Rhode Island Grade 4 Math

Start at two and add six

A sequence begins at 2. Its rule is “add 6 to get the next term.” Generate five terms. Which features do you notice that the rule does not explicitly name? Decide whether every term must be a multiple of six.

Follow the reasoning

The first five terms are 2, 8, 14, 20, 26. They are all even. Starting with an even number and adding the even number 6 keeps the result even, because both amounts can be separated into pairs. The rule does not explicitly say “all terms are even”; that is a feature explained from the start and the repeated addition. None of these terms is a multiple of six: each is two more than a multiple of six.

Check the starting value

“Add 6” gives the change between terms, not a rule that every term equals a multiple of six. A different start would produce a different pattern. Starting at 3 with the same change produces 3, 9, 15, 21, 27, all odd. Keep the starting value beside the rule.

Try the next step

The next term after 26 is 32. Explain its parity before adding. Then replace the starting value with 4 and generate five terms: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28. Describe what the two patterns share and what differs. Use a number line or counters if the parity explanation needs a model.

Selected Rhode Island mathematics reference

The Rhode Island mathematics page identifies the Rhode Island Core Standards endorsed March 9, 2021. The linked 2021 mathematics document adapts the 2017 Massachusetts framework. Use the actual Rhode Island clause and its surrounding grade expectations when planning instruction; a generic Common Core code list alone does not establish the same state requirements.

This original worked activity develops one selected focus. It is not the complete grade curriculum or a certified alignment of every independently published learning resource. Read the other grade expectations and the school’s actual course sequence.

Choose a next task from the student’s explanation

Use a different set of numbers to check whether the student can explain the same relationship. If the explanation is unclear, return to the model; if the reasoning is sound but a calculation is wrong, work through a shorter calculation and check it against the model. Use the related learning resources alongside the teacher’s assigned goals.

Rhode Island’s RICAS overview lists English language arts and mathematics in Grades 3–8, including Grade 4. Follow the school’s assigned dates and current assessment directions. An independent practice resource has its own tools, timing, question count, and scoring; its result does not establish a state performance level. Read the current RICAS overview.

State sources and the selected complete PDF page checked October 6, 2026. Confirm later guidance and local assignments before planning assessment preparation.