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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to fill in all of the blanks and choose an option in each category before I conduct a search?
   No. This will undoubtedly produce a zero results search. Try searching by a single keyword or category, then if there are too many titles listed in the search results, click the Back button on your browser and add another category until you obtain the desired number of titles in your search results. To view the annotation, publisher, etc. of a single title, click on the title of the book you're interested in, and you will see the full record for that book.
2. Why does my search return zero results?
   There are several possibilities for a search yielding zero results. There are over 1,400 titles in this searchable database, but there isn't a title for each set of possible criteria, or each content standard in each grade level span. Try conducting another search with fewer categories or less specific criteria. For best results, use one to three categories per search. The search is an "and" search which means that only records that match all of the selected categories will be displayed.
3. Why is there a keyword search or "string" search and not a subject search?
   At this time we do not have the ability of creating a subject search. The "string" search has to exactly match the string of letters existing in the database. If you want to find books about magnets or magnetism, use the keyword magnet, as that will return results of magnet, magnets, and magnetism in the title or annotation.
4. Can I list all of the books on a certain subject area or keyword without having to enter a grade level or author?
   Yes. You can start your search by using one category or keyword; if there are too many results returned by your search, click the Back button on your browser, add another category, and click the Submit button again.
5. Why does it take so long to conduct a search?
   This may be because of your Internet Service Provider, the speed of your connection, or the number of books that will be returned in your search. A large number of books will take longer to download than a small number of books.
6. Do I have to know the name of the book or the author's name to search the list?
   No. You can search by the author first or last name, use a single word in the title, or use a single keyword to search the title or the annotation. A title search looks only in the title field of the database. A keyword search looks in both the title and annotation fields. If you spell the author's name or the keyword incorrectly, the database will not be able to find any titles for your search. You can also search by one to three of the dropdown categories such as grade level span, genre, classification, subject area, or a specific content standard.
7. Why are the books organized by grade level span instead of by a single grade level?
   The list is organized by grade level span designations indicating the appropriate audience for a particular title. Grade level spans are determined by many factors, such as interest level, curriculum connections, and readability level. Titles have been divided into the following grade level spans: kindergarten through grade two (K-2), grades three through five (3-5), grades six through eight (6-8), and grades nine through twelve (9-12).
8. Can I print out the entire list of titles in the database including the annotations?
   No, not at this time. You can print out the list of titles and authors in English by clicking the Submit button at the bottom of the page without selecting any categories, then printing the document. If you want all titles in all languages, select All Languages from the Languages dropdown box, click the Submit button, then print the document. If you want to print a single title's full record, click on the title of the book, which will bring you to the record detail page, then print the page.
9. Can I download the database onto my computer?
   No. The database that contains the information about the titles is the property of the California Department of Education (CDE) and is not available for sale or distribution.
10. Is the document available in a printed version?
    Due to budget cuts, we are unable to print the document at this time.
11. Why is a title included in the previous Literature for Science and Mathematics: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve but it isn't included here?
    Titles that were on the previous list but are not on the new list were dropped for a number of reasons. Reasons may include the book is out of print or hard to find, or a newer title covers the subject area more completely. Because a title is not included does not mean it is no longer recommended.
12. Can my school or district choose literature that is not on this recommended list?
    Yes. This recommended list is meant to guide local districts in the selections of appropriate literature. Schools and districts may choose literature that is not on this list for a variety of reasons. This list is not intended to restrict the literature choices of districts. Rather we encourage you to use this list both as a source of titles for the development of local lists and as a guide for evaluating literature that is not included on our recommended list, whether it be newly published or an old favorite. Local school officials and teachers are encouraged to use this list as a resource in designing standard-based instruction programs.
13. Who selected the books on the list?
    Literature for Science and Mathematics: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve was coordinated by the CDE and developed with the assistance of teachers, library media teachers and public librarians, administrators, curriculum planners, college professors, and parents. The Acknowledgments page lists those involved in this process.
14. What was the process for selection?
    This team of experts in the fields of science, mathematics, and literature for children and adolescents worked for over a year reviewing thousands of selections. Each of the many titles was reviewed and discussed by the committee members before coming to a consensus on the titles that are included on the list.
15. What was the criteria for selection?
    Each title considered for selection was reviewed against the following criteria: literary quality, reader appeal, connection to the content standards, and when applicable, the quality of the illustrations and the quality of the translation.
16. Why are there titles in six different languages in the Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve database, but only two languages in this database?
    Most books in languages other than English are about a specific culture or the myths and legends of that culture. We did an extensive search for books about science and mathematics in the five languages other than English (Spanish, Hmong, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Chinese) and except for the Spanish language, we did not find books that met our criteria.
17. How are the standards indicated or noted?
    The standards are cited exactly as they are listed in the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve and Mathematics Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, both documents published by CDE and approved by the State Board of Education. The grade of the standard is listed first, then the name of the discipline or strand is next, and the standard set is the last number in the citation. So the citation 6 Earth Sciences 1 means sixth grade, earth sciences, standard set one.
18. Will there be at least one title for each content standard?
    No. There is not quality literature available for every science and mathematics content standard.
19. Are all of the books matched to at least one science or mathematics standard?
    No. The committee decided that books about science or mathematics should be on the list to further students' interest in the subject of science and mathematics.
20. Can I only search by the grade level standards I teach?
    No. You can search by any grade level standard you wish. Scroll down to the Mathematics Standards Connection or Science Standards Connection dropdown boxes, choose one grade level in either Mathematics or Science, choose a corresponding standard, and then press the Submit button. If your search results in zero books found, press the Back button on your browser and choose a different grade level or standard for a new search.
21. Can I search by an individual standard or only by standard set?
    Only standard sets are cited. When a strong connection to a standard was determined, the standard set was cited since many books discuss more than one specific standard.