Search the California Content Standards

Standard:
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Use interrogative, relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why). CA b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses. c. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various conditions. d. Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag). e. Form and use prepositional phrases. f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.* g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).* h. Write fluidly and legibly in cursive or joined italics. CA

Footnote:
Beginning in grade 3, skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*).

Standard:
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use correct capitalization. b. Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. c. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Standard:
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Standard:
Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

Standard:
Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Standard:
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. (See grade 4 Language standards 4–6 for additional expectations.) CA

Standard:
Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

Standard:
Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.

Standard:
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Standard:
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.