Learning on Demand
We're so excited to announce this special online resource designed to help you grow on your professional journey! With 5 modules — Your Professional Journey, Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Classroom Management — you'll discover what good theory looks like in real classrooms.
Quick Pick strategies and lessons, chapter excerpts from our newest and best books, and videos and webinars from our authors make this online learning course one you can't miss!
Get all the details and purchase here.
Learning on Demand
We're so excited to announce this special online resource designed to help you grow on your professional journey! With 5 modules — Your Professional Journey, Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Classroom Management — you'll discover what good theory looks like in real classrooms.
Quick Pick strategies and lessons, chapter excerpts from our newest and best books, and videos and webinars from our authors make this online learning course one you can't miss!
Get all the details and purchase here.
Learning on Demand
We're so excited to announce this special online resource designed to help you grow on your professional journey! With 5 modules — Your Professional Journey, Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Classroom Management — you'll discover what good theory looks like in real classrooms.
Quick Pick strategies and lessons, chapter excerpts from our newest and best books, and videos and webinars from our authors make this online learning course one you can't miss!
Get all the details and purchase here.
Our Best & Brightest on Video
We've had some fabulous webinars over 2023, covering topics important to you, from math & numeracy, to social justice and mental health issues, to reading, writing, and literacy. If you missed out on something you'd like to see, all of our webinars are able to be viewed as recordings! Just visit our Videos page for a full complement of our outstanding offerings.
And keep an eye on this space for what's coming up next!
Active Reading Classrooms
Annoucing our next FREE webinar! Join new Pembroke author Jennifer Kelly on Thurs, Sept 21 at 7 pm (ET) for an exploration of the Active View of Reading that will show you how to build language comprehension and word recognition skills with your students. Click here to get all the details and register for the webinar.
And don't forget, you can view our past webinars online, completely free, via our videos page, here. Catch up on all things teaching and learning with our favourite author-educators!
Write to Read
Want to know more about writing forms and functions, and how it all connects back to reading? Join us Nov 17 at 7 pm (ET), for a FREE webinar with author Larry Swartz, diving into his new book and the lessons within. Get all the details and register here.
Finding a Place for Every Student Webinars
Watch this space for updated information on both our free webinar and paid series on student differentiation, exceptionalities, and belonging.
Our First Fall FREE Webinar!
Join us on September 19, 2022 at 7 pm (ET) for the PD you really need around teaching phonics and helping your students learn to read. Teaching Reading: The What, Why, and How of Teaching Phonics will tackle the ins and outs of explicit phonics instruction, from beginning to end, along with evidence-based strategies that will help you get the job done. Get all the details and register here.
FREE Webinar: Mathematizing Student Thinking
Discsover a new approach to mathematical thinking and learning that will engage students in critical thinking, develop their independence, and make connections with the world. Join us Tuesday, May 17 at 7 pm (ET); learn more and register here.
Making Math Stick Webinar Series
Check out our very first webinar series, offering tips, tools & strategies that will help you improve student comprehension, retention & enthusiasm in mathematics. Learn more.
Looking for active PD you can sink your teeth into? Try a Pembroke webinar! Free to watch, we have videos on a wide range of subjects, from reading, writing, and math, to social-emotional learning and mental health, to classroom management and safe, healthy schools. Check them out here.
Making Math Stick Webinar Series
Check out our very first webinar series, offering tips, tools & strategies that will help you improve student comprehension, retention & enthusiasm in mathematics. Learn more.
FREE Webinar: Powerful Poetry
Put the power of poetry at your fingertips with this inspiring FREE webinar from Adrienne Gear! Join us December 2 at 7 pm (ET) and explore infusing your literacy program with the rhyme and rhythm of poetry, bringing the joy of language and wordplay to students of all ages. Register here.
Making Math Stick Webinar Series
Check out our very first webinar series, offering tips, tools & strategies that will help you improve student comprehension, retention & enthusiasm in mathematics. Learn more.
Student Diversity—Tues., Nov. 9, 2021 @ 7:30 pm (ET)
Join veteran educators Faye Brownlie, Catherine Feniak & Leyton Schnellert as they explore using student strengths to celebrate and include all learners. Learn more and register today!
Making Math Stick Webinar Series
Check out our very first webinar series, offering tips, tools & strategies that will help you improve student comprehension, retention & enthusiasm in mathematics. Learn more
Making Math Stick Webinar Series
Due to circumstance beyond our control, our Making Math Stick Webinar Series, with math leader David Costello, has been postponed until January. We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope you'll "stick" with us as we work to get everything just right. We're still very excited about the series, offering tips, tools & strategies that will help you improve student comprehension, retention & enthusiasm. Learn more
If you're looking for some inspiring PD over the summer, why not try a Pembroke webinar? From reading and writing, to teaching in tough times, to social emotional skills and mental health, we've got something to suit your needs. All available to view for FREE here on our website!
Math Webinar Series—Coming Soon!
Author-educator David Costello hosts a series of 6 webinars that connect to the curriculum and help you make math stick for students. David's tips, tools, and strategies will help you improve student comprehension, retention, and enthusiasm. Learn more.
The Insider's Guide to the Math Curriculum—Sept. 1, 2021 @ 7pm (ET)
Join math guru David Costello as he helps us make sense of the math curriculum, with tips, tools, and strategies that will make math stick for grades K–8! Get all the details and register here.
Math Webinar Series—Coming Soon!
Author-educator David Costello hosts a series of 6 webinars that connect to the curriculum and help you make math stick for students. David's tips, tools, and strategies will help you improve student comprehension, retention, and enthusiasm. Learn more.
Surviving as a New Teacher
Today’s classrooms are challenging places! Are you a new teacher or student teacher looking for tips, tools, and strategies to make surviving and thriving during your first year easier? This webinar, given by veteran educators Kathy Lundy and Larry Swartz, has everything you need to start teaching on the right foot. Join us Wednesday, August 18 at 7 pm (ET) — get all the details and register here.
And we're planning a wealth of exciting things for the new school year — keep an eye on this space for news on what's happening next!
Sometimes Reading is Hard emphasizes the importance of decoding skills, together with the other components that matter in teaching reading: fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In this webinar, author-educator Robin Bright will explore a new perspective of what balanced literacy looks like, and how to apply that new perspective to teaching reading every day. Join us Thursday, July 29 at 7 pm (ET) — get all the details and register here.
And we're planning a wealth of exciting things for the new school year — keep an eye on this space for news on what's happening next!
What's the Difference? with Amanada Yuill
What’s the difference between teaching our students and teaching our autistic students? Not much. In this revealing webinar, author-educator Amanda Yuill will explore strategies that may have been designed for autistic students that can be used to teach all students. Amanda will offer ideas for lesson planning, as well as communication, emotional support, and staying safe. Join us Thursday, June 24 at 7 pm (ET) — get the details and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
Better Reading Now with Larry Swartz
Larry’s teaching has always been framed around choosing and using good books to lead students to read, read, read. In this webinar, he will highlight ready-to-use, straightforward strategies to engage students, deepen comprehension, and nurture a love of reading. Join us on Thursday, May 20, at 7 pm (ET) — you can find all the details and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
Making Math Stick
In this comprehensive webinar, educator David Costello will explore methods for teaching math that will help students to better understand, retain, and apply key math concepts. Join us on Tuesday, April 27 at 7 pm (ET) to learn ways to strengthen your instruction and take your students to deeper, long-term learning that will last a lifetime. Get all the details and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
Let's Get Writing!
Writing is the single best way to support comprehension and retention in every subject. Join Lori Jamison Rog for our exploration of hands-on writing, Thursday, April 8 at 7pm (ET). Lori will share organizational structures that build independence and practical minilessons to give your K–8 writing programs a mid-year boost. Find out more and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
Better Teaching Now!
Join three key educators as they explore teaching and learning with joy, curiosity, and equity. Jennifer Rowsell will share ways that online learning can be fun and engaging. Terry Campbell will show us how talking and listening — especially online — can be a springboard for lively, active learning. Larry Swartz shares his best children’s books for teaching the toughest topics that students face today. Find out more and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
Supporting Student Mental Health
Today’s students are dealing with unprecedented changes, issues, and demands. Join us on March 4, 2021 at 7 pm (ET) for a webinar all about helping students deal with these challenges. Author-educators Joey Mandel and Kathy Lundy have the tips and tools you need to respond to kids’ feelings, questions, and challenges in proactive and positive ways. Find out more and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
February is Black History Month. If you're looking for a place to start meaningful conversations about social justice and diversity, Larry Swartz has ideas, advice, and updated booklists to help you. Sharing a story is one of the best ways to start an open and honest discussion. You can find a wealth of the best books, tips, and activities in Larry's package, here.
Have you been following our webinar series? You can watch all our past webinars, including Larry on Teaching Tough Topics, via our Big Marker page!
Why Do I Have to Read This?
Join us on Thursday, January 21 at 7 pm (ET) for a webinar that will help you hook your most hard-to-get learners! Veteran author-educator Cris Tovani will share her best secrets, lessons learned from big fails, and her most effective literacy and planning strategies for both physical & virtual classrooms. Find out more and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
Joyful Learning in Tough Times
Join us on Thursday, December 10 at 7 pm (ET) for a webinar that will help teachers keep the joy in learning, both traditionally and virtually. Heather Hollis will share insights into teaching with humor, compassion, and conviction. Amanda Yuill will explore simple ways to reach and teach all students. Brenda Stein Dzaldov looks at how you can plan lessons that inspire and engage students. Join us for this overview of clever ways that teachers can use to promote positive, joyful learning. Find out more and register here.
Did you know? You can view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
Joyful Math
Join us Nov. 12 at 7 pm (ET) for a webinar that will help you rediscover your joy in math! Deanna McLennan, author of Joyful Math, will explore simple ways to engage children in the big ideas of math through playful invitations in the classroom. Find out more and register here!
Did you know? You can still view all our past webinars via our Big Marker page!
The Autism Lens
If you missed last week's webinar with Kara Dymond as she shared lessons learned from her autistic students, and ways to make classrooms more supportive of everyone in the room — don't worry! You can still view the webinar online at Big Marker.
Joyful Math
Keep an eye on this space for information about our next FREE webinar, Joyful Math, with author/educator Deanna Pecaski McLennan.
Because of all the work that you do…
Writing with Passion and Purpose
Join us on Thursday, October 1 at 7:00 pm (ET) for a FREE webinar focusing on turning writing from a dreaded chore into a thoughtful, joyful exercise.
Help your students see writing as more than just a chore, and tap into a love for the written word. Author/educators Anne Elliott, Mary Lynch, and Karen Filewych will explore ways to inspire students to write what they know, what they think about, and how they feel.
