Lens on Literacy
Welcome to our new series, Lens on Literacy, dedicated to the new Ontario Literacy Language curriculum. Click on the image to access the monthly newsletters which share best practices, instructional ideas, and intervention strategies to support your students in all areas of Language Instruction.
Comprehension: During Reading
Comprehension: Before Reading
Comprehension: Summarizing
Fluency
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Vocabulary
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Oral Language
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Read-Alouds
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Primary Literacy
Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop
Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop
“Every time we sit to confer with a developing writer, our job is not to fix the writing, but to support the development of the writer.
-Lucy Calkins”
Two roles of a teacher during a writing conference
Click on image to access article
Junior Literacy
Critical Literacy
Writing Forms
In this section are documents that support an explanatory writing unit. There is an explanation of the form, purpose, and examples. There are graphic organizers,rubrics and success criteria.
In this section there are documents that support persuasive writing. There is an explanation of the form, purpose and examples. There are graphic organizers, rubrics and success criteria.
In this section there are documents that support narrative writing. There is an explanation of the form, purpose and examples. There are graphic organizers, rubrics and success criteria.
Explanatory Writing
Purpose
Click below for information about explanatory writing forms
Rubric
Click below to view a rubric for explanatory writing
Graphic Organizers
Click below to view a selection of graphic organizers for explanatory writing
Click to enlarge photo of explanatory writing anchor chart
Persuasive Writing
Graphic Organizer
Click below to access a persuasive writing graphic organizer
Purpose
Click below for a persuasive Letter Writing Plan
Raz Plus Supports
Click on the webinar button to access the Raz Plus Introductory Webinar.
Raz Class Setup
RAZ-Plus Video Tutorials
Click on the following buttons to view RAZ-plus tutorial videos to support your teaching.
Poetry Resources
There are many texts that support teaching poetry in a primary classroom. Click here to access a bitmoji classroom which contains a variety of rich poetry read alouds to share with your students.
Are you looking for resources to explore poetry in your classroom? Click the links below to access a variety of lesson plans, articles, and ideas to share the love of poetry with your students.
Search Writing/Reading lessons
Search “Poetry” for lesson plans
EQAO Literacy Sample Tests and Tasks
HOW TO USE THE EQAO PRACTICE TESTS
TEACHERS:
1. Make a copy of each test. This test now belongs to you and only you will see the results from the students you share it with.
2. To share with students:
Select “Send” at the top right of the screen
Choose “Send via link”
Click “Shorten URL”
Copy and paste the link to your Showbie platform.
3. The forms automatically grade the multiple-choice questions. Students can see their results immediately by selecting “View Score” when finished the session.
4. You will have to mark the open response questions according to the EQAO rubrics which can be found under each assessment.
5. To see student results, select “Responses” at the top of the form. You can export the results to Google Sheets by choosing the Sheets icon at the top.
6. Use the results as a pre-test to determine areas of needed instruction for students and to compare post results back to in order to track improvement data.
Note: Test 2 is the same as the online EQAO Practice Test
Note: Writing Test 2 is the same as the online EQAO Practice Test
Note: Test 2 is the same as the online EQAO Practice Test
Note: Writing Test 2 is the same as the online EQAO Practice Test
2023 Language Curriculum
As part of the Ministry of Education’s commitment to ensure Ontario students build stronger literacy skills, and in response to the Ontario Human Rights Commission Right to Read Report recommendations, the Minister of Education has issued the new 2023 elementary Language curriculum. The new curriculum is aligned with scientific, evidence based approaches that emphasize direct, explicit and systematic instruction and will be implemented in Ontario classrooms starting in September 2023.
Please click the image below to access the new Language curriculum.
August 2023 PA Day
UFLI Session (Tuesday, August 29, 2023): UFLI Choice Board
**Please log in to Google Drive with your DSB1 credentials to access choice board
June 2023 PA Day
Click here to access the PDF document.
Language Foundations Continuum for Reading and Writing: Grades 1-4
Strand B of the new Language curriculum includes a Language Foundations Continuum for Reading and Writing. It describes the progression of foundational language knowledge and skills appropriate for students in Ontario and is informed by evidence-based research on reading and language development. It groups the progression of knowledge and skills in larger, ordered sequences, beginning with basic concepts and progressing to more complex concepts. The instruction of specific knowledge and skills within a grade is informed by ongoing assessment data.
Click here or on the image to access the Language Foundations Continuum.
Effective Early Reading Instruction: A Guide for Teachers
The Effective Early Reading Instruction guide is intended to support teachers’ ongoing efforts to build students’ reading skills. It provides teachers with information on foundational early reading skills, an understanding of how these skills develop in young children, and examples of evidence-based systematic and explicit instructional strategies to support students to become proficient and fluent readers.
Click here to access the teacher’s guide.
Resources to Suport Read Alouds
Read Alouds
Read Alouds are a vital part of literacy instruction in the classroom. Each book is used over several days with the goal of supporting the development of students’ background knowledge, stimulating their interest in high quality literature, increasing their comprehension skills and fostering critical thinking. The PDF document linked in the image can support your understanding of how to run a series of read aloud lessons.
Bilingual Read Aloud Resources
The resources below are intended to support you with your planning of read aloud lessons by providing you with high-quality book selections and planned ideas that you can implement over several days. If you do not have the books at your school, we suggest contacting your local library.
Bilingual Read Alouds for April
Click the image for developed read aloud lessons in French and English for April.
Bilingual Read Alouds for March
Click the image for developed read-aloud lessons in French and English for March.
Bilingual Read Alouds for February
Bilingual Read Alouds for January
Click the image for developed read-aloud lessons in French and English for January.
Bilingual Read Alouds for December
Click the image for developed read-aloud lessons in French and English for December.
Bilingual Read-Aloud for November
Click the Image to open the linked PDF document containing rich read-aloud resources to support English and French Immersion classrooms. Each title leads to a different resource. Activities provide opportunities for differentiation to support across divisions.