Category Archives: Digital Resources

Digital Resources, Event, Media

Veterans’ Week 2021

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Here are some resources that connect with the theme of Remembrance:

Veterans Affairs Canada – Veterans’ Week Poster:

VeteransWeek2021

“Service, Courage and Sacrifice. At home, around the world and across generations.

Canadian military members have a long tradition of defending peace and helping others. This year’s Veterans’ Week poster reflects several milestones that illustrate this proud legacy of service. From left to right:

A Canadian soldier during a reconnaissance patrol in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province. This year marks the 10th  anniversary of the end of Canada’s combat mission in the country in 2011.

A Canadian peacekeeper on patrol in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the first large-scale United Nations peacekeeping mission there in 1956.

A Canadian soldier carrying a sandbag to help fight rising floodwaters. Canadian Armed Forces members often help here at home, like 25 years ago during the devastating Saguenay floods in Quebec in 1996.

A Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry soldier helping a wounded comrade get to an aid station near the Kapyong Valley. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War’s Battle of Kapyong in 1951.

A Canadian aviator at an airbase in Qatar during the Gulf War. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the end of this tense conflict in the Persian Gulf region in 1991.

A Canadian signaler using a spotting scope in the hills of Hong Kong. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Second World War’s Defence of Hong Kong in 1941.

A pair of Canadian soldiers training near the Somme Valley in France during the First World War. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the Battles of the Somme and Beaumont-Hamel in 1916.

This Veterans’ Week, how will you remember all those who have served and sacrificed in uniform over the years?” (Veterans Affairs Canada)

Additional Resources:

national-aboriginal-monument

  • Interactive Activity: (Ages 10+)

Over the Top: An Interactive Adventure

“An activity created by the Canadian War Museum to help students understand the First World War from a soldier’s perspective. The activity’s interactive nature and its animation-based format will appeal to younger students. Includes a glossary of terms. (Recommended for ages 10 and up.)”

Activity, Digital Resources

Literacy games and Events

Want to practice this summer?

SUMMER READING CLUBS

Crack the Case! Be a super sleuth this summer when you join FVRL’s 2021 Summer Reading Club. There is a club for everyone!

  • Read To Me (0 to Preschool) Share stories, record reading, enter to win prizes and get a medal.
  • Kids (grades K to 6) Record your reading, check out our virtual performers, enter to win prizes, and earn a medal.
  • Teens (grades 7 to 12) Read. Record. Repeat. It begins when you download an SRC reading record. Read every day for a chance to win fantastic prizes!
  • Adults Download a reading record and mark your reading for a chance to win prizes every week all summer. The more you read, the more chances to win!

How do I join? Sign up starts June 1 and continues throughout the summer. Sign up and reading records can be found here.

How does it work? You and your family members can sign up online and download a reading record! Mark, colour, or sticker your reading record for each day that you read for 15 minutes or more! You can read anywhere. For every seven days that you read, you can enter to win a prize!

Summer Reading Club and COVID-19

We want everyone to stay safe and have fun this summer! To ensure physical distancing, all reading records and contests are available online. We encourage you to participate in Summer Reading Club online if possible. If you need a paper reading record, please contact your local FVRL library to arrange for a contactless pickup. If you need assistance to enter the weekly prize draw, please contact your local FVRL library and a staff member will be happy to help.

Offline Literacy Activities:

(inspired by Ann George as part of  the Joyful Literacy initiative developed by Dr. Janet Mort)

  • Play “I Spy”. (I spy with my little eye a letter that is in your name or I spy with my little eye the letter “c” on the cereal box or I spy with my little eye something that makes the “ssss” sound from the letter “s”.
  • Using objects found in nature (sticks, leaves, rocks etc.), write your name, some words, a message or poem and take a picture.
  • Make up a letter dance and some music to go with it.
  • Search for letters older newspapers/magazines and circle the letters.
  • Look for the letters of the alphabet in around the house or in nature. Take pictures of them to create your name.
  • Make a list of 26 things in your house, one for each letter of the alphabet – a/apple, b/book, c/cat etc.
  • Collect little things that you see throughout your house. Try to collect one thing for every letter of the alphabet (e.g. A – ant, B – beach glass, K – kite string, Y – yellow dandelion).

