Empowering, Engaging and Educating Students in Grades 4-6 with the ORC Jamie Davis, ORC Coordinator St. Bede School January 22, 2016

What is the ORC? $1.7 million collection of curricular aligned authoritative digital resources licensed on behalf of all Alberta: K-12 students and their parents School staff Pre-service teachers Public library staff* Funded by a yearly Grant-In-Aid from Alberta Education to the Alberta Library (TAL) *for the purposes of supporting K-12 patrons

Why These Resources? Provide authoritative, age appropriate, engaging, curricular-aligned content Google and Wikipedia are the tip of the searching and information literacy iceberg allow students to become familiar and comfortable with the kind of resources and searching practises that are integral to 21st century learning Are time savers once you are familiar with them include embedded supports for diverse learners like listen, text translation, citation tools, vetted websites, copyright friendly pictures and videos Provide anytime, from anywhere with an internet connection access

What’s in it for Teachers? Direct curriculum correlations, curriculum mapping for Science and Social (under completion) Support for diverse learners Access to journals like Walrus, National Geographic, School Library Journal, Men’s Health, and MacLean’s (RSS feeds can be set up) Consistent and explicit update schedules Access to vetted websites Ability to create permalinks that can be posted on a website/moodle page.blog or sent in an blast

Accessing the ORC Go to LearnAlberta.caLearnAlberta.ca Select English and French Click “Online Reference Centre” in the tab along the top of the screen In school automatic authentication should occur Outside of school access requires username and password CSSD Username: Password: Share your district username and password (low tech methods) for your remote

Quick Tips for Technology Management in the Classroom Create a direct link to the ORC Create enlarged icons of the databases you will use to post on board preload iPads, Smart Boards, or computers to save time Model in whole group - paired work - independent work Number each student - that will be their computer number every time Create recipe cards with each student’s login information - laminate and keep on a ring Assign in-class tech helpers Assist with age appropriate citations - icons, pre-made worksheets, etc.

QUESTIONS?

Resources that Support Literacy Learning TrueFLIX TeachingBooks.net

TrueFLIX Sister resource to BookFLIX designed for grades 3-6 Nonfiction content divided into 2 broad themes with 3-5 sub themes Each eBook includes an introductory video to hope build background knowledge of topic and improve student comprehension Human voice read along feature to support emergent/struggling readers Interactive table of contents for each eBook, in addition to a glossary and index Essential inquiry questions and project ideas for every eBook

TeachingBooks.net Includes a wealth of support material to teach and promote books in your school and classroom (book trailers, author interviews and readings, author audio name pronunciation, book guides and lesson plans, etc.) Share pages using share, , or permalink Create QR flyer, text feature, literary calendar Access Alberta specific booklists: Rocky Mountain Book Awards (Grades 4-7) Young Readers Choice (Grades 4-6) Alberta Education recommended listing for grades 4-12 Canadian Book Award Winners/Canadian Book and Author Resources Personalized book lists upon request or with a personal account

Developing Vocabulary Visual Thesaurus

Recommended for grade 3-12 Six languages including English, French, Spanish and German Correct word pronunciation in human voice for every word Images related to words with right-click (images are google images and not vetted) Word of the day/week/month Personal word lists and spelling bees with an account* Vocabgrabber with an account * to get steps for setting up personal

Resources that Support Science PowerKnowledge Suite National Geographic Kids Virtual Library Science In Context

PowerKnowledge Suite Recommended for grades 1-6 Content divided into 3 databases: Earth & Space, Life Science, and Physical Science Includes a customizable read aloud feature Short, segmented articles with introductory videos to build background knowledge Embedded science experiments, projects, and educational games related to the content of the database Aligns with 95% of the grade 3-6 science curriculum and 87% of grade 1-6 science curriculum

PowerKnowledge: Earth & Space Science Science Units Supported: Grade 1 Seasonal Changes Grade 2 Exploring Liquids Grade 3 Rocks and Minerals Grade 4 Light and Shadows & Waste and Our World Grade 5 Weather Watch, Wetland Ecosystems & Social Studies Mapping Skills Grade 6 Sky Science This resource is included in the Curriculum Mapping on the ORC Support SiteORC Support Site

PowerKnowledge: Life Science Science Units Supported: Grade 1 Needs of Animals and Plants Grade 2 Small Flying and Crawling Animals Grade 3 Animal Life Cycles & Hearing and Sound Grade 4 Plant Growth and Changes, Waste and Our World Grade 5 Wetland Ecosystems Grade 6 Trees and Forests This resource is included in the Curriculum Mapping on the ORC Support SiteORC Support Site

PowerKnowledge: Physical Science Science Units Supported: Grade 1 Needs of Animals and Plants Grade 2 Hot and Cold Temperatures & Magnetism Grade 4 Wheels and Levers Grade 5 Electricity and Magnetism & Classroom Chemistry Grade 6 Trees and Forests This resource is included in the Curriculum Mapping on the ORC Support SiteORC Support Site

