Resources for Educators

The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg has curated the following short list of resources to support teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know there are many resources already shared online, and we are encouraged to see so many organizations around the world stepping up to support learning in these challenging times. We are thinking of you and hope you and your family take time this week to relax and recharge despite the uncertainty ahead. 

Please note that all RCGW meetings and events are currently postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please continue to check our site for more information. 

Armchair PD

• Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle have been posting videos of their conversations about reading and writing, which make for an energizing listen. See Penny's Twitter feed for more information. (Penny will be our MTS PD Day 2020 speaker!)
• Visit Office Hours with Kylene Beers (on Zoom and Facebook) to hear Kylene and friends (including Kelly & Penny, Kwame Alexander, and Naomi Shihab Nye) share ideas. 
• Register for School Library Journal's free Middle Grade Magic virtual event: Wednesday, April 8.
• The International Literacy Association will be re-streaming the featured sessions from its 2019 Annual Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Members and non-members can access the streams from April 1 to 30. 

From Manitoba Education & Training

• Online Resources for Manitoba Educators
• Online and Unplugged: Supporting Student Learning During COVID-19 Suspension of Classes (on Maple; login required)

Bibliotherapy

• To help you talk to your children about these changes, Orca Publishers is offering free Read-Along copies of On the News: Our First Talk About Tragedy, written and narrated by renowned child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts.
• Access to the American Library Association's Booklist Online review site is freely available. Check out the newsletter for more information. 
• Check out the Canadian Children's Book Centre's post Finding Hope in Hard Times Reading List. 

Online Read-Alouds and Connections

• Author Kate Messener has prepared a list of Publisher Guidelines for Online Storytime and Read-Alouds during COVID-19 school closures. As teachers, we must continue to respect copyright. 
• Pernille Ripp has also curated a list of picture book creators reading aloud. 
• The School Library Journal gave tips on How to Run a Virtual Book Club with Middle Schoolers, and local author Colleen Nelson hinted at some news to come. 

Publisher Resources

• Nelson is offering open access to some of their student resources (Grades 4-12).  ​
• Pearson is giving access to a number of e-texts (Grades 1-12).  
• Resources for Teaching Online have been shared by Corwin.