Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries -- presentation to the American Library Association Annual Conference 2014. Libraries can play an essential role in helping students, teachers and families find nonfiction that gradually increases in text complexity. But what does the ladder of complexity really mean? How do we evaluate reading complexity in nonfiction texts? And how do librarians engage with their communities to provide their expertise?

1. ALA Annual Conference
June 29, 2014

2. Meet the CC IRL Team
Mary Ann Scheuer: School Librarian, Emerson Elementary School (California)
greatkidbooks.blogspot.com
Alyson Beecher: Literacy Specialist, Pasedena Unified School District
(California) kidlitfrenzy.com
Louise Capizzo: Youth Services Librarian, Scarborough Public Library (Maine)
nonfictiondetectives.com
Cathy Potter: School Librarian, Falmouth Elementary School (Maine)
nonfictiondetectives.com

3. Online access to presentation
http://bit.ly/ccirl2014

4. What’s our attitude?
CatnipComic by Jeff Hoyle

5. Our Goal in Starting CC: IRL
● add library expertise to evaluating
educational resources
● deepen our understanding of the ladder of
complexity
● provide an alternative to prescriptive
curriculum kits

6. Informational Reading
“50-50 balance
between informational
and literary reading”
"Key Shifts in English Language Arts." Common Core State Standards Initiative. Web. June 2014.

7. Informational Text...
“Includes biographies and
autobiographies; books about
history, social studies,
science, and the arts;
technical texts... and digital
sources on a range of
topics.”
"English Language Arts Standards » Standard 10: Range, Quality, & Complexity » Range of Text Types for K-5." Common
Core State Standards Initiative. Web. June 2014.

9. Expository - explains, describes, informs

10. Narrative - reads like a story

11. Persuasive - argues a position

12. Descriptive - uses sensory details

13. Poetic - presents information through poems

14. Understanding Reading Levels
Comparing different systems:
● What do they measure?
● Which do our schools use?
● How do we estimate with new books?

15. Smith III, Malbert, Anne Schiano, and Elizabeth Lattanzio (2014). “Beyond the Classroom: How Lexile Measures are Being
Used in the Library to Achieve College and Career Readiness.” Knowledge Quest. 42(3):20-29.
Understanding Reading Levels
“No tool can replace the
professional judgment of a
teacher, parent or librarian in
helping students select
books”

16. Ladder of Complexity
read
alouds
digital
resources

17. Factors that Contribute to Complexity

18. Print Factors
● Size of print
● Style of font
● Space between lines
● Width of margins
Elizabeth Carney, Frogs! (National Geographic, 2009) Copyrighted material.
All rights reserved.

19. Print Factors
Pamela S. Turner, The Frog Scientist (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)

20. Layout
● visually conveys
information
● uses plenty of white
space
● eye flows in natural
line
Pamela S. Turner, The Frog Scientist (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)

21. Vocabulary
Definitions - Vocabulary -
Glossary
Don’t they just mean the
same thing?
Book Looking by Nemo

22. Some books create a
separate box for key terms
and the corresponding
definitions.
This book calls them
“Titanic Terms.”
Melissa Stewart, Titanic (National Geographic, 2012)
Copyrighted material. All rights reserved.
Definitions

23. Another text feature:
a key word is bolded
with the definition
embedded in the
text.
Lori Coleman, Girls' Soccer: Going for the Goal (Capstone, 2007)
Definitions

24. Some books include key terms or
specialized vocabulary in a
glossary at the end.
This National Geographic Reader
uses a picture glossary.
Elizabeth Carney, Frogs! (National Geographic, 2009) Copyrighted
material. All rights reserved.
Glossary

25. Text Features & Visual Elements
Marty Crump, The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog (Boyds Mill Press, 2013)

26. Nicola Davies, One Tiny Turtle (Candlewick, 2001)

27. Text Features & Visual Elements
Lori Coleman, Girls' Soccer: Going for the Goal (Capstone, 2007)

28. Putting It All Together
Stephen Person, Devastated by a
Volcano! (Bearport, 2010)
Look for
scaffolding
features like:
● captions
● diagrams
● headings

29. Melissa Stewart, Titanic (National Geographic, 2012) Copyrighted material. All rights reserved.

30. Sean Stewart Price, The Kids’
Guide to Titanic (Capstone, 2012)

31. Stephanie S. McPherson, Iceberg, Right Ahead! The Tragedy of the Titanic (Twenty First Century Books, 2011)

32. Read Alouds
Provide learners with basic knowledge and build
close listening skills for texts students may not be
able to read independently.

33. Digital Resources
E-Books
Book Apps
Video

34. Supporting Teachers & Students
The school librarian arranged an author visit with
nonfiction author, Melissa Stewart.
Share your
expertise and
resources

35. Building Connections
public librarians
+
school librarians
= a strong partnership
Family Comunity Patchwork by Geralt

36. Book Gap Challenge
What’s missing from
your collection?
What do we need to
read & review more?
Puzzled people by Microsoft Clipart

37. Online access
Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries
Find our presentation here: http://bit.ly/ccirl2014
Resources to share:
Common Core IRL: Baseball
http://www.slideshare.net/maryannscheuer/common-core-irl-baseball
Common Core IRL: Frogs
http://www.slideshare.net/maryannscheuer/frogs-cc-irl

38. Works Cited
Carney, Elizabeth. Frogs! Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2009.
Coleman, Lori. Girls' Soccer: Going for the Goal. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2007.
Crump, Marty, Edel Rodriguez, and Steve Jenkins. The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press, 2013.
Davies, Nicola and Jane Chapman. One Tiny Turtle. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2001.
"English Language Arts Standards » Standard 10: Range, Quality, & Complexity » Range of Text Types for K-5." Common Core State Standards
Initiative. Web. June 2014.
"Key Shifts in English Language Arts." Common Core State Standards Initiative. Web. June 2014.
McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino. Iceberg Right Ahead!: The Tragedy of the Titanic. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2011.
Person, Stephen. Devastated by a Volcano! New York: Bearport Pub., 2010.
Price, Sean. The Kids' Guide to Titanic. North Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2012.
Smith III, Malbert, Anne Schiano, and Elizabeth Lattanzio (2014). “Beyond the Classroom: How Lexile Measures are Being Used in the Library to
Achieve College and Career Readiness.” Knowledge Quest. 42(3):20-29.
Stewart, Melissa. Titanic. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2012.
Turner, Pamela S., and Andy Comins. The Frog Scientist. Boston: Houghton Mifflin for Children, 2009.

39. Contact Information
Mary Ann Scheuer- @maryannscheuer
greatkidbooks@gmail.com
Alyson Beecher-@alybee930
kidlitfrenzy@gmail.com
Louise Capizzo- @lcapizzo
thenonfictiondetectives@yahoo.com
Cathy Potter- @cppotter
thenonfictiondetectives@yahoo.com