Addressing Text Complexity: Common Core Curriculum Grades 5-8

7/29/2019 Addressing Text Complexity: Common Core Curriculum Grades 5-8

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A resource guide

or educators

complexity

addressing

text

A guide to using iction books in the

Common Core CurriculumGrades 58

PenguinClassroom.com Penguin.com/CommonCore PenguinClass PenguinClassroom

Penguin Young

Readers Group

Motivate Elevate Educate


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Picture a classroom ull o students reading. Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), DropEverything and Read (DEAR), or Daily Independent Reading Time (DIRT) all providethe time and space or students to read texts that target their interestsabilities, and themes to explore in a sae, supportive setting.

But what are they reading? Have their choices been guided or encouraged toensure good t and active engagement? When you look closer at the classroomis each reader engaged in a page-turner, or are they merely turning pages?

Getting students to tackle increasingly complex texts with greater independence

is at the heart o the Common Core State Standards. One could argue that eacho the other nine anchor standards or reading depends on the tenth standardin which students must learn to read and comprehend complex literary andinormational texts independently and prociently (CCRA.R.10). Penguin YoungReaders Group is here to help.

Using the titles enclosed in this brochure, you can make independent reading moremeaningul or your students, and provide a more enriching learning environmentor your classroom and your school community. Using the categories DevelopingCharacter Choices and Challenges, Adventures and Struggles Through TimeFantastic Fun, Tales o Magic, Dark and Light, and Author Studies Suggestionssupport your readers interests and expand their understanding o the world

And most o all, have un!

Penguin School and Library

This guide was written by Jerry Michel, MA. Jerry has been involved in education or more than twenty years as a classroomteacher, literacy coach, consultant, and school administrator. He uses these experiences to help educators link qualitychildrens literature to meaningul curriculum goals. He is currently principal at Willard Elementary School in Evanston, Illinoisand is the co-author o Can You Hear Me Now? Using Brain Research and Technology to Engage Todays Students.

Making Independent Reading MeaningulText Complexity: The 10th Standard

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Making Independent Reading MeaningulText Complexity: The 10th Standard

Building independent readers depends on three actors:

Knowing students interests

Knowing students abilities

Matching students with reading selections that engage their interests andchallenge their abilities

Supporting students through their journey to read increasingly complex texts

means both giving them time to read and active involvement in monitoring

their progress. For students to develop as readers, they must have time to

read, write, and think about the wide range o books they read and topics

they explore. Plain and simple, students who are given more time to read

do better than students who have little time to read. Just as coaches lead

athletes through increasingly complex and challenging tasks to improve a skill

teachers must coach students to select books that give them the appropriate

challenge. Finding books that have just the right amount o challenge helps usteach students how to handle challenging vocabulary, unamiliar themes, and

increasingly subtle inerences. Remember that, or some students, appearance

is everything. For these students, holding a book that is ar too dicult or

them is important, because they want to be seen as a capable reader.



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Unlocking Clues: Mysteries or Student Sleuths

P.K. Pinkerton and the Deadly Desperados:

Western Mysteries, Book 1Caroline Lawrence Ages 812 Grades 58 ATOS: 5.0

Readers will love meeting twelve-year-old P.K. Pinkerton, master o disguise. As he races to stay

ahead o the desperados who murdered his oster parents, he encounters memorable characters

along the way, some who help him and many who dont.

The Homemade Stung Caper: Charlie Collier,Snoop or Hire Mystery #1John V. Madormo Ages 9Up Grades 4Up ATOS: 4.0

When seventh-grader Charlie Collier trades in solving brain-teasers or solving mysteries, he thinks

it will be easy as pie. Soon, though, he nds himsel in the middle o a mystery that involves the whole

town, and it will take more than just his quick wits to solve it; he will need help rom his riends and

an unlikely source, the class bully.

Theodore Boone: Kid LawyerJohn Grisham Ages 10Up Grades 6Up ATOS: Book 1 - 5.2; Book 2 - 5.5; Book 3 - 5.7

Theo was born to be a lawyer, but nds himsel in court much sooner than

expected. Because he knows so muchmaybe too muchhe is suddenly

dragged into the middle o a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer

is about to go ree, and only Theo knows the truth.

The Potato Chip Puzzles, The Puzzling World oWinston Breen, and The Puzzlers MansionEric Berlin Ages 911 Grades 47 ATOS: 4.4

Each mystery is its own treasure hunt, with plenty o puzzles or readers to solve along the way,

just as Winston Breen must, as he tracks down thieves, solves mysteries, and uncovers clues.

Three Times LuckySheila Turnage Ages 10Up Grades 4Up ATOS: 3.9

Sixth-grader Miss Mo LoBeau is as memorable a character as you will ever meet. Her summer is

complicated by a murder, car crash, and kidnapping. Now theres a murder to solve, all while she

is helping run the ca in Tupelo Landing.

