Grade 4 Word Study Curriculum

Family-facing version of the grade 4 Word Study curriculum

Quarterly Overview of Grade 4 Word Study

The objectives and outcomes for each unit are common across FCPS and based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The pacing by quarter and by week provides an example of how the curriculum can be organized throughout the year. Teacher teams may adjust the pacing or order of units to best meet the needs of students.

Units and Details

Unit 1: Building a Community of Word Learners

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 2: Directional Prefixes and Open Syllables

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 3: Directional Prefixes and Closed Syllables

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 4: Numerical Prefixes

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 5: Homophones

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 6: Singular Possessives

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words
  • Use singular possessives

Unit 7: Vowel Patterns in Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 8: Word Roots with One Form

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 9: Word Roots with Two Forms

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 10: Word Roots with Three Forms

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 11: Suffixes and Spelling Changes

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 12: Verb Suffixes

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 13: Adjective Suffixes

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Unit 14: Noun Suffixes

Students will be able to: 

  • Use knowledge of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones to determine the meaning of new words

Virginia Department of Education Resources

Assessments

Student assessments are part of the teaching and learning process.

  • Teachers give assessments to students on an ongoing basis to
    • Check for understanding 
    • Gather information about students' knowledge or skills.
  • Assessments provide information about a child's development of knowledge and skills that can help families and teachers better plan for next steps in instruction.

For testing questions or additional information about how schools and teachers use test results to support student success, families can contact their children's schools.

In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), fourth grade tests focus on students’ developing content knowledge and skills.

Looking for other grade 4 information?