Literacy Resources

Enjoy imakhmakhap woyakapi (enjoyments that are told) in Dakota. Each chapter in this charmingly illustrated booklet focuses on a month of the year, with stories, poems and songs in the Dakota language. Doris Pratt, a long time language teacher and material developer, shares this Dakota collection to help students learn and practice the language.

Educator Information
This book is written in the Dakota language. It is useful as a total Dakota language program or can be used to supplement any Dakota language course. It is suitable for adult language courses. Included in the appendices are explanations of the Dakota language and a prayer by Hector Bunn.

It is a troubling statistic that a quarter of the students in any grade are reading below grade level. The good news is that it's not too late, even in middle school, to provide the extra instruction that will get the majority of these students back on track.

The practical, classroom-tested reading instruction strategies in Struggling Readers are carefully chosen to be effective with students in Grades 3–9. More than band-aid solutions that focus on discrete skills that don’t transfer to real reading, this insightful book shows teachers how to give struggling readers what they really need: the opportunity to read texts they can and want to read; explicit instruction in long-term strategies they can use on their own; confidence in themselves as readers, writers, and thinkers.

This comprehensive resource is organized around the instructional needs of struggling readers:

- teaching and texts targeted to their needs
- the opportunity to read more
- explicit instruction and guided practice in comprehension strategies • building vocabulary and fluency
- the ability to read informational and functional texts
- using writing to make sense of reading

The lesson routines are specifically designed for small-group work, but are adaptable to whole-class or individualized learning.

Struggling Readers is a valuable resource that will help teachers use guided reading strategies from the early grades to reach those students still struggling with reading basics.

This teacher’s guide is designed to help classroom teachers use the graphic novel series, Tales From Big Spirit, by David A. Robertson. The guide provides detailed lessons that meet a wide range of language arts and social studies goals, integrate Indigenous perspectives, and make curricular content more accessible to diverse learners. It is organized into three sections.

The first section includes:

• general instructional ideas for deepening readers’ comprehension of text.
• a framework to further develop students’ thinking about history.
• information about aspects of graphic novels and how to use them in the classroom.

The second section includes:

• specific instructional ideas and suggestions.
• an overview.
• detailed teaching and learning sequences (before-, during-, and after-reading format).

The appendix includes:

• strategies and reproducible classroom materials that support and stimulate student learning.
• historical images that may be reproduced.

Additional Information
74 pages | 8.50" x 11.00"

Inquiry-based teaching in diverse classrooms, grades 3-5

Good science starts with a question. This book offers a look into real classrooms where teachers use inquiry science to engage students in seeking answers the same ways real scientists do — they design experiments, make predictions, observe and describe, offer and test explanations, and share their conjectures with others. This practical book shows teachers how to:

build on students' experiences, background knowledge, and readiness
manage a diverse classroom during inquiry science exploration
faciliatate science discussions
deepen their own science content knowledge

Aboriginal people who choose to improve their education as adults often face many challenges, most of which arise from the ongoing impact of colonialism and of racialized poverty. Yet in Winnipeg’s low-income inner city, a variety of innovative and effective Aboriginal adult education initiatives have emerged. Drawing upon the voices and experiences of Aboriginal adult learners themselves, this book describes the initiatives and strategies that have proven successful and transformative for adult Aboriginal students.

These programs also positively influence the lives of the students’ families and are even felt on the community level, functioning as anti-poverty initiatives. Moving Forward, Giving Back posits that effective Aboriginal adult education initiatives need to be dramatically expanded to improve the health and vibrancy of Aboriginal people and communities across Canada.

Additional Information
168 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

Our Primary Strong Readers Tool poster is written in a casual language register that supports early learners.

Each comprehension strategy has been written using a sentence stem so that each one can be used across the curriculum when introducing any new learning.

Each comprehension strategy has also been visually coded to all of our lesson extensions and Reading Posters so that there is an easy association for both educators and students. Everyone will know what the focus reading/learning strategy is!

Additional Information
Size: 2' x 3' | ISBN: 208309700052

The Strong Readers Educator Resource Guide is a supporting guide for the Strong Readers (Levels 1 - 20, Sets A & B).

The Educators Resource Guide is organized in a binder with each section tabbed (373 pages total).

The comprehensive guide provides the following:

• Strong Readers Overview
• Correlation Chart
• Title List
• Titles Supporting Specific Areas
• Introduction to Guided Reading
• Guided Reading Lesson Plan Overview
• Guided Reading Lesson Planning
• Data Sheet and Thinking Sheets, Levels 1 - 20
• Tools to Support Guided Reading Lesson Planning
• Coaching Records/Running Records
• How to Use the Coaching Records

The Strong Readers Educator Resource Guide offers a range of tools and resources designed to assist educators in utilizing the Strong Readers with students. Please note that this resource does not contain lesson plans or coaching records for the Northern Series and the Métis Series.

