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Tuesday 25 February 2014

World Storytelling Day is on March 21

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral
storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the spring equinox in the
northern hemisphere, the first day of autumn equinox in the southern.
On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen
to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible,
during the same day and night. Participants tell each other about
their events in order to share stories and inspiration, to learn from
each other and create international contacts.

If you are on Twitter, tweet about 2014 events with the #WSD14 hashtag!

If you need help with the website or adding an event, email your
friendly World Storytelling Day webmaster, Dale Jarvis, at
dale@dalejarvis.ca

http://worldstorytellingday.webs.com/

Saturday 22 February 2014

Ways to nurture reading



Library | Posted: February 21, 2014

This fact sheet offers 30 suggestions for building interest in reading. While the document focuses on nurturing reading in First Nations communities, the ideas would be valuable in any setting.

March is Nutrition Month

Nutrition Month 2014

Simply Cook and Enjoy!

Let’s help Canadian families to simply get cooking! It’s a perfect way to connect together, eat better and enjoy. The 2014 Nutrition Month Campaign – Simply Cook and Enjoy! – is dedicated to serving up practical advice on cooking and food skills from dietitians, the food and nutrition experts.

Campaign information and materials :


The following campaign resources and tools are ready to support you.

  • Campaign Executive Summary for the public
  • 4 bilingual print-ready fact sheets for the public
  • Nutrition videos, produced by spokespeople for the public, featuring a variety of Nutrition Month tips
  • NEW Phone App Cookspiration with recipes coming soon, plus the relaunch of eaTipster, our free iPhone and iPad app that sends users a tip-a-day.
  • Canada Activity Map featuring all Nutrition Month and RD Day activities taking place from coast to coast in March
  • 2014 Resource Manual for members – with 31 tips, evidence and tweets. Available for purchase by non-members.

For DC members only:

  • Activities and Ideas Manual
  • PowerPoint presentation to use with colleagues and community groups
  • Fact Sheet Generator for members – to create your own fact sheets, building each with your choice of tips
  • Sample Proclamation with tips on how to do this
  • Sponsor resource listing
Nutrition Month is brought to you by Dietitians of Canada and thousands of dietitians across the country, in collaboration with the campaign sponsors. Our official sponsors for 2014 are Canadian Lentils, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Danone, and Loblaw Companies Limited.

March is Women's History Month


Women's History Month is an annual declared month worldwide that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8.



International Women's Day (IWD) is on March 8th


International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women's Day, is marked on March 8 every year.[2] In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political, and social achievements. Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc. In some regions, the day lost its political flavor, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

This is a day which some people celebrate by wearing purple ribbons.

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Access to Books for First Nations



Copian Library | Posted: February 12, 2014

This report looks at various ways of sourcing books, and providing access to books for First Nations communities. While the report focuses on efforts in Hobbema, a primarily First Nations community south of Edmonton, Alberta, the ideas it contains are relevant in many situations.

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Annual Young Writers Creative Writing Contest.

Now accepting entries for our Annual Young Writers Creative Writing Contest. See contests for more information!
Deadline March 14, 2014.

                                                   --------

CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR OWN BOOK PUBLISHED! We are accepting manuscript submissions until July 31, 2014 from young writers aged 7-18. Please visit here for more info.

                                                  --------

ABOUT US

Our division "Young Writers" holds annual poetry/writing contests to encourage the art of poetry and writing for all ages. Our aim among young Canadians is to encourage the writing of English poetry and creative writing, and by publishing examples of the best work received each year. We provide the opportunity for many students to see their work in print, and also to compare it with the work of students of a similar age. It is also important that their writing skill be given an audience where it can be shared and enjoyed by others. 

We do not accept all entries, and each individual entry is reviewed by our editorial staff. We have high integrity and value our services/products as well as our writers/poets. Our annual poetry/writing contests are and have always been FREE to enter. 

Young Writers of Canada
#224 - 2614 Bridge Street
Victoria, BC V8T 4S9

Ph:
250-519-0446
Fax: 250-519-0029

Website: www.youngwritersofcanada.ca

An anthology is published after each contest. This occurs after final judging of poems or stories has taken place and all prizes have been awarded by the editorial committee. 

CIVIX to grow young Canadians into engaged, committed and active citizens

CIVIX is a national, charitable organization and its mission is to grow young Canadians into engaged, committed and active citizens.