Self-Care for You and Your Students in a Time of Challenge and Change
Join us on Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 pm (ET) for a free webinar centring on mindfulness and wellbeing, with author-educators Shelly Murphy & Lisa Bush.
As we head back to school in a time of Covid, ongoing racial injustice, and countless other uncertainties, stress, worry, and emotions are running high. Author-educators Shelley Murphy and Lisa Bush have the strategies to help you manage that stress, take charge of your emotions, and nurture wellness for your students — and yourself.
Teaching Math NOW!
Join us on Thursday, August 27 at 5:00 pm (EST) for a free webinar with Mary Fiore & Kevin Bird. Building on their respective resources, Making Sense of Number and The ANIE, Mary and Kevin will share successful strategies for assessment and building number sense. In this perfect discussion for back-to-school, Mary and Kevin will present their insights into making sense of math instruction and assessment, and answer your questions around these complex topics.
Teaching Fairly in an Unfair World
Join us on Thursday, August 13 at 3:00 pm (EST) for a webinar with Kathy Lundy, author of the brand-new book, Teaching Fairly in an Unfair World, 2nd Edition. Kathy will discuss ways to connect kids and curriculum with social justice issues through inventive language exploration and the active examination of all forms of media. You'll have the opportunity to discuss difficult issues and ask questions about approaching anti-oppressive education in your classroom.
Indigenous Identities
As we educate our students about Indigenous histories, cultures, and ways of life, picture books, novels, and nonfiction can help open the gates of understanding. Offering a wide range of resources, these booklists, from Larry Swartz' Teaching Tough Topics, will help start meaningful discussions and engage curiosity.
Click here to download the booklists.
Click here for the Freebie archive.
Freewriting Prompts
The weekend is the perfect opportunity to take a little time to get back in touch with your creativity! Whether it's students, your children, or yourself, these simple prompts, from Karen Filewych's Freewriting with Purpose, will help you get rediscover your inner writer and explore your imagination.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Our Sale has been extended!
Until May 22, get any eBook for just $14.95, just over 30% off our list price! Order any eBook available on the website — no special code is needed; the prices have already been reduced. Don't miss this chance to get the practical resources you need for amazing sale prices!
Meet Leone Farrell!
Covid-19 isn't the first pandemic the world has faced. In the mid-50's, at the height of the polio epidemic, social distancing and isolation were also the order of the day. It was Canada's own Leone Farrell and her research team at Toronto's Connaught Labs, who created the process for mass-producing Jonas Salk's polio vaccine.
Click here to read Lione's biography, from Harry Black's Canadian Scientists & Inventors.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
An Inclusive & Equitable School Environment
Equity doesn't mean teaching every student in the same way; equity is helping students in different ways by teaching them with a fair and just outcome in mind. Is your school, your classroom, an inclusive, equitable environment? This list of what a learning setting should look, sound, and feel like, from Kathy Lundy's Teaching Fairly in an Unfair World, may help you to decide.
Click here for the equity checklist.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
How-to-Wow of Marking
Realistically speaking, no one loves marking, but it is a responsibility that cannot be overlooked or reduced in importance. Is it possible to reduce marking time and still offer quality student feedback? Kathy Paterson argues that it is, and this week's Freebie introduces her Marking Basics, from The How and Wow of Teaching. You'll learn to streamline and simplify your marking process, while still giving students effective and quality feedback.
Click here to download How-to-Wow Marking.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Connecting Through Humor
Getting to know your students and making connections with them make teaching and learning smoother, more enjoyable, and more successful. This week, get hands-on advice from Amanda Yuill's Reaching & Teaching Them All on connecting with students through humor, and making the classroom a more joyful place.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Building Belief
Children entering into imaginative play may need to explore a variety of ways to build belief in order to participate fully in the unfolding story. This week's Freebie, from Elizabeth Coffman's Dramatic Play in the Early Years, explores strategies and activities that can help children build belief and strengthen their understanding of story.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Literacy Essentials
Just what are the literacy essentials, anyway? This week's Freebie, from Michelann Parr & Terry Campbell's Balanced Literacy Essentials, discusses the elements of learning that are vital for young learners to explore and discover in order to successfully navigate modern texts. Do you incorporate all the key essentials?
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Alphabet Stories
Using alphabet stories is a creative way to teach letters of the alphabet, making syntactic connections come alive in a student who needs help in matching the shapes and names of letters. This week, get everything you need to teach alphabet stories with your young learners, from Betty Schultze's Basic Tools for Beginning Writers.
Click here to download the lesson.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Supporting Inquiry-Based Learning
Inquiry-based learning empowers students to ask questions, solve problems, construct knowledge, represent their thinking, and much more! This week's Freebie, from Moving Math by Mary Fiore & Maria Luisa Lebar, explores the key thinking skills that support inquiry-based learning, and how they connect to teaching and learning mathematics.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Teaching for Learning
Much of numeracy learning requires skills in comprehension and communication. This week's Freebie, from Kevin Bird & Kirk Savage's The ANIE, explores the dual lens model as it applies to numeracy work, and shows what numeracy every day can look like.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Understanding Critical Literacy
To better understand the role of critical interpreter in mathematics, it is important to review and reflect on the principles of critical literacy. This week's Freebie, from Mary Fiore & Maria Luisa Lebar's The Four Roles of the Numerate Learner, explores the characteristics of critical literacy, and how they can be applied to critical numeracy — a better understanding of both mathematics, and the world.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Components of Mathematical Proficiency
This week's Freebie, from Mary Fiore & Ryan Tackaberry's Making Sense of Number, K–10, offers graphic organizers that break down the five strands that make up mathematical proficiency — conceptual understanding; procedural fluency; strategic competence; adaptive reasoning; and productive disposition.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Narrative Writing
Kids love to tell stories — but writing them down can sometimes present a challenge. Enter Lisa Donohue and The Write Beginning, with everything you need to get students started with narrative writing, from planning to drafts to completion.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Getting Started with Writing Workshop
One of the best things about Writing Workshop is that every student can participate at their own level. These minilessons, from Lori Rog's Marvelous Minilessons for Nonfiction Writing, show how even the simplest narrative writing can teach and reinforce key aspects of the writing process. Download this week's Freebie, and get Writing Workshop going strong in your classroom!
Click here to download the minilessons.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Invitation to Inspiration
When students are asked to write, it can often be a struggle just to get started. The exercises in Sheree Fitch's Breathe, Stretch, Write will help young writers let go of expectations, loosen up, take risks, and get those words flowing! Try a couple of these activities in your classroom today, and see what an amazing difference they can make.
Click here to download the exercises.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Self Regulation: Managing Emotions
Do your students have the strategies they need to stay calm in times of stress, or when making a challenging decision? This quiz, from Joey Mandel's Keep Growing, will show students how they are likely to respond in different types of situations, and what they can do to help them respond better where needed.
Click here to download the quiz.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Sit Down & Shush
Do your students need a quick way to step back and relax? Try Sit Down & Shush from Sheree Fitch's Breath, Stretch, Write, and help your students find their inner meditator!
Click here to download the activity.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Behavioral Skills: Self-Regulation
Do your students have trouble adjusting their energy levels to suit their environment or activity? These self-regulation activities, from Joey Mandel's Moment to Moment, will help kids understand a variety of energy levels, which environment they are suited to, and how to regulate their minds and bodies to adapt to different situations.
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Stories of Compassion
Do your students truly understand compassion? Do they know what compassion looks like "in action"? These response activities, from Kathy Lundy & Larry Swartz' Creating Caring Classrooms, will help students see compassionate behavior from a number of different viewpoints.
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Talking to Read
Structured talk and dialogue can enhance both reading comprehension and learning in general. These tips and prompts, from Lori Rog's Struggling Readers, will help you engage your students in thoughtful and productive discussion that will support and scaffold learning.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading Choices
Even reluctant readers will dive into the right book! Help your students find the right book for them by inviting them to think about why they make the reading choices they do with these engaging activities from Larry Swartz & Shelley Stagg Peterson's "This Is a Great Book!"
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archives.
Diversity Project: An Elder Visit
Building an inclusive classroom community is a consistent challenge. One way to start breaking down barriers and get students talking and engaging is to bring their families into classroom learning. This project, from Kathy Paterson's Differentiated Learning, will open doors to a wealth of rich conversations and learning opportunities.
Click here to download the project.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Impact of Stress on the Body
External stress has an automatic impact on the body, causing a secondary source of anxiety. These activities, from Joey Mandel's Stop the Stress in Schools, will help children understand stress and their bodies better, and encourage them to engage in calming strategies.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Identity Games
One of the most important ways we can work toward a healthy classroom community is to get to know our students, and help them get to know each other. These "getting-to-know-you" games, from Kathy Lundy's Conquering the Crowded Curriculum, make this task simple and fun.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading & the Arts
Bring student's love of drawing and art into their reading, and watch their response come alive! These activities, from Jo Phenix's Talking, Writing & Thinking About Books, will engage and inspire students to read closer, delve deeper, and respond in all new ways.
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Response Activities
Once your students have chosen a novel for independent reading, what do they do with it? Larry Swartz' The Novel Experience has the answers, with ideas for response that range from talk to journals to art & drama.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Balanced Reading Instruction
A balanced reading program contains a number of elements, all of which are important to comprehension. Lisa Donohue's Independent Reading Inside the Box, 2nd Edition offers a primer on what those elements are, what they should contain, and how best to support reading in the classroom.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Small Group Instruction
Guided reading is a small-group structure that includes whatever types of instruction and support students need to become better readers. Get some wonderful simple guidelines for small-group guided reading instruction from Lori Jamison Rog's Struggling Readers.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Novel Themes: Bullying
Reading novels doesn't just open our minds to new worlds and new perspectives, it can also help us deal with challenging themes, such as bullying, by making meaningful connections and asking difficult questions. In "This Is a Great Book!", Larry Swartz & Shelley Peterson offer ideas and book suggestions for discussing the painful issue of bullying.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Revealing Understanding
How students respond to their reading can be crucial to their comprehension, interpretation, and reflection of/on a text. These great activities, from Swartz & Nyman's "This Is a Great Book!", integrate reading, writing, talk, and the arts into novel response.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Virtual Literature Circles
Looking for ways to incorporate new technologies and digital literacies into reading comprehension? How about a virtual literature circle, that students can add to and comment on? This week's Freebie, from David Booth's It's Critical!, illustrates one way to do just that, and inspire all kinds of new sharing, connections, and meaningful conversation.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Building a Classroom Library
Good reading starts with great books. In her new book, Reading Power, Revised & Expanded Edition, Adrienne Gear has both great advice on how to start a winning classroom library, and a booklist that covers all the comprehension bases!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
My Reading Profile
A big part of becoming an independent reader is understanding both what it means to be a reader, and what kind of reader you are. These tips and reproducibles, from Graham Foster's Reading in the Real World, will help students understand themselves as readers, think about their favourite reading, and share their reading preferences.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Student Support
Do you believe in every students' ability to read? Are your actions and body language telling your struggling students the same thing as your words? For a change in perspective, check out this advice on awareness and "changing the message" from Megan Milani's The 3 Habits of Highly Successful Reading Teachers, to find new ways to support every student.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Positive Response
As we take moments this weekend to be thankful and aware, we can also remember the need to model positive thinking and support for our students. This gentle guide to positive support and response, from Joey Mandel's Stop the Stress in Schools, offers a fantastic starting point for a healthier classroom.