Click here to download a: Strong Readers Correlation Chart 

Additional Information
373 pages | Binder | ISBN: 9781771741057

The play-based learning and individualized strategies in this practical book build on the wide range of literacy skills present in the kindergarten classroom. This valuable resource explores simple ways to use traditional learning centres to provide children with real and authentic reasons to listen, speak, read, write, and view. Teachers will find a wealth of resources for creating meaningful learning experiences, including:

• answers to often-asked questions
• milestones to inform teaching instruction
• activities and games for both individuals and groups
• literacy extensions that involve children with quality literature, authentic artifacts, and recordings

This highly readable book will support teachers as they move beyond worksheets and nurture students on their journey to lifelong literacy.

Teaching writing strategies that engage thinking

This practical and thoughtful resource is a follow up to the ground-breaking Reading Power books, which feature simple strategies for helping students focus on their "thinking" while they read. Teachers already familiar with these books will find this a simple way to link reading and writing instruction. Using the same five thinking strategies -- Connect, Question, Visualize, Infer, and Transform -- young writers will learn how to engage their readers' thinking through their writing.

Writing Power will guide teachers through a series of lessons focusing on each of the strategies. A wide range of effective writing techniques are outlined and reinforced throughout the book, with suggested "anchor books" for each lesson. The fundamentals of the writing process and the "6 Traits" are integrated into this unique examination of how developing an awareness of the readers' thinking can influence and affect a student's ability to write.

Coming in October 2011!

Ideas, exercises, and encouragement for teachers and writers of all ages

Award-winning author Carolyn Coman beliees that the essence of good writing, no matter the genre, is the ability to craft a solid story. In this innovative book, Carolyn provides advice, strategies and inspiration focusing on the key elements of stories: character development, plot, voice and dialogue, point of view, and place and time. Full of tips, exercises, and encouragement, this straightforward guide will help make the writing process less intimidating for students and teachers alike.

Strong Reader Tools Classroom Poster (2'x3')

Are you looking for a comprehension tool that works for everyone in the building? This poster has been designed to work for all, a great starting point for everyone to enter in at and then begin your journey together using the same language and strategies. It has been used in many schools, at ALL levels, with great success. 

Features Include:
- Student friendly text
- Student friendly font
- Categorized into before, during and after the read
- Sentence stem prompts to support learning
- Builds comprehension
- Can be used in a number of curricular areas
- Mini poster is ideal for student desks or binders, size 4 1/2" x 11"

Kids love it and they use it!

Additional Information
ISBN: 208309700069

A framework for using read-aloud and other oral language experiences to build reading comprehension skills and help readers record, share, value, and interpret ideas

This comprehensive guide offers a framework for using read-aloud and other oral language experiences to build reading comprehension skills and help students record, share, value, and interpret ideas. These organizational tools free students to listen more attentively; organize their responses; and watch for subtle clues, such as body language, that are an important part of listening. The book is organized around common reading strategies, including making inferences and predictions, making connections, visualizing, asking questions, and synthesizing. Tools to complement these strategies include reproducible graphic organizers, rubrics, forms for recording student progress, and numerous worksheets.

This bundle includes one copy of each of:

• the 40 titles in the Strong Readers Set A series
• the 40 titles in the Strong Readers Set B series
• the accompanying Strong Readers Educator Resource Guide.

About the Set A and Set B Strong Readers 
The Strong Readers are a guided/levelled reading series that are chock full of science, numeracy, social responsibility, language arts and oral language teachings. Our books are rich with scaffolded text features and have beautiful illustrations and photographs. The entire series is interconnected and follows the cultural values of frog, bear, eagle and raven throughout.

The Strong Readers are written by Terri Mack, Brenda Boreham, and Donna Klockars and illustrated by Bill Helin.

Books in both Set A and Set B are 16 pages each | Paperback

About the Strong Readers Educator Resource Guide
The Strong Readers Educator Resource Guide is a supporting guide for the Strong Readers (Levels 1 - 20, Sets A & B).

The Educators Resource Guide is organized in a binder with each section tabbed (373 pages total).

The comprehensive guide provides the following:

• Strong Readers Overview
• Correlation Chart
• Title List
• Titles Supporting Specific Areas
• Introduction to Guided Reading
• Guided Reading Lesson Plan Overview
• Guided Reading Lesson Planning
• Data Sheet and Thinking Sheets, Levels 1 - 20
• Tools to Support Guided Reading Lesson Planning
• Coaching Records/Running Records
• How to Use the Coaching Records

The Strong Readers Educator Resource Guide offers a range of tools and resources designed to assist educators in utilizing the Strong Readers with students. Please note that this resource does not contain lesson plans or coaching records for the Northern Series and the Métis Series and that these additional Strong Readers series are not included in this bundle.

373 Pages | Binder