Seattle Public Schools

Family Learning Guide

4th Grade

A Family Guide to 4th Grade

In every grade, SPS’ core work is supporting student learning. We believe it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes to ensure that every child, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, language proficiency, learning style or disability, achieves to their highest level. 

Fourth grade is a time for growth! Your child is beginning to develop the skills to manage and initiate their own learning, and you may be surprised by the new interests they discover.

To support learning, it is helpful to ask open-ended questions, the kind that cannot be answered by “yes” or “no.”

Fourth graders are often eager to show what they know, so encourage your child to describe what they are doing in class through drawing, writing or demonstrating new skills or ideas, as well as talking about them.

Your child’s teachers can help you understand more about the topics that interest or challenge them, and you can share about their habits. Do they like to move around, be part of a group, or have a quiet space when they read or study? Do they like competition or do they work better without pressure?

Important Dates

September

  • 1st day of school

November

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences

December

  • End of 1st Trimester; 1st Progress Report Available

March

  • End of 2nd Trimester; 2nd Progress Report Available

June

  • End of 3rd Trimester; 3rd Progress Report Available

View the full school year calendar

Student Progress Reports

The clear learning standards in the report card may help your 4th grader. Children this age can make plans and connections, think deeply, and understand more complex ideas. They can talk with you about why they are or are not meeting expectations in each area, and you can challenge them to think about how they can improve their skills. By sharing ideas, teachers and families discover new ways to motivate learning.

Teachers and families should pay attention to social-emotional skills and learning readiness expectations and understand academic goals in language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education and arts. Fourth graders who see what they need to know and feel confident and supported will make progress!

How to Access Progress Reports

Families will use The Source to view Student Progress Reports.

Parent and guardians can create an account with the email on record at their student’s school.

Student Success by Subject

Social Emotional Learning

At Seattle Public Schools we believe that social emotional learning prepares students for learning and life.

Three students stand together with a school mascot Orca

Social emotional learning (SEL) helps children:
• Manage emotions, show empathy
• Develop a healthy identity
• Make responsible decisions
• Have positive relationships
• Contribute to their community

These skills are important for learning and life.
At school, students learn and practice SEL skills throughout the day.

More about social emotional learning at SPS.

At home, remember:

  • Saying how you feel makes it easier to make choices. Children and adults can talk about their thoughts, how their body feels, and their emotions every day so it’s easier during times of stress.
  • Setting and celebrating goals makes it more fun to get things done. Learn from mistakes and pay attention to what works so you can do more of it!
  • Solving problems with kindness gives us a chance to understand each other and practice being “our best selves”

Reading and Writing

In English language arts (ELA), 4th grade students learn to:

  • Independently read different types, or genres, of writing 
  • Summarize their reading 
  • Find the main idea and share details from the text to support their thinking 
  • Think about a character’s actions and how they impact the story 
  • Read and comprehend grade-level texts accurately and fluently, figuring out the meaning of unknown words 
  • Write about their opinions or information with facts and details 
  • Work to plan and edit to make writing clearer and more organized 
  • Write for different purposes and audiences 
  • Take part in collaborative classroom conversations 

Read more about language arts at SPS.

  • Create a reading space that is comfortable and free from distraction 
  • Ask your child to share details and examples or compare and contrast characters from what they read 
  • Encourage your child to write and read their writing to you 
  • Talk about current events and share ideas and opinions together 
  • Go to the library and encourage your child to try different types of books and tell you about them 
How Can Families Help Students in ELA

Encourage your child to read 20 minutes or more every day.

