Welcome to Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom, a blog and video series that features new releases from Canadian book publishers ideal for use in K-12 classrooms and school library collections. Throughout the year, we dive into new titles, highlighting relevant curriculum links and themes.
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Written by secondary school teacher Spencer Miller
Recently I had the chance to work behind the scenes on Growing Literacy, an exciting new resource from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre created to help educators, librarians, and families build early literacy skills. We collaborated with literacy experts to provide advice and strategies for reading aloud with young learners.
One of the topics explored was how non-fiction books could be used for read-alouds. Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters, Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at Brock University, shared tips for reading aloud with non-fiction books:
- Choose books that connect to your students’ interests. Start by considering what questions your students have about the world.
- Practice presenting the information in images, tables, and diagrams. This can be tricky!
- Start by asking students what they already know about the topic. Generate a list of questions and have students listen for answers as you read.
- Allow for a flexible reading experience. You will likely find yourself pausing to answer a question or to dive deeper into a topic of interest.
Watch the video or view the tip sheet for more advice and insights from Dr. Winters, including a breakdown of the benefits of reading non-fiction, how to choose the best non-fiction books, and activities to engage students after reading aloud.
You can grow literacy in your classroom using these brand-new Canadian non-fiction books, perfect for reading aloud!
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Do Not Eat Like a Tiger Shark! (ages 3-5) is a lighthearted and humorous take on teaching table manners by learning from animals what NOT to do. Includes plenty of fun facts on the weird and wacky ways animals eat and drink.
In Class: If you feel like an animal, sing-along to this song from CBC Kids!
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In Clyde River, My Home (ages 3-5), a young girl named Louise introduces young readers to what life is like in her community in Nunavut. Read about the people, activities, celebrations, landmarks, and wildlife that make Clyde River a great place to live!
In Class: What makes your home a great place to live? Have students write the words and draw pictures of their favourite things in your community.
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Mother Aspen (ages 3-6) is a lyrical story of an aspen grove through the seasons, inspired by ground-breaking research on how trees and fungi talk to each other. Introduces young readers to the concept of symbiosis by showing how forest inhabitants thrive by working together.
In Class: Learn more about symbiosis through play. Print out this symbiosis card game from the University of British Columbia.
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What About an Octopus? A Fact-Filled Underwater Adventure (ages 3-7) is an informational picture book with fun-to-read sidebars and tidbits including fascinating facts about octopuses. Colourful and charming illustrations capture the excitement of swimming in the ocean.
In Class: Learn more about octopuses in this video from Sci-Show Kids.
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Wind is a Dance (ages 4-8) is an exploration of the different types of wind that pairs lyrical descriptions with evocative illustrations. Informative bubbles on each page provide short explanations of each wind type, which range from a light breeze to a hurricane.
In Class: Experiment with wind! Craft a pinwheel, assemble a wind chime, or fly a kite. Provide some materials and let your students invent new ways to capture the wind.
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I Wonder About Worlds (ages 4-8) is a whimsical introduction to our solar system and exoplanets. Follow along as a child’s stargazing excursion turns into an interstellar journey. Throughout the book, sidebars provide further information on the planets in our solar system.
In Class: Challenge students to write a poem about their favourite planet. Need some inspiration? Check out this book of planetary poetry.
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Elizabeth Quocksister: Keeper of History (ages 4-8) is a picture book biography detailing the uplifting true story of Elizabeth Quocksister, a strong Indigenous woman and community leader, who dedicated her life to protecting her language and cultural traditions.
In Class: Visit the library and find books about other inspiring historical figures. Then have students research and record a 60-second video about a historical figure of their choice.
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Pharaoh vs. the Felines (ages 5-8) is the strange but true story of how the Persians used cats to help them win the Battle of Pelusium. Playful text (silly cat puns!) together with dynamic illustrations offer an easy-to-read and entertaining way for young people to learn about ancient civilizations.
In Class: Learn more about how cats shaped history in this video from Ted Ed.
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In Salt, Pepper, Season, Spice: All The Flavours of the World (ages 9-12) discover where our favourite spices, condiments and confections come from and how they're grown, harvested and prepared. The stories behind our favourite spices are steeped in history, mythology and cultures from around the world.
In Class: Taste test different spices from around the world. Be careful to check for allergies first (and don’t eat too much spice at once!).
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How To Know a Crow: The Biography of a Brainy Bird (ages 9-12) follows the life of a crow named Oki from the moment she pokes her egg tooth through her shell and emerges into her nest. Take a step into the fascinating world of this brainy bird.
In Class: Challenge students to write a short story about the day in the life of a crow based on the facts in this book.
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Spencer Miller is a teacher, writer, reader, and fan of the Toronto Raptors. He is currently pursuing graduate studies at the University of Calgary (Treaty 7). You can follow more of Spencer’s passion for books on Instagram @SpencerBMiller.
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