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What does a fourth grade teacher do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Diana Jones

A Fourth Grade Teacher is focused on educating fourth grade children. They help students learn core educational subjects, such as math, science, social studies, and art.

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Fourth grade teacher responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real fourth grade teacher resumes:

  • Utilize PLC time to meet the needs of struggling and achieving students
  • Select differentiated reading and math activities that addressed individual student needs and varying learning styles.
  • Design and implement a curriculum vertically-align, unit specific, literacy and math Spanish curriculum for an immersion program.
  • Administer and analyze Fountas and Pinnell benchmark literacy assessment to guide instruction.

Fourth grade teacher skills and personality traits

We calculated that 27% of Fourth Grade Teachers are proficient in Classroom Management, Fourth Grade, and Math. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Patience, and Physical stamina.

We break down the percentage of Fourth Grade Teachers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Classroom Management, 27%

    Documented over 700 hours of district training for professional development in enhancing my repertoire of subject-specific pedagogy and classroom management skills.

  • Fourth Grade, 13%

    Developed independent music lesson plans for Developmental Kindergarten-Fourth Grade classes based on National Standards of Music.

  • Math, 11%

    Developed and implemented lesson plans aligned with fourth-grade curricula, including Learning By Design curriculum and Everyday Math Curriculum.

  • Social Studies, 6%

    Instructed two departmentalized Math/Science/Social studies groups of students in an inclusive setting.

  • Classroom Environment, 5%

    Structured a classroom environment driven by differentiated instruction, interdisciplinary activities, computer software, and small-group instruction.

  • Language Arts, 4%

    Developed and implemented lesson plans in Reading/Language Arts areas of a developmentally appropriate curriculum.

"classroom management," "fourth grade," and "math" are among the most common skills that fourth grade teachers use at work. You can find even more fourth grade teacher responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a fourth grade teacher to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "teachers need to discuss students’ needs with parents and administrators." Additionally, a fourth grade teacher resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "facilitated the language arts program for the entire 4th grade conducted parent-teacher communication created a comfortable learning environment for my classroom"

Patience. Another essential skill to perform fourth grade teacher duties is patience. Fourth grade teachers responsibilities require that "kindergarten and elementary school teachers must respond with patience when students struggle with material." Fourth grade teachers also use patience in their role according to a real resume snippet: "exhibit patience & positive attitudes in establishing an encouraging learning environment. "

Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of fourth grade teachers is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday fourth grade teacher duties, as "working with kindergarten- and elementary-age students can be tiring." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "general education: reading, writing and math physical education"

See the full list of fourth grade teacher skills

The three companies that hire the most fourth grade teachers are:

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Compare different fourth grade teachers

Fourth grade teacher vs. Special education teacher for grades

English language teachers are in charge of establishing a classroom setting that advance in each student the skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. They assist in the development and recognition of fine literature of all types, inspire students to read extensively for information and recreation, and develop guidelines for analytical judgment of written and oral communication. Also, they attend to students' exceptional needs as well as find out and develop their special talents.

The annual salary of special education teachers for grades is $2,131 higher than the average salary of fourth grade teachers.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both fourth grade teacher and special education teacher for grades positions are skilled in classroom management, math, and social studies.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a fourth grade teacher are more likely to require skills like "fourth grade," "instructional materials," "learning process," and "grade curriculum." On the other hand, a job as a special education teacher for grades requires skills like "mathematics," "autism," "adaptive," and "ieps." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Special education teachers for grades earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $49,940. On the other hand, fourth grade teachers are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $49,797.On average, special education teachers for grades reach higher levels of education than fourth grade teachers. Special education teachers for grades are 10.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Fourth grade teacher vs. English language arts teacher

A science teacher is responsible for teaching scientific concepts and disciplines, helping learners to understand systems, procedures, and generate ideas using scientific evidence and approaches. Science teachers create engaging lesson plans and activities for the learners, including laboratory works, group research, and field experiments. They also demonstrate methods and present scientific research to support their observations. A science teacher evaluates the students' learning by giving them written or practical exams, including problem-solving and scientific methods.

English language arts teacher positions earn higher pay than fourth grade teacher roles. They earn a $59 higher salary than fourth grade teachers per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Fourth grade teachers and english language arts teachers both require similar skills like "classroom management," "math," and "social studies" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, fourth grade teacher responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "fourth grade," "classroom environment," "professional development," and "grade curriculum." Meanwhile, an english language arts teacher has duties that require skills in areas such as "language," "english language," "literature," and "grammar." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

English language arts teachers earn a higher average salary than fourth grade teachers. But english language arts teachers earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $47,098. Additionally, fourth grade teachers earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $49,797 annually.In general, english language arts teachers achieve similar levels of education than fourth grade teachers. They're 4.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for fourth grade teachers in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Diana JonesDr. Diana Jones LinkedIn profile

Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University

Technology in the next 3-5 years -- That is a tough question because technology is continually changing. However, I would say whatever learning system their school provides (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, etc.), they should get to know. Also, the technology that involves making/editing videos of teaching would be necessary. The technique that includes exercise, fitness, sports such as heart rate monitors, Fitbits, etc. Finally, a technology that allows interactions between teachers and students and students and students.

Fourth grade teacher vs. Science teacher

A Spanish teacher is responsible for teaching the Spanish language, including its history and culture, both written and conversational. Spanish teachers follow the curriculum, depending on the students' expertise level and evaluate their progress through oral and written assessments. A Spanish teacher must develop effective lesson plans, focusing on Spanish grammar and composition, identifying students' improvement areas to adjust lesson outlines. Spanish teachers must have excellent knowledge and expertise with the Spanish language and engaging activities to further students' development.

On average scale, science teachers bring in higher salaries than fourth grade teachers. In fact, they earn a $11,364 higher salary per year.By looking over several fourth grade teachers and science teachers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "classroom management," "math," and "social studies." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from fourth grade teacher resumes include skills like "fourth grade," "language arts," "learning process," and "grade curriculum," whereas a science teacher is more likely to list skills in "science curriculum," "physical science," "mathematics," and "environmental science. "

Science teachers make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $54,553. On the other hand, fourth grade teachers are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $49,797.Most science teachers achieve a similar degree level compared to fourth grade teachers. For example, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Fourth grade teacher vs. Spanish teacher

Spanish teachers tend to earn a higher pay than fourth grade teachers by an average of $4,021 per year.While their salaries may vary, fourth grade teachers and spanish teachers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "classroom management," "social studies," and "classroom environment. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A fourth grade teacher uses "fourth grade," "math," "language arts," and "grade curriculum." Spanish teachers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "spanish language," "iv," "k-12," and "foreign language. "spanish teachers enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $53,431. For comparison, fourth grade teachers earn the highest salary in the education industry.spanish teachers reach similar levels of education compared to fourth grade teachers, in general. The difference is that they're 2.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of fourth grade teacher

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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