Common Core Standards

The Common Core Standards were developed to prepare students for the demands of college and careers. The Common Core Standards provide a clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. Forty-five states have adopted the Common Core Standards. The Common Core Standards are for students in kindergarten through twelfth-grade. Some states are implementing these standards in the 2013-14 school year. Others will wait until the 2014-15 school year. English language arts and math were the subjects chosen for the Common Core Standards because they are as upon which students build skill sets which are used in other subjects.

Students will continue to read a diverse array of classic and contemporary literature as well as informational text in a wide range of subjects. In the past, literature has often been more dominant in schools especially in the primary grades. Now, an emphasis for more informational text especially in the primary grades will be emphasized to establish this “staircase” of increasing complexity in what students must be able to read.Fisher Hill’s six book series English Reading Comprehension for the Spanish Speaker contains many examples of informational text for students to read and enjoy. Following is an example of informational text from the fourth book in the series.

Did you know that dolphins live in the Amazon River? The Amazon River also has the largest watershed in the world and the most tributaries. The Amazon and its tributaries wind through the northern half of South America flowing through the countries of Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean 6,437 kilometers (4,000 miles) from the its headwaters high in the Andes mountains of Peru. This huge watershed includes the largest tropical rainforest in the world as well as areas of dry grassland.Many animals live in the Amazon. The Boto dolphins live in the Amazon. These dolphins are vulnerable because of the continued destruction of the rainforest environment. The major threats to their survival are pollution, deforestation, entanglement in fishing nets and competition for fish with human fishers. The carnivorous piranhas (fish) also live in the Amazon. They swim in large shoals or schools and may attack livestock and humans. In 1981 300 people were killed by a school of piranhas when their boat capsized. With their sharp teeth, piranhas can strip the flesh from bones in just a few minutes. But only a few species of piranhas attack humans, and many are solely fish-eaters, and do not swim in packs or schools. The Anaconda is the largest snake in the world and is found in shallow waters in the Amazon basin. It spends much of its time in the water with just its nostrils above the surface. Thousands of species of fish, crabs and turtles also live in the Amazon River.

The Amazon is home to a variety of Indian cultures that have a great deal of knowledge about the Amazon rainforest. As settlements bring changes to the forest, these cultural groups are also changing, and the lessons they have gained through thousands of years of living within the rainforest are in danger of being lost. Scientists are trying to learn from the native people of the Amazon about the rainforest plants and animals that may hold cures to many diseases.

Amazon River with its huge watershed includes the largest tropical rainforest in the world. The destruction of the forest as settlers clear the land for farming and companies harvest trees for lumber is believed to be contributing to the problem of global warming. It’s important to preserve the Amazon River and its huge watershed that includes the largest rainforest in the world!

The six book series English Reading Comprehension for the Spanish Speaker contains many examples of informational text for students to read and enjoy. Fisher Hill workbooks are bilingual to help facilitate and accelerate Spanish speakers in their development of English reading and writing. Fisher Hill workbooks are written for Spanish-speaking teens and adults.

Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to see all of our workbooks for Spanish-speaking teens and adults.