Author: admin-reading
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The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Posted on November 24th 2010 A Short Story Unit With Endless Possibilities If you are launching a short story unit for grade 6/7, this is a great way to spark imagination and creativity. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick are a collection of fifteen strange pictures, with a background story as eery as the images themselves. …
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Memoirs of a Goldfish
By Devin Scillian, Illustrated by Tim BowersPublished by Sleeping Bear PressISBN #9781585365074 Sometimes, when searching for the perfect story to share with your child, it is important to leave literacy acquisition strategies by the wayside and search for one thing, and one thing only: just plain fun. Scillian serves that up with his latest work…
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Remembrance Day Lesson Idea
Posted by Trish Weaver on October 18th 2010 World War I Propaganda Posters Art & Literacy As Remembrance Day approaches, I find it helpful to have my students reflect on the different roles that Canadians played in World War I. In this assignment, we look at the role the Canadian Government played in recruiting…
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No Moon
By Irene N. WattsPublished by Tundra Books ISBN #978-0-88776-971-9 (0-88776-971-3) To mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I wanted to review two great classroom reads based on the tragic tale. AN EXCERPT: I am dazzled by the sight of the Titanic. The great crowd of people, gazing up from the…
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The Mighty Tim Horton
Leonetti, Mike and Banning, Greg. The Mighty Tim Horton. Toronto: North Winds Press (Scholastic), 2010. ISBN# 978-1-44310042-7 At this time of year in the classroom, I think it’s safe to say the “honeymoon” is over with your students. From this point on, it can be a struggle to keep them engaged, but one tactic…
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B is for Basketball: An Alphabet Book
By Students and Teachers of School District No. 50 (Haida Gwaii) and illustrated by Judy HilgemannPublished by McKellar and Martin Publishing Group This fabulous collaboration between students and teachers of the Haida Gwaii School District focuses on Aboriginal basketball while teaching the alphabet. Basketball is a significant component of cultural life in northern Aboriginal communities,…
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Dear George Clooney, Please Marry my Mom
By Susin NielsenPublished by Toronto: Tundra Books, 2010ISBN #978-0-88776-977-1 With the same light-hearted, youth-savvy style in which she delivered us Word Nerd, Susin Nielsen has created another Canadian gem: Dear George Clooney, Please Marry my Mom. The attention to detail Nielsen pays to her Vancouver neighbourhood settings (Kitsilano in Word Nerd, and now mid-Main Street…
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Binky the Space Cat
By Ashley SpiresPublished by Kids Can PressISBN #978-1-55453-309-1 Binky the Space Cat is an excellent graphic novel for students in grades two to five (but to be fair, adults love Binky just as much as kids!) Although Binky may appear to be just another pet (other than his oddly-shaped head, that is), in his mind…
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Harvey
By Hervé BouchardPublished by Groundwood BooksISBN #978-1-55498-075-8 Winner of two Governor General’s Literary Awards in French language children’s literature (one for text and one for art); Bouchard’s poignant and original graphic novel Harvey has been translated into English. When Harvey and his younger brother find out that their father has died of a sudden heart…
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Watch Me Grow: A Down to Earth Look at Growing Food in the City
By Deborah HodgePublished by Kids Can PressISBN #978-1-55453-618-4 Deborah Hodge and Brian Harris, the writer-photographer team that brought us Up We Grow: A Year in the Life of a Small Local Farm, have collaborated again to create a unique reference picturebook. Aimed at children from Kindergarten to Grade Three, Watch Me Grow: A Down-to-Earth Look…