TOON Books and the IRA/NCTE Standards
(International Reading Association & National Council of Teachers of English)
Alignment 1:
In general, all of the TOON Books can be aligned to the IRA/NCTE standards.
Since ten of the twelve IRA/NCTE standards for teaching ELA can be aligned to the teaching of every single TOON Book, it is more than worthwhile for ELA teachers to adopt TOON Books as classroom texts. Specifically, each TOON Book reaches out to ELA teachers in the following 3 standards-based categories: Reading, Writing, and Language-Learning.
Please note that some of the following IRA/NCTE standards fall into more than one category, and, as a result, can be aligned to TOON Books in each of these categories.
- IRA/NCTE Reading Standards & TOON Books
- Standard 1: “Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction, nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.”
- Standard 2: “Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
- Standard 3: “Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles”
- IRA/NCTE Writing Standards & TOON Books
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| Standard 4: “Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.” |
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- Standard 5: “Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.”
- Standard 6: “Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.”
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.”
- Standard 11: “Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.”
- Standard 12: “Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and exchange of information).”
- IRA/NCTE Language-Learning Standards & TOON Books
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.”
- Standard 10: “Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum."
Alignment 2:
Teacher-friendly lesson plans on the TOON Books website specifically align to the IRA/NCTE standards in the following manner. And although many standards are cited for the lesson plans below, it is recommended that ELA teachers focus first on one at a time.
Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons (2008), by Agnès Rosenstiehl
This lesson plan draws on the following IRA/NCTE Reading standards, each of which ELA teachers can choose as a particular focus for their students:
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| Standard 1: “Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction, nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.” |
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- Standard 2: “Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
- Standard 3: “Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles”
Jack and the Box (2008), by Art Spiegelman
Since this lesson plan focuses on reading and writing, ELA teachers can choose to focus on any of the following IRA/NCTE Reading and/or Writing standards:
IRA/NCTE Reading Standards
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| Standard 1: “Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction, nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.” |
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- Standard 2: “Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
- Standard 3: “Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles”
IRA/NCTE Writing Standards
- Standard 4: “Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.”
- Standard 5: “Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.”
- Standard 6: “Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.”
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.”
- Standard 11: “Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.”
- Standard 12: “Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and exchange of information).”
Benny and Penny in Just Pretend (2008), by Geoffrey Hayes
Since this lesson plan focuses on reading and writing, ELA teachers can choose to focus on any of the following IRA/NCTE Reading and/or Writing standards:
IRA/NCTE Reading Standards
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| Standard 1: “Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction, nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.” |
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- Standard 2: “Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
- Standard 3: “Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).”
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles”
IRA/NCTE Writing Standards
- Standard 4: “Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.”
- Standard 5: “Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.”
- Standard 6: “Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.”
- Standard 9: “Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.”
- Standard 11: “Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.”
- Standard 12: “Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and exchange of information).”
TOON Books & English Language Learners
Since most of the TOON Books, and the TOON Book Reader website, also focus on language-learning in a variety of contexts, ELA teachers can use these resources to teach early and emergent English language learners alongside the following IRA/NCTE standards:*
*Please note that the TOON Books and the TOON Book Reader website are aimed at language learners from around the world. Thus, as English Language Arts teachers, we can use these resources to reach out to English language learners in English and in their language of origin. |
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