National Geographic Kids New to the collection for 2015/2016 Authoritative nonfiction content Award-winning maps and photos 200 National Geographic Kids Books 500 Kid-friendly, downloadable images National Geographic Kids Magazines (2009-Present, 3 month embargo) Includes listen feature

Science In Context Recommended for student in grade 6 and up Featured videos, new, and stories on homepage customizable read-aloud feature, articles available to download MP3 Text translation to 13 languages Highlight and notes within the aricle, save to a folder without an account Embedded citations (MLA 7th Edition, and APA 6th Edition) Links to “Related Subjects” to support shallow searchers Share/permalink any page using the “Bookmark” tab right side of the search bar at the top Advanced search allows for Boolean, and content selection (Advance/ Intermediate/Basic) Search specific learner outcomes for grade 6 Alberta curriculum in the “Curriculum Standards” link

Social Studies Resources Culturegrams The Canadian Encyclopedia Canada In Context

Culturegrams Four Interfaces - 2 for Elementary Students: Kids Edition - excellent support for gr. 3 S.S. Provinces Edition - supports gr. 2 S.S. Updated every 6 months and written/reviewed by in-country consultants Features include: customizable read-aloud, infographics, photo gallery, slideshows, videos, famous people, and cultural recipes Tools included: build-your-own graphs and tables, pre-generated graphs and tables, distance calculator, and currency converter

The Canadian Encyclopedia Free website provided by Government of Canada Change from English to French at the top right-hand corner of every page New updated interface - much more aesthetic and functional View personal accounts from veterans, view videos, articles, publication date, editor, and edit date Embedded citations (MLA 7th Edition, APA 6th Edition, Chicago 16th Edition) Wealth of Canadian Content for grade 4/5/6 Social Studies curricula

Canada In Context Canadian content not only for Social Studies, but also Science and ELA Featured videos, new, and stories on homepage customizable read-aloud feature, articles available to download MP3 Text translation to 13 languages Highlight and notes within the aricle, save to a folder without an account Embedded citations (MLA 7th Edition, and APA 6th Edition) Links to “Related Subjects” to support shallow searchers Share/permalink any page using the “Bookmark” tab right side of the search bar at the top Advanced search allows for Boolean, and content selection (Advance/ Intermediate/Basic)

Resource for Supporting: First/Second Language Learners Students with Communication Challenges Muzzy Online

Recommended for students in K-6 Immersion language learning program Hundreds of words and phrases embedded in learning stories Siz movies in each language level with a subtitle option for all of the languages offered 101 thematic video lessons with embedded language learning games divided into level I & II All new 3D animation All new teachers materials Complete Elementary (Spanish & French) Classroom Editions (Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, and English)

Muzzy Online Curriculum Materials Step 1: Log In User: alberta Password: alberta4MuzzyOnline!

Resources Page After Login Step 2: Click on “Curriculum Materials”

Complete Elementary: Spanish and French Step 3: Choose between Complete Elementary (Spanish & French) OR Classroom Edition (Spanish, French Mandarin Chinese, & English)

What’s the Difference? Complete Elementary Curriculum moves at a slower pace Appropriate for pre and early readers Curriculum Edition Curriculum moves at a faster pace Covers more vocabulary per lesson

What’s Similar? All lessons expand and contract to fit variable session lengths All lessons are based on watching a clip from the Muzzy stories of vocabulary builder

Step-by-Step Lesson Plans Step 4: Select a Lesson Choose from a wide selection of lessons complete with lesson materials, activity sheets and teacher masters

Lesson Plan Continued Easy to follow, step by step lesson plans Designed for teachers who are not specialized in teaching languages

Activity Sheets and Teaching Materials Complete with Blackline Masters and Teacher Keys

Recently Redesigned Resource World Book Student

Recommended for students in grades 4-9 Multidisciplinary database that includes atlas, dictionary (with voice pronunciation), images, weblinks, and world news “My Research” allows users to track and save their research online Features include: customizable read aloud, text translation to 79 languages, timeline builder, embedded citations (MLA, APA, Harvard), citation builder, primary source documents, pathfinders, resource guides, teaching documents Content accessible through a variety of access points Ability to create permalinks

Support for School Staff Using the ORC ORC Support Site ORC Listserv LinksContact

ORC Support Site Resource training materials - podcasts, videos, archived webinars, and guides Information about upcoming free ORC PD opportunities Information about province-wide resource trials and surveys Online booking system for ORC sessions Calendar of ORC events Links to ORC Twitter and Facebook accounts

ORC Listserv Weekly updates organized by E/J/S: New resources and features Province-wide trials Surveys Free PD opportunities No s during school breaks Membership benefits for every 50th person to join or visit the ORC Support Site to join

Links to Check Out ORC Support Site ORC Listserv ORC Facebook ORC

Contact For more information or to schedule a school presentation contact: Jamie Davis, ORC Coordinator Call ext: 229 OR