Common Core Balances Reading of Fiction & Nonfiction

What Happens in Classrooms Today?

Nearly every teacher understands the value of reading aloud to young children, and does so often. However, fiction dominates.

Although teachers “get” the value of read-alouds and the need for children to interact constantly with text, nonfiction or informational text is often rare in K–2 classrooms. 

What Will Happen under the CCSS?

The Common Core State Standards call for a 50/50 balance of literary and informational texts.  

The standards emphasize the importance of nonfiction in English language arts. But it’s not just about “more nonfiction.” In order to build background knowledge, curriculum should be thoughtfully designed to build coherent knowledge both within and across grades. Randomly adding nonfiction won’t do: it’s about carefully choosing nonfiction content in knowledge domains that builds background knowledge, grows vocabulary, and invites deeper exploration over time.  

Why Is This Change Important?

Reading comprehension requires more than just decoding and knowing the meanings of words.  Background knowledge is essential to reading comprehension.

David Coleman, principal architect of the Common Core State Standards, says the standards “return elementary school teachers to their rightful place as guides to the world.” Children, for example, are more likely to understand a passage about animal habitats in faraway lands when they know about the differences between wild and domestic animals, are able to classify animals, and are familiar with the differences between various habitats. 

What Can This Look Like in My Classroom?

Content-rich read-alouds should be leveraged to build background knowledge until children can read such topics independently on their own.

Even when children are reading independently, their independent reading ability will still lag far behind their ability to understand texts read aloud.  Using read-alouds to build background knowledge, language proficiency, and vocabulary is an efficient instructional method in Core Knowledge classrooms.

 With Core Knowledge:

1. Reading instruction includes both read-alouds — to build knowledge and vocabulary — and systematic phonics — to teach decoding skills.
2. Read-alouds are selected around domains of knowledge
3. By grade 3, independent reading opportunities for students are also provided around domains of knowledge.
4. The use of quality literature and content-rich topics result in a balance of fiction and nonfiction in the classroom.