(developed by Dr. Janet Mort)

Online Literacy Games :

Halq’eméylem:

English Alphabet Games:

https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/alphabet-games

English Sight Words:

www.education.com/games/sight-words

English Letter Games:

http://www.abcya.com/

English Sounds, Rhyming:

http://getreadytoread.org/skill-building-activities/online-games 

English Alphabet and Phonics:

http://www.starfall.com/ (free limited use of site, paid member = full use of site)

Activity, Digital Resources, Event

National Poetry Month 2021

NationalPoetry2021

From the League of Canadian Poets:

The League of Canadian Poets invites you to celebrate the 23nd National Poetry Month this April 2021 with the theme of resilience. 

“What does it mean to be resilient? We meet resilience in every corner we’ve been backed into, every hardship that we endure. Resilience is geographical, spiritual, historical. It’s the fight against climate change, the inner battle with mental health, the outcry for human rights and an end to systemic racism. Resilience is the backbone of generations of trauma, the silence at the dinner table, the bow to culture’s violin. Resilience is the courage to start each day anew. This NPM 2021, we celebrate, reflect on and respect the resilience that has made us who we are.”

  1. Selections from: Tea and Bannock Stories: First Nations Community of Poetic Voices (Simon Fraser University, First Nations Studies. Compiled by annie ross, Brandon Bob, Eve Chuang and the Chuang Family, Steve Davis, Robert Pictou)

 

2. Selections from Poetry Foundation: Poetry for Children

Ideas for Teachers: (from the League of Canadian Poets)

Poetry Play Stations

Poetry play stations use different techniques to encourage young readers to craft poems. Here are some great stations to include:

Erasure poetry: Using a page of existing text, use a black marker to complete cross out sections of the text — the words or phrases that remain can be strung together to form an original poem! Part of the beauty of erasure poem is how the entire page looks when completed, blacked-out sections and all.  Try it with a newspaper article!

Found poetry: Found poetry is very similar to erasure poetry — well, erasure poetry is a kind of found poetry — but with a little more freedom. Again using an existing text, participants select words or phrases from the text that they think will make a great poem: using the found words and phrases, they can play with line breaks, stanzas, and other ways of construction an original poem from the found text!

Book spine poetry: This is a great poetic experiment that takes over Twitter every April — using as few as three or as many as… well, as many as you can stack, create a poem using the titles of books as they appear on the spines. These make excellent photos and are great for sharing!

Magnet poetry: A classic! Choosing words from a pile of individual words to string together an original poem. This could be from a magnetic poetry set, but you could also simply prepare an assortment of words for participants to choose from.” (Source: League of Canadian Poets)

Digital Resources, Event

Family Literacy Day 2021

Family Literacy Day 2021 Theme: Travel the World Together!

“Use your imagination to go exploring and travel the world together as a family – you never know what you’ll learn! Plan your dream trip, learn about another culture and open your mind to the world.”

Celebrate Family Literacy Day 2021 Virtually with Honorary Chair Barbara Reid!

Barbara Reid

Join us online on Wednesday January 27, 2021 from 4:30-5:00pm ET for a special event with author and illustrator Barbara Reid.

Barbara will be doing a demonstration on how to use clay to create a picture. She will share unique techniques you can use to make different things. The event will end with a Q&A.

This event is ideal for children in grades 1 to 6. To register, please click here. Spaces are limited, so be sure to register as soon as possible to secure your spot.

