Literacy Skills by Grade: Fourth Grade

Summer break is in full swing for your fourth grader. Did they build the recommended literacy skills for a fourth grade student?

ASHA, the American Speech Hearing Association*, suggests fourth grade children should be able to use a dictionary and other reference books, as well as online resources. They should think about and discuss the author's purpose in writing a book. They should read and understand various types of works, such as fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction and poetry. Expect them to be able to compare and contrast different writings. A third grader should use words they know to find the meaning of a new word, such as "frigid" from the word "refrigerator." Also, they should be able to distill what they have read into a short explanation with the main ideas and details.

When writing, expect a fourth grader to take short notes. They should be able to write stories with many paragraphs on the same topic. Their writing should be planned with a beginning, middle and ending. They should be able to write the main idea of a story. At this age, they should be able to use a keyboard for writing words and sentences, and know where to find some letters on the keyboard. Expect of them to be able to edit their writing for grammar, punctuation and spelling both on paper and on a computer.

Does your fourth grader meet these literacy progression milestones? If not, summer break can be a great time to enhance their literacy skills and prepare them for the fifth grade.

* "Watch My Literacy Skills Grow: Fourth Grade.", American Speech Hearing Association. 6 June 2018. https://www.asha.org/uploadedImages/Literacy-Skills-Fourth-Grade.jpg