Canadian Points of View Reference Centre

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.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Format:  Audio book

Recommended Ages: 8+

Author:  Brian Selznick

Read by:  Jeff Woodman

Scholastic Audio

Paris, 1931, Hugo Cabret has been orphaned and left to live with his drunken uncle in the walls of train station where he and his uncle maintain the stations clocks.  Hugo’s uncle mysteriously disappears and Hugo must continue to maintain the station’s clocks to keep his uncle’s disappearance a secret so that he would not be sent to the orphanage.  

Hugo misses his father terribly and vows to finish fixing his father’s automaton.  Hugo is convinced the automaton holds a special message for him from his father.  In an effort to find parts to fix this machine, Hugo must steal from a toy booth.  Once caught by the owner, he must work for the man in order to earn back his father’s notebook which holds valuable notes on the fixing the automaton.  Soon enough though, Hugo finds an important connection between his father’s beloved automaton and the owner of the toy booth.

I accessed this audio book through the Fraser Valley Regional Library’s Overdrive system.  Using my iPad, I was able to navigate easily through the chapters, change the volume and bookmark my progress through the story.  This is my first experience with an audio book and I must say that I had forgotten how nice it is to be the recipient of a read aloud!  Woodman’s cadence and tone are easy to listen to and the transitions in voice from narrator to characters were polished and natural-sounding.  Sound effects were used periodically throughout the reading but in my opinion, there could have been more such as when the automaton begins to write out its secret message for Hugo, I would have loved to hear the scratching of quill to paper at that point. 

 I suggest that this audio book be used as a companion with the hard copy edition as the illustrations in the hard copy are a large part of the experience (and magic) of the story.   Selznick himself states, “the images in my new book don't just illustrate the story; they help tell it."(Selznick,nd)

World Book: Dramatic Learning

World BookClassroom:  Dramatic Learning

Format:  Online Resource

Recommended Age:  Teacher’s resource.

Although this resource states that is tied to state achievement benchmarks, the version that my district has the subscription to offers connections to the BC curriculum.  This would stand to reason that the resource is adapted to meet the needs of the subscribers throughout the US and Canada.  

The layout and navigation for this resource is clear and uncomplicated.  It doesn’t have the flash and colour that the other World Book resources have besides a beautiful front page; but I find that as a teacher, I don’t need the distraction of the extras; I just want the resources NOW!  The layout includes a straightforward menu to guide readers through the site.  This resource includes a professional development section including videos, the “hows” and “whys” of dramatic learning, extensions to the Dramatic Learning resources for critical thinking, FAQs, as well as an online tutorial for using the website.  

Other sections of this site include mini-inquiry projects, lesson plans, rubric, step-by-step how tos, and accompanying posters and programs.  This resource is ideal for teachers who have done reader’s theatre but would like to extend the learning and experience from simply performing plays for practicing fluency. 

World Book Kids

World Book Kids

Resource:  Electronic Encyclopedia

Format: Website

Suggested age:  7 +

This resource is available for use through a paid subscription policy although many school districts and public libraries already own subscriptions for this and make it available for their patrons and staff.  

World Book Kids is easily accessible through a simple log in screen, the colourful front page is appealing to audiences young and old. 

Users have the option to do a simple keyword search, advanced search or choose one of the search options such as pictures, world of animals, important people, science projects, dictionary, maps and more, compare places, plants and animals, history and government, Science and Math, Arts, sports and hobbies,  and games and activities.  Once a search has been entered World Book Kids supports the user in narrowing their search criteria to yield useful results. 

 

This interface is quite user-friendly and the designers have kept the page aesthetically pleasing yet uncluttered and easy to navigate.  Users can choose to learn about their topic via articles, exhibits, or quick facts.  At any time a user needs assistance, they can click on an information/help button to access a video tutorial.  From the home page, users can also access World Books other resources such as World Book Discover, Advanced, Student, Dramatic Learning, and Early World Learning.  The site also offers world book resources in French and Spanish.  As a teacher-librarian I would feel comfortable recommending this resource to primary and early intermediate teachers to support their curriculum. 

Baby Animals eBook

Genre:  Non-fiction

Text: Mariah Bear & Sonia Vallabh

Picture Research:  Brandi Valenza

Voice Over:   Robyn Ginsburg Braverman

EPUB ISBN 978-1-616-28-347-6

Quadrum Ltd.  2007

“From the top of the tree to the bottom of the sea, animals are everywhere—and every one of them starts out as a baby!” (p. 66).  Bear and Vallabh’s nonfiction eBook, Baby Animals, is indeed true to its title.  
Over the course of sixty-six pages a wide variety of baby animals from all geographical regions are introduced and snippets of facts are sprinkled liberally throughout.  This book is a good starting point to introduce animals but I would have liked to see a few more specific facts about the animals that were awarded a two-page layout in this book.   

 This eBook originally caught my attention for a few  different reasons, the first reason was because it was a free download from the app store for my iPad, the second reason, it featured baby animals which is my toddler daughter’s current infatuation.  Now, I am always leery of free apps and eBooks as they tend to lack in quality or have so many ads that it detracts from the experience.  I was pleasantly surprised that the reader is not inundated with pop up ads throughout this title.  The text is simple, but accurate and appropriate for a primary audience and Robyn Ginsburg Braverman provides a clear voice-over for the read along option, albeit I found the tempo lagging slightly but novice readers following along may find this speed helpful.  There are 60 other eBook titles to choose from featuring bugs, cars, trucks, underwater animals and more.  While I wouldn’t recommend this title for in-school use to support the curriculum, it is a lovely book to share with a child aged 15 months-4 years of age for the beautiful photography.