GRADE 4 • DISCOVER & MASTER
Civilization, Invention & Minnesota
Grade 4 asks a recurring question across subjects: What problem were people trying to solve? Students connect reading, mathematics, science, history, geography, engineering, and making to real human problems.
For families & readers
Use the overview, topics, projects, and mastery check to understand what the year feels like and what students should be able to do.
For standards & policy
The benchmark codes and wording below are the technical specification. They are intended for direct reuse in standards development and implementation.
What students explore
- Agriculture, cities, writing, calendars, roads, aqueducts, navigation, printing, bridges, medicine, engines, and manufacturing
- Minnesota rivers, forests, agriculture, mining, cities, transportation, industries, and local government
- Multi-digit multiplication, equivalent fractions, fraction operations, tables, and graphs
- Structures, materials, testing, revision, and supervised hand-tool use
Example learning experiences
Bridge challenge
Build and test a bridge using a limited set of materials, then revise the design after observing where it fails.
Minnesota river system
Map a Minnesota river system and explain how physical geography can influence settlement, transportation, and industry.
Collect & graph data
Gather a small set of real observations, choose an appropriate graph, and explain what the data do and do not show.
TECHNICAL STANDARDS • GRADE.STRAND.ANCHOR.BENCHMARK
Representative benchmarks
4.1.2.1 • Literacy & Communication
Summarize increasingly complex informational material.
4.1.2.2 • Literacy & Communication
Compare two explanations of the same subject.
4.1.3.1 • Literacy & Communication
Produce organized explanatory writing using evidence.
4.2.1.1 • Mathematics
Perform multi-digit multiplication accurately.
4.2.1.2 • Mathematics
Understand equivalent fractions.
4.2.4.1 • Quantitative Reasoning
Interpret tables and graphs.
4.3.5.1 • Science & Engineering
Design and test a structure intended to solve a defined problem.
4.5.3.1 • Civic Mechanics
Explain basic responsibilities of a city, county, and state.
4.7.1.1 • Technology, Trades & Making
Safely use age-appropriate hand tools under supervision.
Policy relationship: These benchmarks operate under MLP-POL-02 Foundational Academic Priority and MLP-POL-03 Academic Standards and Mastery.
End-of-year mastery check
Students should be able to summarize complex information, write from evidence, multiply accurately, reason with fractions, interpret data, explain basic government responsibilities, and design, build, test, and improve a simple structure.
The Minnesota Learning Project 