Click here to download the guide.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading Response
Looking for ways to make independent reading more vital in the classroom? Graham Foster's Ban the Book Report has a wealth of activities and strategies that will get your students invested and excited about what they read — this week's Freebie gives you a taste of what's on offer.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Playing with Language
As children play with song, rhythm, and sound, they become aware of the patterns and rhythms of language that will help them grow in literacy. This week's Freebie, from Katherine Luongo-Orlando's The Cornerstones to Early Literacy, offers activities in music, movement, and rhyme to encourage children to explore the fun and magic of language.
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Storyteller Arrives
This week's Freebie, from Barrs, Barton & Booth's This book is not about drama…, illustrates how storytelling and retelling can enrich and extend students' knowledge of words, ideas, and concepts, and deepen their understanding and appreciation of language and literature.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Dramatic Play Centres
For a simple entry to dramatic play, try taking advantage of what you probably already have in your classroom — the home centre! This week's Freebie, from Flemington et. al's Journey to Literacy, offers up a few ideas for converting the home centre into various settings, to enrich and extend play opportunities.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Games for Collaboration
Drama and play can accomplish some amazing things in the classroom. One of the best is a true spirit of collaboration and community among students. This week's Freebie, from Lundy & Swartz' Creating Caring Classrooms, offers simple games to play that will help students learn to work and learn together.
Click here to download the games.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Spark the Imagination
Part of the joy of drama & play in the classroom is the ways it opens for students' imagined ideas and experiences to be expressed in reality. These activitites, from Larry Swartz' Dramathemes, offer opportunities for children to brainstorm together, think creatively, and share their thoughts and ideas.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Dramatic Play Centres
Wondering how you can start with dramatic play in your classroom? Try these great suggestions for dramatic play centres, from Anne Burke's Ready to Learn, and help kids start to act out the world around them!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Working with Web Text
The internet is a valuable research tool, but it is also a very large and confusing mass of information. This week's Freebie, from Carol Koechlin & Sandi Zwaan's Q Tasks, 2nd Edition, offers valuable tips and tricks to help students of all ages navigate the Web successfully as they learn what to look for, and how to ask the right questions.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Tech Tools
Today's students are immersed in the world of technology — for better or for worse. These quick and easy refocusers, from Kathy Paterson's bestselling 3-Minute Motivators, Revised & Expanded Edition, will both excite and stimulate students, and provide brief interludes from more serious lessons being taught.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Blogging the Novel
One of the best ways to bring tech into the classroom is to incorporate it with more traditional methods of teaching and learning. This week's Freebie, taken from It's Critical by David Booth, shows how student interactions via class blogging led to better deconstruction of a text and a real feeling of community, which in turn led to deeper comprehension.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Teaching Websites
How comfortable are you in the online world your students inhabit? Can you use a website as a teaching tool? In this week's Freebie, get the hands-on information and strategies you need to make the internet a teaching tool you can really use! (From Literacy Smarts, by Jennifer Harper & Brenda Stein Dzaldov.)
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Celebrate Canada!
School's out, and Canada Day is on the horizon! Why not kick off the holiday with a little insight into one of the driving forces behind Confederation, and Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald? This concise biography and original portrait, from Irma Coucill's Canada's Prime Ministers, will help you see Canada Day as more than just a day off!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Digital Literacy
With summer coming, tweens and teens will be turning more and more to online sources and social media to interact and communicate. This means it's important for them to know all the right "netiquette," not only maintain a positive online presence, but to stay safe. These guidelines and rules, from Lisa Donohue's Keepin' It Real, will help both kids and parents stay on the right track.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Professional Reading
What are you doing in PD this summer? Whether it's taking a course, participating in a book club, or working with a PD community, this week's Freebie, from Church & Swain's From Literature Circles to Blogs, offers great activities for connecting with texts and getting more from your professional reading.
Click here to download the activities.
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Assessment — From the Inside Out
As a school principal, one key responsibility is to build an effective philosophy and practice around classroom assessment, and to be a model of a program that represents all students. This exploration of assessment types and their underlying principles, from The Literacy Principal, will help give any leader a strong footing in testing and evaluation.
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Problem Solve: Brainstorming!
Collaborative learning helps students question ideas, gain confidence, share thoughts, and discover new perspectives. This week's activities, taken from Lundy & Swartz' Creating Caring Classrooms, will help students use brainstorming as a strategy to solve problems and practice critical thinking.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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What Are Our Roles?
As we consider classroom planning, one of the most important factors is our roles in the learning lives of students. The role of teacher is not static, and these identifiers, from Jennifer Harper & Kathryn O'Brien's Student-Driven Learning, will help you reconsider your responsibilities to students and find a better balance.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Exam Writing Skills
Test and exam writing skills need be learned, just like any other, and are key to student success – especially at this time of year! These amazing study and exam writing tips and tricks, from Learning to Learn, will help students get prepared for the end of the year, and finish off the year strongly.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Understanding Cultural Diversity
The wide spectrum of cultures represented in today's classrooms requires familiarity with responses, attitudes, and nuances of behavior that can be complicated. These general guidelines, from Kathy Paterson's Differentiated Learning, can help clarify some of the issues, and help you respect the individuality of every student.
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Internalizing Emotions
May is Mental Health Awareness Month -- we thought we'd kick it off helping our students get a better handle on their emotions, and the different ways they manifest physically. This exploration and activity, from Joey Mandel's Moment to Moment, will help kids name and understand their feelings, both physical and emotional.
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The "Tools" of Poetry
Composing poetry is about more than finding words that rhyme! This week, explore the various "tools" that a poet uses to shape language to suit their idea and purpose. Taken from Lori Rog & Paul Kropp's The Write Genre, these tools, accompanied by hands-on mini-lessons, will inspire students to see poetry in a new light.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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A Poetic Documentary
Take poetry outside the limits of language arts — from science to social studies to history. These sample responses to historical photographs, from Bob Barton & David Booth's Poetry Goes to School, will inspire you and your students to embrace poetry as a response tool throughout the content areas.
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Giving Voice to Poetry
It can be a challenge to engender enthusiasm for poetry with students. One of the best ways build engagement in and with verse is to experience it first-hand, with a dramatization or read-aloud. These ideas for poetry sharing, from Booth & Moore's Poems Please!, will inspire kids, sustain interest, and leave them wanting more!
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Questioning Comprehension
One of the biggest challenges that struggling readers face is a lack of the critical thinking and questioning skills that they need to reach comprehension. These lists of focus questions, from Tutoring Adolescent Readers, will give even the most dependent readers a toehold in true understanding of both narrative and nonfiction texts.
Click here to download the focus questions.
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Bringing Boys into Literacy
Boys are often the more reluctant readers in a classroom. How welcome are boys' choices and voices in your classroom? Can you see and share paths to literacy other than the novel? These tips, from David Booth's Even Hockey Players Read, will help you connect with boys, and start them on their own journeys to literacy.
Click here to download the tips.
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I Am a Reader!
One of the biggest challenges in helping struggling readers is to show them that they are real readers. These ideas, along with a master "Reading Profile", from Graham Foster's Reading in the Real World, will help students build confidence, figure out what kind of reader they are, and see themselves as readers -- maybe for the first time!
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Read Me a Story
Has teaching reading gone stale in your classroom? Get your children involved in story by reading aloud -- anything, anywhere, anytime! These hints and strategies, from David Booth's Reading Doesn't Matter Anymore…, will help you bring literacy and learning to life in your classroom.
Click here to download the read-aloud strategies.
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Putting It in Perspective...
Did you and your students observe Pink Shirt Day this week? While it's important to speak out against bullying, it's equally important for students to understand their emotions, and be able to turn negative thoughts into good ones. These activities, from Paula Galey's Keep Cool!, will help kids put their emotions into perspective, and help them to start handling their problems in more positive ways.
Click here to download the activity sheets.
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Ban the Book Report!
You and your students lack a true connection to rigid and analytical book reports. This week, try one of these reading response activities (complete with rubric!), from Graham Foster's Ban the Book Report, and encourage students to thoughtfully explore their likes and dislikes, interests, experiences, and emotional responses.
Click here to download the activities.
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Managing Transitions
Some of our most important routines are the ones that help us bridge parts of a lesson, or parts of a day. These handy tips, from Maria Carty's Surviving and Thriving, will help you get off to a good start, keep things on track, and refocus students when attention does wander.
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Unclutter Your Mind
Classroom routines can help students stay on track, and focus on learning. What about routines for the teacher? These simple ideas for organizing your thoughts and relaxing your mind, from Kathy Paterson's 55 Teaching Dilemmas, will help focus your thoughts, relax your mind and body, and approach teaching tasks with a clear head.
Click here to download these great organizational tips.
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Comprehension that Counts: Food Product Labels
We all know that reading comprehension is keywhen it comes to getting the most from novels, stories, and content-area texts. But what about texts we encounter everyday? Can your students decipher food labels accurately? This lesson, with activities, from Kathy Paterson's Real Life Literacy, will make reading these complex texts a snap!
Click here to download the food labels lesson.
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Reading as Meaning-Making
Reading comprehension is a complex process, involving not just decoding words, but understanding, thinking, making connections, and learning new things. These simple lessons, from Jane Baskwill's Books as Bridges, will help your guide your students to deeper comprehension, before, during, and after reading.
Click here to download the lessons.
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The Reading Powers Model
In reading, as in most areas of learning, comprehension must come before response. Help your students break down the thinking process, learn more about how their brain works, and get a jump-start on real reading comprehension with this simple, yet powerful model for metacognitive awareness from Adrienne Gear's Reading Power.
Click here to download the model.
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Games in the Context of Drama & Ritual
Get all your students participating with enthusiasm with these games and rituals from Barrs, Barton & Booth's This Book is Not About Drama…! Students enjoy the form of games, drama, and ritual, which also generate movement, cooperation, and concentration.
