Despite students' interest in informational text, it has played second fiddle in literacy instruction for years. Now, though, nonfiction is getting its turn in the spotlight. The Common Core State Standards require that students become thoughtful consumers of complex, informative texts--taking them beyond the realm of dry textbooks and self-selected reading. What has triggered the push for more informational text? For one, the goal of Common Core is to prepare students for college and career, both of which require a reservoir of knowledge about the natural, physical, and social world around them. And that's exactly what informational texts provide them. Another rationale can be summed up in one word: "assessment". The developers of the standards sought to align the instructional balance of literary and informational text with that of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)--tests administered across the country at grades 4, 8, and 12. According to this model, fourth-grade students should receive a 50-50 balance between the two types of texts across the school day. Ready to master the basics of informational text and Common Core? This article provides answers to some commonly asked questions and offers a few ideas on how instruction in informational text could look like in the classroom.