4th Grade Education: How to Jump Start 4th Grade Learning

Helping Your Child Succeed in the 4th Grade

What Can My Child Expect to Learn in the 4th Grade?

The material that your 4th grader will be learning depends on the curriculum that your local school district and state education board has agreed upon. For this reason, the education standards for the 4th grade can vary depending upon what state you live in and whether your child is in public or private school.

However, 4th graders typically learn to identify the theme of stories and use evidence from the text to support their claims. Students may also develop oral communication skills by completing a presentation in class. At this age, students advance their writing skills by writing opinion, informative and even narrative pieces.

In math, 4th graders multiply and divide multi-digit numbers. They also begin to add and subtract fractions with like denominators. Finally, students measure angles using a protractor.

How Can I Help My Child Improve His or Her Study Skills?

There are many things that you can do around the house to help your child improve his or her study skills. If possible, create a space dedicated to studying. Make sure that it's calm, clean, organized and free of distractions like television and electronic devices. Sit with your child and go over all new lessons each day and make sure that you maintain a consistent study and homework schedule around the house.

How Can My Child Get Ready for Standardized Tests?

Your child's progress throughout the 4th grade is often directly reflected in his or her success when taking standardized tests at the end of the year. Maintain a close relationship with you child's school and teachers to identify your child's strengths and weaknesses. In addition, check your child's work regularly to make sure that he or she is learning and improving.

When the standardized test is approaching, practice tests can be quite useful. You can usually get them from your child's teachers or your state's Department of Education. Administer these tests at home to get your child used to testing and in order to determine how you can most help your child.

What Other Resources Are There?

If your child is struggling in any given subject or in general, there are many ways to find help, such as learning, education and youth centers with after school programs. In addition, many websites are designed to help children practice the 4th grade learning standards with flash cards, games, worksheets and activities.

You might also consider hiring a tutor. There are many kinds of tutors available. It's usually important to determine what kind of tutor your child will benefit from. Talk to your child's teachers and counselors to find out what the best course of action is likely to be to help your child get the most out of the 4th grade.