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Children's World Worries
Even very young children can ask tough questions about the world. It is important to be truthful with kids, but not overload them with information. This guide, accompanied by concrete support strategies, from Kathy Paterson's Teaching in Troubled Times, will help you navigate these tricky waters in the best way for students of any age.
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Getting Organized & Managing Your Time
A large cause of stress and worry in the lives of many students is disorganization -- feeling that there isn't enough time in their lives to meet the demands of school and home. These reproducibles, from the student guide Learning to Learn, will help students look at how they spend their time, and create a schedule that works.
Click here to download the reproducibles.
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Seeing Problems Positively
A big source of stress for many students is problems that they feel unable to overcome. These handy (and optimistic!) reproducibles, from Kathy Paterson's Desperately Seeking Solutions, will help kids define a problem, start thinking of ways to work through it, and see their challenges in a more positive light.
Click here to download the reproducibles.
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Real-Life Questions
Questions and inquiry for projects and research are one thing, but can your students ask the right questions in real-life situations? These activities, from Colleen Abbott & Sally Godinho's Speak, Listen, and Learn, will help kids develop the confidence and skills they need to gather information not just in the classroom, but out in the real world.
Click here to download the activities.
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Building Questions: Who? What? How?
Inquiry and information literacy are crucial skills in all types of learning. These activities, from Norah Morgan & Juliana Saxton's Asking Better Questions, 2nd Edition, will help your students learn the ins and outs of building powerful questions -- who to ask, how to ask them, and how to use responses to think critically.
Click here to download the activities.
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Mask and Character Development
In honour of Hallowe'en, this week's Freebie offers you exploration exercises to do using masks. Taken from Larry Swartz & Debbie Nyman's Drama Schemes, Themes & Dreams, these exercises illustrate the power that masks have to engage students in discovery, drawing on their emotions, perceptions, experiences, and memories.
Click here to download the exercises.
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Drama and Equity Education
Drama provides an excellent avenue to explore difficult issues. In her book, Teaching Fairly in an Unfair World, Kathy Lundy illustrates ways to use drama to bring awareness to issues such as sexism, racism, and discrimination; build complete and equitable communities; and make certain that all voices are heard.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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The Simplest Drama -- Telling a Story
Even your youngest students can participate in dramatic activity -- when we make it as simple as telling a story! Short poems and familiar fables make a great starting point for story drama. Try these suggestions, along with a list of folk tales from Michelann Parr & Terry Campbell's Balanced Literacy Essentials, for promoting storytelling in your classroom.
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The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander
Do your students have trouble understanding the puzzle of bullying? These bully snippets, from Larry Swartz & Debbie Nyman's Drama Schemes, Themes & Dreams, allow students to act in the role of each participant in the bullying scenario, and start to see difficult situations from new perspectives.
Click here for the snippets activity.
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Bolstering Speaking & Presentation Skills
Do your students lack confidence during drama exercises or speaking in front of the class? These lists of tips and techniques for preparation, rehearsal, and performance, from Kathy Lundy's Attention, Please!, will boost any speaker's confidence, and help to speak and perform successfully.
Click here for the tip lists.
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Reading Response with Talk
Even early in the year, it's easy to fall back into assigning the same old reading response activities -- increase student engagement and give everyone in the class a new perspective on reading comprehension with these inventive activities from Jo Phenix's Talking, Writing, and Thinking About Books.
Click here to download the activities.
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Engaging with Students, from Beginning to End
Are you looking for ways to better engage with your students, and getting them paying attention to the lessons they've learned? These lists of top 10 tips, from Kathy Paterson's 55 Teaching Dilemmas, will help you kick-start the school day, and open and close any lesson with a bang!
Click here to download the tips.
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A Holistic Approach to Technology
As you embark on a new school year, take a moment to consider -- do you use technology only to engage attention or provide a distraction? This checklist, from Jannette Hughes & Anne Burke's The Digital Principal, will show you ways to use technology to help students acquire new learning and life skills.
Click here to download the checklist.
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Games that Encourage Talk
During the first few weeks of school, it can be a challenge to foster communication, interaction, and fun (!) among your new students. These games, from Kathy Lundy and Larry Swartz' Creating Caring Classrooms, will help students talk and listen to each other, work with language, and begin to engage with and encourage one another.
Click here to download the games.
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Getting Ready to Read Aloud
As you prep for the upcoming school year, are you wondering which wonderful book will be your first class read-aloud? Let this booklist from Larry Swartz & Shelley Stagg Peterson's Good Books Matter, with great suggestions for age groupings from K-8, help you pick the perfect read.
Click here to download the booklist.
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Organized Teaching
Clutter breeds stress. These tips on organization, of space, time, and mind, from Kathy Paterson's 55 Teaching Dilemmas, will help you get the new school year off to a great start and run smooth right through next June.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Time to Get to Know You
When a new school year starts, it takes time to get to know your students, and for them to know and be comfortable with each other. This questionnaire and activity, from Brownlie, Feniak & Schnellert's Student Diversity, 2nd Edition, open the door to getting to know each of your students, and helping them get to know one another.
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Who Are You?
As you prepare to step back into the multiple roles needed from a teacher, this guide, from Jennifer Harper & Kathryn O'Brien's Student-Driven Learning, will help you reconnect with yourself, your students, your practice, and the kind of teacher that you really want to be.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Spelling through Reading
Good spellers understand how words work. Any reading experience offers the opportunity to explore new words and their construction. These lesson ideas, from Jo Phenix's The Reading Teacher's Handbook, will help students at all levels and abilities improve their word-building skills and become more comfortable with language.
Click here to download the lesson ideas.
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Spelling High Frequency Words
Knowledge of high frequency words is an important building block as children learn to read and write. But how can they develop the skills they need to learn and remember these words? Get the basics of teaching and working with words from Ken Marland's High Frequency Words, and set your students on the path to lifelong literacy.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Positive Revision
Do your students see revision as an unpleasant revisiting of their mistakes, or as the next step forward in the writing process? These editing and revision tips, from Judy Green's How Bullets Saved My Life, will help you and your students see writing in a whole new way!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Spelling Investigations
Make spelling and word work engaging and fun! This amazing list of spelling investigation inspiration, from Jo Phenix's The Spelling Teacher's Handbook, will give you a wealth of ideas for helping students improve their word knowledge, and give them a whole new picture of language and literacy.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Digital Connections
As a teacher, are you wondering what Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest have to do with your classrom? In 100 Minutes, Lisa Donohue has some great ideas on using social media with students to connect with the outside world -- favourite authors, students and teachers around the world, and much more.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Enrich Learning with Web 2.0 Tools
Do you know as much about web tools as your students? Do you want to know more about incorporating these amazing tools into the classroom? This article, from David Booth's Caught in the Middle, will familiarize you with a number of Web 2.0 tools, why you should use them, and offers some great ideas for using them in the classroom.
Click here to download the article.
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Being Webwise
When students research, how much of their information comes from media, particularly the internet? The tools in this week's Freebie, taken from Carol Koechlin & Sandi Zwaan's Building Info Smarts, will help students deconstruct media and internet sourcs, be webwise, and search smart.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Social Media Tools
Wondering if you can take advantage of increasingly popular social media tools to keep in touch with parents and families? These pages, from Jane Baskwill's Attention-Grabbing Tools, offer a how-to and sage advice on using these handy, but often tricky, tools to the best advantage.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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The Big Picture -- The Thinking Brain
We all agree that comprehension skills are a key component of literacy success. But how do we introduce the idea of reading comprehension to young children? The Reading Powers Model, from Adrienne Gear's Reading Power, is a fantastic way to introduce "thinking about thinking" to even the youngest children.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Building to Comprehension -- Critical Thought
We all agree that critical thinking is an integral part of reading comprehension. But what does critical thinking really mean, and how do we teach it? These pages, from Jennifer Harper & Kathleen O'Brien's Student-Driven Learning, open a larger window into critical thought and how to make it a meaningful part of student learning.
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Family Literacy Nights
As you work on organizing and perfecting your literacy block, don't forget to make time to involve parents and families in their children's literacy learning. These fantastic ideas for hosting a Family Literacy Night, from Jane Baskwill's Attention-Grabbing Tools, will help you choose and subject and plan an event that will be an instant hit!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Reading in Small Groups
This month, Pembroke is talking about the best planning for successful literacy learning in the classroom. This lesson planner, from Lori Jamison Rog's Struggling Readers, shows you how to use a carefully crafted 3-day lesson cycle to help your students get the most out of the texts they read.
Click here to download the lesson planner.
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Poetry Events
As National Poetry Month draws to a close, do you find yourself looking for ways to continue to enrich your daily teaching and curriculum with poetry? This great list of 40 poetry events, from David Booth & Bob Barton's Poetry Goes to School, can help you on your poetic journey.
Click here to download the poetry events.
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Finding Poetry
Looking for great poems to share with your students? These fantastic poetry lists, from Shelley Stagg Peterson & Larry Swartz' Good Books Matter, offer a wealth of poems and poetry collections, in every genre and for any age group.
Click here to download the poetry lists.
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Poetry Across the Curriculum
It's National Poetry Month! And every teacher and student can dive in and enjoy poetry. These pages, from David Booth & Bill Moore's Poems Please!, explore ways in which poetry exceeds the boundaries of language learning, and can be used in any subject area to deepen and enrich the learning experience.
Click here to download the pages.
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Building Numeracy -- Bridging Home and School
One of the key elements in building a foundation in numeracy starts in the earliest stages of schooling -- the active involvement of parents and families. These idea sheets, from Anne Burke's Ready to Learn, will help parents and teachers encourage children's natural curiosity and get them off on the right foot.
Click here to download the idea sheets.
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Writing Well -- Peer Sharing & Response
One of the best ways to improve student writing skills is to have them share parts of the process with their peers; to work together to build better pieces. These checklists for sharing and response, from Sylvia Gunnery's The Writing Circle, provide a guide on ways to be honest without being insensitive, and offering thoughtful, constructive ideas.
Click here to download the checklists.
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A Guide to Teacher Reflection
As March Break winds up, and you prepare for the last stretch of the school year, you may be looking for ways to reenergize your approach to teaching and learning. This simple checklist of "Classroom Possibles", from Les Parsons' Back to Learning, will help you take small steps that make a significant difference in the classroom.
Click here for A Checklist of Classroom Possibles.
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Write with Intention
One of the most important aspects of any kind of writing. Deciding on a purpose can take a lot of careful thought -- and a lot of work! These exercises, from Sheree Fitch's Breath, Stretch, Write, offer opportunities to stop, take a moment (or moments!) to think, and get inspired with simple breathing and movements.
