Our Curriculum › Reading › 4th Grade
Reading 4
Fourth grade reading centers on theme, character and point of view in stories, myths, a poem and a play, plus the five ways nonfiction is organized. Most days after the first two months are read-a-passage-and-answer practice.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
6 units
Each opens to its lessons
88 readings
Stories, articles, myths, a poem, a play
Standards
Common Core Grade 4 reading
What's taught, unit by unit
Theme, narrators, figurative language & mythsDays 1–30
Theme, character traits from actions, first- vs. third-person narration, similes, metaphors, idioms, proverbs and myths from different cultures. Nonfiction structures (cause and effect, problem and solution, chronology, comparison), firsthand vs. secondhand accounts, poetry vs. prose, allusions and combining two texts.
- 1 · Welcome to Reading 4!
- 2 · Understanding Theme
- 3 · Reading a Story: The Science Fair Disaster
- 4 · Character Traits from Actions
- 6 · First-Person vs. Third-Person Narration
- 7 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Great Migration of Monarch Butterflies
- 8 · Text Structure: Cause and Effect
- 9 · Similes and Metaphors
- 11 · Idioms
- 12 · Adages and Proverbs
- 13 · Reading a Myth: Why the Owl Hunts at Night
- 14 · Comparing Myths Across Cultures
- 16 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Chocolate Is Made
- 17 · Firsthand vs. Secondhand Accounts
- 18 · Text Structure: Problem and Solution
- 19 · Poetry vs. Prose
- 21 · Text Structure: Chronology
- 22 · Text Structure: Comparison
- 23 · Comparing 1st and 3rd Person Narration in Practice
- 24 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Longest River in the World
- 26 · Reading a Story: The Talent Show Twist
- 27 · Word Meaning: Mythological Allusions
- 28 · Integrating Information from Two Texts
- 29 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Volcanoes Erupt
Plus 6 review days, not listed.
Poems, plays, word choice & summarizingDays 31–50
Reading a poem and a play excerpt, harder context clues, tone and word choice, inference with evidence, summarizing nonfiction, and comparing themes in two myths (including Arachne). Each week adds a story and an article.
- 31 · Reading a Poem
- 32 · Reading a Play Excerpt
- 33 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Bridges Are Built
- 34 · Reading a Story: The Missing Trophy
- 36 · Determining Word Meaning from Context: Harder Words
- 37 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Deepest Caves
- 38 · Reading a Story: The New Kid's Secret Talent
- 39 · Summarizing Nonfiction Texts
- 41 · Reading a Story: The Team Project Struggle
- 42 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Bees Make Honey
- 43 · Analyzing Word Choice and Tone
- 44 · Reading a Story: The Substitute's Surprise
- 46 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The World's Tallest Trees
- 47 · Making Inferences with Evidence
- 48 · Reading a Story: The Recycling Challenge
- 49 · Comparing Themes Across Two Myths
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Passage practice: setting, purpose & central ideaDays 51–85
Weekly story-and-article pairs (Great Wall, airplanes, coral reefs, glaciers) with focus skills: how setting shapes a story, author's purpose, multiple-meaning words, central idea in longer texts and supporting details.
- 51 · Reading a Story: The Piano Recital Panic
- 52 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Great Wall of China
- 53 · Analyzing How Setting Affects a Story
- 54 · Reading a Story: The Wrong Bus
- 56 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Airplanes Fly
- 57 · Reading a Longer Story: The Camping Rescue
- 58 · Determining Author's Purpose
- 59 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Sahara Desert
- 61 · Reading a Story: The Group Chat Mix-Up
- 62 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Human Heart
- 63 · Determining Meaning of Multiple-Meaning Words
- 64 · Reading a Story: The Class Election
- 66 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Coral Reefs
- 67 · Reading a Longer Story: The Talent Show Understudy
- 68 · Determining Central Idea in Longer Nonfiction
- 69 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Recycling Works
- 71 · Reading a Story: The Lost Backpack
- 72 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Octopus Intelligence
- 73 · Reading a Story: The Science Project Partner
- 74 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Glaciers Shape the Land
- 76 · Reading a Longer Story: The Bake Sale Fundraiser
- 77 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The International Space Station
- 78 · Identifying Supporting Details
- 79 · Reading a Story: The Rainy Day Plan
- 81 · Reading a Story: The Chess Tournament
- 82 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Elephant Memory
- 83 · Reading a Story: The Broken Promise
- 84 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Panama Canal
Plus 7 review days, not listed.
Comprehension Olympics, cause chains & featuresDays 86–125
Timed comprehension "Olympics" rounds, cause-and-effect chains, text features, and summarizing longer texts. The rest are story and article pairs (penguins, brain, pyramids, Mariana Trench), many with theme or main-idea questions.
