers control effectively the language and structural features of a large repertoire of text forms. They deliberately choose vocabulary to enhance text and structure their writing according to audience and purpose.

7.A. Write narrative accounts that develop character, setting and plot.

7.B. Write responses to literature that summarize main ideas and significant details and support interpretations with references to the text.

7.C. Write formal and informal letters that include important details and follow correct letter format.

7.D. Write informational reports that include facts, details and examples that illustrate an important idea.

7.1. Grade Level Indicator: Write narratives that sequence events, including descriptive details and vivid language to develop plot, characters and setting and to establish a point of view.

7.2. Grade Level Indicator: Write responses to novels, stories and poems that include a simple interpretation of a literary work and support judgments with specific references to the original text and to prior knowledge.

7.3. Grade Level Indicator: Write formal and informal letters (e.g., thank you notes, letters of request) that follow letter format (e.g., date, proper salutation, body, closing and signature), include important information and demonstrate a sense of closure.

7.4. Grade Level Indicator: Write informational reports that include facts and examples and present important details in a logical order.

7.5. Grade Level Indicator: Produce informal writings (e.g., messages, journals, notes and poems) for various purposes.

OH.8. Writing Conventions: Students learn to master writing conventions through exposure to good models and opportunities for practice. Writing conventions include spelling, punctuation, grammar and other conventions associated with forms of written text. They learn the purpose of punctuation: to clarify sentence meaning and help readers know how writing might sound aloud. They develop and extend their understanding of the spelling system, using a range of strategies for spelling words correctly and using newly learned vocabulary in their writing. They grow more skillful at using the grammatical structures of English to effectively communicate ideas in writing and to express themselves.

8.A. Write legibly in finished drafts.

8.B. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly.

8.C. Use conventions of punctuation and capitalization in written work.

8.D. Use grammatical structures to effectively communicate ideas in writing.

8.1. Grade Level Indicator: Handwriting: Write legibly in cursive, spacing letters, words and sentences appropriately.

8.2. Grade Level Indicator: Spelling: Spell high-frequency words correctly.

8.3. Grade Level Indicator: Spelling: Spell plurals and inflectional endings correctly.

8.4. Grade Level Indicator: Spelling: Spell roots, suffixes and prefixes correctly.

8.5. Grade Level Indicator: Punctuation and Capitalization: Use commas, end marks, apostrophes and quotation marks correctly.

8.6. Grade Level Indicator: Punctuation and Capitalization: Use correct capitalization.

8.7. Grade Level Indicator: Grammar and Usage: Use various parts of speech such as nouns, pronouns and verbs (e.g., regular and irregular, past, present and future).

8.8. Grade Level Indicator: Grammar and Usage: Use conjunctions and interjections.

8.9. Grade Level Indicator: Grammar and Usage: Use adverbs.

8.10. Grade Level Indicator: Grammar and Usage: Use prepositions and prepositional phrases.

8.11. Grade Level Indicator: Grammar and Usage: Use objective and nominative case pronouns.

8.12. Grade Level Indicator: Grammar and Usage: Use subjects and verbs that are in agreement.

8.13. Grade Level Indicator: Grammar and Usage: Use irregular plural nouns.

OH.9. Research: Students define and investigate self-selected or assigned issues, topics and problems. They locate, select and make use of relevant information from a variety of media, reference and technological sources. Students use an appropriate form to communicate their findings.

9.A. Identify a topic of study, construct questions and determine appropriate sources for gathering information.

9.B. Select and summarize important information and sort key findings into categories about a topic.

9.C. Create a list of sources used for oral, visual, written or multimedia reports.

9.D. Communicate findings orally, visually and in writing or through multimedia.

9.1. Grade Level Indicator: Identify a topic and questions for research and develop a plan for gathering information.

9.2. Grade Level Indicator: Locate sources and collect relevant information from multiple sources (e.g., school library catalogs, online databases, electronic resources and Internet-based resources).

9.3. Grade Level Indicator: Identify important information found in the sources and summarize important findings.

9.4. Grade Level Indicator: Create categories to sort and organize relevant information charts, tables or graphic organizers.

9.5. Grade Level Indicator: Discuss the meaning of plagiarism and create a list of sources.

9.6. Grade Level Indicator: Use a variety of communication techniques, including oral, visual, written or multimedia reports, to present information gathered.

OH.10. Communications: Oral and Visual: Students learn to communicate effectively through exposure to good models and opportunities for practice. By speaking, listening and providing and interpreting visual images, they learn to apply their communication skills in increasingly sophisticated ways. Students learn to deliver presentations that effectively convey information and persuade or entertain audiences. Proficient speakers control language and deliberately choose vocabulary to clarify points and adjust presentations according to audience and purpose.

10.A. Demonstrate active listening strategies by asking clarifying questions and responding to questions with appropriate elaboration.

10.B. Respond to presentations and media messages by stating the purpose and summarizing main ideas.

10.C. Use clear and specific vocabulary to communicate ideas and to establish tone appropriate to the topic, audience and purpose.

10.D. Identify examples of facts and opinions and explain their differences.

10.E. Organize presentations to provide a beginning, middle and ending and include concrete details.

10.F. Clarify information in presentations through the use of important details from a variety of sources, effective organization and a clear focus.

10.G. Deliver a variety of presentations, using visual materials as appropriate.

10.1. Grade Level Indicator: Listening and Viewing: Demonstrate active listening strategies (e.g., asking focused questions, responding to cues, making visual contact).

10.2. Grade Level Indicator: Listening and Viewing: Recall the main idea, including relevant supporting details, and identify the purpose of presentations and visual media.

10.3. Grade Level Indicator: Listening and Viewing: Distinguish between a speaker's opinions and verifiable facts.

10.4. Grade Level Indicator: Speaking Skills and Strategies: Demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language.

10.5. Grade Level Indicator: Speaking Skills and Strategies: Select language appropriate to purpose and audience.

10.6. Grade Level Indicator: Speaking Skills and Strategies: Use clear diction and tone, and adjust volume and tempo to stress important ideas.

10.7. Grade Level Indicator: Speaking Skills and Strategies: Adjust speaking content according to the needs of the audience.

10.8. Grade Level Indicator: Speaking Applications: Deliver informational presentations (e.g., expository, research) that: present events or ideas in a logical sequence and maintain a clear focus; demonstrate an understanding of the topic; include relevant facts, details, examples, quotations, statistics, stories and anecdotes to clarify and explain information; organize information to include a clear introduction, body and conclusion; use appropriate visual materials (e.g., diagrams, charts, illustrations) and available technology; and draw from several sources and identify sources used.

10.9. Grade Level Indicator: Speaking Applications: Deliver formal and informal descriptive presentations recalling an event or personal experience that convey relevant information and descriptive details.