Looking for additional ways to  participate in Family Literacy Day? Here are some ideas for inspiration:

 

Resources:

Joyful Literacy Family Literacy Activities:

(developed by Dr. Janet Mort)

Kindergarten Families: Check out our post from September for creative family activities developed by MPSD’s StrongStart Team

Digital Resources, Event, Media

Veterans Week 2020

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Here are some resources that connect with the theme of Remembrance:

Our Freedom:

 

Additional Resources:

national-aboriginal-monument

  • Interactive Activity: (Ages 10+)

Over the Top: An Interactive Adventure

“An activity created by the Canadian War Museum to help students understand the First World War from a soldier’s perspective. The activity’s interactive nature and its animation-based format will appeal to younger students. Includes a glossary of terms. (Recommended for ages 10 and up.)”

Additional Resources:

Activity, Digital Resources, Event

Dot Day 2020

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No matter what, we’re determined to celebrate #InternationalDotDay in 2020. When the going gets tough, the creative get going. Join us!

Make your mark this school year!  September 15th-ish is International Dot Day!  Join the celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration! Based on the story “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds, this is a great way to start the year by celebrating the creative talents of children.

Watch the videos below to see examples of students collaborating creatively and get inspired to create:

 Resources:

International Dot Day website: Get Inspired

Multi-language Dot Day Posters

Poster Gallery:  (many themes, including A Thinking Journey & Think Globally)

Peter H. Reynolds Website

Fablevision Creative Learning Website

Activity, Digital Resources, Event

National Poetry Month 2020

 

From the League of Canadian Poets:

“We hope that this theme will inspire conversations, poems, and dialogues about the many ways poetry is expressed and honoured around the world, as well as the cultural impacts of poetry in different regions. We encourage poets from around the world to speak and write about what poetry means for their life experiences, perspectives and identity as well as the roots of poetry in their culture or country.

“What will you read this National Poetry Month? Will you start your own poetry writing project? Will you write your first poem? Will you share your poetry on stage for the first time?

  1. Tumblebooks has some fun poetry video books to read online:  (username: tumble735, password: books)

Cat Named HaikuA Cat Named Haiku: Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. Haiku is also a little cat who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. “A Cat Named Haiku” tells the story of the day in the life of a mischievous little cat, as he learns a valuable lesson on love told completely in haiku. After disobeying his owner, Haiku discovers at the end of the day even if someone is mad at you it doesn’t mean they don’t still love you. From climbing the curtains to trying to eat the pet goldfish, all of Haiku’s antics are chronicled in the three line poetry of his namesake in this 40 page children’s book intended for ages 6 and up.

Ook the BookOok the Book

Ook the Book seems like it’s been around forever, dog-eared from decades of readings and rereadings. It could be the jaunty Seussian rhythms at play, but it has a classic quirkiness all its own–a blend of Calef Brown’s Polkabats and Octopus Slacks and the good Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat. With poem titles from “Ug the Bug” to “Eep the Sheep,” you can see that the rhyme is not exactly subtle. Therein lies its charm. While its simple rhymes make it perfect for building early reading skills, Shannon McNeill’s action-packed illustrations (awash in a delicious color palette) give readers of all ages plenty to snicker over. In “Ake the Snake,” for example, the snake has a cake, because he can bake. The snake, coiled by the lake (sporting a cupcake chef’s hat) is surrounded by baking ingredients and two tiny green traumatized bugs, who have indeed tried to take the snake cake, and therefore are being flung screaming into the lake, much to the dismay of another bug hiding behind a sack of what might be flour. We think it’s gutsy to write a poem as simple as “I am At, / At the cat. / Do you see Pat? / He is my rat. / I sat on Pat, / so he is flat.” And we like it. (Pat the flat rat doesn’t look too happy about it, however.) A wonderful primer for wee ones just starting to have fun with words. (Ages 2 to 5) –Karin Snelson —

