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Complete units for every subject in Elementary school. Simply print and go!

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Step by step guide on how to solve situational problems. Helpful practice for the Grade 6 MEQ exam.

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How to Help Your Child Solve a Situational Problem in Mathematics

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How to Help Your Child Solve a Situational Problem in Mathematics

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In elementary-school math, your child will learn how to think about, identify, and structure different math concepts. One of the skills they will learn is how to solve a situational problem. But what exactly are situational problems and how can you help?

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How to Help Your Child Solve a Situational Problem in Mathematics

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In elementary-school math, your child will learn how to think about, identify, and structure different math concepts. One of the skills they will learn is how to solve a situational problem. But what exactly are situational problems and how can you help?

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Polypad is a free, online digital canvas with interactive virtual manipulatives (like algebra tiles, base-ten blocks, fraction bars) for students and teachers to explore math concepts hands-on, supporting understanding in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and even music, accessible on any device without login.

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A list of recommended text and workbooks organized by subject and grade level.

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Watch quality Canadian documentary, animation and fiction films online

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DragonBox is a series of award-winning educational mobile apps that teach children complex math concepts like algebra, geometry, and chess through engaging, game-like experiences.

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A subscription-based digital library for kids aged 12 and under, offering instant, on-demand access to over 40,000 high-quality e-books, audiobooks, educational videos, and learning quizzes, with features like Read-To-Me books, reading buddies, and progress tracking to encourage literacy in a fun, kid-safe environment.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Please submit this form along with your child's Learning Project to homeschooling@swlauriersb.qc.ca to loan textbooks (upon availability).

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Open Middle offers interactive math problems designed to foster critical thinking.

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AQED - Association québécoise pour l'éducation à domicile

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AQED - Association québécoise pour l'éducation à domicile

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AQED is a non-profit organization that offers support to homeschooling families in Quebec. Becoming a parent-educator is an important decision, but you don’t have to do it alone.

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Association québécoise pour l'éducation à domicile

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AQED - Association québécoise pour l’éducation à domicile

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Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students

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How to write a narrative: Step-by-step instructions for learning and teaching narrative writing including planning tools, video, tutorials, writing prompts and teaching ideas for English teachers, students and parents. Story writing resources for narrative essays and creative writing.

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A guide for students wanting to develop their response writing skills.

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A complete guide to writing a Text Response / Reader Response

WHAT IS A TEXT RESPONSE?

In this guide, we will be covering everything you need to know about how to write a text response. Let's start at the beginning.

A text response is a style of writing in which you are sharing your reaction to something. It is an opportunity to let the world know how you feel about something.

A text response can also be referred to as a reader response which is accurate but you may also confuse them with a literacy narrative. This is not an accurate comparison as a literacy narrative is more an assessment of how you became literate whereas a text response is a specific response to a specific text.

A text response by definition is specifically a response to a book you have read but it can also be a response to a film you have just seen, a game you have been playing, or for more mature students it could be a response to a decision the government is making that affects you or your community that you have read from a newspaper or website.

When writing a response it is important that you get the following points across to your audience.

How do you feel about what you are reading / saw / heard?

What do you agree or disagree with?

Can you identify with the situation?

What would be the best way to evaluate the story?

Some teachers get confused between a book review and a text response. Whilst they do share common elements they are unique genres. Be sure to read o ur complete guide to writing a book review for further clarification.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A TEXT RESONSE?
Often when we talk about the development of language skills it is useful to discuss things in terms of four distinct areas. These are commonly grouped into the two active areas of speaking and writing and the two so-called passive areas of listening and reading. Learning to write a text response bridges this gap as it requires our students to not only develop high-level writing skills but also to consider reading as much more than a mere passive activity.

Writing a text response hones the student's critical thinking skills as well as their ability to express their thoughts in writing. It gives students an opportunity to engage in reading as an active exercise, rather than something that is analogous to watching TV!

GETTING STARTED: THE PREWRITING STAGE OF A TEXT RESPONSE

As with much of the formal school experience, students can greatly benefit from undertaking a methodical approach in their work. The following process outlines step-by-step how students can best approach writing their text responses in the beginning.

The keyword in the phrase writing a text response is not writing but response. The whole thing starts with the reading and how the student considers the text they are engaging with. Whether the text they are being asked to respond to is an unseen piece in an exam situation or a piece of coursework based on something that has been studied over a semester, the structure remains the same. This is true too regardless of age and ability levels. Younger students should be taught to approach writing a text response using the same concepts but in a simplified and more scaffolded manner.
Read for Understanding:
Students should read the text they are responding to initially for a basic comprehension of what the text is about. They should read to identify common themes and narrative devices that will serve to answer the question. Often, the question will demand that the student consider and explain the author's use of a specific literary device or how that literary device develops a central idea and the author's purpose. In preparing our students to write competent text responses they must first be familiar with the literary devices and conventions that they will be asked to discuss.

Students may instinctively know what they like to read, but what is often not instinctive is the expressing of why they like to read it. They may acknowledge that the writing they are reading is of a high quality, or not as the case may be, but they may lack the vocabulary to express why the writing is successful or unsuccessful. Take the opportunity in class when reading, regardless of the genre, to point out literary devices, techniques, and stylistic considerations that will help your students when it comes to writing a text response.

As humans, we are hardwired to understand the world around us in terms of the stories we tell ourselves and others. We do this by employing comparisons and drawing parallels, we play with words in our everyday use of idiom and metaphor, alliteration and rhyme. Encourage students to keep an ear out for these techniques in the music they listen to, the comics they read, and the TV they watch. Even in the advertising they are exposed to.

Be sure too to offer your students opportunities to practice writing their own metaphors, similes, alliterative sentences etc. There is no better way to internalize an understanding of these literary techniques than by having a go at writing them yourself. And, it doesn't have to be a dry academic exercise, it can be a lot of fun too.

Teaching alliteration? Have the students come up with their own tongue twisters. Want them to grasp simile? Have them produce Not! similes, for example, give them an adjective such as 'cuddly'. Tell them you want them to write a simile using the simile structure employing 'as'. Tell them too they must use the word 'cuddly' about someone who is not cuddly at all. Offer them the example He is as cuddly as a cactus to get the ball rolling. They can do this for any adjective and they will often achieve hilarious results!
Read Directions Carefully:
It should go without saying to read the directions carefully, but experience teaches us otherwise! Often it is not the best writers among our students who receive the best grades, but those who diligently respond to the directions of the task that has been set. Students should be sure to check that they have read the directions for their text response question closely. Encourage them to underline the keywords and phrases. This will help them structure their responses and can also serve as a checklist for them to refer to when they have completed writing their text responses.

Have students pinpoint exactly what the question is asking them. For older or stronger students, these questions will likely comprise several parts. Have the student separate the question into these component parts and pinpoint exactly what each part is asking them for.

A good practice to ensure a student has adequately understood what a question is looking for is to ask the student to paraphrase that question in their own words. This can be done either orally or as a written exercise. This helpful activity will inform the student's planning at the prewriting stage and, as mentioned, can provide a checklist when reviewing the answer at the end.
The Process:

1. To ensure students fully understand the question, have them underline or highlight keywords in the sentence or question. Distribute thesauruses and have students find synonyms for the keywords that they have highlighted.

2. Have them rewrite the question as a series of questions in their own words. This will allow the teacher to assess their understanding of what they are being asked to do. It can also serve as a structured plan for writing their response.

3. Allow some time for students to discuss the question together, either in small groups or with talking partners. After the allotted time, students must decide on a yes, no, or maybe response to the central question.

4. Their response to Step 3 above will formulate their contention, which will serve as the driving force behind their text response as a whole.

5. On their own, students brainstorm at least three arguments or reasons to support their contention.

6. For each of the reasons, students should refer to the text and choose the best evidence available in support of their contention.

7. Students should not be overly concerned with forming a logical order to their notes gathered so far. The purpose of this activity is to let ideas flow freely and capture them on paper.

When completed, it is at this point that they are ready to begin the writing process in earnest.

HOW TO WRITE A TEXT RESPONSE

As with writing in many other genres, it is useful to think of the text response in terms of a three-part text response essay structure. It is a simple process of learning how to write a response paragraph and then organizing them into the ubiquitous beginning, middle, and end (or intro, body, conclusion) that we drill into our students will serve us well again. Let's take a look:

The first paragraph in our students' text responses should contain the essential information about the text that will orientate the reader to what is being discussed. Information such as the author, the title of the book or extract, and a general statement or two about the content will provide the reader with some context for the discussion to follow.

The SOAPSTONE acronym is useful when considering which information is essential to include in the intro: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, TONE. Students should reflect on which of these aspects should be addressed in the introductory paragraph. The genre of the text will largely determine which of these should be included and which are left out. However, it is important the student does not get too bogged down at this stage, these orientation sentences usually require only three or four sentences in total.

Be sure to check out our own complete guide to writing perfect paragraphs here.

