Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg
  • Home
  • About
    • History
  • Join
  • Learn
    • MTS PD Day
  • Outreach
    • Awards
    • Scholarships
    • I Love to Read
    • Family Literacy Day
    • Literacy Grants
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • History
  • Join
  • Learn
    • MTS PD Day
  • Outreach
    • Awards
    • Scholarships
    • I Love to Read
    • Family Literacy Day
    • Literacy Grants
  • Contact

Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg

The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg has been committed to the promotion of literacy in Winnipeg and the surrounding area since 1956. We are a Special Area Group of Educators (SAGE) of the Manitoba Teachers' Society and a local council of the International Literacy Association.

Winter Book Recommendations

12/4/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
With the holidays just around the corner, teachers and parents often find themselves searching for the latest and greatest titles in children's literature. Luckily, December means review website publish their Best of the Year lists – a great help for making decisions about which books to purchase as gifts or to add to a classroom library. 

Kirkus Reviews, for instance, offers a list of middle grade, picture books, and young adult titles. (As an added bonus, the Kirkus Reviews make for excellent mentor texts when teaching students to write book reviews or analyses.) School Library Journal's Best Books 2019 lists break down the categories even further, including picture books, transitional chapter books, middle grade, young adult, non-fiction, and graphic novels. They have even assembled all their lists into a downloadable, printable 15-page handout, perfect for last-minute inclusion in a winter-break email or newsletter. (Don't forget about the value of audiobooks, often overlooked. For some readers, audiobooks are the great equalizer, allowing them to access text that might otherwise be out of reach.)

As wonderful as Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal are, we can't forget about supporting our Canadian authors. We recommend checking out the Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Awards book lists for younger readers and older readers and the Canadian Children's Book Centre's 2019 CCBC Gift Guide for the best Canadian titles of the year. 

Finally, why not support our local independent bookseller McNally Robinson when making your purchases? At RCGW, we are always reminded of how Donalyn Miller's amazed reacted to the bookstore – to this day, she talks about its beauty and all it has to offer. We know our holiday plans include spending lots of time at this local gem. 

The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg's Board of Directors wishes you a restful holiday season, filled with books, love, and celebration. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
0 Comments

Two $500 Literacy Grants Available

12/4/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
We are pleased to announce that the RCGW Literacy Grants have returned! We have two $500 grants available for RCGW members to promote literacy in their communities. Don't delay, apply today! The application deadline is January 10, 2020.
​
Click here for more information.
0 Comments

MTS PD Day 2019 – Participant Information

10/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
We look forward to spending MTS PD Day 2019 – October 25, 2019 – with over 300 teachers for Lori Oczkus's session: "The Powerful Reading Vitamin: Boosting Comprehension with The Fab Four."
Limited walk-up registrations are available.

​Logistics

​Celebrations at Canad Inns Destination Centre Fort Garry
1824 Pembina Hwy | Winnipeg, Manitoba


  • 7:30 AM – Check-in Opens
  • 9:00 AM – Session Begins
  • 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM – Lunch (On Your Own)
  • 1:00 PM – Session Continues
  • 3:00 PM – Book Draws & Giveaways

Free parking available on site, but we are expecting over 300 teachers. We encourage carpooling and arriving early! LUNCH IS NOT​ INCLUDED. There are many restaurants in the area. Morning and afternoon snacks are included. 

Handouts

  • Lori Oczkus Session Handout – Please print your own copy if you want a paper version. 
  • Hands-On Text for an Activity
The first edition of Lori's book is available in French through Chenelière. 
0 Comments

What's New with the ELA Curriculum?

10/16/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture

Editor’s Note: RCGW extends thanks to Manitoba Education and Training ELA Consultant Angela Burdett for her assistance in answering our many questions. 

Since 2017, Manitoba Education and Training (MET) has been implementing the new ELA Curriculum Framework through a phased-in model. Across the province, many school teams and groups of teachers have gathered to discuss and explore their practice through the new curriculum framework. We at RCGW continue to field questions from teachers in the field, so we reached out to MET for some updates.

Last month, in Off to a Great Start, we recommended teachers read the Manitoba English Language Arts Curriculum Framework – April 2019 Draft. (Read it online at Maple today!) Teachers can inquire and explore the many avenues for digging deep into language and inquiry under the new framework. We are pleased to hear that MET expects to have the latest iteration of the Curriculum Framework and the new Maple group, "The ELA Place," available later this fall. 

The revised framework will be shared as "A Living Document" rather than a "Draft" to better reflect the emergent nature of the curriculum. MET is in the process of redesigning and renaming the current Maple group "Reflecting on and Moving Forward With the New ELA Curriculum" to "The ELA Place." The new group will be a more interactive space where educators can explore the framework and wraparound supports from multiple entry points. It will evolve over time as teachers shift practice and become more familiar with the new framework and as MET receives feedback from teachers in the field. If you’re already a member of the current group, you’re all set – you won’t need to join anything new. You will receive an invitation from Maple to join the new group and you simply follow the directions provided.  

One exciting part of The ELA Place is the Stories of Practice. This is where educators can go to see the stories of Manitoba teachers enacting the practices and living out this curriculum in their classrooms. In the future, MET hopes to include many "stories of practice" that represent all grade bands and many contexts. If you’ve begun to implement the new curriculum, we at RCGW and MET would love to hear your stories. Get in touch with us!

Finally, RCGW offers its congratulations to former MET ELA and Literacy Consultant Shelley Warkentin, who moved to Seven Oaks School Division earlier this year. We also welcome the new Senior Years ELA and Literacy Consultant Vicky McMahon to her position at MET. We look forward to continuing our longstanding collaboration with MET and to bringing you, our members, the latest information to support your teaching. 
0 Comments

Welcome, Cathy-Ann!

10/8/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg is excited to announce that past president and long-time board member Cathy-Ann Winters has been appointed as the International Literacy Association (ILA) Provincial Coordinator for Manitoba! 

Cathy-Ann has been a long standing member of the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg, the Manitoba Reading Association and the International Literacy Association. She has served on the RCGW board as the MYRCA Representative,  President Elect, President, Past President and Journal Editor. Cathy-Ann is a Vice Principal at Dakota Collegiate Institute in the Louis Riel School Division and has recently become a Reading Apprenticeship facilitator, supporting literacy instruction across Manitoba. Cathy-Ann is dedicated to inspiring cultures of collaboration, learning focused relationships and personalized learning. She has been a Classroom Teacher, a Student Services Teacher, a Literacy Itinerant Teacher and an Instructional Support Teacher. Cathy-Ann received her Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Manitoba where her learning focused on instructional leadership and effective school planning. 
​
RCGW's Board of Directors welcomes Cathy-Ann into her new role and looks forward to working closely together over her term.

0 Comments

ILA Annual Conference: October 10-13 in New Orleans

9/24/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
The following message is from the International Literacy Association. 

This year, the ILA Annual Conference is being held in the fall for the first time, October 10–13 in New Orleans. Registration is still open and that hotel rooms should be booked soon for all planning to attend. For details, please see https://literacyworldwide.org/conference/register-now. A robust lineup of featured literacy research sessions will be offered, including these:

  • Research into Practice Institute given by P. David Pearson, Nell Duke, Douglas Fisher, Diane Lapp, Jacquelynn A. Malloy, Barbara A. Marinak, Cynthia Shanahan, Timothy Shanahan, Jennifer Danridge Turner, Denise Johnson, Hallie Yopp Slowik, who will discuss research perspectives on critical issues pertaining to literacy instruction.
  • Annual Research Address and Roundtable, to be delivered by Steven Graham, Arizona State University, on The Do’s and Don’ts of Writing Instruction, featuring follow-up roundtable discussions led by experts in specific aspects of writing pedagogy and concluding remarks by David Kirkland, New York University
  • A Critical Examination of ILA’s Literacy Leadership Briefs, presented by ILA’s Literacy Research Panel and the Reading Hall of Fame.
  • Exploring Alternative Views of the Relationship between Research and Practice, led by James Hoffman, University of North Texas, Diane Lapp, San Diego State University, and D. Ray Reutzel, University of Wyoming.
  • Panel: What Can We Learn about Language Arts Instruction, led by Douglas Fisher and Diane Lapp, San Diego State University.
  • Meet the Researchers Poster Session and a Poster Session by ILA Grant Recipients and the ILA 2019 Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation Award Winner and Finalists.

Researchers will be also presenting sessions on topics of note for classroom teachers, teacher educators, school administrators, and others. Plus, the editors of The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and Reading Research Quarterly will be hosting Meet the Editors sessions to answer questions about the submission process for prospective authors.

So, if you haven’t registered yet, now’s the time to make sure you don’t miss out on this outstanding opportunity. Don't delay - register today! 

0 Comments

Off to a Great Start

8/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Written by Jon Sorokowski
Once August arrives, we in the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg begin to think about September and our incoming groups of students. We tweak our trusted approaches and search for new gems with the energy that accompanies the excitement of a new school year. Here are exciting resources we are using to help us create a culture of literacy from Day One in our schools.
Manitoba English Language Arts Curriculum Framework – April 2019 Draft
A new English Language Arts Curriculum Framework draft document was released in April 2019 on Manitoba Education and Training's Maple website. Teachers will find the hundred-plus pages of background information and suggestions for further reading to be extremely helpful in understanding the structure of the new ELA curriculum. The “elaborations” section at the end of the document is of particular note, as it provides examples of what the literacy practices could look like in action for each of the grade bands.  
Picture
Reciprocal Teaching at Work: Powerful Strategies and Lessons for Improving Reading Comprehension – 3rd Edition by Lori Oczkus 
Palincsar and Brown’s reciprocal teaching model has long been recognized for its ability to enhance students’ comprehension skills. In the third edition of this best-selling book, Lori Oczkus explains how to use reciprocal teaching and its four component reading strategies – predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarizing – which she calls the Fab Four. The new edition includes many new mini-lessons and redesigned support materials. It is well worth a read, even for teachers who are already familiar with the approach. Read Chapter One online for a preview. The cover and inside pages even feature photos of Manitoba students from MRA Past President Lisa Carlson’s high school English class in Elm Creek, MB. Don’t miss learning from Oczkus herself at MTS PD Day 2019. 
Picture
A Teacher’s Guide to Reading Conferences by Jennifer Serravallo and A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences by Carl Anderson
These two titles, part of Heinemann’s new Classroom Essentials series, are quick reads full of visuals and digital resources to help teachers implement reading and writing conferences. Heinemann publications, including this series, are available through Pearson Canada. Serravallo explains the different types of reading conferences teachers can use to help their students, while Anderson shows how to move students through the writing process by conferring with them during frequent writing conferences. Teachers who are new to the workshop approach – one mentioned in the new ELA Curriculum Framework – will appreciate the many accompanying videos and suggestions for how to respond to student questions and comments. 
Picture
Picture
180 Days: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents by Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle 
Middle- and high-school English teachers eager to explore the workshop model will want to get themselves a copy of Gallagher and Kittle’s latest collaboration, available through Pearson Canada. The dynamic duo walks teachers through how they plan their year around their reading and writing beliefs. Teaching in different contexts across the country from each other, they show how teachers can engage students in meaningful and powerful reading and writing every single day of the school year. Teachers unfamiliar with these “powerhouse” authors should also read Book Love (Kittle, available through Pearson Canada) and Readicide (Gallagher, available through Pembroke Publishers). Maybe put the publishers in brackets or provide links at the end to the publishers. Use Canadian publishers e.g. Pembroke or Pearson.
Picture
Being the Change: Lessons and Strategies to Teach Social Comprehension by Sara K. Ahmed
Teachers of upper-elementary to high school will find Sara K. Ahmed’s latest book to be teaming with ideas they can implement at the beginning of the school year. Ahmed has created classroom-ready lessons to help students recognize the humanity in one another through inquiries into identity, biases, microaggressions, and perspectives. She equips teachers with the tools and confidence they need to address such challenging yet incredibly timely and relevant topics. Find ways to promote empathy and deepen social comprehension in your class with Being the Change, available from Pearson Canada. 
Picture

About the Author – Jon Sorokowski edits the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg’s Blog and is on its Board. He teaches at a French Immersion middle school in Winnipeg and is the Co-chair of the Manitoba Reading Association’s 6th Adolescent Literacy Summit, to be held in April 2021 at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg. 
0 Comments

We Want You!

8/15/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
We want you! The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg (RCGW) seeks to recruit dedicated teachers to volunteer on its Board of Directors. 

Dedicated to the promotion of literacy and the development of lifelong readers, RCGW has been a leader since 1956. We are a supportive group of new and experienced teachers from K-12. Joining the board broadens your network and strengthens your leadership skills. We are looking to recruit volunteers for the following roles.
  • Vice President – Assist with planning our three annual programs and have a say in the "big names" we bring to the province. Prepare to become the next President of RCGW.
  • Membership Director – Promote membership and maintain the membership list by working with MTS. Create a membership display for use at our events. 
  • Manitoba Reading Association (MRA) Representative – Represent RCGW at MRA Saturday half-day meetings every few months to learn about literacy initiatives in the province.

In addition to our monthly board meetings, each position generally involves two to three hours of independent and collaborative work every month.

Finally, if you're not sure about any of these positions, we invite you to attend a meeting to learn what we're about. Please contact Jon Sorokowski if you have questions or if you'd like to join. 

We can't wait to see you!
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Next Meeting

    Tuesday, January 21 at 4:30 PM – Emerson Elementary School. All members are invited. Contact Leslie Dickson if you will be attending.
    About RCGW

    Blog Submissions

    We welcome book reviews, articles about teaching strategies, and other submissions. Please contact the Editor.

    Archives

    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.