4th Grade - Catching Up a Struggling Reader - How to Teach Reading and Writing

These are my recommendations for struggling readers.

This page will guide you in helping your child meet 4th-grade reading expectations. These recommendations are based on the science of reading.

If your child is more than a year below grade level, follow my recommendations for grade 2 or grade 3 instead, which will provide a stronger foundation.

Home support plays a critical role in a child’s academic success. A 4th grader who did not develop strong foundational skills can still catch up. By actively engaging in your child’s learning journey and following these recommendations, you can reinforce what they are taught in school, boost their confidence, and create positive learning habits. The resources here will empower you with practical tools to make learning fun, effective, and meaningful at home.

Parents and Teachers! Check out the skills children need in their grade!

1. Phonics

Teach syllabication rules. These are fun and will help your child sound out any word. If you are really ambitious, check this out!

Teach decoding and spelling in this reading and spelling order. Master each column before moving on.

Here is another phonics by grade level.

2. Read Decodable Texts—Tap and Blend to Figure Out Unknown Words!

Decodable texts are here. Decodable texts will help solidify phonics patterns for spelling!

UFLI is my favorite decodable resource.

UFLI Decodable Passages: Reinforcing Phonics Through Reading and Writing
Learn phonics through the UFLI passages. UFLI passages align with systematic phonics instruction, providing students with targeted practice on each new phonics skill. Every word in a passage can be decoded and should also be written, reinforcing sound-spelling patterns through both reading and writing. As skills build, students develop accuracy, fluency, and confidence with connected text.

ALL UFLI Decodables on One PDF 8-128 (There are no decodables for lessons before 8.) For context, grade 2 is considered Lessons 38-128. Start where you need to.
Supplemental Decodable Texts—these are more challenging.

Research shows decodable texts are the BEST way to learn to read!

Decodable texts are categorized under the phonics approach within the science of reading. When students decode words, they break them down and figure out how to pronounce them. Whenever your child is struggling to read a word, have them sound it out. Not all words have regular spelling patterns, but most words have parts that are decodable.

When reading any text…

No more than 10 errors per 100 words, including words you had to tell your child, are acceptable.
The child must also demonstrate comprehension. 4th graders should be able to retell, state the author’s lesson, and describe the most important event and why in any story they read.
Reading at an appropriate rate (words per minute) is essential. When fluency is achieved, comprehension can occur.

Words Read Correctly Per Minute for Grade 4

To calculate words correct per minute, follow this formula.

___ words in the passage read correctly divided by ___ seconds it took to read X 60 = __ WCPM

For example, say your child read 207 words correctly. The child read it in 3 minutes and 25 seconds, which is 205 seconds. 207 divided by 205 is approximately 1.0 words per second x 60 = 60 WCPM!

What Counts as an Error?

Mispronounced words
Skipped words
Words read out of order
Substitutions
Words not self-corrected within 3 seconds

Do NOT count:

Repetitions
Self-corrections (if within a few seconds)

This table shows approximate percentile ranks for correct words per minute at 3 points during the school year. The average 4th grader should be reading 94 words correctly per minute in the fall, 120 in the winter, and 133 in the spring.

* WCPM = Words Correct Per Minute

3. Sight Words

By the fourth grade, your child should be able to read and spell all the Dolch sight words. If not, they should read, reread, and reread:

220 Dolch Words in One Story

and

Decodable-Dolch-Sight-Word-Stories-Preprimer-Grade-3

For more sight word stories, click here.

4. Vocabulary for 4th Graders

Fourth graders need to know the meanings of these words, taken from the Marzano list.

And the meaning of these words, taken from WORDS TO KNOW BY GRADE LEVEL. Look for the grade 4 list.

5. Are you looking for a tech option?

Lexia Core 5 is a well-respected app used in many schools. It is available as a home version and costs $175 for a one-year subscription. My school uses it, and I highly recommend it! It goes up to grade 5 and addresses all areas of reading.

Lexia Core 5 is a research-proven computer program that accelerates the development of literacy skills for students of all abilities, helping them make the critical shift from learning to read to reading to learn. It has 21 levels, spanning from preschool through grade 5. It is based on the science of reading. Each level comprises five areas, including automaticity/fluency, comprehension, phonics, phonological awareness, and vocabulary. Each level should be completed within 5.5 to 9 hours.

6. Read Aloud or Listen to Online Texts—Put the Closed Captioning On

Read aloud more complex books to your child, or have your child listen to books online—not decodable texts—on topics they enjoy to instill a love of reading, improve listening comprehension, and grow vocabulary. 4th-grade reading and listening comprehension are based on:

Here are Grade 4 Common Core State Standards question stems to help you discuss different books with your child. These stems are used in school.

We administer the free DIBELS 8 three times a year.

1 Minute Oral Reading Fluency—Can the child read 125 words correctly in a story with at least 96% accuracy by June?
3-Minute Maze Comprehension—The student reads a story that is missing words. Each time a word is missing, the student selects the correct missing word from three words.

The minimum scores to pass:

Here are some additional free literacy assessments for your child.