The tone of a text response should be such that it assumes the reader does not have the understanding of the text that the writer does. It is useful to tell them here to picture one person in their life they are writing to. Someone that would not be familiar with the text, perhaps a family member that they are explaining what they read to. Remind them though, the language should be formal too.

Once the student has established some context in the reader's mind, they will then need to address the central idea that will form the 'eye of the storm' of their argument.

When learning how to write a text response body paragraph one of the most common pitfalls that students fall into is that they engage in a straightforward retelling of the text. Discussion of the text is the name of the game here. Students must get into the text and express their opinions on what they find there. It is quickly apparent when reading a student's response when they are merely engaging in a retelling and when they are delivering a thoughtful response. Be sure students are aware of the fact that this fools nobody!

The notes students have made in the prewriting stages will be extremely useful here. Each of the arguments or reasons they have produced to support their contention will form the basis for a body paragraph. The TEEL acronym is useful here:

Topic Sentence: Students should begin each of their paragraphs with a topic sentence. This sentence introduces the point that will serve as the main idea of the paragraph - the central riff if you like. It will engage directly with an aspect of the question or writing prompt.

Expand / Explain: The purpose of the next few sentences will be to narrow the focus of the topic sentence, often by referring to a specific character or event in the text and offering further explanation of the central point being developed in the paragraph.

Evidence / Example: At this point in the paragraph it is essential that the student makes close reference to the text to support the point they have been making. Having an opinion is great, but it must be based, and be shown to be based, on the actual text itself. Evidence will most often take the form of a quotation from the text - so make sure your students are comfortable with the mechanics of weaving quotations into their writing!

Link: The end of each body paragraph should link back to the student's central contention. It restates the argument or reason outlined in the topic sentence, but in the wider context of the central contention which usually is the yes, no, or maybe uncovered at the prewriting stage.

As the student moves through their essay, it is important that they reference the main theme of the text in each and every paragraph. The structure of the essay should illustrate an evolution of the student's understanding of that theme.

References should be made to how the writer employs the various literary techniques to construct meaning in his or her text. However, reference to literary techniques should not be made merely in passing but should be integrated into a discussion of the themes being explored in the essay.

Writing a text response conclusion:

Writing the conclusion involves essentially restating the contentions made already, as well as summarizing the main points that were discussed. Though the conclusion will inevitably have much in common with the introduction, and some repetition is unavoidable, make sure students use different wording in their conclusion. The paraphrasing exercise in the prewriting stages may be helpful here.

Encourage students too to link back to their reasons and arguments developed to support their contention in the body paragraphs. The conclusion is no place to introduce new ideas or to ask rhetorical questions. It is the place for gathering up the strands of argument and making a statement about the relevance of the text in relation to the wider world.

TIPS FOR WRITING A GREAT TEXT RESPONSE

● In essays of this type, students should mostly write in the present tense.

● Encourage students to vary the length of their sentences to maintain the reader's interest. But be careful too, students should avoid using overly long sentences as longer sentences can be more difficult to control. A good rule of thumb is that when expressing complex thoughts use several short sentences. Simpler thoughts can be expressed through longer, more complex sentences.

● Tie everything back to the question. The dissection of the question during the prewriting stage of the text response should remain at the forefront of the student's mind at all times. If what the student writes doesn't link back to the original question then it is deadwood and should be discarded.

● Writing a text response requires the student to analyze the text and responds personally with their own thoughts and opinions. They should not be afraid to make bold statements as long as they can make references to the text to support those statements.

● The prewriting stage is essential and should not be skipped. But, even with a well thought out prewriting session, where time allows, opportunities should be given for students to draft, redraft, and edit their writing.

We often teach our students that writing is about expressing our thoughts and ideas, but it is also about discovering what we think too.

TEXT RESPONSE TASK FOR STUDENTS

In a response paper, you are writing a formal assessment of what you have read or observed (this could be a film, a work of art, or a book), but you add your own personal reaction and impressions to the report.

The steps for completing a reaction or response paper are:

Observe or read the piece for an initial understanding

Record your thoughts and impressions in notes

Develop a collection of thoughts and insights from

Write an outline

Construct your essay

Once you have established an outline for your paper, you'll need to respond using the basic elements of every strong essay, a strong introductory statement.

In the case of a reaction paper, the first sentence should contain the title of the object to which you are responding and the name of the author/creator/publisher

The last sentence of your introductory paragraph should contain your stance or position on the subject you are writing about.

There's no need to feel shy about expressing your own opinion in a response, even though it may seem strange to write "I feel" or "I believe" in an essay.

USEFUL STATEMENTS TO INCLUDE IN A TEXT RESPONSE

I felt that

In my opinion

The reader can conclude that

The author seems to

I did not like

The images seemed to

The author was [was not] successful in making me feel

I was especially moved by

I didn't get the connection between

It was clear that the artist was trying to

The sound track seemed too

My favorite part was...because

TEXT RESPONSE GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS TEMPLATE

TEXT RESPONSE WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE

VIDEO TUTORIALS FOR TEXT RESPONSE WRITING

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO TEXT RESPONSE WRITING

Content for this page has been written by Shane Mac Donnchaidh. A former principal of an international school and university English lecturer with 15 years of teaching and administration experience. Shane's latest Book the Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing can be found here. Editing and support for this article have been provided by the literacyideas team.

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How to Write a Text Response: A Complete Guide for Students and Teachers

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In this guide, we will be covering everything you need to know about how to write a text response. Let's start at the beginning. A text response is a style of writing in which you are sharing your reaction to something. It is an opportunity to let the world know how you feel about something.

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Teachers, use Mauril as a complementary teaching tool

Do you teach English or French as a second language? The free Mauril app can be used to complement your courses and can serve as a tool to immerse your students in whichever language they are learning. The Teachers page provides helpful information on how to make the most of the app.
Take me to the Teachers page

Learn with captivating content from CBC and Radio-Canada

The audio and video content found on Mauril has been sourced from CBC and Radio-Canada's vast content libraries. This includes recent TV series, documentaries, news reports and podcasts, all of which are tailored for difficulty and learning level.
Discover the full list of shows on Mauril

Immerse yourself in culturally relevant content

Mauril is the kind of language learning app that invites you to jump right in! By watching videos and answering questions, you will activate your listening comprehension skills and you will be exposed to words, expressions and accents from across the country. Each clip has been carefully selected to maximize exposure to Canada's diverse cultural landscape.

Need help?

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions section. If you don't see your question answered, you can send a message to mauril@cbc.ca.
Consult the FAQ

Make the most of your learning journey

Sign up for the Mauril learner newsletter to receive the latest news, learning tips and app updates.

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Discover Mauril: a free, fun and engaging way to learn French and English!

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Ready to take your French and English language skills to the next level? Add the free Mauril app to your language learning toolbox and test your listening comprehension skills with audio and video content from CBC and Radio-Canada. Progress at your own pace and step out of your comfort zone with practical daily language challenges.

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The world's largest library of interactive STEM simulations.

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Interactive STEM Simulations & Virtual Labs | Gizmos

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Unlock STEM potential with our 550+ virtual labs and interactive math and science simulations. Discover engaging activities and STEM lessons with Gizmos!

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A collection of Math resource websites that parent-educators may find helpful.

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Educational science kits for elementary children.

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Nous souhaitons étancher la soif de découvertes et donner le goût de l'expérimentation à tous les enfants !

Retrouvez tous nos tutos et vidéos d'activités manuelles à réaliser à la maison sur notre blog.

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Kits éducatifs & créatifs pour accompagner vos enfants dans la découverte du monde

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Nous souhaitons étancher la soif de découvertes et donner le goût de l'expérimentation à tous les enfants ! Retrouvez tous nos tutos et vidéos d'activités manuelles à réaliser à la maison sur notre blog.

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Simple Science and STEM for Every Day

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Little Bins for Little Hands - Simple Science and STEM for Every Day

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Make science fun! We have the best science experiments and activities for kids all year round. Plus, find tons of fun STEM challenges for little engineers.

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Tappity Science is an interactive science app for kids in grades K-5 that hopes to engage kids through interactive videos, quizzes, games, and storylines all centered around science topics.

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Most educational app reviews need a bit of balanced discussion before reaching their conclusion. When Tappity is the app under review, though, we can just jump straight to the take-home message: it is superb!

What makes it so good?

The educational content is excellent. It is targeted just right at its audience's age range. Complex topics are not avoided but broken down and explained in a clear and age-suitable way. Concepts are explained, demonstrated, and illustrated perfectly for young scientists.

Haley presents all of the lessons. She is an enthusiastic, entertaining, and friendly guide. A lover of pizza, bad jokes, fun, and science who seems genuinely happy to be on the viewer's screen. She is ably assisted by her less knowledgeable but amiable sidekick, RoboSteve, who guides the user through the app.

Haley makes this app feel like a high-quality children's entertainment/educational show of the sort to be found on children's television. The format of an app makes it more than just a passive programme. Children can make decisions, answer questions, guide the experience in ways that television just could not allow. Haley carries out experiments and encourages children to rewatch them but with different decisions so that they can observe new outcomes.

