4th Grade NJSLA Language Arts Reading Comprehension Standards

4th Grade NJSLA Language Arts Standards: Reading Comprehension

The New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (NJSLA-ELA) are designed to prepare students for college and career readiness by focusing on essential skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. One of the key aspects of the 4th grade NJSLA-ELA standards is reading comprehension.

Understanding Texts

4th grade students are expected to understand and apply the knowledge of sounds, letters, and words in written English to become independent and fluent readers. They should be able to recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters and that words are separated by spaces in print.

Reading Strategies

Students in the 4th grade should set a purpose for reading and check to verify or change predictions during or after reading. They should actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding, and participate in discussions about texts.

Interpreting Texts

In the 4th grade, students are expected to distinguish cause/effect, fact/opinion, and main idea/supporting details in interpreting texts. They should be able to interpret information in graphs, charts, and diagrams, and recognize how authors use humor, sarcasm, and imagery to extend meaning.

Comprehension Skills and Response to Text

Students in the 4th grade are expected to recognize first-person 'I' point of view, compare and contrast story plots, characters, settings, and themes. Additionally, they should participate in creative responses to texts (e.g., dramatizations, oral presentations), and read regularly in materials appropriate for their independent reading level.

Fluency

4th grade students should be able to read longer texts and chapter books independently and silently, and read aloud with proper phrasing, inflection, and intonation.

Reading in Context

The 4th grade NJSLA-ELA standards emphasize reading in context, with a focus on understanding the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear, and recognizing common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).

Assessments

To measure students' progress in reading comprehension, the NJSLA-ELA includes one prose constructed response item for each of the tasks that appear on the Performance-Based Assessment. Teachers can reference the scoring rubrics as they review the three prose constructed responses.

In conclusion, the 4th grade NJSLA-ELA standards for reading comprehension are designed to help students become independent and fluent readers, develop essential reading strategies, and interpret texts with understanding. By focusing on these skills, the standards aim to prepare students for college and career readiness.