Why is Non-Fiction Important?

In today’s New York Times, an article entitled “The Times and the Common Core Standards” included some very interesting statistics regarding the importance of reading and understanding informational text in order to succeed in the academic world. According to the article, as a student progresses throughout his or her educational career, reading should include more and more non-fiction reading. The article summarizes, “While English classes will still include healthy amounts of fiction, the standards say that students should be reading more nonfiction texts as they get older, to prepare them for the kinds of material they will read in college and careers. In the fourth grade, students should be reading about the same amount from “literary” and “informational” texts, according to the standards; in the eighth grade, 45 percent should be literary and 55 percent informational, and by 12th grade, the split should be 30/70” (Schulten). As our library staff looks for ways to assist teachers and students in these areas, we have not only added a required non-fiction element to the A.R. goal, but also, have increased the amount of informational text that we use in the research process with students as young as 2nd grade while making sure that we read an equal amount of non-fiction and fiction during our early learner’s reading times. Additionally, we require all 1st graders to check out one non-fiction book each week. As we study the research and look for ways to put the findings into practice, we are seeing our students’ vocabulary and understanding of technical information increasing.


Schulten, K. “The Times and the Common Core Standards: Reading Strategies for Informational Text.” New York Times.