This is a guest post by Kathy Crane, who will be contributing a series of posts over the next few months. If you like what you see here, check back frequently for more posts from here and  click here to read her blog,   Kindergarten Kiosk .

Teaching the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts –   Reading: Literature   can seem daunting at first glance, but when you look at the standards closely, everything listed can easily be taught using proven “Big Book” teaching methods.

Here are a few examples:

Key Ideas and details:

1. After the first reading of a big book, move through the book page by page while making a list of the key details. For example. What is happening on this page? How do we know the character felt this way? Let’s reread the page to see how the picture reflects the words in the story. (You can expand this by adding sticky notes on strategic places to document findings or by creating a large chart.)
2. Big books can easily be retold to enhance student understanding concerning details of text. These retellings, as well as the listing of characters, settings, and events can be accomplished in a number of ways such as: story mapping, spidergraphs, story paths, dramatization, puppets, art, writing, story hand, etc.

Craft and Structure:

1. Make a dictionary or bulletin board to compile unknown words. One example is “Fancy Nancy’s Words.” After a few readings, go through the text, list and define “fancy” or unknown words. Write the words on a strip or piece of paper, and ask a student to illustrate the word(s). Add to your bulletin board or dictionary.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity!   This one is easy, as it is already the purpose of teacher big books and shared reading! Our goal is to “actively engage (students) in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. Shared reading allows students opportunity to be engaged in text and vocabulary well above their independent reading level and, therefore, accomplishes this goal every day!

So if you are worried about teaching the   Reading: Literature   portion of the Common Core Standards, worry no more! Stock your room with great quality big books. If you don’t know where to start, here is one of my student’s favorites! If you love Joy Cowley’s character   Dan The Flying Man , you will love to see how he first acquired his flying suit in her book   Little Dan

~~~

For more information about Joy Cowley's books,  click here to visit our website  or click the image below to download an information sheet with series highlights.