- 86 · Reading Comprehension Olympics: Round 1
- 87 · Reading a Longer Story: The School Newspaper
- 88 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Bridges Stay Up
- 89 · Reading Comprehension Olympics: Round 2
- 91 · Reading a Story: The Missing Library Book
- 92 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Penguins
- 93 · Reading a Story: The Group Project
- 94 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Human Brain
- 96 · Analyzing Cause and Effect Chains
- 97 · Reading a Longer Story: The Camping Trip Surprise
- 98 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Ancient Pyramids
- 99 · Reading a Story: The New Neighbor
- 101 · Reading a Story: The Spelling Bee
- 102 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Elephants
- 103 · Reading a Story: The Piano Recital
- 104 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Mount Everest
- 106 · Understanding Text Features
- 107 · Reading a Longer Story: The Lemonade Stand
- 108 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Panama Canal Locks
- 109 · Reading a Story: The Forgotten Homework
- 111 · Reading a Story: The Chess Champion
- 112 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Dolphins
- 113 · Reading a Story: The Broken Bike
- 114 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Great Barrier Reef
- 116 · Summarizing a Longer Text
- 117 · Reading a Longer Story: The School Play
- 118 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Rainbows Form
- 119 · Reading a Story: The Talent Everyone Forgot
- 121 · Reading a Story: The Robot Building Contest
- 122 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Giant Sequoia Trees
- 123 · Reading a Story: The Missing Trophy Case Key
- 124 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Mariana Trench
Plus 8 review days, not listed.
More passages & self-assessmentDays 126–145
Two more Olympics rounds, story and article pairs (Eiffel Tower, bats, Northern Lights, glass), a reading skills self-assessment and a year-highlights look-back, then theme and text-structure passages.
- 126 · Reading Comprehension Olympics: Round 3
- 127 · Reading a Longer Story: The Backyard Campout
- 128 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How the Eiffel Tower Was Built
- 129 · Reading Comprehension Olympics: Round 4
- 131 · Reading a Story: The Karate Belt Test
- 132 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Bats
- 133 · Reading a Story: The Rained-Out Game
- 134 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Northern Lights
- 136 · Reading Skills Self-Assessment
- 137 · Reading a Longer Story: The Science Museum Volunteer
- 138 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Glass Is Made
- 139 · Reading Year Highlights
- 141 · Reading a Story: The First Day at a New School
- 142 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Amazon River
- 143 · Reading a Story: The Kindness Chain
- 144 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Volcanic Islands
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Trivia finale, portfolio & year-endDays 146–180
Seven trivia finale rounds on new passages, designing a reading quiz, choosing a favorite book, a portfolio, a letter to next year's student, summer book choices and farewell days. A few more passages are mixed in.
- 146 · Reading 4 Trivia Finale: Round 1 — The Lighthouse Keeper's Promise
- 147 · Reading 4 Trivia Finale: Round 2 — Two Reports from the Same Storm
- 148 · Design Your Own Reading Quiz
- 149 · Reading 4 Year in Review
- 150 · Reading 4: 150 Days!
- 151 · Choosing Your Favorite Book of the Year
- 152 · Reading 4 Trivia Finale: Round 3
- 153 · Reading 4 Portfolio: Choose Your Best Work
- 154 · Reading a Story: The Last Day of Summer
- 156 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Sahara's Sand Dunes
- 157 · Reading 4 Trivia Finale: Round 4
- 158 · Getting Excited for Reading 5
- 159 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Recycling Around the World
- 161 · Reading a Story: The Perfect Gift
- 162 · Reading 4 Trivia Finale: Round 5
- 163 · A Letter to Next Year's Reading Student
- 164 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Paper Is Made
- 166 · Reading Skills You're Most Proud Of
- 167 · Reading 4 Trivia Finale: Round 6
- 168 · Reading a Story: One More Practice Passage
- 169 · Celebrating a Year of Reading
- 171 · Reading a Story: The Last Piece of the Puzzle
- 172 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The World's Longest Rivers
- 173 · Reading 4 Trivia Finale: Final Round
- 174 · Choosing a Book for Summer Reading
- 176 · Reading 4 Year in Review: Final Reflection
- 177 · Sharing Your Reading Portfolio
- 178 · One Last Family Reading Session
- 179 · Preparing for Reading 5
- 180 · Reading 4 Complete! Final Celebration
Plus 5 review days, not listed.
By the end of the year, your child can
- Find the theme of a story and support it with details
- Compare first- and third-person narration and different points of view
- Explain the structure of a nonfiction text (chronology, comparison, cause and effect, problem and solution)
- Explain idioms, similes, metaphors and proverbs in context
- Summarize a story or article and support an inference with text evidence
- Compare two myths or two accounts of the same event
Other 4th Grade subjects: Math 4 · Writing 4 · Science 4 · History 4