The English-Language Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools adopted by the State Board of Education in 1997, were an important factor in the consideration and selection of the titles that appear in Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. The collection of titles, compiled by teachers, library media teachers, public and school librarians, and other experts in the field of children's literature, provides a broad range of books that serve as examples of the kinds of materials that will help students meet California's rigorous content standards. Local school officials and teachers are encouraged to use this list as a resource in designing standards-based instructional programs.
Literature as Part of Instruction
Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve
is a resource for supplemental English-language arts instructional
materials that teachers can use to extend and deepen students'
understanding and facility with a wide range of English-language
arts standards.
Because so many of the standards for reading comprehension and
literary response and analysis can be addressed through the use
of high-quality fiction and nonfiction materials, individual standards
have not been listed for each title in this collection nor have
specific titles been suggested for each of the standards. Attempts
to do so were found to be insufficient to reflect the myriad of
ways teachers can use this list to meet the instructional and
recreational literary needs of students. For example, in kindergarten,
students are expected to "connect to life experiences the
information and events in text" (see standard 2.3). Virtually
all books on the K-2 list can be used to address this standard.
Conversely, any single title on this list can address multiple
standards. For example, the fiction titles on the grades 6-8 list
can be used to teach students to "analyze the influence of
setting on the problem and its resolution" (see standard.
3.3, grade 6), "analyze text that uses the cause-and-effect
organizational pattern" (see standard 2.3, grade 7), and
"analyze the structural elements of the plot" (see standard
3.2, grade 8).
Reading and the use of literature are also of great benefit beyond
the boundaries of the language arts classroom. Through the integration
of quality literature selections into content area lessons, teachers
can enrich their students' understanding and create an atmosphere
for inquiry and discussions about what they read. When literature
selections are integrated into the content areas of the curriculum,
students can begin to make historical and literary connections
and gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter, specific
concepts, or certain time periods. As children read and are engaged
with quality texts, they have the opportunity to develop a greater
awareness about a historical period, a specific way of life, what
people thought, and how they behaved.
Literature for Independent Reading
This collection of literature is intended for use by teachers, library media teachers, public librarians, parents, and students as a guide to the kinds of books that children should read independently both at school and outside of class. At every grade level, the reading comprehension strand of the English-Language Arts Content Standards calls for students to read and understand grade-level-appropriate material and, by the end of high school, to read two million words annually on their own.
The titles in Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. Works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama have been included on this list to accommodate a variety of tastes, interests, and abilities. The selected titles reflect rich cultural diversity, and special attention was given to include California authors, illustrators, and settings. For children who can read in other languages, the list includes titles in the five languages, other than English, most commonly spoken by students in California: Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Chinese, and Filipino.