FSA Grade 4 key terms

The most important point a passage or section is trying to communicate. It is often stated in a topic sentence but may need to be inferred from details spread across the text.

A fact, example, reason, or description in a text that explains, proves, or develops the main idea. Details answer questions such as who, what, when, where, why, and how.

A short retelling that states the main idea and the most important details of a text in your own words, leaving out minor information and personal opinions.

A message or lesson about life that a story conveys, such as the value of honesty. A theme is broader than a topic and usually must be inferred from events and characters.

A sentence, usually near the beginning of a paragraph, that names the paragraph's main idea and signals what the rest of the paragraph will explain.

A conclusion you reach by combining clues in the text with what you already know. An inference is not stated directly, so you must support it with evidence from the passage.

A specific quotation, fact, or detail from a text used to support an answer, claim, or inference. Strong answers point to evidence rather than relying on feelings alone.

A reasonable guess about what will happen next, based on clues in the text and on your own experience. Predictions can be confirmed or revised as you keep reading.

Words, phrases, or sentences around an unfamiliar word that help you figure out its meaning, often by giving a definition, example, synonym, or contrast.

A word that has nearly the same meaning as another word, such as begin and start. Recognizing synonyms helps you understand text and answer vocabulary questions.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as early and late. Antonyms are often used in passages as contrast clues to explain an unfamiliar word.

A word part added to the beginning of a base word that changes its meaning, such as un- in unhappy or re- in rewrite. Knowing common prefixes helps you decode unfamiliar words.

A word part added to the end of a base word that changes its meaning or part of speech, such as -ful in hopeful or -less in careless.

The basic part of a word that carries its core meaning and remains after prefixes and suffixes are removed, as help is the root of helpful and unhelpful.

To restate a passage in your own words while keeping its meaning, often changing sentence structure and vocabulary. Paraphrasing shows understanding without copying the author's wording.

Exact words copied from a text, placed inside quotation marks and credited to the source. Quotations are used as evidence to support an idea or answer.

A way of telling a story using pronouns such as I, me, and we, in which the narrator is a character taking part in the events and shares only what that character knows.

A way of telling a story using pronouns such as he, she, it, and they, in which the narrator stands outside the events and may reveal the thoughts of one or more characters.

The voice that tells a story, which may be a character in the story or an outside observer. The narrator is not always the same person as the author.

A word describing a character's lasting qualities, such as generous, curious, or stubborn. Traits are inferred from what a character says, does, and thinks.

To examine how two or more things are alike and how they are different. Signal words such as both, similarly, however, and unlike often point to comparisons in a text.

A text structure that explains why something happened and what resulted. The cause is the reason; the effect is the result, often signaled by words like because, so, and therefore.

The way an author organizes information in a passage, such as by sequence, comparison, cause and effect, or problem and solution. Structure helps readers follow the author's ideas.

The reason an author writes a text, commonly to inform, persuade, or entertain. Clues include the topic, the tone, and the kinds of details included.

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words like or as, such as cheeks as red as apples.

A figure of speech that states one thing is another without using like or as, such as the classroom was a zoo. It helps readers picture an idea.

Language that goes beyond the literal meaning of words to create pictures or emphasis, including similes, metaphors, and idioms. It is common in stories and poems.

The value of a digit based on its position in a number. In 4,582 the 5 is in the hundreds place, so it stands for 500.

The usual way of writing a whole number using digits, with each digit in its correct place, such as 4,582 for four thousand five hundred eighty-two.

A way of writing a number as the sum of the values of its digits, such as 4,000 + 500 + 80 + 2 for 4,582.

A number written out in words, such as four thousand five hundred eighty-two. Word form is one of several ways to represent the same number.

Replacing a number with a nearby number that has a zero in one or more places. Look at the digit to the right of the place being rounded: 5 or more rounds up, less than 5 stays the same.

An answer that is close to the exact amount, often found by rounding numbers before computing. Estimates help check whether an exact answer is reasonable.

A number that is multiplied with another number to get a product. In 3 × 4 = 12, both 3 and 4 are factors of 12.

The result of multiplying a number by a whole number. Multiples of 6 include 6, 12, 18, and 24.

The answer to a multiplication problem. In 7 × 8 = 56, the product is 56.

The answer to a division problem, showing how many times one number fits into another. In 24 ÷ 4 = 6, the quotient is 6.

The amount left over when a number does not divide evenly by another. Dividing 17 by 5 gives a quotient of 3 and a remainder of 2.

The number being divided in a division problem. In 24 ÷ 4 = 6, the dividend is 24.

Fractions that name the same amount even though their numerators and denominators differ, such as 1/2 and 2/4. Multiplying or dividing both parts by the same number creates an equivalent fraction.

The top number of a fraction, which tells how many equal parts are being counted. In 3/5, the numerator is 3.

The bottom number of a fraction, which tells how many equal parts make up one whole. In 3/5, the denominator is 5.

A fraction whose numerator and denominator have no common factor other than 1, such as 3/4 instead of 6/8. Simplifying makes a fraction easier to compare.

A way of writing numbers that uses a decimal point to show tenths, hundredths, and smaller parts of a whole, such as 0.25 for twenty-five hundredths.

The dot in a decimal number that separates the whole-number part from the fractional part, as in 3.75, where 3 is the whole number.

The parts you get when a whole is divided into 10 equal pieces. In the decimal 0.7, the digit 7 is in the tenths place and means seven tenths.

The parts you get when a whole is divided into 100 equal pieces. In 0.45, the digit 5 is in the hundredths place and means five hundredths.

An imaginary line that divides a shape into two matching halves that fold onto each other exactly. A square has four lines of symmetry.

A figure formed by two rays that share a common endpoint, called the vertex. Angles are measured in degrees and can be right, acute, or obtuse.

The number of square units needed to cover a flat shape. For a rectangle, area equals length times width.

The distance around the outside of a closed shape, found by adding the lengths of all its sides. Perimeter is measured in linear units such as inches or centimeters.

Describing figures that have exactly the same size and shape. If two figures are congruent, one can be moved to fit exactly on top of the other.

A graph that shows data as marks above a number line, with each mark standing for one value. Line plots make it easy to see the most common values and the spread of data.

The number of times a value or event appears in a set of data. On a line plot, the height of the stack of marks shows the frequency of that value.

Information collected by counting, measuring, or observing, often organized in tables, graphs, or line plots so it can be interpreted.

Describing an answer that makes sense given the problem and an estimate. Checking whether an answer is reasonable helps catch calculation errors.