The full app experience is, at this point, huge. There are many topics, each of which is a lengthy and involved journey through different scientific subjects.

Every week a new show focussing on a single topic with a science theme is added to the app in the form of a game show. Past ones remain accessible and future ones are promoted to build anticipation. Just like with other video apps, children can offer their opinion by clicking on one of four icons. Other new content is added to the app every 10 days.

With so much of its content being high-quality video, the app could never be placed in its entirety on the device. It manages its content by downloading it as needed but holds on to recently used content or that which you choose to access in advance so that children can reach it again quickly and without needing the internet. These initial downloads feel responsive and the waits are never unbearably long.

The science topics are informed by the Next Generation Science Standards which might not be the curriculum your children follow in school, but there are not going to be many differences. If the topic is one you child is covering at school, or is just one that they are interested in, engaging with it on Tappity will a rewarding experience whatever curriculum they follow.

Tappity is safe for children to use as there is no third-party content or ads. While the app is free to download, the content, both existing and future, is accessed via a subscription. This is reasonably priced and is set on a sliding scale depending on how long the period you purchase is. As this is an app that contains a lot of content, it does seem like a good idea to take out a longer subscription at a lower total price so that your children have chance to absorb it. For children at the lower end of the app's target age group, a lifetime subscription looks like excellent value and could make a great gift for a young child that they can enjoy for years to come.

The app tracks children engagement with the app through a science journal that marks what they have covered and learned. At the end of each topic, children earn Tappity degrees. Stickers and photos that combine children with graphical content provide further incentives to stay with Tappity's programme. Parents are frequently involved with the app as Haley urges children to get their parents to share in the marking of their accomplishments. Teachers could make good use of the app in lessons either by getting Haley to explain a topic or by letting individuals work through a topic on their own. According to Tappity's website, Apple's Products for Learning Program can give schools a good deal on this app.

The conclusion to this review is little different from the introduction. There is nothing bad to say about this app; no flaws, problems, or sticking points. Tappity is entertaining, educational, and inspiring. It is just the app to spark a lifelong interest in science.

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K-5 Science for Kids - Tappity Review | Educational App Store

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Most educational app reviews need a bit of balanced discussion before reaching their conclusion. When Tappity is the app under review, though, we can just jump straight to the take-home message: it is superb! What makes it so good? The educational content is excellent. It is targeted just right at its audience's age range.

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Canada's History offers lesson plans, Kayak magazines about a variety of different topics in Geography, History, and Citizenship education.

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Canada’s History Education - Canada’s History

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FREE award-winning lesson plans, classroom activities and resources for homeschoolers and teachers K-12.

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History of Quebec & Canada Review Guide for Secondary 4 MEQ Exam

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History of Quebec & Canada Review Guide for Secondary 4 MEQ Exam

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This review guide is based on the Québec Education Program as recommended by the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur du Québec (MEES).

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This review guide is based on the Québec Education Program as recommended by the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur du Québec (MEES).

If you want to review all of the content of your Secondary 4 History of Quebec and Canada course, you can rely on this guide. Please note that there may be differences between what you have seen in class and this content because the information in textbooks, teaching techniques and programs may vary.

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Review key historical periods of Quebec and Canada in Secondary 4: federalism, nationalism, modernization, societal choices and more.

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Key competencies for Visual Arts education in Quebec.

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Interactive Art workshops from local artists.

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Photographer Patrycja Maksalon: Parent, Teaching Artist & Educator Many of our Teaching Artists fill multiple roles with children and youth, both in their personal and professional lives. One such artist, Photographer & Storyteller Patrycja Maksalon, is a parent of [...]

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Photographer Patrycja Maksalon: Parent, Teaching Artist & Educator Many of our Teaching Artists fill multiple roles with children and youth, both in their personal and professional lives. One such artist, Photographer & Storyteller Patrycja Maksalon, is a parent of [...]

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Teaching tools for Physical & Health education.

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Always Changing Puberty education program supporting teacher instruction and student understanding of the transition from childhood to adolescence. Learn more

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Engaging ways to learn more about a multitude of curriculum-connected health and active living topics.

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Ophea's blogs offer an engaging way to learn more about a multitude of curriculum-connected healthy, active living topics. Our blogs contain expert information and unique resources for you to explore.

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Free educational resources to help children learn about healthy eating.

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Find out more information about the CCQ program on our school board website.

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Quebec has introduced a new program called Culture and Citizenship that will replace the Ethics and Religious culture program. The Culture and Citizenship in Québec (CCQ) program was piloted in two of SWLSB schools in 2022-2023. It was then introduced in 12 of our schools in 2023-2024 on an

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Access the elementary program, progressions of learning, framework for the evaluation of learning, and information for parents and teachers for CCQ.

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Elementary Culture and Citizenship in Québec Program

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[Translate to Anglais:] Consulter le programme de culture et citoyenneté québécoise au primaire et ses outils pédagogiques.

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Access the secondary program, progressions of learning, framework for the evaluation of learning, and information for parents and teachers for CCQ.

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Secondary Culture and Citizenship in Québec Program

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[Translate to Anglais:] Consulter le programme de culture et citoyenneté québécoise au secondaire et ses outils pédagogiques.

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LEARN QC Information on Financial Education

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LEARN QC Information on Financial Education

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Helpful information from LEARN Quebec.

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Financial Education Browse the sections below for access to our Teacher and Student Resources and tovarious opportunities for Professional Development. LEARN Educational Resources Teaching Resources Student Resources Professional Development Professional Learning Workshops Pedagogical Support Curated Resources Curated Teaching and Learning Resources Curated Professional Development Resources Curated Learning Communities & Professional Associations Development Resources LEARN Educational […]

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Alloprof Information on Financial Education

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Alloprof Information on Financial Education

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Educational resources on Financial Education by Alloprof.

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Financial education enables students to adopt responsible behaviors and make informed choices about their finances.

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Games to help with language development.

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A TV show, free app, and games created by literacy experts to teach phonemic awareness, a key pre-reading skill, to preschoolers.

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A Canadian online platform for educators to buy, sell, and share digital teaching resources like lesson plans, worksheets, games, and guides.

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Achat, vente et partage de matériel pédagogique créé par des enseignants pour les éducateurs....

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A Balanced Reading Approach for Children Always Designed to Achieve Best Results for All, is a highly interactive, early literacy web-based tool that supports beginning readers through 33 engaging activities linked to 20 stories of different kinds.

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Reading Rockets offers a rich library of evidence-based classroom strategies to help young children become skilled readers.

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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La méthode phonétique et gestuelle créée par Suzanne Borel-Maisonny.

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Bien lire et Aimer lire est une approche simple et efficace, fondée sur la méthode syllabique, phonétique et gestuelle plébiscitée depuis 60 ans par les établissements scolaires, les ortophonistes, les rééducateurs et les parents. Cette méthode est particulièrement recommandée aux enfants DYS et à tous ceux qui éprouvent des difficultés à lire.

Découvrir

Une méthode phonétique et gestuelle

Bien lire et Aimer lire est construit sur l'étude du son tel que l'enfant peut le percevoir.

Ce dernier commence dans chaque leçon par apprendre à déchiffrer toutes les graphies d'un même son, auquel correspond un geste simple, expliqué en photo. Chaque geste associe la ou les lettres écrites à l'articulation correspondante, ce qui favorise la mémorisation.

L'enfant apprend ensuite peu à peu à lire des syllabes puis des mots et des phrases, en suivant la progression des sons simples (voyelles, consonnes continues et occlusives) aux sons et aux graphies complexes (diphtongues, voyelles nasales, etc.). La progression dans l'étude des sons suit les recommandations des orthophonistes.

Les gestes associés à chaque son deviennent une aide précieuse pour l'enfant : ils agissent autant comme aide mnémotechnique que comme intermédiaire concret pour l'enfant, dont la capacité de conceptualisation est en construction.

Une méthode syllabique progressive

A chaque unité de lecture (syllabes, mots, phrases, textes), l'enseignant fait en sorte que l'enfant comprenne la logique dans la suite d'éléments graphiques à laquelle il est confronté. Il progresse de manière à ce que le contenu du texte soit toujours accessible à l'enfant.

En effet, lire n'est pas simplement décoder, c'est aussi apprendre à comprendre. Il est donc nécessaire de travailler la compréhension de mots, de phrases puis de textes en parallèle. Le décodage, la compréhension, la lecture fluide et expressive développent l'intérêt et le plaisir de lire chez l'enfant.
C'est en progressant ainsi naturellement dans la complexité de la compréhension que l'enfant arrive à bien lire et en vient à aimer lire.

Mes exercices de lecture

Le cahier spécialement conçu pour les élèves DYS avec des exercices testés en classe auprès d'enfants à besoin particulier. Accessible à tous les élèves de niveau CP et CE1.

Acheter ce cahier

L'affiche des gestes

L'affiche des gestes présente l'image de chacun des sons. Aide mnémotechnique pour l'enfant, son grand format est adapté à un affichage en classe et en cabinet d'orthophonie.

