young adult literature | The Common Core Text Exemplars—A Worthy New Canon or Not?page

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Voices from the Middle, Volume 21 Number 1, September 2013

Barbara Moss, editor

young adult literature

The Common Core Text Exemplars—A Worthy New Canon or Not?

One of the most controversial aspects of the Common Core State Standards for English

Language Arts & Literacy in History/ Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects is its Appendix B (www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf), which contains the Common Core text exemplars.

According to Publishers Weekly, Appendix B has been a “magnet for criticism” (Springen, 2012, p. 1). The exemplars represent a list of books (and other materials) arranged in grade-level bands for classroom use. According to Appendix B, “The text samples primarily serve to exemplify the level of complexity and quality that the Stan-dards require all students in a given grade band to engage with. Additionally, they are suggestive of the breadth of texts that students should encoun-ter in the text types required by the Standards. The choices should serve as useful guideposts in helping educators select texts of similar complex-ity, quality, and range for their own classrooms. They expressly do not represent a partial or com-plete reading list” (p. 2).

Despite the clear wording that these books are not a recommended reading list, specula-tion abounds about the role the text exemplars will play in schools and classrooms. While the Standards mention a variety of text types in the grade-specific standards for K–12, they specify only a few required texts, including a Shakespear-ean play, a play by an American dramatist, and several historical founding documents. In spite

of this, many librarians, teachers, and literacy experts fear that the text exemplars will become a new canon for literacy instruction, a kind of national reading list. As librarian Lindsay Cesari (2011) expressed in her blog: “How many schools will ignore that statement and use the exemplars (maybe due to lack of time?) as a foundation for their curriculum. It’s scary.”

Many districts have rushed to buy these ti-tles, sometimes assuming these books may form the basis for test items that will ultimately appear on national assessments. According to Neumann (2012), “Given the way illustrative examples in Standards easily become part of the canon, it seems likely that the exemplars in the Com-mon Core will quickly become fundamental to instruction, because teachers will expect them to appear on the exam” (p. 8). Publishers are already using the books as a template for what to include in their textbooks.

Where did these titles come from? Accord-ing to the Standards (p. 2), the texts were cho-sen by a work group that took recommendations from teachers, educational leaders, and research-ers who had used the titles successfully with chil-dren at the specified grade levels. These factors were considered in their choices:

• BookQuality:Theyselected“classicorhis-torically significant texts as well as contem-porary works of comparable literary merit, cultural significance, and rich content.” (p. 2)

• Breadth:Theysoughtabroadrangeofcomplex, high-quality texts and considered publication dates, authorship, and subject matter.

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young adult literature | The Common Core Text Exemplars—A Worthy New Canon or Not?

• TextComplexity:Theyalsoconsideredwhether qualitative and quantitative mea-sures demonstrated that the texts were suf-ficiently complex for the grade level.

In spite of this rationale, many educators are deeply concerned about the actual choices of titles for inclusion on the list. A chief complaint is that the creators of Appendix B eschewed con-temporary and relevant texts, instead emphasiz-ing canonical classics. A canon represents a body of works that expresses “cultural values and ar-tistic excellence” (Harris & Hodges, 1995, p. 26). Books that make up the canon are typically classic books—those that have stood the test of time, represent high quality, and contain univer-sal truths. Classics can be both traditional and contemporary (Harris, quoted in McNair, 2010). Numerous criticisms have been leveled against the traditional canon of classics, largely because those works may lack appeal to children or young adults, address traditional themes that are viewed as outdated in today’s world, or don’t represent authors of color or topics that have a multicul-tural focus.

There is clearly some justification for the criticism that classics are overrepresented in Ap-pendix B. Of the ten stories listed for grades four and five, for example, five are canonical classics: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll, 1962), The Secret Garden (Burnett, 1985), The Black Stal-lion (Farley, 2008), The Little Prince (de Saint-Exu-péry, 2000), and Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt, 1975). The stories listed for grades six through eight in-clude Little Women (Alcott, 1989), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain, 2001), and A Wrinkle in Time (L’Engle, 1962), along with slightly more contemporary titles including Dragonwings (Yep, 1975) and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Taylor, 1976). Poetry listed for grades six through eight includes many traditional works, including “Paul Revere’s Ride” (Longfellow, 1996), “O Captain! My Captain!” (Whitman, 2008), and “The Road Not Taken” (Frost, Cosgrove & Untermeyer, 2002)

Choices like these have fueled much of the criticism of Appendix B. “I’ve always been dis-

mayed by English language arts classrooms where students suffer through a list of moldy canonical literature. I really really hope the new standards and the exemplars don’t mean we’re going to give up all the progress we’ve made towards building a modern, relevant reading list in exchange for an outdated compilation of classics,” librarian Lind-say Cesari wrote in her blog (2011).