2. Selections from: Tea and Bannock Stories: First Nations Community of Poetic Voices (Simon Fraser University, First Nations Studies. Compiled by annie ross, Brandon Bob, Eve Chuang and the Chuang Family, Steve Davis, Robert Pictou)

 

3. Selections from Poetry Foundation: Poetry for Children

Ideas for Teachers: (from the League of Canadian Poets)

Poetry Play Stations

Poetry play stations use different techniques to encourage young readers to craft poems. Here are some great stations to include:

Erasure poetry: Using a page of existing text, use a black marker to complete cross out sections of the text — the words or phrases that remain can be strung together to form an original poem! Part of the beauty of erasure poem is how the entire page looks when completed, blacked-out sections and all.  Try it with a newspaper article!

Found poetry: Found poetry is very similar to erasure poetry — well, erasure poetry is a kind of found poetry — but with a little more freedom. Again using an existing text, participants select words or phrases from the text that they think will make a great poem: using the found words and phrases, they can play with line breaks, stanzas, and other ways of construction an original poem from the found text!

Book spine poetry: This is a great poetic experiment that takes over Twitter every April — using as few as three or as many as… well, as many as you can stack, create a poem using the titles of books as they appear on the spines. These make excellent photos and are great for sharing!

Magnet poetry: A classic! Choosing words from a pile of individual words to string together an original poem. This could be from a magnetic poetry set, but you could also simply prepare an assortment of words for participants to choose from.” (Source: League of Canadian Poets)

 

Digital Resources, Video

Black History Month 2020

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“Black History Month is an opportunity for all Canadians to learn about the many contributions Black Canadians have made to Canada. This year’s theme for Black History Month is “Canadians of African Descent: Going forward, guided by the past”. This was inspired by the theme of the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).

Feet forward, head turned backward, the Sankofa bird reflects on the past to build a successful future.” (Government of Canada)

Viola Desmond: 

Additional Resources:

 

Activity, Digital Resources, Event

National Poetry Month

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From the League of Canadian Poets:

Celebrate nature with poetry this April!

“The League of Canadian Poets invites you to celebrate the 21st annual National Poetry Month in April with nature – whether it’s mountain ranges, deserts, forests, oceans, or plains; whether it’s a cityscape or a landscape. Read, write, and share poetry that translates the emotional, practical, and reciprocal relationships we build – as individuals and communities – to the natural world onto the page.”

“What will you read this National Poetry Month? What events will you organize, attend? Will you start your own poetry writing project? Will you write your first poem? Will you share your poetry on stage for the first time?

Ideas for Teachers:

And now, let’s make a poetry party!

Poetry-palooza

Organize a poetry-palooza for a group of young readers to engage them with the many sides to poetry. Participants can read a poem aloud — original or not — to the others, or they could distribute their favourite written poem–again, original or not. But there’s more to poetry than the poems! Encourage young readers to write fanmail to their favourite poets, or take the fun even farther away from poetry and hide poems around the room (book spine poetry, anyone?), or have other poetry game stations for participants to engage with.

Poetry Play Stations

Poetry play stations use different techniques to encourage young readers to craft poems. Here are some great stations to include:

Erasure poetry: Using a page of existing text, use a black marker to complete cross out sections of the text — the words or phrases that remain can be strung together to form an original poem! Part of the beauty of erasure poem is how the entire page looks when completed, blacked-out sections and all.

Found poetry: Found poetry is very similar to erasure poetry — well, erasure poetry is a kind of found poetry — but with a little more freedom. Again using an existing text, participants select words or phrases from the text that they think will make a great poem: using the found words and phrases, they can play with line breaks, stanzas, and other ways of construction an original poem from the found text!

Book spine poetry: This is a great poetic experiment that takes over Twitter every April — using as few as three or as many as… well, as many as you can stack, create a poem using the titles of books as they appear on the spines. These make excellent photos and are great for sharing on social media!

