October 23rd is BC School Library Day. And, it’s also the date for the Drop Everything and Read Challenge. This weekend is a good time to browse through some books and choose something to read next Monday. It’s also a good time to think of one of your usual activities you can replace with 20… Read more
Newsela is a free nonfiction reading website and an app where students can read about current events at different reading levels. The news articles are from several sources, including the Washington Post, Scientific American, the Smithsonian and PBS News Hour. They’ve been rewritten at 5 different reading levels (measured by Lexile score), from approximately Grade… Read more
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and each week has a theme. This week’s theme is Privacy Protection and the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the interconnected devices that share information online. Some of these are everyday items, including smart phones, fitness trackers, and smart cars. This week, Cybersecurity Awareness Month… Read more
Congratulations to Winnie Chien for her winning entry in our Literacy is Life contest! Contestants were asked to tell about a time they fostered literacy in their home or community. Winnie is a LINC 6 student at Educacentre College in Vancouver. Here’s her story: How I Helped My Parents Use a Smart Phone My parents… Read more
Today is International Plain Language Day. The theme is “Improving Customer Relations“. Try the following plain language quiz from Grammarly, Can You Translate Business Jargon to Plain Language? (Click the image to go to the quiz.) You can find information on applying plain language principles to business writing in Writing at Work: how to write… Read more
October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. It’s a good time to learn more about learning disabilities. The following posters from the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario illustrate what learning disabilities can be like for adults. Thanks to the LD and Whole Life Learning Project of Literacy BC, the Decoda Library has a substantial collection of… Read more
Today is International Day of the Girl Child. This year’s theme is “EmPOWER Girls: before, during and after crises“. Did you know: Every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, an adolescent girl dies as a result of violence. Adolescent girls in conflict zones are 90 per cent more likely to be out of school when… Read more
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and each week has a theme. This week’s theme is Cyber security in the Workplace is Everyone’s Business. Public Safety Canada has written a Get Cybersafe Guide for Small and Medium Businesses that contains more detailed information, strategies and tips for organizations and employees that will keep people and information… Read more
Today is World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme is “Mental Health in the Workplace“. Click here for an information sheet on mental health at work. The following infographic summarizes some of the negative effects of mental health problems at work and offers suggestions about what employers and employees can do to help. (Click the… Read more
“In order to find yourself in a book, you first must lose yourself in a book.” – Linda Sue Park Can books help make readers better human beings? Children’s author Linda Sue Park talks about how books provide practice at responding to unfairness, and how empathy for a book’s characters can lead to engagement in… Read more