The Great Canadian Book Project
Canadian School Libraries is very pleased to present The Great Canadian Book Project. This wonderful collection of videos and lesson plans positions Canadian books for young people as valuable tools for teachers to engage with students. Canadian School Libraries partnered with TEACH Magazine and Bibliovideo to create this amazing resource, with funding from the Canada Book Fund.
The project introduces students from Kindergarten right through to Grade 12 to a wide range of Canadian-authored books related to three themes: Student Well-Being, Indigenous Voices, and Global Issues. There are 8 wonderful short videos where members of the CSL writing team – teacher-librarians and other educators from across the country, introduce the books. The videos also introduce the themes, and make connections to learning opportunities.
Each of the 23 lesson plans identify a learning focus and featured books. Creative learning provocations engage students in rich reading activities, extensions for making and tinkering, and culminating ideas for reflection and making connections.
All of the lessons suggest a range of adaptations for different learning environments. They also suggest more books based on the lesson’s theme.
Not only does this project serve to introduce a wide range of Canadian books, it highlights the role of school libraries in bringing those books to teachers and students, with great collections and co-teaching opportunities.
How to Make the Most of this CSL Resource
These lessons and videos were prepared by our team of school library professionals to promote the use of excellent Canadian authored children’s books as catalysts for teaching a range of often difficult topics. School library professionals already do an exemplary job of introducing books to their students and promoting independent selection and the reading habit. No one else in the school takes on this important challenge with quite the same love and creativity. Face-to-face and virtual book read-alouds, book talks, book tastings, and displays are very important and should not change. However what these lessons and videos do is offer further opportunities for teaching and learning.
- Use the videos as inspiration for co-planning a new lesson /unit, especially a difficult topic.
- Use the lessons as they are or as models for co-planning/teaching and assessing..
- Make your own copy of Melanie Mulcaster’s planning guide template for designing new inquiry lessons, sparking Genius Hour activities, focusing a Maker activity, creating an arts extension etc.
- Many of the lessons adapt very well to on-line learning.
- Make use of the lists in the lessons of additional Canadian books on this theme to expand differentiated learning opportunities.
- Print off a lesson of interest to share with a staff member.
- Share videos with new teachers in their orientation to the library learning commons.
- Use the videos and lessons in professional learning courses you lead.
Canadian Resources to Support Inquiry Learning