Off to a Great Start

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.  

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

---

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.