CCSS and Books

Introduction

The following books are suggestions for addressing specific Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, focusing on those for speaking & listening, and language.

Cohesive Tie JAR-gon Activity Kit from Mindwing Concepts This is not a book, but an activity kit that can be used to assist students to learn how to use basic conjunctions and higher level conjunctions (e.g., suddenly/unexpectedly) and transition words (e.g., next/later). It includes a bright clip-on tie, clothespins and double-sided cohesive tie word flashcards (all kept in a handy jar) which can be used to add visual and tactile cues to small-group and individual sessions to work on sentence expansion, conjunctions, and sequencing events in narratives.

The Dove Dove by Marvin Terban Grades 5 - 7

70 riddles that are solved by a homograph pair (e.g., Protest the competition = Contest the contest). The text also includes hints for solving the riddles, pronunciation guides, and answers.

Grade 5 5c. Use relationship between particular words (synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words)

Just Me and 6,000 Rats by Rick Walton Grades Kindergarten - 3

This is an entertaining story about a boy who travels through the city with 6,000 rats and the consequences of their travels. On each page, the target conjunction is written in colored print with an eye-catching font to highlight it. Students can identify the conjunctions and their purpose (coordinating, subordinating, etc.) and practice writing their own funny sentences and stories using those same conjunctions. Two pages of sample learning activities are included at the end of the book.

Grade 3 1h. Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

Grade 3 1i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences. Grade 5 1e. Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).

Many Luscious Lollipops by Ruth Heller Lexile level: NP (Non-Prose, no Lexile Level available) Age Range: 5 - 8 years

Written in rhyme, this text provides a starting point for additional lessons on forming adjectives by adding suffixes, using comparative and superlative adjectives, and word order in sentences containing adjectives.

Grade 3 1g. Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

Grade 4 1d. Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag).

Grade 3 4b. Determine the meaning of a new word formed when a known affix is added to the known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat).

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven Grades Preschool - 3

The narrator draws a picture of her family, but isn't satisfied, so she describes each member with a series of similes based on objects, which are incorporated into the author's illustrations (e.g., the dog's ears are actually socks, representing the simile, "as smelly as dirty socks"). At the end of the story, readers are prompted to describe their family members using objects in similes. Specific objects are pictured that pair with traits that might describe a person. The same author has written My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil.

Grade 4 5a. Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context. and Grade 5 5a. Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.