Another key criticism is the dearth of titles that address contemporary issues and were writ-ten specifically for middle school readers. Some young adult books have attained contemporary classic status but are not well represented in Ap-pendix B. Connie Zitlow (2009), for example, identified 20 classic young adult novels. They in-clude Hatchet (Paulsen, 1987), The Giver (Lowry, 1993), Holes (Sachar, 1998), The House on Mango Street (Cisneros, 1983), The Outsiders (Hinton, 1967), and Out of the Dust (Hesse, 1997). Each title clearly meets the criteria for quality litera-ture, and many address contemporary issues that engage today’s readers. The only title on Zit-low’s list to make the text exemplar list was Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Taylor, 1976), which was published more than 30 years ago. Furthermore, recent Newbery Medal books, which represent the most important contribution to children’s literature in a given year, are noticeably absent. Newbery Medal books often become instant classics and “part of the canonical architecture of children’s literature” (Kidd, 2007, p. 100). They clearly meet the criteria for quality and have po-tential for engaging middle graders in ways that many classic titles cannot.

Many literacy educators, including me, ap-plaud the increased emphasis on informational texts in the Common Core Standards. The mere fact that Appendix B includes text exemplars from this genre is a step forward, in my view. However, some of the choices on the list are sur-prising ones, and many of the titles are dated and out of print. One of the most important crite-ria for informational texts is that they be accu-rate and up-to-date (Moss & Loh, 2010), since information changes quickly in our society. As Kathleen Odean (quoted in Springen, 2012), a

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former elementary school librarian notes, “With so many great, timely nonfiction books available, it’s disappointing that a dated 1992 book on Mars makes the list.”

Despite these problems, even a cursory glance at the grades six through eight informa-tional titles demonstrates that respected informa-tional text writers are represented. Jim Murphy, Jan Greenberg, Sandra Jordan, Elizabeth Par-tridge, Russell Freedman, and David Macaulay are just a few informational text authors who every teacher should know and every student should experience.

Another criticism of Appendix B relates to representation of multicultural books and au-thors. On the American Indians in Children’s Literature website, Debbie Reese (2012) makes an impassioned plea that teachers not read aloud the text exemplar Little House in the Big Woods (Wilder, 2007), noting those passages that ma-lign Native Americans. Furthermore, she argues that Native American children will not see oth-er, more positive portrayals of themselves, since none of the other books in the K–1 list were written by or portray Native Americans. Clearly, however, some effort has been made to provide books by authors of color and titles with multi-cultural themes. On the grades six through eight list, for example, authors include Nikki Giovan-ni, Virginia Hamilton, Laurence Yep, Gary Soto, Sandra Cisneros, and Pablo Neruda.

One of the most egregious weaknesses of Appendix B is that many recommended titles don’t match existing state curriculum standards. This problem was noted repeatedly by teachers in my graduate classes and appears to be a prob-lem across grade levels. It is clearly an issue in the content area of history/social science, where historical text exemplar grade-level recommen-dations don’t correspond with grade-level histo-ry/social science standards. For example, Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Second Virginia Con-vention” is listed for grades nine and ten, when in most states this document would be logically addressed in eighth-grade American history.

Should the text exemplars become the new

canon? I don’t think so, for many of the reasons noted above. So, what value does Appendix B have for schools and classrooms? First, the list does contain examples of quality literature and provides teachers with an idea of the level of text complexity students will be expected to master at different grade-level bands. Second, exposure to some of the classic works included in the text ex-emplars can contribute to student understanding of our literary heritage. Moreover, Appendix B gives suggestions for books representing a range of genres, some of which are neglected in today’s classrooms. By specifying titles in seldom-taught genres such as literary nonfiction and informa-tional texts, the Common Core elevates these genres to more prominence and helps ensure that they get more attention in classrooms. Fur-thermore, by including works written by quality authors of these genres, students and teachers are introduced to authors who are worth know-ing and titles that are worth reading. The rec-ommendations of informational titles in content areas such as history/social science, mathematics, and science and technical subjects may prompt content area teachers who stick to the book to ex-plore other reading materials, including primary source documents, online articles, and others.

Most important, the text exemplars provide a starting point rather than the ending point for instructional planning. The Common Core Cur-riculum Maps: English Language Arts Grades 6–8 (Common Core, 2012) contain sample Stan-dards-based units that incorporate text exemplars, contemporary titles, music, film, media, and art to create rich learning opportunities. For exam-ple, one sixth-grade unit is entitled “Folklore: A Blast from the Past.” Students read picturebook versions of folktales, Rosemary Sutcliff’s (2005) Black Ships before Troy: The Story of the Iliad, a text exemplar, contemporary books from Rick Riordan’s popular Lightning Thief series, and nonfiction books about the Greeks, Romans, and Vikings; they’re also directed to compare ancient art from different cultures. Students dramatize scenes from the myths and legends they read and then write their own.

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Through units like these, students get more nuanced learning experiences than those afford-ed by simply reading a particular text exemplar. They explore a topic in depth by reading dif-ferent genres, comparing and contrasting texts, and engaging in a variety of literacy experiences that go beyond traditional tasks. Through these learning experiences, students gain much more than they would through isolated reading experi-ences focused on a single book, whether a text exemplar or not. As Jane Yolen (1987) notes, “Stories lean on stories, art on art” (xi–xii). By using the text exemplars effectively, teachers can help students see the connections among liter-ary works of many kinds, creating rich and varied learning experiences for all students.