Acheter l'affiche

Adoptez la méthode Bien Lire !

Plébiscitée depuis plus de 60 ans par les établissements scolaires, les orthophonistes, les rééducateurs et les parents, Bien lire et Aimer lire est l'approche simple et efficace particulièrement recommandée pour les enfants DYS et tous ceux qui éprouvent des difficultés à lire.

Commandez les ouvrages de la collection directement en ligne ou en remplissant le bon de commande téléchargeable ci-après :

Télécharger le bon de commande

Clotilde Silvestre de Sacy

Clotilde Silvestre de Sacy (1907-1991) a enseigné en établissement primaire entre 1924 et 1957.
Elle a également dirigé un jardin d'enfants à Paris et reçu le diplôme d'orthophonie en 1967.

Elle est l'auteur de la Méthode de lecture Bien lire et Aimer lire (1re édition en 1960) et du Recueil de textes complémentaire (1re édition 1963).

Collaboratrice depuis 1946 de Suzanne Borel-Maisonny, elle a fondé le Centre de Rééducation Dyslexie-Dysorthographie à Paris. En 1975, il devient le Centre Franchemont, toujours en activité actuellement dans la 11e arrondissement à Paris.

Suzanne Borel-Maisonny (1900-1995) est une des fondatrices, en France, de l'orthophonie. Elle se consacre d'abord à la rééducation des enfants sourds et atteints de troubles du langage. C'est ensuite avec l'équipe de recherche dirigée par le neuropsychiatre Julian de Ajuriaguerra que Suzanne Borel-Maisonny, en 1946, commence ses recherches sur l'apprentissage de la lecture et sur la rééducation des dyslexies et dysorthographies.

Chantal Comte est professeure des écoles. Elle a enseigné pendant de nombreuses années en Cours préparatoires à L'École Active Bilingue Lamartine devenue ensuite l'École Internationale Bilingue. Elle en est aujourd'hui la directrice.

Elle a tout au long de sa carrière utilisé et perfectionné la méthode phonétique et gestuelle, elle a participé à l'écriture de l 'édition actuelle de la méthode de lecture Bien lire et Aimer lire (2020).

Elle est l'auteur de Mon cahier d'exercices pour Bien Lire et Aimer Lire pour s'entraîner à lire et à écrire, ainsi que des guides pédagogiques pour comprendre et appliquer la méthode.

Nous contacter

Vous avez des questions sur la méthode de lecture et les ouvrages de la collection Bien Lire ?
Nous vous répondrons dans les meilleurs délais.

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Bien lire et Aimer lire - Méthode de lecture syllabique

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Bien lire et Aimer lire est une approche simple et efficace, fondée sur la méthode syllabique, phonétique et gestuelle plébiscitée depuis 60 ans par les établissements scolaires, les ortophonistes, les rééducateurs et les parents. Cette méthode est particulièrement recommandée aux enfants DYS et à tous ceux qui éprouvent des difficultés à lire.

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The Balanced Literacy Diet is a research-based framework using food pyramid/diet metaphors to guide effective reading and writing instruction, emphasizing a balanced mix of essential "food groups" (skills) like oral language, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, tailored to different stages of a child's literacy development.

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The Melissa Institute
Literacy Website

The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and prevention of violence through education, community service, research support and consultation.

Did you know that 85% of youth in trouble with the law have reading difficulties?

The Institute's mission is to prevent violence and promote safer communities through education and application of research-based knowledge.

What is the connection between violence prevention and a literacy website?

Evidence shows that students who do not learn to read on level by 3rd grade are much more likely to develop low self-esteem, drop out of school, and engage in antisocial and aggressive behavior. To help prevent this spiral of failure The Melissa Institute has introduced The Balanced Literacy Diet website to support educators in developing effective and engaging literacy programs across the elementary grades.

The good news is that literacy failure is preventable!

With the support of The Melissa Institute this website was developed by university-based literacy experts and school-based practitioners - literacy specialists, classroom teachers as well as district and school administrators. The Balanced Literacy Diet framework is designed to provide a comprehensive multifaceted internet resource to support the development of research-informed reading and writing instruction in schools. It is a free website for use by educators everywhere.

Thank you...

We want to thank all of the generous contributors who have made the development of this website possible.

We also want to express a particular debt of gratitude to the many educators who have opened their hearts to this project and shared their time and expertise so that others can benefit from their wisdom.

We hope to continue to add to the website, so if you find it a useful resource we hope you will support us in our efforts to make it even better.

Donations to the Melissa Institute via credit card are possible through our Secure Server.

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BALANCEDLITERACYDIET :: Balanced Literacy Diet

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The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and prevention of violence through education, community service, research support and consultation. The Institute's mission is to prevent violence and promote safer communities through education and application of research-based knowledge.

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Hands-on activities for the primary classroom.

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Your little basketball fans are just going to love learning and practicing short vowel sounds with the Make, Take & Teach Short Vowel All Net! activity. When you download this activity you'll receive 7 short vowel basketball courts containing common vowel confusions. This activity is easily differentiated as you choose how many and which vowels [...]

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Make Take & Teach - instructional materials for small group intervention

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Your little basketball fans are just going to love learning and practicing short vowel sounds with the Make, Take & Teach Short Vowel All Net! activity. When you download this activity you'll receive 7 short vowel basketball courts containing common vowel confusions. This activity is easily differentiated as you choose how many and which vowels [...]

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Online educational games for various subjects.

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Toy Theater is your source for free educational games specially designed for elementary-aged students. It's available on all desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices, ensuring learning is never out of reach. If you are a fan of our site, we encourage you to share Toy Theater on your social media or website.

Explore Toy Theater

Here's a sneak peek into what Toy Theater has in store:

Math Games: Ranging from counting and numeral recognition to division and telling time, there's a vast assortment of interactive math games.

Language Arts: Students can work on spelling, letter recognition, and even practice reading with online books.

Art and Music : From teaching students to play simple songs on a keyboard to exploring symmetry via art games, the platform fosters creativity alongside learning.

Puzzles and Games: Ideal for early finishers or indoor recess, their online educational puzzles and games promise fun-filled learning.

Teacher Tools: Need a fun timer or a spinner? Or perhaps a simple way to evaluate basic math skills? Their virtual teacher tools have got you covered.

Whether you project Toy Theater games and interactive tools on your smartboard for the whole class to see or use them during small group work, you're sure to love them!

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Toy Theater | Fun Online Educational Games for Kids

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Make learning a blast! Toy Theater is chock full of interactive online art, reading & math games for kids. Designed with the needs of kindergarten through third grade classrooms in mind, these free games are trusted by teachers around the world to provide real educational value.

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Strategies for building phonemic awareness.

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Reading Simplified | streamlined instruction, accelerated achievement

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What Is Switch It?

A Game That Teaches...

Children love Switch It because it's fun. Yet, as they "play" the quick, 5-minute Switch It game, they're mastering...

the concept of the alphabetic principle,

letter-sound knowledge,

phonemic segmentation,

phonemic manipulation, &

early decoding & spelling skills.

All these benefits rolled up into just 1 simple activity that spurs accelerated achievement for beginning or struggling readers!

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Our #1 decoding hack, Switch It, is a fun game that also teaches phonics, phonemic awareness, and decoding all in one. Snag a free guide with lists & videos

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Type in words and break them into phonemes and graphemes to help with English language development.

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The word mapper lets you type in a word and see its individual letters and sounds. It’s great for teaching phonics!

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How do we learn to read so fast?

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Once we know how to read, we read fast, recognizing a word in a fraction of a second. In fact, for most people, reading is not just easy, it's automatic. You can't stop yourself from reading words that you see; they just jump off of the page and into your brain (and out of your mouth if you're reading out loud). Here is a little demo. Try to quickly say aloud the colour of the font for each word.
red - orange - green - blue - purple - brown purple - blue - red - orange - brown - green
The Stroop effect is a classic demonstration of how our brains automatically process written words. Did you hesitate on the words in the second set? Maybe you even blurted out "purple" by mistake for the first word? It's harder to say the colour of the font in the second line, because reading is so automatic for your brain that it overrides colour recognition. This can seem a little counterintuitive. After all, kids learn their colours before they learn to read words, so shouldn't colour recognition be a simpler and therefore likely a faster job? Clearly, there is something special about the way the brain processes written words so efficiently. But kids obviously don't start out reading so efficiently, so how do we get there?

The best current answer to this is through orthographic mapping, the process by which we store written words in our long-term memory, for quick retrieval at a later time. This concept was first described by Linnea Ehri, who explains it as creating links that "glue" spelling to the pronunciation of words in long-term memory. To create these links, we need to be very good at two things:

1. breaking spoken words down into sounds (phonemic awareness)

2. knowing which sounds can be represented by which letters (letter-sound knowledge)

Here, a child encounters the word "fish" and attends to the sounds and the letters in the entire word. This child has good phonemic awareness: she knows that there are individual sounds in the spoken word and so is able to create strong links between the sounds and the letters.

