1. In Grade 4, students spend significant blocks of time engaged in reading and writing independently. Fourth grade students are critical listeners and analyze a speaker's intent such as to entertain or to persuade. When speaking, they adapt their language to the audience, purpose, and occasion. Students continue to read classic and contemporary selections. Fourth grade students read with a growing interest in a wide variety of topics and adjust their reading approach to various forms of texts. Students expand their vocabulary systematically across the curriculum. Students read for meaning and can paraphrase texts. Students are able to connect, compare, and contrast ideas. Fourth grade students can identify and follow varied text structures such as chronologies and cause and effect. Students produce summaries of texts and engage in more sophisticated analysis of characters, plots, and settings. Fourth grade students are able to select and use different forms of writing for specific purposes such as to inform, persuade, or entertain. Their writing takes on style and voice. Fourth grade students write in complete sentences. Students vary sentence structure and use adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, and conjunctions. Fourth grade students are proficient spellers. Students edit their writing based on their knowledge of grammar and usage, spelling, punctuation, and other conventions of written language. Students can produce a final, polished copy of a written composition. Fourth grade students understand and use visual media and can compare and contrast visual media to print.
2. For fourth grade students whose first language is not English, the students' native language serves as a foundation for English language acquisition.
3. The essential knowledge and skills as well as the student expectations for Grade 4 are described in subsection (b) of this section. Following each statement of a student expectation is a parenthetical notation that indicates the additional grades at which these expectations are demonstrated at increasingly sophisticated levels.
4. To meet Public Education Goal 1 of the Texas Education Code, §4.002, which states, "The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing of the English language," students will accomplish the essential knowledge and skills as well as the student expectations for Grade 4 as described in subsection (b) of this section.
5. To meet Texas Education Code, §28.002(h), which states, ". . . each school district shall foster the continuation of the tradition of teaching United States and Texas history and the free enterprise system in regular subject matter and in reading courses and in the adoption of textbooks," students will be provided oral and written narratives as well as other informational texts that can help them to become thoughtful, active citizens who appreciate the basic democratic values of our state and nation.

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