Education: Laurier Library's Teacher Education Collections & Resources for School Classroom Use

If you are in WATERLOO...

• Feel free to come in and browse the shelves of the Professional & Curriculum Collection ​​​​​​(i.e. books for teachers about pedagogical theories &/or classroom activities, to help answer, "How do I teach it?");
  • the book spines' call number labels start with "EDUPROF" or "EDUC".
• More books about teaching children, primary & junior grade education and classroom activities can also be found in the call number range of "LB", found on the 6th Floor of the Waterloo campus Library.

If you are in BRANTFORD 

- OR - 

would like to find titles & call numbers first, BEFORE GOING TO THE SHELVES…

• use Omni (Advanced); do a search such as:
  • on the 1st line, copy & paste (with quotation marks and capital "OR"s): ​​​​​​"Study and teaching (primary)" OR "Study and teaching (elementary)" & choose "Subject" form the drop-down menu on the left-hand side of the text box;
    • on the 2nd line, type in the subject area you're trying to teach, e.g. Mathematics

PLEASE NOTE: Items found in either location in Omni can be ordered for drop-off at the other location. 

For more practical ideas and examples of lesson plans, classroom activities &/or other curriculum supports, check the Library's online Education database collection, in particular:​​​​​

• Education @ EBSCOhost, for articles from professional magazines for teachers:
  • once a search has been done, use the filters for "Books" & "Magazines" from the left-hand side of the results screen;
• the "VLE: Virtual Learning Environment": 
  • A demo / training site for the Ontario Ministry of Education's online learning management system), that "supports the delivery of online, remote and blended learning to Kindergarten to Grade 12 students and educators in Ontario.” Contains lesson plans, activity ideas, assessment examples, etc.;
• Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (Ophea)'s:
  • H&PE Elementary Resources;
  • Ophea : Ontario Physical Activity Standards in Education;
• Education in Video (mainly American, 1962-2018)
  "...a collection of streaming video developed specifically for training and developing teachers. Containing more than 1,300 hours of teaching demonstrations, lectures, documentaries, and primary-source footage of students and teachers in actual classrooms at completion, this resource provides a way to observe the intricacies of behavior, tone, facial expression, and body language that define effective teaching styles."

If you are in Waterloo...

• Feel free to BROWSE the Children & Teen Book Collection ON THE 4th FLOOR:
  • contains picture & story books, chapter books (novels) & non-fiction books;
  • books are primarily in English or French; some books have indigenous language text, too;
  • the book spines' call number labels start with "EDUCHILD".

If you are in BRANTFORD 

- OR - 

would like to find titles & call numbers first, BEFORE GOING TO THE SHELVES…

Use Omni (Advanced); set your search up as such:

1. For picture books:

• on the 1st line, copy & paste (including the quotation marks and the capitalized AND):

  ​​​"juvenile fiction" AND "picture books for children" 

  • next, choose "Subject" from the drop-down menu on the left-hand side of the text box;
    • choose "contains exact phrase" from the middle drop-down menu;
      • select "Books & eBooks" under Resource Type on the right-hand side of the text box; 
        • add a keyword about the topic of the story you'd like to find, e.g. friend* on the next text box line.

2.  For chapter books:

• on the 1st line, copy & paste (including the quotation marks):

  ​​​"juvenile fiction"

  • next, choose "Subject" from the drop-down menu on the left-hand side of the text box;
    • choose "contains exact phrase" from the middle drop-down menu;
      • select "Books & eBooks" under Resource Type on the right-hand side of the text box; 
        • add a keyword about the topic of the story you'd like to find, e.g. friend* on the next text box line.

N.B. use the  (asterix or star above the number 8 on your keyboard) to find all the endings for a word, such as "friend", "friends", "friendly", "friendship" & "friendships".  

• Use the word "OR" (capitalized) between similar terms, e.g. friend* OR pal* OR companion* OR chum*.

PLEASE NOTE: Items found in either location in Omni can be ordered for drop-off at the other location. 

For a few quick suggestions, browse these Omni "Library Picks" collections:

1. "Children's Education: Chapter Books for Children (Grades 3 to 5 / 8 to 11 years of age)";
2. "Children's Education: Chapter Books for Children (Grades 6 to 8 / 11 to 14 years of age)"; and
3. "Children's Education: Chapter Books for Teens (Grades 9 to 12 / 14 to 18 years of age)"

To discover other great books for children & teens…

Browse the sites of those who award annual book prizes to "the best"; you may find these titles in Laurier's collection, at your local public library &/or at your favourite book stores!  Here are a few suggested prize-givers, divided up under Canadian, American & Indigenous categories:

(A) Canadian:

(1) Governor General’s Literary Awards: "The Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks) celebrate literature and inspire people to read books by creators from Canada. They provide finalists and winners with valuable recognition from peers and readers across the country."

• Young peoples' illustrated
  • toggle between English & French winners
• Young people's text
  • toggle between English & French winners

(2) TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award (The Canadian Children's Book Centre, 2004-2024): "The award recognized excellence in Canadian children’s literature by awarding two cash prizes of $50,000 each to an English-language book and a French-language book which are deemed to have made a significant contribution to excellence in Canadian children’s literature. The celebration of diversity is an equally significant element in achieving excellence. A work of excellence in Canadian children’s literature should also be successful in making people feel a sense of belonging in their communities."

• Best Books: "The go-to resource for the best new Canadian books and magazines for children and teens…every title included has been given our stamp of approval, ensuring you get only the highest quality literature. Starred selections represent titles of exceptional calibre. …expert committees of educators, booksellers and school and public librarians from across Canada handpick the selections."

(3) List of Canadian Children’s Book Awards (Parent Club): Smaller book prizes, including those from different provinces.

