Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Non-Fiction Fodder for the Common Core


Here is a list of Non-fiction links that might help you find resources in support of the CCSS shift to read non-fiction materials.  This list was recently archived by a few librarians from around the country.   

A book such as this
Notorious Benedict Arnold, would be a good substitution for a weak biography unit that does nothing more than give students an opportunity to copy and paste.  This book (Lexile 990, AR 7.3), along with primary source documents and debates, could easily model a good CCSS aligned  7th grade lesson.   Students could draw evidence from the text, conclude, debate, persuade and discuss how to treat Benedict and his crazy wife.  This book is loooong for a 7th grader at 350+ pages. However, this helps us see how our lessons should move beyond entertaining and be repackaged as engaging educational efforts requiring students to think.   This is easier said than done.  
EQ: If you were George Washington, commanding your troops, what would you have done with Benedict Arnold and his wife?




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