4th grade: a year of reading, building and discovering
A complete fourth grade year in 36 weeks, about 180 school days, from September to June. Each month has a theme that ties reading, writing, math, science and social studies together, with hands-on lessons you can run at home or in a classroom using everyday materials.
Find today’s plan
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The year
Every month from September to June has day-by-day plans with steps, materials, standards and a printable page, plus a month overview and a plan for each week.
- SeptemberWelcome / My Region and MapsWeeks 1–4Day-by-day plans
- OctoberFall / Earth's Changing SurfaceWeeks 5–8Day-by-day plans
- NovemberFamily and Gratitude / Energy and MotionWeeks 9–11Day-by-day plans
- DecemberWinter Holidays / Waves and SoundWeeks 12–14Day-by-day plans
- JanuaryNew Year / Plant and Animal StructuresWeeks 15–18Day-by-day plans
- FebruaryFriendship / Ecosystems and ResourcesWeeks 19–22Day-by-day plans
- MarchSpring / Fossils and Earth's HistoryWeeks 23–26Day-by-day plans
- AprilEarth and Environment / Renewable EnergyWeeks 27–30Day-by-day plans
- MayOceans / Inventors and TechnologyWeeks 31–34Day-by-day plans
- JuneReview and CelebrationWeeks 35–36Day-by-day plans
A 4th grade day
Every day plan follows the same order, so children know what comes next. Short on time? Do the morning meeting, phonics, reading and math (about 75 minutes), and fold science or social studies into the read-aloud.
| Time block | How long | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Morning meeting | 10–15 min | Calendar, question of the day, a quick fluency or math warm-up |
| Word study | 15–20 min | Syllables, prefixes, suffixes, Greek and Latin roots, spelling |
| Reading workshop | 25–30 min | Read-aloud or shared text, a mini-lesson, independent reading and discussion |
| Math | 35–45 min | Warm-up, lesson with models, guided practice, a math center |
| Science or social studies | 25–30 min | Investigations, maps, primary sources and discussion (they alternate across the week) |
| Writing | 25–30 min | Mini-lesson, drafting, conferring and sharing |
| Centers and independent practice | 20–30 min | Choice centers, reading, practice and a short game |
| Closing circle | 5–10 min | Reflect, celebrate and preview tomorrow |
Every child, every level
If reading is hard
Read the text aloud first, then have your child reread it with you. Keep word study short and daily, break long words into syllables with a pencil, and let your child answer out loud before writing. Audiobooks for the read-aloud are fine; the thinking matters more than decoding every word.
If math is hard
Go back to models: base-ten blocks, grid paper, fraction strips and drawings. Use smaller numbers with the same steps (12 × 4 before 312 × 4), keep a multiplication chart nearby while facts are growing, and practice facts for five minutes a day through games instead of long worksheets.
Tips for grown-ups
- Read together every day, even for ten minutes, and talk about what you read.
- Practice multiplication facts a few minutes a day with games, cards or dice.
- Ask your child to explain how they solved a problem; explaining builds understanding.
- Connect lessons to real life: maps on a drive, fractions in recipes, energy at home.
- Praise effort and strategies, not just right answers, and keep a folder of work to see growth.
Next: 2nd grade. Ready for what comes after 4th grade? See the 2nd grade year plan.