Unfortunately, some children get stuck for a long time in the stage where they slowly, labouriously sound out words, or where they are relying on cues from the context to help them read words. Sometimes, these are children with a learning disability called dyslexia (also called Specific Learning Disorder in reading- word recognition, decoding, and spelling). One of the hallmarks of dyslexia is poor phonemic awareness, leading to poor orthographic mapping, and slow, inaccurate reading.

Here, the child has correctly figured out the word "fish" but has not made the links between the pronunciation and the spelling of the word, because the individual sounds within the word "f-i-sh" are not obvious to her. Perhaps she figured out the word by looking at the first letter, by thinking about what word would make sense in the sentence, by looking at the picture, or by some combination of these clues. Children who read this way may read simple texts accurately, but will not quickly progress to become efficient readers, and may continue to slowly sound out words, especially when clues are not readily available.

So how do we teach a child to apply orthographic mapping to learn the many complex words of our language? It's actually less complicated than it may seem. We start by showing children how sounds link to letters in simple words (phoneme-grapheme mapping), but we don't need to teach a child to map every single word. Once children have grasped the concept of mapping sounds to letters, something brilliant then happens: they do it on their own for new words! Orthographic mapping results from the prerequisite skills of hearing the sounds within words and having a good grasp of letter-sounds correspondences. Typically, children encounter a new word, figure it out, and then after only a few exposures to the word, it is "mapped" and will be quickly recognized on subsequent encounters. This may seem surprising, but as David Share pointed out in his 1995 paper first describing his self-teaching hypothesis, there's basically no other way. How else can kids learn to read so many words so quickly? Young kids typically learn to read in just a few years, so there would simply be no time to cram all the words in, if it were the case that many exposures were needed to learn to quickly recognize words.

But is English spelling actually too complicated to be learned this way? It's true that English has one of the more complex writing systems, but it's still an alphabetic (that is, sound-based) orthography. Speech sounds are represented by letters, just not in a 1-to-1 correspondence. For example, there are many ways to write the sound /f/ ( fun, cough, stuff, phone), and there are many ways to pronounce the letters <ough> ( though, thought, through). Due to the complexity, lots of people over the years thought that written English was simply too complex to learn through focusing primarily on the letter-sound relationships, and this is why we often see lists of "sight words" that students in early elementary must memorize, often as unanalyzed whole units. However, it turns out that even irregular words can be efficiently acquired through orthographic mapping. This is because: a) the majority of irregular words have only one or two unusual letter-sound correspondences and b) even unusual spellings can be anchored to sounds, if a child has good phonemic awareness.

Take the example "said" above. A child links the letters "s" and the "d" to their sounds, no problem. But it is very unusual for "ai" to link to the sound that is normally spelled with an "e" (as in "bed") or sometimes "ea" (as in "bread"). Even though this is an uncommon link, we can still apply orthographic mapping. So, to help students learn the word "said," we can explain, "Do you hear the "eh" sound? See how we write it with the letters "A-I" in this word!" Compared to learning the word as a whole visual unit ("take a mental picture of the word"), or by rote memorization ("S-A-I-D spells 'said'"), this approach promotes orthographic mapping and more efficiently leads to instant word recognition.

Orthographic mapping is enabled by phonemic awareness and grapheme-phoneme (letter-sound) knowledge.
Ehri, 2014

So, when a child is good at orthographic mapping, they begin "self-teaching" new words, and are well on their way to becoming a great reader. For a child at this stage of reading acquisition, a great way to continue gaining skill is simply to read a lot. The more you read, the better you get at reading. Unfortunately, this is not so true for children who are not yet good at orthographic mapping. These are students who seem like they are encountering a word for the first time, even if it's a word they've seen many times before, maybe even as recently as in the previous sentence. In this case, simply increasing the volume of reading (a "practice makes perfect" approach) will not help very much. On the contrary, requiring a struggling reader to just buckle down and read more is almost guaranteed to lead to frustration that can be so significant that it causes the student to disengage from learning to read.

What does help is pinpointing and addressing the underlying difficulties. We must assess the child's phonemic awareness skills, letter-sound knowledge, decoding abilities, and ideally a few other skills. David Kilpatrick has discussed this in his book Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties (2015). He points out that in order to become a good orthographic mapper, a child must have very strong phonemic awareness skills. That is, it's not sufficient to be able to slowly blend sounds into words (as in slowly figuring out that "f... + l... + a... + t = flat"), or segment words into sounds (slowly figure out that "spill = s + p + i + l"). Rather, students should be able to easily blend and segment sounds in words.
Some examples of phonemic manipulation tasks:
Does it still seem a little strange to work on reading by doing auditory tasks? It can be an effective strategy when difficulty with phonemic awareness is a barrier to orthographic mapping. Importantly, though, phonemic awareness would be just part of the plan to help a struggling reader. We would also need to work on other skills such as: phonics (up to more advanced phonics, as in the trigraph "igh"- high, sight, mighty), morphology (learning word-parts, as in in-de-struct-ible), and vocabulary development. And, of course, we need to apply newly learned skills to writing and reading in context

I hope this post has been helpful in showing how the concepts of orthographic mapping, phonemic awareness, and self-teaching are crucial, if we want to help readers who struggle to efficiently recognize words. There is a sea of information available to help us find evidence-based strategies for efficiently helping all children reach their potential and become skilled readers, but the trick is making sense of it all! As always, if you have any questions or comments, I'd be thrilled to discuss. Leave a comment below or contact me!

References:

Ehri, L. C. (1998). Research on Learning to Read and Spell: A Personal-Historical Perspective. Scientific Studies of Reading, 2(2), 97-114. doi:10.1207/s1532799xssr0202_1

Ehri, L. C. (2013). Orthographic Mapping in the Acquisition of Sight Word Reading, Spelling Memory, and Vocabulary Learning. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18(1), 5-21. doi:10.1080/10888438.2013.819356

Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015). Essentials of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Share, D. L. (1995). Phonological recoding and self-teaching: Sine qua non of reading acquisition. Cognition, 55(2), 151-218. doi:10.1016/0010-0277(94)00645-2

Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6), 643-662. doi:10.1037/h0054651

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Orthographic Mapping: how we learn to read so fast!

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Updated November 26, 2022 Once we know how to read, we read fast, recognizing a word in a fraction of a second. In fact, for most people, reading is not just easy, it's automatic. You can't stop yourself from reading words that you see; they just jump off of the page and into your brain...

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A collection of resources for decodable texts. Decodable texts allow beginning and struggling readers the opportunity to practice reading text that incorporates new skills and letter-sound correspondences that have been explicitly and systematically been taught by the teacher.

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Decodable texts allow beginning and struggling readers the opportunity to practice reading text that incorporates new skills and letter-sound correspondences that have been explicitly and systematically been taught by the teacher.

Teachers who are working on teaching students the code will want to choose stories that follow whatever phonics scope and sequence they are using so that the stories reinforce what has been taught. This allows the students to use the tools they've learned to UNLOCK the code! With this in mind, students can approach text with greater confidence. Guessing is unnecessary! Looking at the pictures to figure out the words is unnecessary!

Where can teachers find decodable texts?

There are lots of great options available! Many decodable readers are available for purchase or to download for free, and eventually experienced teachers may find it fun to create their own beginning decodable readers by referring to phonics word lists and incorporating words that reinforce phonics concepts previously taught.

IDA Georgia has compiled the following list. Please let us know if you find other great resources you think we should share! Email us at info@idaga.org.

Flyleaf Publishing
https://flyleafpublishing.com/ The beautiful pictures in these decodable readers are used to enhance the reading experience, not help the children decode the words! Free portal for 2020-2021: https://portal.flyleafpublishing.com/

Core Knowledge
Free decodable readers available for download (or can purchase materials) To find the decodable readers, teachers can sort by Language Arts and the grade level and scroll down past Listening and Learning to SKILLS. https://www.coreknowledge.org/curriculum/download-curriculum/ Teachers can then click on the Unit and find lesson guides. Here is an example of what would be available for a whole Skills Unit: https://www.coreknowledge.org/free-resource/ckla-unit-2-grade-1-skills-gran/

Spelfabet is based in Australia, so some of the resources listed are from companies based in Australia. Teachers will need to double-check the readers to make sure the book's vocabulary is terminology familiar to American children.