Click here to download the sample exercises.
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Patterns of Writing -- Matching Structure to Purpose
Has our Book of the Month got you thinking about nonfiction writing? Help your students come to grips with this complex genre with this week's Friday Freebie! These succinct explanations of nonfiction writing forms, from Maria Carty's Exploring Writing in the Content Areas, will get any writer off to a great start by matching structure to purpose!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Writing with Character
February's Book of the Month is all about supporting struggling readers; this week's Friday Freebie will help you complete the literacy puzzle with ideas to strengthen writing! These rich writing prompts for character development, from Lisa Donohue's The Write Voice, will help students write with confidence, creativity, and passion.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Family Literacy Day!
Monday, January 27 is Family Literacy Day here in Canada. If you are looking for solid ideas for sharing classroom literacy activities with parents and families, a great place to start is Jane Baskwill's Books as Bridges. This week, we offer four activities from Jane's book to help get young children excited about language, books, and reading.
Click here to download the literacy activities.
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Using Storyboards
Are your students tired of planning their writing with the same old outlines and plot summaries? Help them clear their minds and stimulate their imagination with advice from Mark Thurman's Get Graphic! on the storyboard -- a visual, active way to plan out writing that will help their words come alive!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Sir Sanford Fleming
What better way to kick off the new year's new start to learning than with the story of a great Canadian? With the recent anniversary of his birthday January 7, the timing is perfect to take a few pages from Harry Black's Canadian Scientists & Inventors, 2nd Edition, and discover the innovations and inventions of this creative Canadian.
Click here to download the portrait and biography of Sir Sanford Fleming.
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One Form to Another -- Transforming Text
One great way to respond to reading is to transforming a chosen text from one form to another. This guideline to transforming a print text to a video text, from Graham Foster's Reading in the Real World, will have your students thinking more deeply, responding creatively, and presenting their response with confidence.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Winter Storytelling
Few things complete a cold winter's day or night like a good story. Over the holidays, you might enjoy the traditional tale of The Star Brides, retold in Bob Barton's Telling Stories Your Way, as a wonderful read -- or even better, as a fantastic story to read aloud. Happy Holidays, from all of us!
Click here to download the story.
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An Ideal Classroom
What's your vision for an ideal classroom? What about your students? When struggling with the challenge of giving each student a voice, remember that it can be as simple as asking kids how they want to learn. This personal story from teacher Lainie Holmes, told in David Booth's Caught in the Middle, gives us a great place to start.
Click here to download today's Freebie.
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Tips for Successful Speaking
One of life's greatest challenges, for both students and adults, is public speaking. These fantastic tips for a polished and professional speech in both content and presentation, from Kathy Lundy's Attention, Please!, will help both students and teachers speak with confidence and aplomb.
Click here to download Kathy's tips.
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Giving Students Voice -- Autonomy
A big part of giving students voice in learning and the classroom is giving them some autonomy. This can be as small as input into the daily routines, or as large as choosing the topic of a class project. This "Small Hop", from Jennifer Harper & Kathryn O'Brien's Student-Driven Learning, will help you get started building a classroom community.
Click here for this week's Freebie.
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School Code of Conduct
With bullying and harrasssment an ever-present challenge, it's crucial for whole schools and communities to unite and meet them head-on. Get inspired by the process outlined in Faye Brownlie & Judith King's Learning in Safe Schools, and join together to develop a school culture in which every student can thrive.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Developing a Personal Philosophy -- Empathy & Compassion
With Remembrance Day coming up, it's a wonderful opportunity to take a little time in the classroom to talk about kindness, compassion, and a personal philosophy, or outlook on life. These quotations and accompanying activities, from Larry Swartz and Kathy Lundy's Creating Caring Classrooms, offer you a great place to start.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Positive Problem Solving
Many behavioural issues in the classroom stem from kids' lack of ability to see challenges in a positive light, and take concrete steps to solve their problems. These BLMs, from Kathy Paterson's Desperately Seeking Solutions, will help any kid (or adult!) to define their problem, take steps to solve it, and see thing differently.
Click here to download this week's Friday Freebie.
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Alice Munro Wins 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature!
What fantastic news to share with your students! If you'd like to share more about this amazing author, then you'll definitely want to download this week's freebie. Continuing his intriguing work from Canada and the Nobel Prize, author Harry Black offers a stunning portrait and biographical sketch of this Canadian icon.
Click here to download the portrait and biography.
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Writing -- Effective Planning Strategies
A key part of good writing is effective planning. Help your students focus on their writing tasks by planning ahead with these great strategies from Graham Foster's Exemplars -- thoughtful planning leads to better writing.
Click here to download the exemplar strategies.
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Focus on Reading & Comprehension
Are your pre-teen and teen readers struggling with comprehension? Help them get on the right track with these sheets of focus questions to ask yourself before, during, and after reading, taken from Deborah Berrill, Laura Doucette, and Dirk Verhulst's Tutoring Adolescent Readers.
Click here to download the focus questions.
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Reading, Comprehension & Response
An important part of the reading process is developing comprehension, and being able to illustrate that comprehension. Give your early readers a head start on how they've understood what they've read -- connections they've made, what happended in the story, what they liked and disliked -- from Lori Rog's Guiding Readers.
Click here to dowload this week's Freebie.
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Promoting a Deeper Understanding
With the school year underway, do you know what your literacy plan for the year will be? Do you have enough of the right ideas about helping kids to read and write with true comprehension? This list of classroom literacy events, from David Booth's It's Critical!, will help you to reflect on your practice, and keep your class on the right path.
Click here to download the reflection tool.
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Fairy Tales, Myths, and Legends
It's Friday the 13th! Celebrate by wandering off the beaten path and stimulate your imagination by trying a book from these wonderful lists of fairy tales, myths, fables, legends, and epics, from Debbie Nyman & Larry Swartz' Good Books Matter.
Click here to download the booklists.
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The 3 Laws of Teaching
As you and your new group of students embark on this year's school journey, you'll want to keep in mind these simple principles, from Les Parsons' Back to Learning, that will help you build a happy and engaged classroom community. Print the Laws in their original bookmark form, and keep it handy all year long!
Click here to download the bookmark.
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Getting to Know Your Students
With a new school year about to start, as you get your classrooms ready for a fresh crop of students, you may be wondering: How can I get to know my kids? This set of exercises and activities, from Jennifer Harper and Kathryn O'Brien's Student-Driven Learning, will help you and your students get off on the right foot.
Click here to download this week's activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Classroom Organization: Physical Elements
Have you started planning this year's class and classroom? Check out these ideas for classroom organization from Maria Carty's essential flipbook, Surviving and Thriving. From seating arrangements to the classroom library to notebooks and pencils, you'll find great suggestions for getting the year off on the right foot!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
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Books to Love
It's National Book Lover's Day! Help your kids find a new book to love with these fantastic novel lists, from Shelley Stagg Peterson & Larry Swartz' Good Books Matter. With offerings that range from shared and developing readers right through to young adolescents, there's sure to be something for every reader!
Click here to download the booklists.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
A Fresh Start: Communicating with Parents & Families
Have you started planning for the new school year? One key aspect to a successful year is a meaningful parent-teacher relationship -- and it's never too early to start making that happen! These communication planners, from Jane Baskwill's Attention-Grabbing Tools, will help you get off on the right foot -- and stay there!
Click here to download the planners.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Rediscover Frederick Banting!
This Saturday marks the anniversary of Banting & Best's isolation of insulin, and the beginning of their lifesaving work using it to treat diabetes. Revisit a great period in Canadian history, and learn a little bit more about this remarkable doctor and scientist with this biography from Harry Black's Canadian Scientists and Inventors.
Click here to download the biography.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading and the Interactive Whiteboard
Are you getting an interactive whiteboard in your classroom next fall? Wondering what on earth you're going to do with it? Get a simple start with these great ideas for using interactive whiteboards with various types of reading activity, from Brenda Dzaldov & Jennifer Harper's Literacy Smarts!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Books to Read Aloud
Looking for a great read to share with someone this summer? This fantastic booklist, from Shelley Stagg Peterson & Larry Swartz' Good Books Matter, offers fantastic books to read aloud for any age, from preschool to teen!
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
William Lyon Mackenzie King
In celebration of upcoming Canada Day, take a moment to discover one of Canada's most unique and illustrious leaders, William Lyon Mackenzie King. Taken from renowned artist Irma Coucill's Canada's Prime Ministers, Governors General, and Fathers of Confederation.
Click here to download the biography and portrait.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reflection and Response
As the school year draws to a close, it's time for both you and your students to look back on the past year as you prepare to step forward. This guide to reflection and response, from Les Parsons' Back to Learning, can help every member of any classroom think back and look forward, for this year and the next.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Organizing Time
Now that we're well into June, are you panicking about getting everything done by the end of the year? These 10 tips, from Kathy Paterson's 55 Teaching Dilemmas, will help you get back on track and finish the year well. Accompanying the tips are suggested "instant activities" to keep students focused and on track.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Shake It Up!
As the end of the year approaches, kids in the classroom can start getting unfocused, restless, and distracted. These quick activities from Kathy Paterson's 3-Minute Motivators will help you get them moving, thinking, and back on track.
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Inside Images
All sorts of graphica can help get kids more excited about reading and writing. An aspect of visual literacy that can't be missed, however, is the ability to deconstruct images, and interpret their meanings and messages. To help remind your students to keep thinking, try these thoughtful questions from Kathy Lundy's Leap into Literacy.
Click here to download the questions.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
30 Ways to Use Picture Books
Any type of graphica, even a simple picture book, can provide a literacy learning experience just as exciting, inspiring, and valuable as a novel. If you are stuck for ideas, try this fabulous list of ways to work with picture books, from Larry Swartz' The Picture Book Experience.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Graphic Novels -- Beyond Reading
Comics and graphic novels can be a great way to get reluctant readers interested in literacy. But they can also be inspiring in other areas of learning! Try one or more of these great suggestions for using graphic novels with drama, from Larry Swartz & Debbie Nyman's Drama Schemes, Themes & Dreams.
Click here to download the drama structures.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Mapping Comprehension
Celebrating the graphic arts goes beyond picking up a comic book to read -- how about using visual techniques to help develop reading and writing skills? This week's freebie, from Thinking Visually, explores using mapping to improve reading comprehension, organize thinking, and plan a piece of writing or oral presentation.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Choosing Graphica
May is Graphic Novel month! Are you eager to use comics and graphic novels in your classroom, but don't know where to start? In Adventures in Graphica, Terry Thompson offers fantastic guidelines and criteria for choosing appropriate books for your students and classroom.
