What students should be reading and writing, according to the Common Core, is âinstructional text.â Supposedly, this focus on nonfiction will help insure that children are âcollege and career ready.â. While I like some elements of the Common Core, I think slicing fiction instruction is a very bad idea. Reading fiction helps make us human. Literature connects us to and deepens our understanding of other peopleâtheir needs, desires, and motivations. It helps us get in touch with our own feelings.