Forget The Great Gatsby Analysis

Common Core has unfounded negative connotations. Society does not like change and Common Core calls for change. The reality is Common Core changes the way our children learn material and better prepares them for college and a future career. Alexandra Petri laments the requirement that, "70 percent of high school seniors’ reading assignments be nonfiction” (Seyler). This is not an irrational expectation for those preparing to enter college level courses or the workforce. Knowing how to read nonfiction, such as manuals or an autobiography, is an essential skill to learn. Common Core standards recommend iconic works of fiction, better prepare students for college and the workforce by improving test scores, and expand reading from primarily English classes to Math, Science, and History

“Forget The Great Gatsby” begins Petri in her Washington Post article, "The Common Core’s 70 percent nonfiction standards and the end of reading?” Yet, two sentences later, she references the Common Core recommendations, with a hyperlink directly to the Common Core website (Petri). Listed on the website under “Grades 11-CCR” is The Great Gatsby (“Standards for English” 11). Her goal was to shock her audience. Unfortunately, texts have been misidentified by the author as replacements in English Literature that actually belong under

With fear mongering articles like Petri’s, the purpose has been missed. Common Core recommends fiction and nonfiction literature across multiple genres that pique the interest of even lackluster readers. In doing so, this will better prepare the upcoming generation for college or the job market. Ultimately, the technical material does not replace the English Literature selections. The texts recommended are beneficial to students and teachers alike, therefore, improvements in scores previously mentioned are expected to rise as expectations for students are also