Genre: Full Text
Database
Format: Online
Suggested age: Intermediate
students +
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Canadian Points of
View Reference Centre is a database geared towards use in Canadian school
libraries and classrooms. The database
is organized into broad categories and consists of essays illustrating multiple
viewpoints on social and global issues such as animal and human rights,
religion, etc. In addition to the
essays, each category provides an objective overview of the specific topics
including a point/counterpoint as well as a teacher’s critical thinking guide.
This database is
available through a paid subscription.
Many school districts and public libraries have this database and offer
access to their patrons. My own school
district purchased this database as part of a bundle from the Educational
Resource Acquisition Consortium (ERAC).
The interface is
considerably user-friendly and easy to navigate with clear search fields and
well-labeled tabs for sorting search results.
The sources range from magazines, newspapers, reference books,
biographies, transcripts, images, and videos.
Students can log in and save their searches and articles which are
either in HTML full text or PDF format.
Reading levels are identified for each article or essay and there is an
audio option to listen to each.
Although this resource does not lead educators
through the site by learning outcomes tied to province standards, which I know
is usually considered an attractive option, the broad categories provide enough
information for teachers to find what will suit their units of instruction. While I highly recommend this resource, I am
going to recommend it with a cautionary note that all databases need explicit
instruction to help students navigate these themselves. This could be a wonderful resource for
students and parents during public speaking units but, as for all research,
students need to be guided and taught to be thoughtful and responsible
consumers of information.
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