Click here to download this week's freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Teaching the "Tools" of Poetry
Are your students stuck in a rut of rhyming couplets, limericks, and anagrams? Help them expand their poetry writing repertoire, along with their thinking, creativity, and imaginations with these explorations of poetic devices and tools from Lori Jamison Rog and Paul Kropp's The Write Genre.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Inside Poetry -- Finding a "Poet's Brain"
Are you having trouble inspiring your students to write poetry? Try some of these great prompts and activities from Sheree Fitch & Larry Swartz' The Poetry Experience -- help your students get curious, stimulate their imaginations, and start playing with words and language.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Why Poetry?
April is National Poetry Month -- just in time to celebrate spring! Are you still wondering why you need to struggle to get kids interested in reading, writing, and celebrating poetry? Read these pages from David Booth & Bill Moore's Poems Please! to get enlightened and inspired about bringing poems into your classroom.
Click here to download the pages.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Family Literacy
It's never too late in the year to get parents and families more involved in their children's literacy! Consider hosting a Family Literacy Night in your school, with one (or more!) of these great ideas from Jane Baskwill's brand-new book, Attention-Grabbing Tools, to really bring reading and writing home.
Click here to download the Family Literacy sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Building a Community -- Collaborative Writing
If you're looking for a way to both strengthen community in your classroom and support writers at all levels, look no further than these fabulous collaborative writing projects from Kathy Lundy & Larry Swartz' Creating Caring Classrooms! These projects are the perfect way to get students working together, and discovering each other's strengths.
Click here to download the project sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Breathe... Walk... Relax!
We hope that you've been able to take some time over March Break to slow down the pace, take a few deep breaths, and relax a little. When the frenetic pace of the school year starts up again, use this simplest of activities from Sheree Fitch's Breathe, Stretch, Write to remind you that even the smallest action can bring back that calm.
Click here to download the exercice.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Celebrate an Amazing Woman!
Are you looking for a way to celebrate International Women's Day with your students? Why not start with the story of Helen Sawyer Hogg, from Harry Black's Canadian Scientists & Inventors? A celebrated astronomer, Helen wrote a column for the Toronto Daily Star that she dedicated to teaching astronomy to generations of children.
Click here to download Helen's story.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
How to Read Aloud
Celebrate the end of Freedom to Read Week and World Read-Aloud Day together with David Booth, and some great ideas on reading aloud from Reading Doesn't Matter Anymore... ! A fabulous and timely reminder that reading can take almost any form, and that one of the best ways to embrace literacy is to share it.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading with Meaning...
As adults, most of what we choose to read has some personal significance or connection to us -- why shouldn't our students enjoy the same privelege? Help match your students to the right book with this survey and profile from Graham Foster's Ban the Book Report, and bring new life to independent reading!
Click here to download the master sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Family Literacy -- Making a Book!
With Family Literacy Day kicking off next week, it's a good time to offer parents and families a great literacy activity to do at home. Try this fun idea from Jane Baskwill's Books as Bridges -- making your own mix-and-match book. With complete instructions for in class and at home, along with a great touchstone book idea.
Click here to download the activity sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Information Literacy: Building Understanding
When your students engage in research projects, do they have trouble knowing what to do with the information they gather? These great examples of graphic organizers, from Carol Koechlin's Building Info Smarts, will show students ways to organize their thoughts, make connections, and truly understand what they've learned.
Click here to download the graphic organizers.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Family Literacy Day!
This Sunday, January 27, is Family Literacy Day. Help the parents and families to celebrate reading and literacy by combining come great home activities with classroom lessons. These sheets from Jane Baskwill's Books as Bridges offer a great lesson set to try in your classroom today!
Click here to download the sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Playing with Words
One simple way to immerse students in deeper word knowledge is to engage in a little word play! These simple games and activities, from Kellie Buis' Making Words Stick, will help students make sense of language, access and track words, and increase their vocabulary growth and development.
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Celebrate Canada!
Today is Sir John A. Macdonald's birthday! Celebrate one of Canada's founding fathers, and teach your students some important history at the same time -- and start with this amazing portrait and biography from Irma Coucill's Canada's Prime Ministers, Governors General, and Fathers of Confederation.
Click here to download the biography.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Student Reading Profiles
With the school year about to start fresh, it's a great time to remind students why they read, what they look for in a book, and how far they've come since September. These surveys, from Graham Foster's Ban the Book Report, can accomplish all these things and more -- help your students to really get to know themselves as readers!
Click here to download the surveys.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Organizing Your Time
Part of a balanced classroom and balanced learning is being well-organized. Take some time over your holiday break and look over these great "Top Ten" ways to organize time, from Kathy Paterson's 55 Teaching Dilemmas -- complete with a list of "instant activities"!
Click here to download the lists.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Thank-You Notes and Invitations
As we approach the winter holidays, you can keep your students writing by introducing real-life skills they'll need -- writing invitations and thank-you notes! These step-by-step instructions and handy templates from Kathy Paterson's Real Life Literacy are just what you need to kick-start holiday communication in your classroom!
Click here to download the lesson & template.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Helping Students Understand Themselves as Readers
With the end of the year approaching, have your students stalled in their progress? Are some of your kids floundering in reading, not sure where to go next? This great strategies review, from Graham Foster's Language Arts Idea Bank, will help every student learn new ways to read, and get back on track.
Click here to download the strategies sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Texts That Promote Talking and Listening
Do you have trouble starting authentic discussion in your classroom? Try one of the great books from Terry Campbell & Michelann Parr's Balanced Literacy Essentials booklists for illustrated fiction and illustrated information texts to get your classroom conversation going.
Click here to download the booklists.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Telling Your Own Fairy Tales
A great way to involve kids in creative thinking, writing, and speaking, is to take advantage of a familiar and simple medium, such as fairy tales. Try this great activity from Colleen Abbott & Sally Godinho's Speak, Listen, and Learn, to help your class create and present their own fairy tales.
Click here to download the activity sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Sharing Our Stories
One way to help bring community into the classroom is to encourage students to tell their own stories. These tips from David Booth & Bob Barton's Story Works will help you to strengthen children's story lives, make the classroom a safer place, and build a sense of belonging in every child.
Click here to download the storytelling tips.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Ten Ways to Build Drama...
Print can be the source for great classroom drama, and drama work can lead to better understanding of print. Help your kids to question, explore, and learn more about what they are reading and experiencing with these 10 simple methods of working with drama and text from David Booth's The Arts Go to School.
Click here to download the list.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Points of View -- Building Empathy
As children grow, they are developing emotionally and socially as well as intellectually. You can help your students build their character and increase their empathy with this great exercise from David Booth's Story Drama -- have them retell a story from a number of points of view, and help them to learn to think beyond just themselves.
Click here to download the exercise.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Question of Bullying
What kind of bullying goes on at your school? Are all the students, staff, and parents aware of the types of social interaction and general environment in the school and classrooms? If you would like to know more, try one or more of these questionnaires from Ken Rigby's Stop the Bullying, and find out the truth about bullying in your school.
Click here to download the questionnaires.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Power of Words -- A Framework for Resolving Conflict
It can be difficult for children to manage their emotions and solve problems and conflicts in a rational and peaceful way. This framework of discussion and activities, from Paula Galey's Keep Cool!, can help kids (and teachers and parents, too!) get a handle on their emotions, and learn to react in more positive ways.
Click here to download the resolution framework.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Developing a Community Code of Conduct
In the fight against bullying and the process of building a strong school community, it is important for everyone to know where they stand. If your school wants to improve their daily culture, try this guide to developing a code of conduct from Faye Brownlie & Judith King's Learning in Safe Schools.
Click here to download the guide.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
What is Bullying?
October is National Bullying Prevention Month -- start the conversation in your classroom with a frank look at what bullying is -- what are the roles, how does it hurt us, and how are we all responsible? To help you get started, try this activity and questionnaire from Kathy Lundy & Larry Swartz' Creating Caring Classrooms...
Click here to download the activity sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading Aloud
One of the best ways to connect with students -- of any age -- and bring them in to the world of literacy is to read books aloud. If you're wondering where to start, try this booklist from Michelann Parr & Terry Campbell's Balanced Literacy Essentials, accompanied by a sheet of read-aloud tips that's great for both teachers and parents.
Click here to download the booklist.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Recording Our Reading
Help your students start off on the right foot, and increase reading ability and comprehension by tracking the books they read, the strategies they use, and their goals for the future. These record sheets, from Graham Foster's Reading in the Real World, wil help build a reading profile for even the most reluctant student.
Click here to download the sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading Power: Making Connections
Are your kids having trouble proceesing the information they get from what they read? Help them to organize their thoughts with these great record sheets, from Adrienne Gear's Nonfiction Reading Power, that help kids track what they know and don't know, and how it connects to their learning.
Click here to download the sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Guided Reading Lessons: Tips, Tools, and Techniques
With school underway, it's time to start thinking about how to keep things on track over the next few busy months. These tips and tools on managing guided reading in your classroom, from Lori Jamisons Rog's Guiding Readers, will help you keep yourself and your students on the road to a successful reading classroom!
Click here to download the tips sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
25 Tips for Classroom Management
We at Pembroke hope that you all had a fantastic summer! With school starting up again, we thought we'd help you get off to a great start with these thoughtful tips from Kathy Lundy's Leap into Literacy -- meet your students on level ground, and make your classroom a real learning community.
Click here to download the tips.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Getting to Know Your Students
The new school year is just about here -- while you're preparing your classroom, your lessons, and your year, you might want to take time to consider how you'll get to know your new students. You'll want to try these great suggestions from Kathy Lundy's What do I do about the kid who...? -- great not just for the first week, but throughout the year.
Click here to download the ideas sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Organizing Your Space and Time
Do you have a plan for organizing your classroom this year? How about making the most of every school day? If your organization could use some rethinking, try these great lists from Kathy Paterson's 55 Teaching Dilemmas -- sure to have you thinking, planning, and teaching in new and exciting ways!
Click here to download the lists.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Collaborating in the Classroom
What will your classroom look like this September? Is your school incorporating new technologies? Will you have an interactive whiteboard in your class? Get a jump start on creating a collaborative classroom with these great ideas from Brenda Stein Dzaldov & Jennifer Harper's Literacy Smarts, complete with the interactive whiteboard edge!
Click here to download today's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
12 Steps toward Literacy Success
As you start planning for the new school year, one of the most important elements to consider is your plan for literacy. If you're wondering how to get every student in your new class reading and writing with confidence, look no further than David Booth's "12 Steps toward Literacy Success", from his bestselling The Literacy Principal.
