Special Collections
Grade 2-3 Common Core Text Exemplars
Description: These books exemplify the level of complexity that Common Core State Standards require students to engage with. While the choices serve to help educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range, this not a required reading list. #teachers
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A Drop of Water
by Walter WickThe most spectacular photographs ever created on the subject of water appear in this unique science book by Walter Wick. The camera stops the action and magnifies it so that all the amazing states of water can be observed - water as ice, rainbow, stream, frost, dew. Readers can examine a drop of water as it falls from a faucet, see a drop of water as it splashes on a hard surface, count the points of an actual snowflake, and contemplate how drops of water form clouds.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
The Story of Ruby Bridges
by Robert ColesThe inspirational true story of Ruby Bridges.The year is 1960, and six-year-old Ruby Bridges and her family have recently moved from Mississippi to New Orleans in search of a better life. When a judge orders Ruby to attend first grade at William Frantz Elementary, an all-white school, Ruby must face angry mobs of parents who refuse to send their children to school with her. Told with Robert Coles' powerful narrative and dramatically illustrated by George Ford, Ruby's story of courage, faith, and hope continues to resonate more than 60 years later.
Lincoln
by Russell FreedmanThe Newbery Medal–winning book for young readers presents &“a human portrait of a politician honorably confronting the most vexing issues of his era&” (The New York Times Book Review). Abraham Lincoln stood out in a crowd as much for his wit and rollicking humor as for his height. This Newbery Medal-winning biography of our Civil War president is warm, appealing, and illustrated with dozens of carefully chosen photographs and prints. Russell Freedman begins with a lively account of Abraham Lincoln's boyhood, his career as a country lawyer, and his courtship and marriage to Mary Todd. Then the author focuses on Lincoln&’s presidency, skillfully explaining the many complex issues he grappled with as he led a deeply divided nation through the Civil War. The book's final chapter is a moving account of his tragic death at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. The volume concludes with a sampling of Lincoln writings and a detailed list of Lincoln historical sites. "Few, if any, of the many books written for children about Lincoln can compare with Freedman's contribution…This is an outstanding example of what (juvenile) biography can be. Like Lincoln himself, it stands head and shoulders above its competition." —School Library Journal
Where Do Polar Bears Live?
by Sarah L. ThomsonLet's-Read-and-Find-Out about Polar Bears. The Arctic might be a bit too chilly for you or me to live there, but it is the perfect home for polar bears. The fur between the pads of their paws keeps them from slipping on the ice. Their skin and blubber are like a warm blanket. But the earth is getting warmer and the ice is melting. Where will the polar bears live? How can we help protect their home? Read and find out!
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Moonshot
by Brian Floca"We choose to go to the Moon.
We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
--John F. Kennedy, 1961
Simply told, grandly shown, here for a new generation of readers and explorers is the story of Apollo 11. Here are the steady astronauts, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a challenge met, a journey made, and a view of home, seen whole, from far away.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Winner of the Sibert Honor
Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs!
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski and S. D. SchindlerThe ancient Chinese thought dinosaurs were magical dragons. Some old-time scientists thought that because they were so big, all they could do was float in water. Boy, were they wrong! This lively book about the perennially popular subject of dinosaurs offers fascinating insight into how certain theories were formed, and then how those theories were proved or disproved. It demonstrates that scientific thought is as creative as it is logical and invites budding scientists to come up with their own ideas.
Crittercam
by Andrew EinspruchThis book is all about Crittercams and how these scientists use them to study everything the animal does.
So You Want to be President
by Judith St. George
That's a big job, and getting bigger But why not? Presidents have come in just about every variety They've been generals like George Washington and actors like Ronald Reagan; big like William Howard Taft, and small like James Madison; handsome like Franklin Pierce and homely like Abraham Lincoln; They've been born in log cabins like Andrew Jackson and mansions like William Harrison.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Winner of the 2000 Caldecott Medal
Martin Luther King Jr. and The March on Washington
by Frances E. RuffinOn August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people came to the nation's capital. They came by plane, by bus, by car--even on roller-skates--to speak out against segregation and to demand equal rights for everyone. They also came to hear the words of a very special leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. Told with a wonderful immediacy, this book captures the spirit of this landmark day in American history and brings Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech to vivid life for young children.
Throw Your Tooth On The Roof
by Selby B. BeelerWhat do you do when you lose a tooth? Do you put it under your pillow and wait for the tooth fairy? Not if you live in Botswana! In Botswana, children throw their teeth onto the roof. In Afghanistan they drop their teeth down mouse holes, and in Egypt they fling their teeth at the sun! Travel around the world and discover the surprising things children do when they lose a tooth.
Selby B. Beeler spent years collecting traditions from every corner of the globe for this whimsical book, and illustrator G. Brian Karas adds to the fun, filling every page with humorous detail. He perfectly captures the excitement and pride that children experience when a tooth falls out.
This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Informational Texts)
From Seed to Plant
by Gail GibbonsExplores the intricate relationship between seeds and the plants which they produce. [This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
A Medieval Feast
by AlikiDescribes the preparation and celebration of a medieval feast held at an English manor house entertaining royal guests.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]