The Common Core Doesn’t Cut Literature – It Complements It
By Cindy Long
When it comes to fiction versus nonfiction, the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts isn’t “an either or thing,” says Marfè Ferguson Delano, a nonfiction children’s book writer whose books often connect her young readers to novels on the subjects she writes about. “They’re both page turners.”Delano was speaking before a group of educators at National Geographic’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., for a panel discussion called “Fun with Nonfiction and the Common Core.” Joining the children’s author on the panel were Peter Michaud, a sixth- grade teacher from New Berlin, Wisc., Margaret Reed Millar, a Common Core expert from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and Melissa Jacobs-Israel, a former school librarian who is now coordinator of library services for the New York City Department of Public Education.
The panelists agreed that the new standards will not push literature aside. In fact, the standards require that students continue reading classics, such as works from the American literature cannon, Shakespeare, mythology, and stories of the world. By mixing in nonfiction, the standards will bring balance and spark. Consider Capote’s literary nonfiction masterpiece In Cold Blood. The compelling crime drama rivals any fictionalized tale of multiple murder, and shows students how information sources like first-person interviews and narratives, newspaper clippings, and crime reports can be woven together to make a compelling story.
The standards will also help students read, write, and research across the curriculum—not just in English class. Science, history and social studies teachers will also be responsible for increasing reading and