(4) Canadian Library Association Award Books (1947-2016; site created by the Toronto Metropolitan University Library): The site lists the recipient books for the:

• Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children (1947-2016);
• the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award (1971-2016); and, 
• the Young Adult Canadian Book Award (1981-2016).

N.B. The listed titles in these sites have links to TMU Library's holdings; check Omni for Laurier's own holdings for any wanted title. If WLU does not own the book, feel free to request the title through Omni.
 

(b) American:

(1) John Newbery Medal: "The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

• Newbery Award Books: Recent and past Newbery Award winners (The Public Library, Albuquerque and Bernalillo County) 

(2) Caldecott Medal: "The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children."

• Caldecott Award Books: All Caldecott Award winners (The Public Library, Albuquerque and Bernalillo County) 

(3) Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards: "The Horn Book (started) in 1924 to herald the best in children’s literature. …The Horn Book Magazine is one of the most distinguished resources in the field of children’s and young adult literature and the core of our company.."

• Book Reviews: "The go-to resource for the best new Canadian books and magazines for children and teens…every title included has been given our stamp of approval, ensuring you get only the highest quality literature. Starred selections represent titles of exceptional calibre. …expert committees of educators, booksellers and school and public librarians from across Canada handpick the selections."

(c) Indigenous:

(1) First Nation Communities Read (FNCR): "The First Nation Communities READ (FNCR) Award Program is the Ontario First Nation Public Library Community’s contribution to the reading movement. Launched in 2003 by the First Nations Public Library Community in Ontario with support from the Ontario Library Service, it promotes a community-based approach to reading. FNCR celebrates the very best of Indigenous literature across Turtle Island. The program encourages family literacy and intergenerational storytelling. FNCR also helps to increase awareness of the importance of First Nations, Métis and Inuit writing, illustration and publishing. ….The only award program with an all First Nation Public Librarian jury, FNCR celebrates and holds up the very best in Indigenous literature in Canada."

• FNCR Book Bundles (GoodMinds.com): To find out what each book is about and to view a few pages, click on the titles included in each bundle, then check Omni or your local public library to find a copy to borrow:
  • Children's
  • Teen & Young Adult

(2) Award-Winning (Strong Nations Publishing, Nanaimo, British Columbia): Explore the links on the left hand side of the page for "American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner", the "Anskohk Aboriginal Children’s Book of the Year", the "First Nation Communities Read: Indigenous Literacy Award" and "Indigenous Voices Awards".

Search the Omni collection called "Children's Education: Games, Kits, Manipulatives & Posters for Classroom Use":

Divided by subject areas (i.e. Drama, Music & Dance; Geography, Geology & the Environment; Health & Nutrition; History; Social Studies & Culture; Mathematics & Geometry; Physical Education; Reading, Writing & Languages; Science & Technology; Visual Arts & Crafts; and Just for Fun: Board Games rated as appropriate for children), here are a selection of games, manipulatives, kits, construction sets, realia, posters, picture puzzles & audio-visual aids to help Teacher Candidates, faculty & students work with children in school or other settings.

To Find More Items  - or to find items more precisely on a topic - try one or more the following:

• Search Omni, following the tips provided in each subject category in the Omni collection, above.
• Browse the physical shelves on the 4th floor of the Waterloo campus Library (to the right as you exit the elevator)
  • the kits' call number labels start with "EDUKIT– Large" OR "EDUKIT–Small";
  • REALLY large ("oversized") books & kits have call number labels that start with "EDUOVER".

N.B. Although these items are located in the Waterloo campus Library, they can be ordered over through Omni, with a drop off at the Public Library in Brantford, in 1 to 3 business days.

If you would like more information about (or ideas on how to use) any game, kit, manipulative or poster, try the following:

• Find the item in Omni, then scroll to the bottom of the record to see all the information that has been provided.
• You can also search Google for the name of the item (in quotation marks) along with the name of the company (also in quotation marks).

E.g., from this Omni record, you would type the following into a Google search box:

"Erupting cross section volcano model" "Learning Resources" 

Google will return this collection of results, which you can explore, including the tabs at the top, "Images" and "Videos".

Some examples from the collection:

Search our Omni collection called "Children's Education: Games, Kits, Manipulatives & Posters for Classroom Use":

Divided by subject areas (i.e. Drama, Music & Dance; Geography, Geology & the Environment; Health & Nutrition; History; Social Studies & Culture; Mathematics & Geometry; Physical Education; Reading, Writing & Languages; Science & Technology; Visual Arts & Crafts; and Just for Fun: Board Games rated as appropriate for children), here are a selection of games, manipulatives, kits, construction sets, realia, posters, picture puzzles & audio-visual aids to help Teacher Candidates, faculty & students work with children in school or other settings.

TIP: Once in the Omni collection for your subject area, use the word "poster" in the search bar.

To Find More Items - or to find items more precisely on a topic - try one or more the following:

• search Omni, following the tips provided in each subject category in the Omni collection, above;
• browse the physical shelves on the 4th floor of the Waterloo campus Library (to the right as you exit the elevator)
  • posters' or pictures' call number labels start with EDUPIC.

N.B. Although these items are located in the Waterloo campus Library, they can be ordered over through Omni, with a drop off at the Public Library in Brantford, in 1 to 3 business days.

If you would like more information about (or ideas on how to use) any game, kit, manipulative or poster, try the following:

• Once you have found the item in Omni, scroll to the bottom of the record to see all the information that has been provided.
• Then, search Google for the name of the item (in quotation marks) along with the name of the company (also in quotation marks).

E.g., from this Omni record, you would type the following into a Google search box:

"Skeletal system" "Trend Enterprises" 

Google will return this collection of results, which you can explore, including the tabs at the top, "Images" and "Videos". 

Some examples from the collection: