New Resources for November

As the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg's blog team, we continually sift through the many new resources available for teachers in order to find gems we think you may find helpful. Enjoy these latest selections! 

Corwin Connect – Simultaneous Learning: Blending Physical and Remote Learning 
Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey offer some suggestions for managing the demands of teaching students in person and students online simultaneously. Among other suggestions, they suggest having students collaborate with their at-home peers using technology. Of course, such an approach relies on all students having devices not only in the classroom but also at home.  

Stenhouse Blog – Rethinking Reading at Home 
Grace Choi (@MrsGraceChoi) offers suggestions to encourage home reading with young children, including finding reading buddies like pets and finding comfortable spots. 

Stenhouse Blog – Yeah, We're Living in a Pandemic: But We Can Still Stay Connected
Jen Vincent (@jvincentwrites) shares ideas to boost connections with and among students by having them contribute a GIF or picture to a shared digital whiteboard, which can allow the teacher to do a quick mental-health check to see who might need a deeper check-in.  

The two blog posts above are part of Stenhouse's new One Thing You Might Try... column. Stenhouse also an excellent podcast, Stenhouse Teacher's Corner. The latest episode explores reading and writing workshops in primary and intermediate classrooms and how to adapt such a teaching method to online and hybrid models. Stenhouse also has a number of free webinars. The most recent one features Cris Tovani and her new book Why Do I Have to Read This? 

Pembroke Publishers – Canadian Children's Literature as Stepping-Stones to Understanding the Holocaust and ASCD Educational Leadership – Confronting Inequity / A United Front on Equity 
Larry Swartz ‎(@larryreads) writes about Canadian books (Grades 3+) that can support teaching about the Holocaust. Swartz writes, "When young people read and respond to books on the Holocaust, they can grow in their understanding of the complexities of history [and] its impact on the present...." Included on the list is Winnipeg's own Carol Matas with her book Daniel's Story. Swartz's new book, ​Teaching Tough Topics, is available from Pembroke Publishers. We recommend pairing this reading with a recent article by Matthew R. Kay in Educational Leadership, where he advocates for teachers and school leaders working together to address much-needed equity work in schools.