70/30: Is Teaching Fiction Losing the Common Core Battle?

Image from Melissa Dority at http://questgarden.com/124/88/0/110420172559/index.htm 

In an earlier post, I wrote about a study that found that only 43% of 2012 graduates who took the SAT had the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college. That’s disturbing, considering that organizations today are looking for people who are creative and innovative thinkers and initiators. Apparently, the creators of the Common Core Standards find these and similar statistics concerning because they took action. To date, 45 states have adopted these new standards, which were designed reflect the knowledge students need to have a productive college life and/or career path.

The Kansas City Star ran an article recently about the possible effects that implementation of the Common Core Standards could have on the teaching of literature. The new standards recommend that non-fiction/informational text should make up 70% of what high school students read and write about. The school of thought is that beefing up non-fiction reading and writing will better prepare students for college.

High school literature teachers are reeling from the new standards, and rightly so. The change will require them to approach their content area in a whole new way. While some teachers view the standards as a mandate to reduce the amount of fiction students read, others view it as an opportunity to supplement the fiction with informational text. As usual, the new standards encourage educators and administrators to see the change as a school-wide responsibility.  

I have mixed feelings about this topic. I loved my English and Literature classes in high school, and I was inspired by the passion that ignited my teachers to share everything they could about authors and their stories. That inspiration and their passion led me to earn a B.A. in English. As an educator, I know how exciting it is when a struggling reader falls in love with a book. More often than not, the books they love are works of fiction. And I know that the skills needed to access informational text – analyzing, evaluating, knowledge of theme and genre to name just a few – are taught when we dig beneath the surface of works of literature.

But at the same time, I know that the transfer of knowledge isn’t there. I know that most jobs require a person to read and comprehend informational texts. In fact, my English degree led me straight into a job proofreading technical documents at an engineering firm. As an educator, I fully support teaching across the curriculum.  Encouraging English teachers to focus more on informational texts doesn’t have to mean shelving their beloved classics. In fact, it should mean just the opposite. This is the perfect opportunity for teachers to reach across the hallway and collaborate with their colleagues. If a class is reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, why not work with the history and/or economics teachers to find appropriate non-fiction texts about The Roaring 20s? Or, if a class is studying Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars, team up with the Social Studies teacher to read true accounts of the Holocaust. Take this opportunity to boost students’ literacy skills culturally, historically, financially and politically. Help students make these critical connections and analyze and evaluate their importance to their world.

Transitioning from the current state standards to the Common Core won’t be easy. Secondary-level teachers typically teach in isolation. Intense collaboration is scary, and, it’s been my experience that most content-area teachers don’t see it as their job to help students improve their reading and writing skills. It won’t be easy because some people just don’t like change. But my gut tells me that the Common Core standards aren’t going to fade away, at least not anytime soon. My hope is that teachers, administrators, and schools can all find a way to introduce students to the adventures and ideas that both fiction and non-fiction texts have to offer.