The mandate to get K–12 students reading more informational texts is the feature of the Common Core State Standards that has stirred up the most complaints. Bringing more nonfiction into students' lives will require many educators to stretch a little—from English teachers who love to inspire others through their favorite poems to science teachers accustomed to relying on textbooks to kids whose reading of choice is fiction, fiction, and more fiction. The November 2013 issue of Educational Leadership shows how to creatively make this stretch and how to help students think of nonfiction as challenging and fun.In her "Perspectives" column, Editor-in-Chief Marge Scherer believes it starts with finding texts that present engaging style and content, rather than texts that hide "the good stuff." Kids need to be exposed to the best nonfiction and given the skills to delve deeply into it.
Articles in the issue include
- "You Want Me to Read What?!" by Timothy Shanahan
Answers you need about the Common Core's focus on informational text. - "Points of Entry" by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher
How to lead
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