Homeschool 4th Grade

Theme, motive and deeper inference

States what a story is really about beyond the plot, and explains why characters act as they do.

How non-fiction is organised

Spots cause-and-effect, compare-and-contrast, sequence and problem-solution structures, and uses headings and diagrams.

Greek and Latin roots

Uses roots — port, dict, scrib, aqua, geo, tele, bio — to unlock unfamiliar words.

Summarising without retelling

Reduces a chapter or article to a few sentences, keeping only what matters.

Writing with evidence from a text

Makes a claim and supports it with a quotation or specific detail, then explains the link.

Researching and taking notes in your own words

Finds information from two sources, notes it in their own words, and says where it came from.

Sentence variety and grammar that carries meaning

Mixes short and long sentences, uses conjunctions and commas correctly, and avoids run-ons.

Multi-digit multiplication

Multiplies 3-digit by 1-digit and 2-digit by 2-digit, and can explain the partial products.

Division with remainders

Divides up to four digits by one digit, and interprets what the remainder means in context.

Factors, multiples and prime numbers

Lists factors of a number, knows what makes a number prime, and finds common multiples.

Adding and subtracting fractions

Adds and subtracts fractions with the same denominator, and with related denominators like halves and quarters.

Multiplying a fraction by a whole number

Works out 3 × 2/5 and understands it as repeated addition of a fraction.

Decimals — tenths and hundredths

Reads, writes, compares and orders decimals, and links 0.5 to 1/2 and 0.25 to 1/4.

Angles, lines and symmetry

Measures angles with a protractor, classifies them, and finds lines of symmetry.

Unit conversion and measurement problems

Converts between units — cm and m, g and kg, minutes and hours — and uses them in problems.

Energy transfer and simple circuits

Traces energy from source to effect, and builds a complete circuit that lights a bulb.

Erosion, rocks and reading the landscape

Explains how water, ice and wind change land over time, and what fossils and rock layers tell us.

Waves, and how information travels

Describes waves by amplitude and wavelength, and explains how sound and light carry information.

Regions, states and physical geography

Locates regions, describes their physical features, and links them to economy and settlement.

How government works and what citizens do

Names the branches of government, what each does, and how an ordinary person can influence a decision.

Taking notes that are actually useful

Records key points in short phrases with structure, not full sentences copied verbatim.

Breaking a big project into days

Takes a two-week assignment and plans backwards into daily steps.