The Books o Elsewhere Volume 1: The ShadowsJacqueline West Ages 8Up Grades 4Up ATOS: 5.1

From the rst moment 11-year-old Olive moves into the old house on Lincoln Street, she knows

something is wrong. And that is beore she nds she can travel inside the paintings on the walls

to Elsewhere, a sinister land ull o dangerous secrets.

One o the tenets o the CCSS is to ensure that students attend to the crat and structure o literature. As students diginto mysteries and try to interpret the dierent clues that are shared, they can watch how words, phrases, and gurativelanguage are used (CCSS 5.RL.4); explore how the narrators role helps to introduce important evidence (CCSS 5.RL.6); or evenrelate how dierent scenes, chapters, and events relate to one another, especially once the nal solution is revealed (CCSS5.RL.5). Exposing students to a wide range o mysteries during independent reading time osters this strand o exploration.


These selected mysteries also lend themselvesto instruction involving making inerences, a keycomponent o Anchor Standard 1 (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1), in which students are expected to makelogical inerences (and) cite textual evidence whenwriting or speaking to support conclusions drawn romthe text. Encourage students to read like detectivesand ind evidence to help them solve the mysteriesbeore the answers are revealed.

Lesson PlansAvailable


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Adventures Through Time: Popular Historical Fiction

Climbing the StairsPadma Vehnkatraman Ages 12Up Grades 7Up ATOS: 4.8

Even though 15-year-old Vidya dreams o going to college, traditional lie in British-occupied India

during World War II means girls are meant to be married, not educated. Love and hope help Vidya

hold on to her dreams in a dark and dismal time.

The Green Glass SeaEllen Klages Ages 10Up Grades 5Up ATOS: 4.6

Everything is top secret in Los Alamos, as top scientists and mathematicians work

on The Manhattan Project against the backdrop o World War II. When eleven-

year-old Dewey comes to live with her ather, tensions rise when she must join

orces with Suze, the one girl who has made the move to Los Alamos dicult.

Jefersons SonsKimberly Brubaker Bradley Ages 812 Grades 59 ATOS: 3.9

So what did Jeerson mean when he wrote all men are created equal? Told inthree parts rom the points o view o three o Jeersons slaves, these voices

tell the story o Jeersons children born to Sally Hemmings who must keep their

athers identity a secret.

KarmaCathy Ostelre Ages 12Up Grades 7Up ATOS: 3.1

It is 1984, and 15-year-old Maya is on her way to Delhi, India, with her ather on the eve o Prime

Minister Indira Gandhis assassination. Aer Maya is separated rom her ather, she must rely upon the

mysterious but kind Sandeep to saely reunite them. As her love or Sandeep blossoms, Maya must

ace the truth about her painul adolescence...i shes ever to imagine her uture.

The Lions o Little RockKristin Levine Ages 10Up Grades 5Up ATOS: 4.1

Everything is changing or 12-year-old Marlee who is heading to middle school in

1958. When her new riend Liz, who inspires Marlee to develop courage, is orced

to leave school without even a chance to say goodbye, these close riends take on

segregation and the dangers it could bring to their amilies.

Marching For Freedom: Walk Together, Children,and Dont You Grow WearyElizabeth Partridge Ages 10Up Grades 6Up ATOS: 6.6

This gripping nonction text tells the story o how ordinary children helped shape history and

the voting rights movement. Tracking the three months leading to the march rom Selma to

Montgomery in 1965, the stunning prose and pictures chronicle those who marched or reedom.

The Common Core State Standards point out that students must grapple with works o exceptional crat and thought whoserange extends across genres, cultures, and centuries. Such works oer proound insights into the human condition and serve asmodels or students own thinking and writing. Engaging stories will also help develop background knowledge and context thatwill serve students well as they explore nonction texts related to the stories they read.


In addition to providing insight into dierent cultures andtimes, these selections also give young readers the chance toanalyze the importance o point o view. With these powerutexts, students will be able to assess how point o view orpurpose shapes the content and style o a text, as outlined inAnchor Standard 6 (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6). Encouragestudents to have thoughtul discussions around how authorsdevelop the point o view o the narrator or speaker in atext (6.RL.6) or contrast the points o view o dierentcharacters or narrators in a text (7.RL.6).

NONFICTION





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Tales o Magic, Dark and LightHelp students develop wide reading habits by keeping a reading journal where they track what they read, ocus on refectionand reaction to the content o their reading, and tools to record and balance the range o genre they read. A simple system,where each titles genre is coded by a specic color or shape will give a quick visual to help students ensure they are not ocusingon one or two genres over the course o a semester or school year. Make sure your classroom library eatures a wide range ogenres and styles, including these adventure tales.


In addition to making sure students read a wide range o genres, we would like them tobe able to identiy the key ideas and details surrounding important moments in the plotThese selections have dramatic turns o events that will allow students to compare andcontrast characters, settings, and events, as outlined in Standard 5.RL.3 and determinehow characters respond or change as the plot moves towards resolution (6.RL.3). Byocusing on how characters interact at key junctures o the story, students will be betterable to analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop, as directed in AnchorStandard 3 (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3).