Magnet poetry: A classic! Choosing words from a pile of individual words to string together an original poem. This could be from a magnetic poetry set, but you could also simply prepare an assortment of words for participants to choose from.” (Source: League of Canadian Poets)

Songs and Poems for Elementary Students (Source: CanTeach)

Digital Resources, Lesson

Media Literacy Week 2018

November 5 to 9, 2018 is Media Literacy Week! This year’s theme is Fact or Fake: Help the World Stop Misinformation in Its Tracks. The week will highlight the importance of verifying that online information is true, unbiased and relevant.

Here is a sample video from the ‘Media Minute’ series – a unit of videos and lessons designed specifically for elementary students.

For Families:

Ideas for Families (Tips, Games, Videos, Tutorials)

For Teachers:

Learning Resources (Media Literacy Week)

All About Me (Career Education Resource) – Digital Literacy Lesson Plans

Use, Understand & Create: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools (“Teachers can access digital literacy classroom resources aligned with curriculum outcomes set out by their province or territory.”)

Digital and Media Literacy Fundamentals

Media Literacy 101 (Media Minute Videos and Lessons)

MediaSmarts Lessons and Resources (Search by topic/grade)

Visit http://www.medialiteracyweek.ca/ and follow along with #MediaLitWk to learn more about events and programming across Canada!

Digital Resources

Picture Book Month!

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November is Picture Book Month! 

Author Katie Davis produced this video with quotes from beloved and famous authors and illustrators all answering the same question;

“What is a picture book?”

Why Picture Books are Important:

rukhsana-khan-book-coverRukhsana Khan

rob-scotton-book-coverRob Scotton

ame-dyckman-coverAme Dyckman

For Students:

What is a picture book to you?  Do you have a favourite picture book?  Visit your school library to borrow picture books this month.

You might like these books for “Roc Your Mocs” Day in November:

moccasins3moccasins moccasins2  moccasins4

For Teachers:

  • Picture Book Month Teacher’s Guide (Ideas for using picture books in ELA, Science, Math and Social Studies)

 

Digital Resources, Event, Media

Veterans Week 2019

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Here are some resources that connect with the theme of Remembrance:

Our Freedom:

Radio Minute: Tommy Prince

Additional Resources:

 

 

 

 

Canadian Encyclopedia Articles:

  • Interactive Activity: (Ages 10+)

Over the Top: An Interactive Adventure

“An activity created by the Canadian War Museum to help students understand the First World War from a soldier’s perspective. The activity’s interactive nature and its animation-based format will appeal to younger students. Includes a glossary of terms. (Recommended for ages 10 and up.)”

Additional Resources:

 

Activity, Digital Resources, Event

Dot Day 2018

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Make your mark this school year!  September 15th-ish is International Dot Day!  Join the celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration! Based on the story “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds, this is a great way to start the year by celebrating the creative talents of children.

Watch the videos below to see examples of students collaborating creatively and get inspired to create:

Two Libraries One Voice DOT Day Celebration

 Resources:

Clip Art Collection (by Peter H. Reynolds)

International Dot Day website: Get Inspired

Multi-language Dot Day Posters

Poster Gallery:  (many themes, including A Thinking Journey & Think Globally)

Sparking the Creative Spirit: Tips for Inspiring Writing, Creativity, Self-Expression and a Wonderful Journey

 

 

Digital Resources, Video

Media Literacy Week 2017

mlwlogo

Here is a sample video from the ‘Media Minute’ series – a unit of videos and lessons designed specifically for elementary students.

For Families:

Ideas for Families (Tips, Games, Videos, Tutorials)

For Teachers:

Ideas for Educators (Media Literacy Week)

All About Me (Career Education Resource) – Digital Literacy Lesson Plans

Use, Understand & Create: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools (“Teachers can access digital literacy classroom resources aligned with curriculum outcomes set out by their province or territory.”)