Math

A student sites at a desk wearing a mask in a classroom

In 4th grade math, students will build on their 3rd grade understanding of the base-10 number system, multiplication, and fractions to: 

  • Understand and use properties of the four operations to solve single and multistep problems involving whole numbers
  • Demonstrate understanding of place value for multi-digit whole numbers
  • Multiply multi-digit numbers using place value understanding and properties of operations
  • Divide multi-digit numbers by single digit numbers using place value understanding, properties of operations, and the inverse relationship between multiplication and division
  • Fluently add and subtract within 1,000,000 
  • Understand fraction equivalence and use it to compare fractions
  • Build fractions from unit fractions (i.e., 1/3, 1/4, 1/8) using addition and multiplication 
  • Multiply a fraction by a whole number
  • Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators of 10 or 100
  • Compare two decimals to the hundredths place
  • Solve problems involving measurement including conversion from a larger unit to a smaller unit 
  • Understand concept of angle and measure angles

We believe all students have mathematical brilliance. Your child’s teacher seeks to cultivate brilliance to develop your child into a mathematical thinker and problem solver. Your child will see who sees the value of math in their life.

More about elementary math at SPS.

Science

What are 3rd graders learning in science?

This is a time for transition in science education, with teaching and learning focused on three key areas in Washington state Science Learning Standards:

  1. Science/engineering practices used by professionals to explain the world or solve problems
  2. Core ideas that include fundamental scientific knowledge
  3. Crosscutting concepts frame scientific thinking across life, earth/space, physical sciences.

Your child’s report card shows performance expectations, for what students should be able to do by the end of a unit. The three dimensions are woven into each performance expectation.

More about elementary science at SPS.

  • Ask open-ended questions and take time to encourage thoughtful answers: “Tell me about what you made.” “What do you think caused the change?” “Can you think of a different way to do it?”
  • Observe carefully and notice small details about natural and physical things like shapes in a spider web or types of bread.
  • Make predictions and test how things work “How long will an ice cube last on the counter?” “Will it melt faster on another surface?”
  • Encourage investigation. Try taking things apart to see how they work – from flowers to old appliances. Don’t worry about putting them back together!
  • Let your child teach you by explaining or modeling through drawing, writing, or conversation.
  • Challenge your student to argue from evidence. This is not fighting but using facts to explain their thinking. Ask: “How do you know that?” “Why is that so?”

3-5 Parent Guide (English)

Preparar a los estudiantes para que tengan éxito (Spanish 3-5)

Engage in Science at Home

Get outside together, taking time to notice, appreciate, and wonder about the natural world.

Social Studies

What’s important about 4th grade social studies?

The report card shows five areas of social studies that you and your child can discuss.

  • Civics – Understanding how governments are organized into levels; rights and responsibilities in the WA State Constitution 
  • Economics – Understanding WA State economy, environment, and population 
  • Geography – Understanding physical and 
  • cultural characteristics of Pacific Northwest 
  • History – Using multiple perspectives to learn about Washington State history 
  • Social Studies Skills – using questions and multiple sources to find information, and make conclusions 

More about social studies at SPS.

Physical Education

In physical education (PE), students build movement skills, knowledge, fitness, social well being, and confidence so they can enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle. Seattle Public Schools is committed to providing a quality physical education program to help students develop in these areas. 

Our PE standards are based on motor and movement patterns and skills, as well as concepts like physical literacy, which is the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life. PE is an instructional program, which makes it different from recess, free play, recreational sports, or athletics.

PE teachers work with general education teachers to provide high quality instruction for an average of 100 minutes per week, which is required by Washington state law. Schools organize PE times in different ways, but all students should be learning about their physical selves all year long! 

More about physical education at SPS.

Visual and Performing Arts

Research shows that students with an arts education are more engaged, do better in school, and are more likely to graduate and participate in community life. In Seattle Public Schools, we want every student to receive a comprehensive, predictable arts education during their K-12 years.

Each elementary school offers different arts programs, from possibilities including visual arts, general music, theatre, dance, or instrumental music.

Progress report standards come from the Washington state Arts Learning Standards, which focus on aspects of artistic process:

  • Creating: developing new artistic ideas and work.
  • Performing: interpreting and presenting artistic ideas / work
  • Responding: understanding and evaluating meaning in the arts
  • Connecting: Relating personally to artistic ideas and work

The arts are a core subject!

More about arts education at SPS.

  • Ask your children what they created today. 
  • Have your child describe what their art is about. 
  • Art is an area children experiment and make mistakes. 
  • Ask them to tell you about a “beautiful oops” 
  • Make art together! 
Support the arts at home!

Make art together!