Basics

• During the lower elementary grades, students learn how to add and subtract. They also begin learning multiplication and division. By the time they reach fourth grade, and throughout the year, these students should learn to recite multiplication and division facts from memory. They also learn about the inverse relationship between these two activities. During this grade, students are taught how to calculate long multiplication and division problems both with and without remainders.
  
  

Fractions

• Students start learning about fractions in lower grades; however, fourth grade students begin calculating fraction problems by learning about numerators and denominators. They first learn how to add and subtract fractions with common denominators and may even begin learning how to calculate problems with uncommon denominators.
  
  

Decimals

• During fourth grade, students are introduced to decimals and start performing calculations using them. Students learn how to add and subtract numbers with decimals, as well as how to multiply them. Typically, fourth grade students only learn about decimals through the hundredths place.
  
  

Shapes

• Students in every elementary grade in school often learn about shapes. Children in younger grades learn about simple shapes, such as identifying circles, squares and triangles. In fourth grade, students learn about polygons and how to identify acute and obtuse angles. They also generally learn how to draw and measure shapes and certain kinds of angles, including 45, 90 and 180 degree angles.
  
  

Properties

• Fourth grade students learn about several different properties when it comes to multiplication, including commutative, associative and distributive. They should also be taught the commutative and associative properties of addition.
  
  

Other Ideas

• Students in fourth grade also perform many other mathematical activities. They often learn how to graph information and points; measure length, area and volume and measure items using a ruler. Fourth grade teachers also tell students about time as well terms and periods of time such as decades, seconds and hours.