Through our programming we are building a healthy and robust democracy inspired by the full participation of our youngest members.

 

http://civix.ca/main/


February is I love to Read month by Manitoba Reading Association

The Manitoba Reading Association

"Preparing children for their literacy future is the most important work anyone can do."

The Manitoba Reading Association is a provincial council of the International Reading Association. MRA includes over 500 teachers, parents, students and others committed to the promotion of literacy and to the improvement of reading and writing instruction throughout Manitoba.

What We Do:

  • Provide In-Service opportunities for educators, parents, students, etc.
  • Network with other literacy organizations throughout the province.
  • Evaluate current and future instructional practises in the areas of literacy.
  • Hold one position on the selection committee for the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Literacy.
  • Support the International Reading Association (IRA) by publicizing its worldwide literacy activities and by promoting its extensive selection of publications and brochures.
  • Sponsor an international literacy project annually .

 

If you are interested in getting involved in the Manitoba Reading Association we are looking for people to serve as members-at-large.

http://www.readingmanitoba.org/resources.html




Annotating Online: Reading and Writing the Web (Apps)

Annotating Online: Reading and Writing the Web

BY CHRIS SLOAN
February 7, 2014

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like today’s students are being asked to read more nonfiction and compose more “informational” writing than ever.

The NCTE/IRA Standards for English Language Arts advocate for classrooms where students gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of print and nonprint sources (Standard #7). The Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standard for Reading (#1) asks students to “cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.” The CCSS Anchor Standards for Writing (#7-10) stress that students need to be able to conduct short and more sustained research using multiple print and digital sources and to participate in shared research projects.

If your students are like mine, most of them are doing the majority of their research online. And, if yours are like mine, they could use a little help. I’ve found that my students appreciate being introduced to tools that help them manage and organize the information that they’re finding. The good news is that there is a plethora of new tools available. Recent IRA TILE-SIG blog posts have touched on some useful applications for annotating online text. In “Using Apps to Extend Literacy and Content Learning,” Jill Castek discussed the app DocAS, as a way to mark up reading materials to show students’ emerging ideas. And in “Literacy Practices Through the UDL Lens, Part 2,” teacher Monee Perkins noted that her seventh grade students use Adobe Reader’s annotation feature to address complex text and provide them with another representation for text commenting.

I’d like to add a few online annotation tools that I’ve used in my teaching and in my own research that are worth a look.

Citelighter

http://www.reading.org/reading-today/post/engage/2014/02/07/annotating-online-reading-and-writing-the-web#.Uvo_6WJdUlr


Monday 10 February 2014

Factors affecting academic achievement in children with ADHD (2010)

This study explored the impact of methylphenidate on the academic achievement of 85 children, aged seven to 12, with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate, which may be more familiar under such trade names as Ritalin or Concerta, is a stimulant medication that acts on certain chemicals in the brain.

The study used subjective measures, like parents’ and teachers’ ratings of a child’s behaviour; objective measures of academic achievement like standardized tests; covariates like baseline performance, IQ, and psychosocial adversity; and current and total use of medication over a 12-month period.

The results highlight that neither medication nor academic supports significantly predict academic achievement, over and above the covariates of baseline performance and IQ.

The results indicate that teacher and parent ratings of children’s academic achievement were more positive when the child was receiving medication. However, there was no significant improvement found in the performance of these same children on a standardized measure of achievement.

A secondary finding of the current study was that there was no relationship between academic achievement at 12 months and the amount of in-school interventions. This finding raises the question of what resources children would need to demonstrate significant improvements in academics, and whether medication could facilitate learning under these specific educational interventions, the authors note.

Thursday 6 February 2014

New Online Autism Training Program Provides Support for Teachers

The online training program is the latest in a series of Provincial Government investments and initiatives around supporting school-aged children diagnosed on the autism spectrum including, but not limited to:

  • The creation of six autism itinerant positions at regional school board offices;
  • The provision of autism resource kits for each school in the province;
  • The provision of student assistant services, where appropriate;
  • The development of a Provincial Professional Development Plan, which has seen $1.2 million invested to date in special training for teachers and student assistants;
  • The provision of assistive technology (e.g., iPads), where appropriate; and,
  • The expansion of the home-based Applied Behavioral Analysis program for children with autism, to include those up to Grade 3.

The Provincial Government is committed to supporting important social programs, strong communities and the health and well-being of children, families and seniors.

http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2014/edu/0131n01.htm