Reading Rockets
List with links to sources: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/decodable-text-sources
This list was compiled and shared by the Reading League.
Wilson Fundations Supplemental Geodes Decodable Stories https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/programs/fundations/materials/supplemental-readables-geodes/
95 Percent Group, Inc
https://store.95percentgroup.com/StudentReaders.aspx?hsCtaTracking=50cc1594-1f44-4f94-b568-4ec02d4b0cc5%7C3d57d7f5-9bc2-4fdb-bc8a-84376fe8fa42
https://carissa-taylor.blogspot.com/p/free-and-affordable-decodable-readers.html?fbclid=IwAR0a-RhF2h5mk4CpawWGN8lx-timt0I_haFZdTToilOTv8ZExuHiGAULWGQ&m=1
Carissa Taylor
"Check out my master list of decodable books below! The decodables in this list are in a variety of digital formats (PDF, PPT, online), and are written with a variety of phonics scope and sequence progressions in mind." - Carissa Taylor
Disclaimer: It is IDA's policy not to recommend or endorse any specific program, product, institution, company, or instructional material, noting that there are a number of these that present the critical components of instruction defined by IDA's Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. Any program, product, institution, company, or instructional material carrying the IDA seal of accreditation meets the IDA Standards. Articles Discussing Decodable Readers
--------------

Schwartz, S. (2020, March 13). 'Decodable' Books: Boring, Useful, or Both? Edweek.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/12/decodable-books-boring-useful-or-both.html

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Resources for Decodable Texts - IDA Georgia

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Decodable texts allow beginning and struggling readers the opportunity to practice reading text that incorporates new skills and letter-sound correspondences that have been explicitly and systematically been taught by the teacher. Teachers who are working on teaching students the code will want to choose stories that follow whatever phonics scope and sequence they are using [...]

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Trousse d’outils pour parler de sujets sensibles avec les tout-petits, les enfants et les jeunes

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Parler de sujets sensibles avec les tout-petits, les enfants et les jeunes - trousse d’outils - Institut universitaire SHERPA

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Consultez les brochures et les capsules vidéos destinés à mieux outiller les parents quand il s’agit de parler des événements violents avec leurs tout-petits, leurs enfants et leurs adolescents.

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Brighten and organize your classroom with these free, time-saving printables for weekly planning, building routines, and just for fun!

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Brighten and organize your classroom with these free, time-saving printables for weekly planning, building routines, and just for fun!

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Tools on developing a growth mindset for learners.

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GROWTH MINDSET SOLUTIONS FOR
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Pedagogical resources on helping children with motivation, mental health, life challenges, etc.

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On s’informe. On s’outille. On s’inspire.

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Bienvenue dans la communauté qui aide les familles à surmonter les difficultés d’apprentissage.

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Brain breaks and yoga for mindfulness and relaxation.

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Watch and stream kids yoga videos in a safe space on our website. Cosmic Kids' most popular adventures can be found here as well as on our app.

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Educational videos on a variety of subjects.

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brainpop "brainpop jr." education edtech students learning

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BrainPOP® creates animated, curricular content that engages students, supports educators, and bolsters achievement. Our award-winning online educational resources include BrainPOP Jr.® (K-3), BrainPOP, BrainPOP Español™ , and, for English-language learners, BrainPOP ELL™. BrainPOP is also home to GameUp®, a free educational games portal for the classroom.

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Learn with millions of people worldwide by exploring videos, tackling practice problems and getting AI-powered support.

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A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser.

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Code MTL est un projet qui vise à favoriser la littératie numérique des élèves de 5 à 12 ans grâce à la programmation visuelle.

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Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children and a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations.

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Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.

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The Kahoot! platform makes it easy for any individual or corporation to create, share, and host learning sessions that drive compelling engagement and boost learning outcomes. Kahoot! sessions can be hosted anywhere, in person or virtually, using any device with an internet connection.

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Interactive flashcards, practice tests, and study activities.

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A large collection of free educational resources put together by the Assembly of First Nations

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First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Books and educational resources.

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Indigenous Educational Resources for Schools and Libraries

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GoodMinds.com, is a First Nations family-owned business and passionate about Indigenous education. We supply Indigenous educational resources for schools and libraries in North America, while continuing to promote Indigenous authors, illustrators and translators. Our French Collection of resources continues to expand.

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A non-profit organization founded by residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, dedicated to creating awareness about the intergenerational impacts of Canada's Residential Schools and promoting reconciliation through its core message, "Every Child Matters".

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Orange Shirt Society Growing awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of Residential Schools. At OSS, we believe you can support Reconciliation every day, in your own way. Learn more Growing awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of Residential Schools. At OSS, we

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Project of Heart” is an inquiry based, hands-on, collaborative, inter-generational, artistic journey of seeking truth about the history of Aboriginal people in Canada.

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Project of Heart would like to acknowledge the work of the students in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba for their Project of Heart learning experiences.

The students were taking Dr. Tracey Bone's Feminist Perspectives in Social Work Practice and Social Welfare course, when they were introduced to Project of Heart through participating in a field trip to the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation in 2017. Since then, students in subsequent years have been doing adapted versions of Project of Heart in their course work. They attend a presentation on residential schools by one of the Center's educators, then share their experiences of their learning with the first gesture of reconciliation. Decorating the small wooden tile, done in remembrance of a child who died as a result of attending the *school*, celebrating the resilience of the survivors, and explaining its significance to their peers is just one aspect of the learning/action they do.

Dr. Bone ensures that the student work is seen by both students and staff at the University of Manitoba through displays of the framed tiles on International Women's Day (coming up on March 8th). As Bone states, "The exercise has been emotionally impactful for the students in my various courses as it moves the painful reality of Residential Schools beyond simple knowledge to application of learning."

Miigwetch to the students and Dr. Bone for their investigating the horrific truths of Canada's past and learning about the direct implications of that past to the present day. The forced separation of Indigenous children from their homes and communities was designed to eradicate the identity of thousands of children. These social work students are learning the tough work of supporting radical change in child welfare systems so that First Nations children can grow up in culturally supportive communities with loving family members to ensure their well-being. Keep up the good work!

A new and exciting partnership has been struck, and Project of Heart couldn't be happier!

World-Changing Kids is teacher-activist Lindsay Barr's social enterprise dedicated to leadership development, community building and social justice.

With her team of Indigenous Youth leading the way, World-Changing Kids is facilitating Project of Heart in communities where children, youth, and their families wish to learn about the history of the Residential Schools. Students are taking action to address ongoing injustices as they learn from Inuit and First Nation youth leaders in Project of Heart workshops.

Lindsay was recently on Daytime Ottawa to talk about these workshops - you can watch the clip here: https://youtu.be/4GCJ6Gi1d74

Read more about this initiative here: https://worldchangingkids.ca/archives/7775

Welcome Lindsay and World-Changing Kids!

First Event: Peterborough Public Library (June 4, 2022)

The Peterborough Public Library invited the community to commemorate Indigenous History Month on Saturday, June 4 for Project of Heart: An Exploration of the Legacy of Residential Schools. This inter-generational Truth and Reconciliation activity was open to adults and families with children ages 10+ and ran from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon.

In this interactive program, community members learned about the history and legacy of residential schools from Project of Heart facilitator, Nancy Hamer Strahl, and Residential School Survivor, Mary Kelly. Participants commemorated the lives of children and families affected by Residential Schools by creating two small art tiles- one to keep and one to add to the community art project at the library as starting points for continued discussion and learning.

Second Event: Ajax Public Library (September 30, 2022)

Ajax Public Library honoured the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, where we remember the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. In this interactive program, participants learned about the history and legacy of residential schools from Project of Heart facilitator, Nancy Hamer Strahl, and Residential School Survivor, Mary Kelly. Participants created two small art tiles to commemorate the lives of children and families affected by Residential Schools - one to keep and one to add to the community reconciliation project as starting points for continued discussion and learning.

Project of Heart is an initiative that calls all Canadians to action, through social justice endeavors, to change our present and future history collectively. The Library encourages their community to learn more about Indigenous history and heritage. The continued tradition of oral histories through storytelling will ensure that Indigenous peoples' truths are not erased and historical accuracy is preserved.

Third Event: Annual Metis Heritage Celebration (June 25, 2022)

Annual Metis Heritage Celebration participated in Project of Heart in the 13th Annual Metis Heritage Celebration on June 25 at the Children's Arena in Oshawa. This free family event celebrated Metis culture with Indigenous vendors and food, storytelling, cultural workshops, children's activities, arts and crafts and musical performances by fiddlers, singers, drummers, and jiggers.

The workshop was facilitated by Kathy Morgan who told the story of her grandmother who was a student at the Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School (LeBret) for 3 years. Nancy Hamer Strahl helped the participants create a commemorative pin to honour Metis Residential School survivors and their families. The story of the Metis children in Residential schools is often forgotten. It was an opportunity for the Oshawa and Durham Region Metis council to offer its members an opportunity to learn more about their history and heritage.

It's been a long time coming, but Project of Heart has finally found a local, business that can can source tiles that are not only 'made in Canada', but come from recycled wooden materials when possible.

Junction Gore Laser (to see where they got their name, click here: https://www.junctiongorelaser.com/our-story ), situated in the heart unceded Algonquin territory in Ottawa, has partnered with Project of Heart to produce tiles for learners who desire to use art to express their solidarity with the families and Nations who lost loved ones as a result of the Residential Schools.

You can now go to Junction Gore's Project of Heart page , and to view the product page, click here.

For 15 years Project of Heart purchased milled tiles from the United States, but now we finally have a choice. And imagine, no more paying duty to purchase wood that in all likelihood, comes from Canada in the first place! We have long believed that we need to *do right* by the environment, so here's our first step taken, in addressing a sustainability concern that has plagued us for a while.