The ApothecaryMaile Meloy Ages 10Up Grades 5Up ATOS: 4.9

When Janie Scott moves rom Los Angeles to London in 1952, she isnt surprised to be homesick. When she meets Benjamin Burrows, son o the local

apothecary, it soon becomes clear that there is more to both o them then meets the eye, especially when Mr. Burrows disappears, and Janie and Benjamin

are le to protect his dangerous secrets.

Deadweather and Sunrise: The Chronicles o Egg, Book 1Geo Rodkey Ages 10Up Grades 5Up ATOS: 5.3

Its tough to be thirteen, especially when people are trying to kill you. Even though he grew up with pirates and violent siblings, Egbert was not quite ready

to sort out the mystery he is thrown into on Sunrise Island aer his amily mysteriously disappears.

The Fingertips o Duncan Dorman

Meg Wolitzer Ages 812 Grades 46 ATOS: 5.2A special power lets Duncan read through his ngertips, a real advantage at the national Youth Scrabble Tournament. But, as the tournament begins, Duncan

nds he and his riends are each acing challenges that cant be won with a special power.

Small Persons with WingsEllen Booraem Ages 10Up Grades 5Up ATOS: 4.2

Aer being teased or years about trying to bring a airy to show-and-tell, 13-year-old Mellie Turpin nds hersel in an inn ull o airies aer her amily

moves to a new town.

A Tale Dark & GrimmAdam Gidwitz Ages 10Up Grades 4Up ATOS: 4.6

Beginning with a lively re-introduction to Hansel and Gretel, readers will enjoy this wicked romp through Grimm tales both

amiliar and new.



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Joan Bauer: Almost Home and Close toFamous (Ages 10Up Grades 7Up); Hope WasHere, and Peeled (Ages 12Up Grades 6Up)

Middle-grade readers will long remember thecharacters Joan Bauer brings to lie. As they

grapple with growing up and the challenges thatlie presents, many rich themes are shared in small-town and big-city settings alike.

Gennier Choldenko:Al Capone Does

My Shirts andAl Capone Shines My Shoes (Ages10Up Grades 5Up) These two tales romAlcatraz provide a setting like ew other stories

can. When 12-year-old Moose Flanagan and hisamily move to Alcatrazsurprise, surprise

trouble is always just around the corner. Also byCholdenko: Notes rom a Liar and Her Dog

Richard Peck:On the Wings o Heroes, TheRiver Between Us, Secrets at Sea,A Long Way romChicago (Various ages) In a blend o humorous and

poignant moments, Peck weaves touching taleso what it was like to grow up in dierent times inhistory. In On the Wings o Heroes, Davy is inspired

by his ather and his older brother Bill, who fiesB-17s during World War II.

Jacqueline Woodson:Afer Tupac and DFoster, Feathers, and Peace Locomotion (Ages10Up Grades 4Up) With thought-provoking

themes and characters ull o distinctive voice,Woodson makes the challenges todays youth

ace come alive on the page. Young readers willresonate with moments o humanity that she

creates, both large and small.

Author Studies

A Selection o titles rom popular authors

Two o the most infuential actors in engaging students in meaningul independent reading are access to a wide range o highinterest texts and students having a choice in their independent reading. I our goal is to develop lie-long readers, increasingthe volume o reading our students do is central to any reading curriculum. Seek out authors that pack a big punch with greatwriting, and get all students hooked on the idea that big ideas come in books o all shapes and sizes. Build collections o authors,and help children develop an appreciation or an authors writing style.


Reading multiple stories by a single author, either individually or as a class, gives readers theperect opportunity to analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics inorder to build knowledge or to compare the approach an author takes (Anchor Standard9 - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9). Students can enter rich discussions to explore how authorso ction use or alter history (7.RL.9) to develop compelling stories, themes, and characters


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9780142413999 $7.99 9780142416679 $6.999780142403709 $6.99 9780142417188 $6.99 9780670012893 $16.99 9780142422069 $7.99

9780142424377 $6.999780142414903 $8.99 9780142424124 $7.99978-0142420171 $6.99 9780142426623 $7.99 9780142426678 $6.99

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9780142401101 $6.99 9780670011896 $19.999780142421840 $7.99 9780142424353 $7.999781595143846 $9.99

Explore all o the titles inPenguins Text Complexity Collection


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Lesson plans for each book, series, and thematic group. Created by educatorsfor educators. Ready for immediate classroom adoption.

Suggested assignments, writing prompts, extension activities, and more!

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards

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A Core Curriculum Guide for

GUIDED READING LEVELING SYSTEM

LESSON PLANS FOR USE IN SCHOOLS

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Addressing Text Complexity: Common Core Curriculum Grades 5-8