Summer Syntax Celebration Recordings with Dr. Margie Gillis

Syntax is often overlooked and misunderstood, but is KEY to reading and writing proficiency! This series presents research on syntax and explains its critical role in comprehending complex text, reading fluency, and writing coherent sentences. Armed with this understanding, educators learned how to teach their students the functions of sentence parts—words, phrases, and clauses—in order…

Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Learning Difficulties

This newly updated book (Third Edition) is a great resource for teachers of all grades looking to support their students’ reading comprehension. It’s particularly helpful for instructing students who have learning difficulties, but is a valuable read for all educators. The book includes chapters on Vocabulary, Promoting Content-Area Literacy, Supporting English Learners, Intensive Interventions, Multicomponent…

Important Canadians Read-Aloud Unit

Modeled after Core Knowledge Language Arts units, this language and social studies unit is designed for use in Canadian kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms. The unit is comprised of 10 lessons, each about an Important Canadian, with a teacher read-aloud document and accompanying slideshow for student viewing during the lessons. Explicit vocabulary instruction and comprehension…

Structured Journal Template

This structured journal template, based on the work of David Liben and Meredith Liben, can be used to introduce students to the use of structured journals in their close reading of texts. While this work can be started orally with younger students, this template will be best-suited for Grades 3 and up. Before using this…

Teaching TV: Learning With Television

In the “Teaching TV: Learning with Television” lesson from Elizabeth Verrall’s five-part unit for elementary classrooms, students are introduced to television as an informative source and its presentation from specific perspectives. The lesson aims to cultivate students’ ability to derive information from media, identify and use information from various sources, including television, recognize informative TV…

Teaching TV: Television Techniques

The “Teaching TV: Television Techniques” lesson, a component of Elizabeth Verrall’s comprehensive five-part unit for elementary education, offers educators valuable insights for incorporating TV education in classrooms. By guiding students in creating their own media productions, the lesson imparts a practical understanding of how technology and film techniques are harnessed in television to convey meaning…

Teaching TV: Television as a Story Teller

The “Teaching TV: Television as a Story Teller” lesson, within Elizabeth Verrall’s comprehensive five-part unit, equips teachers with creative strategies for TV education in elementary classrooms. This lesson guides students in exploring television’s role as a narrative medium. Key learning outcomes encompass understanding how media products convey stories, recognizing elements like characters, mood, setting, and…