We are grateful to Heather and Bill for partnering with us, and we look forward to getting feedback from the teachers and facilitators that will be using these products.

The inaugural National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR) - was a landmark day in the nation's capital. For the first time ever, Canada's National Cemetery - historical Beechwood Cemetery in the forested east end of Ottawa - held a day of remembrance for the young victims of our country's notorious Indian Residential School (IRS) era - the many thousands who were taken from their families and never seen again.

In partnership with long-time reconciliation resource Project of Heart and The Caring Society, on September 30 the cemetery hosted 1300 guests in a day-long program of events to mark the NDTR. Also honoured as Orange Shirt Day, the opportunity to participate in meaningful remembrance and reflection was taken up by hundreds of educators and their students.

The day's events included the launch of the 57,000 tile exhibit, created by learners across Canada - each tile representing the life of a child who died in an IRS.

Another highlight for many was a visit to the final resting place of Dr. Peter Bryce, the famous "good doctor" who, a hundred years ago, tried to blow the whistle on the horrific conditions in the schools, where children were starved, mistreated, and ultimately neglected to the point of death. Bryce's dire warnings were ignored by the government of the day, most notably by the senior bureaucrat in charge of the deadly IRS administration, the notorious Duncan Campbell Scott, who promised that the schools would "kill the Indian in the child". Scott's grave, along with that of IRS proponent Nicholas Flood Davin, is included with Dr. Byrce's in Beechwood's "Reconciliation Walk", where historically accurate gravesite plaques now tell the real story of historical personages interred in the cemetery.

"From Project of Heart's point of view this day was a day to be cherished", said Sylvia Smith, creator of the teaching resource that has been taught in every Canadian province and territory. "We had POH alumni from across Ontario and Quebec - teachers and students alike - come to Beechwood to see the tiles they had created join with the 57,000 others to be displayed as an entire collection for the first time ever - it was incredibly moving. And it was a wonderful opportunity for many of the alumni to meet each other at last, instead of just seeing each other's name on an email chain all these years."

Adding to its symbolism, the display of tiles was installed by young members of the Assembly of Seven Generations, an organization dedicated to empowering Indigenous youth.

The day's events were well covered by various news media outlets - links to a some of the coverage are below.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/indigenous-project-heart-tiles-beechwood-cemetery-residential-schools-1.6192284 https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/project-of-heart-on-display-at-beechwood-cemetery-in-ottawa-1.5605848 https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/if-this-isnt-a-genocide-then-what-is-it-indigenous-residential-school-students-honoured-at-beechwood-cemetery-100640214/

When I began learning, conversing, looking, reflecting, and listening to and about Indigenous lives outside of the school context, I was able to connect the historical and contemporary facts with raw trauma and growth and healing. These are the moments that connect factual information with real people and real lives... I have learned through Project of Heart, I can be an agent for reconciliation by standing with Indigenous people.

Through listening, learning, growing, and opening my mind and sharing my experience and knowledge with my peers, I continually move towards a greater understanding of the truth, and towards reconciling relationships based on this truth and recognition. These are learnings that extend far beyond the four walls of the classroom.

So says concurrent education student Emily Hoch in her reflections about a new initiative at Brock University, embedded into Professor Bobby (Stanley) Henry's "Pedagogies of Indigenous Arts" teacher ed course.

Professor Henry incorporates Project of Heart to help concurrent education students bridge the gap between taking on new understandings and actually becoming "agents of reconciliation" in their own classrooms. With Professor Henry's permission, the course description and learning expectations are the latest addition to POH's Teaching Resource section and are ready to be adapted into teacher ed courses across a range of disciplines.

Professor Henry is no stranger to the discussion around the legacy of Indian Residential Schools ; here he is in an interview with CP24 News, talking about the devastating discovery of mass graves this past summer.

In a milestone event for Project of Heart, Ottawa's Beechwood Cemetery has partnered with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and POH to host an exhibit featuring the 57,000 tiles created by students from across Canada over the 14 years the Project has been teaching. Thousands of schools, classrooms, and workplaces have contributed to the collection.

The official launch of the exhibition is on the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, September 30, and all POH participants, past and present, are invited to be present at the unveiling of the tiles. Complete details of the event can be found in this news release from the Caring Society. It is part of a day-long program of events marking Orange Shirt Day at the cemetery and registration is open to all.

Beechwood Cemetery, known as Canada's National Cemetery, is the final resting place for renowned leaders and contributors to the national life of Canada. It's relationship with reconciliation and remembering is well-established, and while visiting the site you can also experience the Reconciliation Walk, which culminates at the graveside of Dr. Peter Bryce, the physician and health inspector who blew the whistle on the horrors of the Residential Schools almost a hundred years ago, and whose warnings were tragically ignored by Canada.

A longtime Project of Heart collaborator has shared some very useful and timely news with us today. Here's Lisa Howell, an educator located on unceded, unsurrendered, ancestral lands of the Algonquin people in Ottawa:

For virtual students, teachers, staff, and administrators, I have created a "virtual heart garden". You are invited to share words of solidarity, feelings, and commitments to reconciliation. There are options to upload drawings as well. I explain all of this on the short (less than 5 mins!) video tutorial below.

Link to Virtual Heart garden: https://padlet.com/lhowe054/heartgarden

Here is a link with a short video tutorial I made for using the padlet: https://youtu.be/aTOSF-dX1oc

To add your contributions to the padlet, click on the padlet link. Share this link with your students. Once you are in the Virtual Heart garden, you will see many messages. To add yours, click on the plus sign in the bottom right corner. A "sticky note" will pop up. At the top of the sticky note, you are invited to add your name, your treaty/territory and your school and grade. Below, write a message to honour the 215 children and to make a commitment to the work ahead. At the bottom of the sticky note, there are options to add photographs or drawings. Padlet saves automatically. Once you are finished writing, click anywhere on the padlet. Now, you can go back to your post if you want to edit or change the background colour. Just hover over the top right-hand corner of your sticky note. You will see options to edit come up. Important reminders: please instruct your students to only write on their sticky note. They are not to modify/change anyone else's. Also, as this is a public memorialisation, please review your students' messages to ensure that they are honourable, with correct spelling and terminology.

This is a public call to action for change in this country: to value and honour the lives of Indigenous children, their families and communities, while also expressing our collective grief and honoring of the children lost and the families left behind.

Thank you Lisa Howell for this amazing resource!

Canadians from coast-to-coast have been shocked at the news coming from Kamloops this past week. The unmarked graves of 215 children have been discovered at the site of the Kamloops IRS, validating the memories of survivors and confirming the oral history they have passed down to their children and grandchildren and demonstrating once again that far from being "isolated cases", the cruel mistreatment of child captives was too often the norm in Canada's IRS era, rather than the exception.

In recent years, the Kamloops IRS and has been the focus of meaningful historical teaching both in BC and across Canada, and resources have been created that give educators the tools to address this incredibly disturbing chapter of Canada's colonial history.

The BCTF and BC's Project of Heart - ebook - this amazing resource tells the hidden stories behind BC's residential schools, and gives learners practical ways to include their new knowledge in meaningful gestures or reconcilation.

Hidden history - links and resources prepared by the BCTF, including videos, presentations, online resourcesm and teacher's kits.

To find out how your classroom or learning group can honour the memory of the children who died at the Kamloops IRS and at residential schools across Canada, Project of Heart has prepared a 6-step learning module that has been used by educators in thousands of classrooms from coast to coast. And to see how educators in your province or school board have worked with Project of Heart, there are links to provincial Project of Heart sites at the top of this page.

Big Project of Heart thanks go out to Courtney Richard, music teacher at Westboro Elementary School in Sherwood Park, Alberta, for this excellent report!

Our journey with Project of Heart has left us feeling excited, grateful, wondering...what is the word to describe a project like this? It is a project of truth. It is a project of reconciliation. We have learned, we have grown, we have been inspired; we took our time to ensure that we put our very best effort into a project that meant so much.

It started with a full day teacher professional development session with Charlene Bearhead. I, the music teacher for Westboro Elementary, attended this meeting to learn about incorporating more Indigenous teachings and ways of knowing into our classrooms. Charlene showed a video of a song that students at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary had created with N'we Jinan artists called "Important to Us." She also shared Project of Heart. It was the first time I had heard of this project and I knew that I had been called to action and that we, as a school body, needed to do something.

The following year we began intentionally working with our students to teach about residential schools. What were they? Why did they exist? How were Indigenous peoples affected? How has our Canadian society been impacted as a result of these schools? We, both staff and parents, learned alongside the children. Our students saw the injustices that had occurred, but also saw that one step in moving forward is for all of us to come together to stand as one. And so began our Project of Heart. Not through tiles, or through video, but through song.

We began our process brainstorming with Elder Wilson Bearhead what message we wanted for our song. It was our students' talent, hard work, and creativity that took our vision and turned it into reality. Our song speaks of the past, the present, and the future. It encourages all cultures to come together to "Stand As One." I am so proud of what our students were able to achieve. We hope that it inspires others to recognize no matter what age they are, we all have a voice and we all can make a difference in our country's road to reconciliation. Our song and accompanying music video can be seen above this post.

