Examples of Complex Texts at various Levels*
K–1 Band
2–3 Band
4–5 Band
- Fictional Texts: Green Eggs and Ham (Dr. Seuss), Frog and Toad Together (A. Lobel), Pancakes for Breakfast (T. DePaola), Hi! Fly Guy (T. Arnold), Are You My Mother? (P.D. Eastman)
- Poetry: “Singing-Time” (R. Fyleman), “By Myself” (E. Greenfield), “Poem” (L. Hughes), “Drinking Fountain” (M. Chute)
- Informational Text: My Five Senses (Aliki), Truck (D. Crews), I Read Signs (T. Hoban), A Tree is a Plant (R. Bulla)
2–3 Band
- Fictional Texts: My Father’s Dragon (R. Gannett), Amos & Boris (W. Steig), The Stories Julian Tells (A. Cameron), Poppleton in Winter (C. Rylant), Sarah, Plain and Tall (P. MacLachlan)
- Poetry: “Eating While Reading” (G. Soto), “Autumn” (E. Dickinson), “Weather” (E. Merriam), “Grandpa’s Stories” (L. Hughes)
- Informational Text: From Seed to Plant (G. Gibbons), Bats: Creatures of the Night (J. Milton), Where do Polar Bears Live? (S.L. Thomson), Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs! (K. Kudlinkski)
4–5 Band
- Fictional Texts: Tuck Everlasting (N. Babbitt), Bud, Not Buddy (C.P. Curtis), The Birchbark House (L. Erdrich), The Secret Garden (F. Burnett), Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (G. Lin)
- Poetry: “Casey at the Bat” (E. Thayer), “Fog” (C. Sandberg), “Dust of Snow” (R. Frost), “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” (R. Dahl)
- Informational Text: Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet (M. Berger), “Good Pet, Bad Pet” (E. Schleichert), A History of US (J. Hakim), Horses (S. Simon)
*From Appendix B of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects