4th Grade - Catching Up a Struggling Reader - Get back to the HOME PAGE here!

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.

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 by following these recommendations, you can reinforce what they are taught in school, boost their confidence, and help create positive learning habits. The resources here will empower you with practical tools to make learning fun, effective, and meaningful at home.

1. Phonics

Here is a 4th grade workbook.

Parents, teach syllabication rules. These are fun and will help your child to 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.

Also, check out phonics by grade level. Give your child some words to read and spell.

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

Check out 4th-grade fluency passages on pages 183-241. They appear to be decodable. More decodable texts are here. Decodable texts will help solidify phonics patterns for spelling!

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

Decodable text falls under the phonics approach of 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 Per Minute for Grade 4

To calculate rate – WPM: ___words in the book divided by ___SECONDS it took to read X 60 = __WPM For example, say there are 207 words in a book. The child read it in 3 min. 25 seconds, which is 205 seconds. 207 divided by 205 is approximately 1.0 words per second x 60 = 60 WPM!

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 grade 4, your child should know how to read and spell all the Dolch sight words. If not, they should read, reread, and reread:

220 Dolch Words in One Story

For more sight word stories by grade level, click here.

4. Vocabulary for 4th Graders

4th graders need to know the meaning 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 has 5 areas and includes 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 3x/year.

1 Minute Oral Reading Fluency ~ Can the child read x number of words in a story with at least 96% accuracy?
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:

The oral reading numbers are words your child needs to read correctly.

Here are other free literacy assessments if you want to assess your child!