Resources for Teachers
The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg has curated the following list of resources to help support literacy teaching. We welcome recommendations and commit to frequent updates of this page. Please note that these links are provided for information only – we do not endorse specific programs or services.
Research-Based Practices
- Reading Rockets – Keep your knowledge of early and primary literacy fundamentals current with Reading Rockets.
- AdLit.org – All About Adolescent Literacy – Similar to Reading Rockets, this site focuses on best practices for adolescent literacy.
Units & Lesson Plans
- International Literacy Association E-ssentials Series – "ILA E-ssentials are quick-read articles by top literacy experts that will help strengthen your teaching practice while fostering your students' confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills." The editors of one series, titled "Literacy Practices that Adolescents Deserve," include our very own RCGW past president Carol Hryniuk-Adamov. Note that E-ssentials are only available to ILA Members.
- ReadWriteThink – A collaborative effort between the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, ReadWriteThink offers free peer-reviewed lesson plans, printouts, and resources.
- ReadingQuest.org – Strategies for various content areas and free printables that support before, during, and after reading strategies.
Classroom Library Development & Resource Selection
- Kirkus Reviews – Short reviews that boil books down to need-to-know information for readers and teachers.
- Canadian Children's Book Centre – Lots of initiatives and resources to encourage reading of Canadian content.
- School Library Journal Newsletters – Sign up for regular updates and invitations to webinars discussing children's and youth literature.
- CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials – Reviews written by teachers, librarians, and other literacy advocates in Canada of Canadian books of interest to children and teens.
- Listening Library – Books on Tape – Audio-books are effective read-alongs for some students. With audio, you can still build so many skills and foster comprehension.
- Social Justice and Diversity Book List – Published by the Canadian Children's Book Centre, this site is a treasure trove for teachers and offers many links to the ELA curriculum practice of Language as Power of Agency.
Canadian Publishers
- Crabtree Publishing Company – Based out of Ontario, Crabtree publishes non-fiction for K-9+.
- Portage & Main Press – Based out of Winnipeg, Portage & Main publishes educator resources.
- HighWater Press – A imprint of Portage & Main, HighWater Press publishes books written by Indigenous authors.
Texts
- Bibliovideo: Canadian Children's Books on Video – From the Canadian Children's Book Centre.
- Newsela – Texts spanning the subject areas, including those focusing on current events, with adjustable reading levels and other comprehension features.
- CommonLit – Literary and nonfiction texts for students in Grades 3-12, including comprehension questions and discussion prompts.
- The Literacy Shed – Short films and activities for the classroom.
- Short of the Week (Family Friendly) – Other short films that could be used in the classroom.
- Teaching Tolerance Texts – Short information and literary nonfiction texts for all grade levels.
- Global Oneness Project – Stories and short films for middle and high school.
Other Resources
- Thinking Routines – Visible Thinking routine resources based on Project Zero at Harvard that develop critical thinking skills and are applicable to many subject areas.
- Facing History and Ourselves – Unit plans, texts, and resources that allow teachers to explore challenging moments of history through literature. The Stolen Lives resources contains numerous primary source documents to help students understand the factors that led to residential schools in Canada.
- ADL Lessons – Lessons that focus on learning about diversity, bias, and social justice. Possibility to use many of the resources to work on the new ELA curriculum's Language as Power and Agency strand.
- Michigan's Mission: Literacy – Website that contains numerous links and suggestions.
- English / Language Arts Websites for Teachers – A thorough list of digital resources for teachers K-12.