Click here to download the strategies.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
A Strong Start: Building Rapport
Now that we're halfway through the summer, it's time to start looking ahead to the new school year. Plan to start strong, building solid relationships and good rapport with your student. These tips, from Kathy Paterson's How do I teach... and keep my sanity?, will give you everything you need to create an open, caring classroom, right from day one.
Click here to download the tip sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Getting Started
If you took advantage of last week's freebie, and took some time to reflect on the past year of teaching, it's time to change your perspective once more, and look ahead! Download this week's questionnaire from Juliana and Norah's Asking Better Questions, and get started planning for a new year of teaching and learning...
Click here to download the questionnaire.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Changing Perspectives in the Classroom
Now that the school year is over, it's time to reflect -- the successes, the challenges, what worked and what didn't. Why not use these question sheets from Juliana Saxton & Norah Morgan's classic resource, Asking Better Questions, to get a different view of things by looking at your teaching and your classroom from a students' point of view?
Click here to download the question sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Summer Reading
Looking for something new to read this summer? Find new books, and rediscover old favorites, with Adrienne Gear's top picks in fiction and non-fiction. The list is organized by grade and reading strategy, which is perfect for keeping kids learning during the summer months!
Click here to download the reading list.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
101 Literacy Events!
Worried about keeping your family reading, writing, and exploring over the summer months? Try these fantastic suggestions from David Booth's Reading Doesn't Matter Anymore... -- sure to keep your family exploring the world of literacy right through to September!
Click here to download the events sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Express Yourself -- Fun-tastic Collage!
Are you looking for a fun activity for the last few days of school? How about having your kids create a collage, picturing all the fun things they'll do over the summer? You can get the basics on creating collages and the materials you'll need from these pages out of Mark Thurman's Get Graphic!
Click here for the collage basics.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Summer Reading...
Are you working on summer booklists for your students? Stuck on the same old titles? Why not look for inspiration in these fantastic novel lists from Good Books Matter by Larry Swartz & Shelley Stagg Peterson -- get ideas for every reader from developing to independent to young adolescents.
Click here to download the booklists.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
"Dad and Me" Journal
With Father's Day coming up, the time is right for a fun craft that kids can share with their dads! You might want to try the "Dad and Me" Journal, from Jane Baskwill's Getting Dads on Board -- kids can make their own book featuring all the things they love to do with dad.
Click here to download the journal template.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Keep in Touch -- The Magic of Postcards
June is here, and the end of the school year is on the horizon. Encourage your class to keep in touch through the summer and keep writing at the same time -- creating great postcards! With some great ideas on creative writing from Linda Granfield's Postcards Talk, kids can stay busy all summer writing and creating.
Click here to download the postcard pages.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Get Physical!
This week, celebrate both Backyard Games Week and the gorgeous weather by getting outside and getting active! Encourage your students to refresh their minds with play using one of these great games from Larry Swartz' classic resource, The New Dramathemes -- perfect for any age, any time!
Click here to download the games.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Guides to Independent Reading
Do you need help with guiding your young students to more successful independent reading? Try these hints from Lori Jamison Rog's Guided Reading Basics -- help kids choose the right book, get through it successfully, and keep a record of what they've read.
Click here to download the sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Starting to Write -- The Daily Name
One of the first things kids learn to write is their name -- encourage them to write it more often and experiment with letters, try these ideas for a daily sign-up in the classroom, with accompanying ideas for making it simpler, from Betty Schultze's Basic Tools for Beginning Writers.
Click here for the sign-up activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Books to Read Aloud
It's Tell-A-Story Day -- something we feel should be celebrated every day! If you're looking for something new and great to read out loud, try this fantastic booklist from Jane Baskwill's Getting Dads on Board -- you'll be able to find a book to fit any mood, any situation, and any listener!
Click here to download the booklist.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Poetic... Grammar?!
Have you ever thought of using poetry to enhance the study of grammar in your classroom? In his latest book, Caught in the Middle, David Booth shows us that even studying the parts of speech can be enlivened through poems and poetry.
Click here for David's poetic samples.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Poetry Events
Are you looking for ways to incorporate poetry into your curriculum that go beyond acrostics and haiku? Try this great list of poetry events from David Booth & Bob Barton's Poetry Goes to School, and discover how to make poems and poetry an integral part of your classroom.
Click here to download the list.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Rhyme Time!
Even your youngest students can enjoy playing with the rhythm and rhyme of language! Try these fun and funny activities from Margie Golick's Wacky Word Games, and introduce your students to rhyming poetry with flair!
Click here to download the activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Discovering Poetry
Wondering how best to incorporate poetry into your language arts curriculum? Try this timetable for a full poetry unit, from Sheree Fitch & Larry Swartz' The Poetry Experience! You'll get a complete plan for integrating poetry into literacy learning, complete with a list of 10 questions to guide student response.
Click here to download the Poetry Unit.
Click here for Friday Freebie archive.
The Reading 8-Box
Are you wondering how to help your students get more out of their independent reading? Try Lisa Donohue's "Reading 8-Box", from her best-selling book, Independent Reading Inside the Box! Students can use a single page to strenthen and monitor their comprehension, language, and thinking skills.
Click here to download the template.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Power Words!
An important part of reading comprehension is a solid foundation in high frequency words -- those words that we encounter the most often that every kid needs to have in their reading arsenal. This list, from Megan Milani's The 3 Habits of Highly Successful Reading Teachers, will get your kids off on solid ground!
Click here to download the word list.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Reading Powers Model
Give kids of any age a kick-start into reading comprehension by helping them understand that reading starts in the brain! This great poster/diagram and annotated list of comprehension skills from Adrienne Gear's Reading Power will give you everything you need to get your kids on the right path to reading.
Click here to download the Model package.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Early Literacy -- Alphabet Knowledge
One of the keys to learning to read is a solid foundation in letters and the alphabet. With your kindergarten kids, try an activity or two from Early Literacy Fundamentals, by Sue Palmer and Ros Bayley. Children will enjoy learning to recognize and use letters -- a great first step to real reading!
Click here for the alphabet activities.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Understanding Cultural Diversity
Getting to know your students and building a successful classroom community includes some knowledge of cultural differences in personal interactions. Kathy Paterson's Differentiated Learning offers descriptions of some common cultural nuances that may result in behaviour that differs from what you might expect...
Click here to download the list.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Getting to Know Your Students
If you took advantage of last week's Freebie, you've hopefully helped your students to get to know each other a little better. But how well do you know your students? Try out this "Getting to Know You" worksheet from Student Diversity, and discover how knowing your students as people can help you to reach them more effectively.
Click here to download the worksheet.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
May I Have Your Autograph?
A great way to encourage a sense of community in your classroom is to help your students get to know each other better. Try this great fact-finding activity, from Kathy Lundy's What do I do about the kid who...?, that will get kids talking to each other, learning new things, and making new friends.
Click here to download the activity.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Hassle Log
Part of having a strong community and a safe school is good conflict resolution and anger management. Help your students learn more about their emotions and behaviour, reflect on their experiences, and gain the skills they need for positive self-control with "The Hassle Log" from Keep Cool!
Click here to download the log sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Literacy Program Assessment
Does your school have a strong literacy community? Does every member of the school community contribute to making literacy work? Take a look at this assessment checklist from Graham Foster's Working Together to Improve Literacy, and decide what works in your school, what it still needs, and how you can build a better community.
Click here to download the checklist.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Parent & Community Involvement
An important part of a safe and strong school is fostering involvement with parents, families, and the community at large. How successful is your school at forming and keeping these connections? Take this questionnaire from The Principal Difference by Susan Church to find out!
Click here to download the questionnaire.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Building Safer Classrooms
A large part of community building involves ensuring a safe and happy environment for all your students. If you are looking for advice on countering bullying in your school and classroom, this step-by-step advice from Ken Rigby's Stop the Bullying will help you set simple goals, and build a solid anti-bullying plan.
Click here to download the worksheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Life Circles
Happy New Year! We'd like to welcome you back with this great activity from Kathy Paterson's Differentiated Learning -- a simple way to get students thinking about themselves and their place in the world, and develop self-awareness, self-respect, and self-confidence.
Click here to download the activity.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Walk It Out -- Funny Walks!
As the holidays creep closer, you might find your kids getting more wound up and less attentive in class. These great "get moving" exercises from Sheree Fitch's Breathe, Stretch, Write will give kids a chance to walk those sillies out, and refocus on the classroom.
Click here to download the exercises.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Literacy for Fun!
Are your students starting to get impatient for the holidays? Keep their interest in literacy by helping them plan their vacation fun with this guide to deciphering entertainment schedules, from Kathy Paterson's Real Life Literacy.
Click here to download the guide.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Tips for More Effective Studying
With the end of term fast approaching, many of your students may be getting nervous about final tests and exams. Help them to feel more in control of their situation with these great tips on managing time and space to make the most of their study time. (from Learning to Learn, by Mike Coles, Chas White & Pip Brown)
Click here to download the tip sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Get Moving!
It's getting on to that time of year again -- days are darker, drearier, and the holidays are coming up. If your students are having difficulty staying focused and motivated in class, try this great listening activity from Kathy Paterson's 3-Minute Motivators -- challenge your kids to get focused, get creative, and get involved!
Click here to download the activity.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Constructive Talk -- Conflict Resolution
As Ontario wraps up Bullying Prevention Week, it might be a good time to remind students of ways to turn negative and hurtful words into constructive talk. These worksheets from Paula Galey's Keep Cool! offer a blueprint to honest discussion, framing a problem, and negotiating a positive solution.
Click here to download the worksheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Critical Viewing
Today's kids spend a lot of time viewing different types of media, particularly television. How critical are they of what they see and hear? This exercise in critical viewing through genre, from Graham Foster's Language Arts Idea Bank, will help kids be more thoughtful about everything they see, hear, and do.
Click here to download the exercise.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Media Literacy in the Classroom
As you prepare to celebrate Media Literacy Week next week with your students, you might be looking for ideas on where to start. Try one (or more!) of these digital tasks from Lisa Donohue's Keepin' It Real -- sure to inspire students to get thinking, get creative, and get digital!
Click here to download the task cards.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
20 Questions
Before students can be truly successful in research and information gathering, they need to know how to ask the right questions to get the answers they are looking for. Try one of these versions of 20 Questions, along with a student review of the game, from Carol Koechlin and Sandi Zwaan's Q Tasks, to get students thinking critically.
Click here to download the games and review sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Compare and Select Information
Once students have compiled a body of research, it can often be hard for them to decide what to do with it. Try these task sheets, from Carol Koechlin and Sandi Zwaan's Info Tasks, which will guide students in comparing information and sources, and selecting that which will be the most useful for their purpose.