Digital and Media Literacy Fundamentals

Media Literacy 101 (Media Minute Videos and Lessons)

MediaSmarts Lessons and Resources (Search by topic/grade)

 

Digital Resources, Event

Veteran’s Week 2017

#CanadaRemembers

2017 Veterans' Week Poster 

Veterans’ Week 2017, November 5 to 11

Remembering Passchendaele

“Canadians have a proud history of bravely serving in the cause of peace and freedom over the years. A name from Canada’s First World War military heritage that still stirs emotions is “Passchendaele.” On a muddy battlefield in northwest Belgium, Canadians overcame almost unimaginable hardships to win an impressive victory in the fall of 1917.” (Source: Veterans Affairs Canada)

Link to Indigenous-Canadian Veterans information: (Indigenous Veterans Day is November 8th)

Radio Minute: Tommy Prince

Information about and significance of the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument :national-aboriginal-monument

Song: A Pittance of Time

Interactive Activity: (Ages 10+)

Over the Top: An Interactive Adventure

“An activity created by the Canadian War Museum to help students understand the First World War from a soldier’s perspective. The activity’s interactive nature and its animation-based format will appeal to younger students. Includes a glossary of terms. (Recommended for ages 10 and up.)”

Canadian Encyclopedia Articles:

Additional Resources:

 

Digital Resources, Video

Everyone Can Learn!

Welcome back to school!  

You are a valued member of this learning community! 

It’s a great time of year to set goals for new learning challenges and adventures.  Watch the videos below for an introduction to the idea of using a ‘Growth Mindset’ as you learn new ideas this year.

What is a Growth Mindset?

Growth Mindset for Students (video series by ClassDojo.com)

Sesame Street Songs:

  • What I Am by will.i.am

 

Look for these Growth Mindset books at a school library near you:

  

Picture

Resources for Teachers/Parents:

Beautiful Oops!  Educator’s Guide & Project Ideas

Mindset Kit: “The Mindset Kit is a free set of online lessons and practices designed to help you teach and foster adaptive beliefs about learning.”

The Growth Mindset Coach: Recommended by Adrienne Gear as a Professional Development resource.  The messages, books and videos in this post are recommended in this book.

The Most Magnificent Thing: Teaching Guide

The Power of Believing that You Can Improve (Carol Dweck)

Digital Resources, Event

International Museum Day

International Museum Day is on May 18th.

The goal of this day is to raise awareness that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” (International Council of Museums)

Do you have a favourite museum that you like to visit?  What is it that you like about the museum?

Here are some virtual museum exhibits that you might like to visit:

Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Community in the Fraser River Valley (available in English and French with Halq̓eméylem) (Creators: The Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre)

A Scholar’s Garden (available in English, French and Chinese) (Creator(s): Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden)

Canada Under the Stars (available in English and French) (Creator(s): ASTROLab du Mont-Mégantic)

Video Clips from Canadian Museums:

The Canadian Stamp (Canadian Museum of History)

Nature Scoop Playlist: (Canadian Museum of Nature)

Begins with: Forest and seaside lichen adventure in Kejimkujik

For Teachers:

“On May 18th, through the celebration of International Museum Day, museums around the world will raise awareness of the important role they play in the development of society. Established in 1977 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), this day reminds us that museums are “an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”. *

This month’s resources allow students to think critically about the decisions that museums and historians make. Younger students can begin by examining local historical landmarks and the clues they offer about their community. For older students, considering the rightful ownership of historical artifacts, the naming and dedication of museums and the techniques experts use to detect forgeries will assist them in recognizing and thinking critically about some of the issues museum curators may face.” (Source: The Thinking Teacher, The Critical Thinking Consortium, April 19, 2017.)

Free resources:

Critical Challenge: Community landmarks have stories to tell [PDF]

Grade range: Primary

View more resources in the Critical Challenges collection.
Critical Challenge: Alberta’s fossil heritage [Web]

Grade range: Intermediate

View more resources in the Critical Challenges collection.