It took a full school year to complete steps 1-3 of Project of Heart, but we made sure the following school year that we would fulfill all components of this project. It is true that we must apply what we have learned. Our project was a learning journey in and of itself, but what we do with this project extends the learning and takes it to a higher level. We listened to Rev. Mary Battaja's survivor story ( http://wherearethechildren.ca/en/stories/#story_2) and are grateful to Where Are The Children for filming so many stories that we can learn from. We chose to use the project we created as our social justice action. How can we continue to share our message? How can we take action by sharing our song through many different avenues so the message does not become lost or forgotten? We: posted it to our school website, shared on our district website, shared with friends and family, invited media to attend its release, shared with other teachers across the province, and promoted its use at conferences. Our job has not ended and in the years to come we hope to continue to work towards sharing our message of strength in unity. In doing so, it is our hope that it may spark a few others to do the same. Maybe one day we will all be able to look back at our past and see that we all did come together to Stand. As. One.

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Project of Heart would like to acknowledge the work of the students in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba for their Project of Heart learning experiences.

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NCTR - National Center for Truth & Reconciliation

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NCTR - National Center for Truth & Reconciliation

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The teaching resource collection within the archives at the NCTR is composed of over 300 unique English-language resources and 100 French-language resources related to residential schools and other closely related topics. Choose from downloadable apps, books, computer games, films, graphic novels, lesson plans, teaching guides, and more.

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Reconciliation Through Education

A part of our mandate at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is to raise awareness of the history and creation of the residential school system, its ongoing legacy, and how it has shaped the country we live in today. The teaching resources and educational programming we offer make it easier for the public to learn the truth about this tragic history.

The NCTR works closely with educators from a variety of sectors including the K-12 school system, post-secondary institutions, public service and professional sectors to provide access to materials and resources that can aid Canadians of any age to learn about and participate in reconciliation.

As said by former Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) Chair, The Honourable Murray Sinclair "Education is what got us into this mess and education is key to getting us out of it."

Learn at the NCTR

The NCTR hosts many groups, organizations, classes, and other visitors for education and learning sessions. Educational presentations, workshops, activities, and tours of the Centre and gallery are available to book, they are welcomed and encouraged.

If you are interested in exploring the Centre, please contact us.

Teaching Resources

The teaching resource collection within the archives at the NCTR is composed of over 300 unique English-language resources and 100 French-language resources related to residential schools and other closely related topics.

Choose from downloadable apps, books, computer games, films, graphic novels, lesson plans, teaching guides, and more.

Resources are organized by grade level:

Additional Resources
Expanding our Resources

Do you have a request or suggestion for additional educational materials we can add to our resources? Please contact us to share your questions or ideas to help us continue expanding our teaching resources.

Educational Programs

Through varied educational programs that emphasize outreach and engagement, the NCTR supports all sectors of the Canadian public to explore uncovered truths, engage in conversations of reconciliation and keep the journey of understanding, healing and empathy alive within themselves, their homes and families.

Formats range from digital resources and online forums to in-person workshops and activities, including:

Truth and Reconciliation Week

Join over 10,000 teachers and over 500,000 of Canadian youth on September 30 to honour Residential School Survivors, their families and communities at an extraordinary virtual event to support and encourage meaningful Reconciliation across Canada.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Sign up today to stay informed and get regular updates about NCTR.

NCTR's spirit name - bezhig miigwan, meaning "one feather".

Bezhig miigwan calls upon us to see each Survivor coming to the NCTR as a single eagle feather and to show those Survivors the same respect and attention an eagle feather deserves. It also teaches we are all in this together - we are all one, connected, and it is vital to work together to achieve reconciliation.

NCTR is located on the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation sits in the heart of Turtle Island and as a national organization we strive to represent and serve all of Turtle Island's people.

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Reconciliation through Education with NCTR's teaching resources and educational programming make it easier for the public to learn the truth.

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NCCIE - National Center for Collaboration in Indigenous Education

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NCCIE - National Center for Collaboration in Indigenous Education

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The National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE) is hosted by First Nations University of Canada, which has a 40-year history of being Indigenous-owned, operated, and controlled.

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Lessons from the Night Sky

The purpose of this series of 7 lesson activities is to enrich students' understanding and to gain appreciation of Indigenous Science and Western Science in astronomy. Students will experience practices in thinking about Indigenous ways of knowing and western culture. Students will feel more comfortable using ideas that they may not believe themselves. When teachers integrate aspects of Indigenous perspectives into the different subject areas, it not only teaches students about Indigenous Peoples but it also helps to engage students, especially those who are Indigenous. It is important for teachers to use topics and resources that are relevant to students and that will help them discover who they are as individuals.

These seven lesson activities are intended to be taught over 'multiple lessons' and can be divided depending on your class time limits.

Science | Grade: 9 | 6:10

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National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education - NCCIE

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Lessons from the Night Sky The purpose of this series of 7 lesson activities is to enrich students' understanding and to gain appreciation of Indigenous Science and Western Science in astronomy. Students will experience practices in thinking about Indigenous ways of knowing and western culture.

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CIRNAC - Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

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CIRNAC - Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

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Learning resources about First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada.

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Women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people

Read documents on the impacts of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people as well as on recommended actions to end this national tragedy. Get to know inspiring Indigenous women and Two-Spirits, and their invaluable past and present contributions.

Environment, traditional knowledge and territory

Explore the territory through the eyes of Indigenous Peoples, and learn about what First Nations, Inuit and Métis are doing to conserve both traditions and nature. Find out more about treaties and the importance of acknowledging the land we live on.

Indigenous Voices for Nature Conservation | Environment and Climate Change Canada
A video documentary series on First Nations, Inuit and Métis leadership in nature conservation, and its importance to cultural conservation and reconciliation.

Seven Sacred Laws | Turtle Lodge
A series of short animated films on the sacred teachings of Anishinaabe culture on how we should live our lives on Mother Earth.
Treaties | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
The story of Jocelyn Joe-Strack, member of the Agunda/Wolf clan of the self-governing Champagne and Aishihik First Nations of southwest Yukon, sharing how her father and his colleagues participated in the Yukon land claim negotiations.

Children and youth

Discover learning resources on Indigenous history and cultures designed for children and youth. Let stories created by young Indigenous artists and writers inspire you.

It's Our Time Education Toolkit | Assembly of First Nations
A toolkit to help students and teachers understand various First Nations topics.

Learning Resources | Métis Gathering
Resources for kids and teachers about Métis culture.

First Peoples Educational Kit | Musée de la civilisation
A digital kit for each school cycle highlighting the history and contributions of First Nations and Inuit in Quebec.

Languages, cultures and arts

Immerse yourself in the diverse languages, cultures and arts of Indigenous Peoples. Learn how to say "Hello" in an Indigenous language, watch a film or documentary by an Indigenous filmmaker, or visit a virtual museum.

Indigenous Languages Across Canada | Statistics Canada
An article from Statistics Canada using data from the 2021 Census of Population. It provides a portrait of the Indigenous languages spoken by First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada, highlighting the diversity of Indigenous languages by geographic region.

Influential Indigenous Musicians in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia
The work of these popular Indigenous musicians celebrates their cultures and shines a light on important issues for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

Online Exhibition of Inuit Prints from Cape Dorset | Canadian Museum of History
This online resource offers unique access to works created by artists from Kinngait (Cape Dorset). Visitors are invited to browse some 4,000 works, and to create their own sharable virtual exhibits.

Métis Arts and Culture | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
An overview of traditional and modern Métis arts and culture.

Reconciliation

Access resources, research and reports on various topics related to residential schools, intergenerational impacts of colonization and efforts to advance reconciliation. Find guidance and ideas on how to start conversations about reconciliation.

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Learning resources about First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada

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Here are some resources to help you celebrate National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day.

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Indspire is a national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people by providing financial awards, programs, and resources.

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Rivers to Success

The Rivers to Success (R2S) program, with its unique three streams and customized cultural resources, will provide a strong support system to ensure the sustained success of Indigenous students as they graduate and go on to become the leaders of tomorrow.

In R2S, students will have access to Elders, Indigenous mentors, Indigenous Laureates, and Indigenous Building Brighter Futures alumni. Connecting with these resources will enable students to prioritize their own development, seek out exciting opportunities, and ultimately achieve success in their chosen fields - all while maintaining essential connections to their cultures and communities.
Learn more about Rivers to Success

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Indspire | A richer life for Indigenous youth starts here

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Indspire is a nationally registered charitable organization dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the tools necessary for Indigenous peoples in Canada to achieve their potential.

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The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

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Legacy Schools Resources - The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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We provide schools and communities across Canada with reconciliation and residential school history lesson plans that can be implemented.

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Outdoor Learning School & Store The Outdoor Learning Store -

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Offering outdoor learning equipment to support healthy education, outdoor learning and the outdoor classroom.