Connecting Texts to Common Core ELA Standards and
Practices
Goals

Participants will explore big ideas, overarching themes, text
based questions, and instructional suggestions for selected
Red Clover Award nominated texts.
Each Selection

Big Ideas
Overarching Questions
Connections to CCSS
Text-Based Discussion Questions
Suggestions for Instruction
Writing About Texts

Students can argue the merits of nominated titles by:
 developing a set of criteria
 rating each book based on these criteria
 analyzing all evaluations and selecting the top contender
 Writing a supporting statement to justify his/her choice
Connecting
Texts
The Companion Books
section includes ideas for
assembling text sets and
pairing fiction and nonfiction texts across
themes/big ideas
Connecting to The Standards
Questioning
Challenging Questions

“The Common Core asks students to read stories
and literature, as well as more complex texts that
provide facts and background knowledge in areas
such as science and social studies. Students will be
challenged and asked questions that push them to
refer back to what they’ve read. This stresses
critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical
skills that are required for success in college,
career, and life.”
Common Core Standards
Text-Based Questions

 require careful examination of text ; often focus on
difficult sections for deeper understanding
 require students to respond with support from text.
 range from simple to complex, going beyond basic
facts and recall.
 may be student generated!
 promote deep comprehension and retention of
content
A variety of
questions on a
variety of levels…
Words/Phrases
Sentences
Paragraph
Segments
Selection
Across Texts
Key Ideas and Details
Questions at this level
relate to main ideas,
supporting details, and the
relationship between ideas
in a text.
Key Ideas and Details
What’s
the BIG
?
With prompting and support,
ask and answer questions about
key details in a text
With prompting and support,
retell familiar stories, including
key details.
With prompting and support,
identify characters, settings,
and major events in a story
Stems

How did the character react to the situation?
Using support from the text describe how
_____happened.
How did the character solve his/her
problem?
Why did the character ____? Use clues from
the text to support your conclusion.
Craft and Structure
Questions at this level
relate to vocabulary, style,
genre, language use, text
structure, and author’s
point of view.
Craft and Structure

Ask and answer questions about unknown
words in a text.
Recognize common types of texts (e.g.,
storybooks, poems).
With prompting and support, name the
author and illustrator of a story and define
the role of each in telling the story.
Stems

Which words, phrases, or illustrations help
you determine the meaning of the term ___?
Which words or phrases does the author use to
describe___?
How does the author show the differences
between…?
What events led to ___?
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Questions at this level ask
students to integrate and
extrapolate information from
the text (including all features),
and to analyze and use
reasoning and evidence to make
inferences, conclusions, and
connections.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

With prompting and support, describe the
relationship between the illustrations and
the story in which they appear.
With prompting and support, compare and
contrast the adventures and experiences of
characters in familiar stories.
Stems

 What information is provided in the (diagram, chart,
caption, etc.) that help you understand ____?
 Why did the author place the term ___in bold print?
 What additional information is provided in the
illustrations?
 What conclusion can you draw about ____? Use
examples from the text to support your conclusion.
 According to details in the story, what is the author’s
opinion/message about ____?
Sample
Sample Text-Based Questions

Paired Text

The Common Core Standards requires
students to engage with literary and
informational texts.
Red Clover selections often include
informational text within the book or in
recommended external links or readings.
This is a great way to make connections
between literature and informational text.
Other Sources of Informational
Text

ReadWorks
TIME for Kids
Scholastic News, Scope,
Storyworks, etc.
I.N.K.
Newsela
PAIRED TEXTS
Poem: “Snowflake Wakes”
Informational Text: “Snowflakes”
Text-Based Questions
Informational Text:
“Snowflakes”

 What is the crystal?
 What is vapor?
 Where do snowflakes
come from?
 How are they
formed?
Poem: “Snowflake
Wakes”
 How is the “crystal”
represented in the poem?
 Which words help
describe the process of
the snowflake forming
and changing?
 What is the “lace?”
 What is the “dizzy cloud?”
 What is the “tickling and
clinging?”
Try It:
 Choose your pair.
 In collaboration, read
the texts and construct
relevant questions that
will help students see
connections.
 Try out the suggested
activity.
Resources
http://education.vermont.gov/commoncore/english-language-arts/resources