Click here to download the task sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Study Skills
Many students use the library to hit the books -- to study, to learn, and to research. To help them maximize their learning, try these great tips for recall, studying, and keeping an open mind, from Tricia Armstrong's The Whole Brain Solution. They've got everything students need to get the most out of their school library!
Click here to download the tips sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Online Critical Literacy
In honour of Canadian Library Month, October's Friday Freebies will focus on libraries and information literacy. This month, download some information on using critical thinking skills to appropriately evaluate online resources , including a criteria checklist for kids, from Literacy, Libraries, and Learning.
Click here to download the critical thinking bundle.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Planning for Writer's Workshop
To wrap up September's series on writing, we have a very special sneak peek at one of our newest books, Adrienne Gear's Writing Power! If you're wondering how best to manage writer's workshop in your classroom, you'll love these great masters: a weekly writing lesson planner and a teacher-student conference record.
Click here to download the master sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Fractured Fairy Tales
Looking for a fun way to get students thinking about sentence structure and word choice in their writing? Try this activity from Les Parsons' Grammarama! -- cooperative writing of a "fractured fairy tale", sentence by sentence!
Click here to download the student activity sheets and teacher guideline.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Writing Circles
Writing circles -- small groups of students that gather to share and respond to each other's writing -- are a great way to get kids thinking more deeply about their writing. To help students get the most out of this process, try these tip sheets, from Sylvia Gunnery's The Writing Circle, on the best ways to share and respond in a group.
Click here to download the tip sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Patterns of Writing
Are your students sometimes unsure what's being asked of them when they receive a writing assignment? Try this great primer from Maria Carty's Exploring Writing in the Content Areas, which gives simple patterns and tips for the major writing styles that students encounter.
Click here to download the primer.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Writing Assessment
At the start of a new year, one of the best ways to get to know your new students is to get them writing! All September, the Friday Freebie will feature tips and tricks for writing, starting this week with Graham Foster's generic writing rubric from The Writing Triangle -- help your students keep their writing on track and on task!
Click here to download the rubric.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
*For more great writing tips, check out Lisa Donohue's posters complimenting The Write Voice on her blog!*
Classroom People Search
With the new school year starting next week(!), you might be looking for a new and more interesting way to get your students learning each other's names, talking, and getting comfortable in the classroom. Why not try this great "People Search", from Student Diversity, 2nd Edition -- break the ice with a live scavenger hunt!
Click here to download the "People Search" activity.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Planning and Recordkeeping
As you plan for the new year, you might be looking for better ways to plan, organize, and keep good records of your clas observations. Try these great ideas and templates from Maria Carty's Surviving and Thriving -- your perfect guide to classroom management and organization.
Click here to download the templates.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Organizing Space and Time
As you plan for the new school year, are you wondering about the best ways to get organized? Try these top ten tips from Kathy Paterson's 55 Teaching Dilemmas -- ten great ideas for organizing your personal classrom space and organizing your time for a smooth-running year.
Click here to download the tip sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebe archive.
Creating a Classroom
In the latter days of summer, the time will come to start planning for the new school year. As you think about the year you'd like to have, try some of these tips, from Kathy Paterson's How do I teach …and keep my sanity?, to help you plan out a teacher-friendly classroom that you can live in for a year.
Click here to download the tips sheet.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Summertime Literacy
Are you looking for ways to take your kids' summer literacy activities beyond the summer reading list? Try some of these fantastic games and activities centred around newpapers, from Jane Baskwill's Getting Dads on Board. Although originally intended for dads, these ideas are fun for the whole family!
Click here to download the newspaper games.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Storytime
Looking for ways to keep storytime fun, engaging, and rewarding throughout the summer? You'll love this wealth of tips from Early Literacy Fundamentals, by Sue Palmer & Ros Bayley, with advice on telling children stories and children telling stories, along with a list of great books to read aloud.
Click here to download the tip sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Holiday Time
With summer underway, it's time to think about vacations! Are you taking a car trip this year? If so, you'll love this "Holiday Time" prep sheet, from Help Your Child to Succeed by Bill Lucas and Alistair Smith, with a great ideas for getting ready for a car trip, and games to play in the car with kids.
Click here to download the "Holiday Time" sheet.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Summer Novel Lists
Are you worried about students losing their enthusiasm for reading over the long summer holiday? Why not encourage them to try some of the books from this fantastic novel list, one of many book lists from Larry Swartz & Shelley Stagg Peterson's Good Books Matter -- with some of the best children's and YA books out there to choose from.
Click here to download the list.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Working Together -- Body Sculpture
This week, try this great activity for the whole class, from Sheree Fitch's Breathe, Stretch, Write. Providing a fun break from end-of-year demands, Body Sculpture will also get kids working together, thinking more deeply, and inspired with creativity.
Click here to download the activity.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Test Taking
Are your students worried about tests and exams? Ease their fears and give them an edge with these test preparation tips from Catherine Walker & Edgar Schmidt's Smart Tests -- everything they need to know to succeed!
Click here to download the tip sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Essay Writing -- Student Self-Review
When working on final essays, students will want to make sure they have their best work done. With revision in mind, they'll value these two sheets from Graham Foster's I Think, Therefore I Learn -- one a checklist of essay elements, the other a scoring guide, which will help students view their essay from a more critical point of view.
Click here to download the review sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Tips for Revision
Do your students have end-of-year assignments due in the next few weeks? You might want to give them this handy tip sheet from Kathy Paterson's Text Me a Strategy, that will remind them of key points to revisit when editing and revising their work. It's just the thing to stave off last-minute panic and produce polished work!
Click here to download the tips sheet.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Handling Stress
As the end of year approaches, with projects, tests, and exams piling up, many students may find themselves becoming overwhelmed by stress and pressure. This simple checklist, from Mike Coles, Pip Brown, and Chas White's Learning to Learn, will help students put things in perspective and get a better handle on stress.
Click here to download the checklist.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Student Study Tips
With spring comes the thought of the end of school -- and with that, final assignments, tests, exams. To give your students the guidance they need, try this great list of study tips from Kathy Paterson's How do I teach ...and keep my sanity?, that will help kids get organized and study smart.
Click here to download the tips sheet.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Create a Spring Poetry Folder
With spring on it's way, it's a great time to encourage kids to get outside, and inspire great writing about the things they see and find there. This week's Freebie, from Paul Johnson's Making Books, offers a step-by-step guide to creating a poetry folder -- an ideal way to showcase writing about nature and discovery.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Sensing Poetry
This week, try out a great anchor lesson in poetry from Jan Wells & Janine Reid's Writing Anchors. With plenty of great ideas for helping students to use their senses to engage with poetic imagery and poetic thinking, this week's freebie includes a reproducible page to track sensory thinking.
Click here to download the lesson.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Discovering Poetry
The best way to introduce kids to poetry is to immerse them in it -- to build an environment where poetry can be found. This week, from Katherine Luongo-Orlando's A Project Approach to Language Learning, discover a host of wonderful ideas for surrounding children with poems and bringing poetry to life in your classroom.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Poetry Reading Log
Help your kids keep track of the poems and poets they've read with this Poetry Reading Log from Judy Green's How Bullets Saved My Life. Having a reading record can help kids remember not only what they've read, but what they loved, and serve as a reminder when searching for poetic inspiration.
Click here to download the Reading Log.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Spring into Poetry!
April is National Poetry Month -- what better way to celebrate Spring than with poems, poets, and language fun?! If you're looking for a way to start with poetry in the classroom, try something from our 10 Top 10 Poetry Collections, from Sheree Fitch & Larry Swartz' The Poetry Experience. You'll find ideas for every grade, reading level, and personality.
Click here to download the 10 Top 10s.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Plotting the Plot
Do your students have trouble getting started with story writing? Try this amazing list of imaginative plot ideas from Mark Thurman's Get Graphic -- there's sure to be something to spark the creativity of even the most reluctant writer.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Supporting Student Writers
If writing is a struggle in your classroom, look no further than Ron Benson's brand-new book, Write It Right! This week's download offers a valuable sneak peek at this handy tool -- a discussion of some great ways to support and encourage your student writers, while giving them the time the need to complete great pieces of writing.
Click here to download this week's Freebie.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Writing: Planning a Story
Even kids with a lot of imagination, confidence, and style sometimes need to put more thought into their writing. These two planning forms, from Graham Foster's The Writing Triangle, will help writers to organize a more complete piece of writing and to add more specific details that will really shape their stories into something wonderful!
Click here to download the forms.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Parents as Partners
Are you looking for ways to involve parents in their children's literacy learning? Check out these great ideas from David Booth & Larry Swartz' Literacy Techniques. These veteran educators have also included a suggested letter home to parents, introducing them to your classroom's literacy program.
Click here to download the "Parents as Partners" document.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Reading Power: A Guide for Parents
A great way to help parents and families become more involved in their children's literacy learning is to let them know exactly what's going on in the classroom. This guide to reading comprehension for parents, from Adrienne Gear's Reading Power, is a great aide to help parents work along with their kids at home.
Click here to download the guide.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Promoting Early Literacy
With Family Day coming up in Ontario and Alberta, we feel it's appropriate to keeping talking about the relationship between school and home. This week, we offer a sheet of ideas you can share with parents for promoting early literacy with environmental print, from Anne Burke's Ready to Learn.
Click here to download the sheet.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Literacy in Your Living Space
Although Family Literacy Day was January 27, there's always time for literacy in the home! The parents and families of your kids will love these pages from Help Your Child to Succeed, by Bill Lucas and Alistair Smith, that offer a number of great suggestions and activities for literacy and learning in the home living space.
Click here to download the activity sheets.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
The Language of TV
One way to encourage literacy in the classroom is to find it in the activities kids enjoy at home. In Jennifer Rowsell's book, Family Literacy Experiences, one major literacy activity discussed is television. Download these few pages to get a taste of the multimodal possibilities of children's television viewing.
Click here to download the pages.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Introducing Home Connections
Families play a vital role in raising a reader. But before starting to send books and materials home with students, you might want to explain what you are doing and why. In her recent book, Books as Bridges, Jane Baskwill suggests hosting an information night, and provides a sample invitation letter to send to parents that you might find useful.
Click here to download the letter.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.
Take-Home Activity Kits
Are you looking for innovative ways to involve parents in their children's school lives? Try these ideas for Take-Home Activity Kits from Jane Baskwill's Getting Dads on Board -- fun and highly motivating for parents and child, they connect children's school learning experiences with home.
Click here to download the activity sheet.
Click here for the Friday Freebie archive.