Saturday, November 24, 2012
The Debate Continues....
Readers of our blog may be interested in the following blog from The New York Times, discussing the debate about the new ratios of literature and nonfiction/informational text demanded by the Common Core State Standards by the time students are in high school: "What Should Children Read?" Sara Mosle, an English teacher, makes an important case about why students need to read more well-written nonfiction: as mentor texts, or models, for their own writing. In the interest of full disclosure, the author mentions one of fellow Uncommon Corps member Marc Aronson's books, Sugar Changed as the World, as an example of engaging literary nonfiction for young people. Perhaps you can share Mosle's piece with your colleagues after the Thanksgiving break, to help further the conversation about selecting age-appropriate, well-written nonfiction texts of all modalities in your school. In and of itself, it is an effective example of how well-written, short engaging nonfiction texts on relevant topics can generate authentic and purposeful dialogue between readers of all ages.
Posted by Mary Ann Cappiello at 8:17 AM