ReferencesAlcott, L. M. (1989). Little women. New York, NY:

Penguin Books. (Original work published 1868)

Babbitt, N. (1975). Tuck everlasting. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Burnett, F. H. (1985). The secret garden. New York, NY: HarperCollins. (Original work published 1911)

Carroll, L. (1962). Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. New York, NY: William Morrow. (Original work published 1865)

Cesari, L. (2011, May 4). Weeding the Common Core Standards. No Shhing here blog. Retrieved 1/15/2013 from http://noshhinghere.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2011-05-17T07:35:00-07:00&max-results=47&start=24&by-date=false.

Cisneros, S. (1983). The house on Mango Street. Hous-ton, TX: Arte Publico.

Common Core. (2012). The Common Core curriculum maps: English language arts grades 6–8. San Fran-cisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

de Saint-Exupéry, A. (2000). The little prince. (R. How-ard, Trans.). Orlando, FL: Harcourt.

Farley, W. (2008). The black stallion. New York, NY: Random House Books for Young Readers. (Origi-nal work published 1941)

Frost, R., Cosgrove, J. O., & Untermeyer, L. (2002). The road not taken. In The road not taken: A selec-tion of Robert Frost’s poems. New York: Owl Books. (Original work published 1915), p. 270.

Harris, T. L., & Hodges, R. E. (Eds.). (1995). The

literacy dictionary: The vocabulary of reading and writing. Newark, DE: International Reading As-sociation.

Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the dust. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Hinton, S. E. (1967). The outsiders. New York, NY: Viking/Penguin.

Kidd, K. (2007). Prizing children’s literature: The case of Newbery gold. Children’s Literature, 35, 166–190.

L’Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Longfellow, H. W. (1996). Paul Revere’s ride (T. Rand, Illus.) New York, NY: Dutton. (Original work published 1861)

Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

McNair, J. C. (2010). Classic African American chil-dren’s literature. The Reading Teacher, 64, 96–105.

Moss, B., & Loh, V. (2010). 35 strategies for guiding readers through informational texts. New York, NY: Guilford.

Neumann, D. (2012, Spring). Reading the Common Core Standards. The Source: A publication of the California History Social Studies Project (pp. 7–8).

Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York, NY: Bradbury Press.

Reese, D. (2012, May 8). American Indians in the Common Core. American Indians in children’s literature. Retrieved 1/15/2013 from http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot .com/search/label/Common%20Core.

Sachar, L. (1998). Holes. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Springen, K. (2012, July 18). What Common Core means for publishers. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/53002-what-common-core-means-for-publishers.html.

Sutcliff, R. (2005). Black ships before Troy: The story of the Iliad. New York, NY: Laurel Leaf.

Taylor, M. E. (1976). Roll of thunder, hear my cry. New York, NY: Dial/Penguin Books.

Twain, M. (2001). The adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York, NY: Modern Library. (Original published in 1876)

Whitman, W. (2008). “O captain! My captain!” In Poetry for Young People Walt Whitman. J. Levin, (Ed.) New York: Sterline, p. 38.

Wilder, L. I. (2007). Little house in the big woods. New

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York, NY: HarperCollins. (Original published in 1932)

Yep, L. (1975). Dragonwings. New York, NY: Harper-Collins.

Yolen, J. (1987). Tales of wonder. New York, NY: Scho-ken.

Zitlow, C. (2009). Twenty classic young adult novels. In P. B. Cole (Ed.), Young adult literature in the 21st century (pp. 51–54). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

rick Chambers is 2013 Cel exemplary leaderRick Chambers is a former secondary school English teacher and department chair who, for more than 26 years, taught in several schools in Dufferin and Waterloo counties in Ontario, Canada, as well as with the Canadian Department of National Defence in Europe. In 1997, he joined the Ontario College of Teachers, the regulatory body for the teaching profession in Ontario, where he managed the Professional Learning Program and served as a program officer in the Accreditation Unit. Since 2004, he has worked for Agriteam Canada on a teacher professional development project in South Africa and for the United Church of Canada on a project to develop standards of practice, ethical standards, and discipline processes for ministry personnel. He has also served as a coordinator with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto in their Continuing Education Department. Rick is past chair of the Conference on English Leadership (CEL) of NCTE, and has made presentations and contributed articles on English teaching, assessment, literacy education, and professional development na-tionally and internationally. Currently, he is part of a team at OISE writing an online teacher education course for teachers of English as a Foreign Language. He also continues to write and conduct courses for Pearson Pro-fessional Learning, a division of Pearson Education Canada. He is a coauthor of the Literacy in Action series of English language arts books for grades seven and eight. Rick is the Canadian consultant for the Stepping Out re-source—professional development courses and materials focused on middle and secondary school cross-curricular writing, reading, and viewing. He has delivered courses on the Stepping Out resource in all parts of Canada. Rick holds degrees from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the University of Calgary in Alberta. He will be presented with this award during the CEL Annual Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday, November 24, 2013, at the CEL Sunday Luncheon.

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