Current Collections

New! Popular lesson plan series and articles previously published in What in the World? and The Canadian Reader are now available for purchase as collections organized around a subject or theme. Offered in English and in French, collections vary in length and are delivered electronically in pdf format. Each collection may be reproduced and shared among teachers and students within one school.

Jump to: Lesson collections | Themed collections | Text collections

 

Lesson collections

News Literacy

In today’s digital world, the Internet and social media make accessing, creating, and spreading information easy, instantaneous, and far-reaching. Peter Adams, from The News Literacy Project, describes how today’s youth are 'digital natives' but also show 'digital naiveté', trusting many sources of information without considering their reliability or credibility.

This series of 6 lesson plans is designed to help teachers develop students’ news literacy, so they become critical consumers of what they see, hear, and read online (68 pages). Lesson plans include:

  • News Blackout
  • How Do I Know If It’s Credible?
  • Fact Versus Opinion
  • Following a Story Over Time
  • Is This Real?
  • Should I Spread This Message or Not?

22 pages, $55.

Critical Literacy

This series of 9 lesson plans aims to develop students' non-fiction reading comprehension by explicitly teaching key reading strategies. Lesson plans include:

  • Looking For the Organizing Structure
  • Asking Questions
  • Determining Importance
  • Finding the Main Idea
  • Drawing Inferences
  • Visualizing from Text
  • Synthesis
  • Summarizing Key Data
  • Analyzing Text Structure

29 pages, $55.

Note-Making

Note-making is a very complex skill that involves many steps. This series of 9 lesson plans offers an easy-to-implement, effective approach to developing students' ability to take useful notes. Lesson plans include:

  • Two-Column Notes
  • Note-Making Web
  • Note-Making Flow Chart
  • Problem/Solution Chart
  • Cause-Effect Organizer
  • GAP Organizer
  • Venn Diagram
  • Hierarchy Chart
  • Target Template

42 pages, $55

Themed collections

Community Connections

This collection of one-page articles, each accompanied by a complete before/during/after reading lesson plan, builds students’ background knowledge of their country and what it means to be a Canadian citizen. The relevant, practical content supports multiple areas of the curriculum. Topics in this themed collection include:

  • Government in Canada
  • Athletics in Canada
  • Voting in Canada
  • Banking in Canada
  • Giving and Volunteering
  • Transportation in Canada
  • Dealing With Disasters
  • Parks in Canada
  • The Canadian Forces
  • Tax Time in Canada
  • Water in Canada
  • Energy in Canada
  • Remembrance Day
  • Waste in Canada

44 pages, $55.

Level 1

Community Connections Level 2

Level 2

Text collections

Use one or more of these collections of previously-published LesPlan articles (with accompanying curriculum) to begin building or supplementing a rich text set on a selected topic or issue.

Canadian Reader

For grades three and up.
Order each title separately.
Titles include:

Amazing Animals

(6 articles, 56 pages, $18.)

  • Big Blue Comes to the Museum
  • Bringing Home the Bison
  • The Incredible Journey
  • The Flight of the Monarch Butterflies
  • Tracking a Shark
  • Elephant Road Trip

Animals and Us

(9 articles, 74 pages, $27.)

  • Hunting Grizzlies
  • Do Whales Belong in Aquariums?
  • Owning Exotic Pets
  • Dog Rescue
  • No Pet Sales in Toronto Stores
  • The Great Backyard Bird Count
  • Killer Cats
  • Oh, Rats!
  • Coyote Trouble

Endangered Animals

(7 articles, 69 pages, $21.)

  • Bees in Big Trouble
  • Belugas in Trouble
  • Big Whales, Big Trouble
  • Pint-Sized Pandamonium
  • Going to Bat for a Rare Bird
  • Bats in Trouble
  • Saving the Last Ice for Polar Bears

Ocean Animals

(5 articles, 52 pages, $15.)

  • Big Whales, Big Trouble
  • Big Blue Comes to the Museum
  • Belugas in Trouble
  • Tracking a Shark
  • Saving the Last Ice for Polar Bears

The Environment and Us

(8 articles, 78 pages, $24.)

  • Crunchy Crickets
  • Bees in Big Trouble
  • EarthPLAY for Earth Day
  • Vancouver’s New Bikes – Hop On!
  • David Suzuki: 80 and Counting…
  • Cruising the Northwest Passage
  • Pipeline to the Sea?
  • The Flight of the Monarch Butterflies

Health

(14 articles, 108 pages, $42.)

  • Sunscreen By the Squirt
  • What Are You Guzzling?
  • Putting Choices on the Menu
  • Eating Well at School
  • Small Pest, Big Problem
  • Watch Your Head!
  • Ban on Bodychecking
  • B.C. Bans E-Cigarettes
  • A Breath of Fresh Air
  • Get Moving!
  • An Ebola Vaccine
  • Clara's Big Ride
  • MSF: A Canadian in Charge 
  • E. coli: Lurking in the Beef

Indigenous Events and Issues

(9 articles, 85 pages, $27.)

  • Ethan Bear Plays in the NHL
  • Hoist the Flag, Montreal!
  • Welcome to the Indigenous Games
  • Showing Respect
  • Protecting the Great Bear
  • What's in a Name?
  • An Elk Hunt-After 125 Years
  • The Whale Hunt
  • A New School for Inuit Youth

O Canada (Volume I)

(10 articles, 90 pages, $30.)

  • Ready, Set, Mush!
  • O Canada Gets a Makeover
  • What Does the Census Say About Canadians?
  • New Stars Light Up Canada’s Walk of Fame
  • A Poppy is for Remembering
  • The Terry Fox Run – 35 Years On
  • Rick Hansen: Man in Motion
  • The Maple Leaf Celebrates Its 50th
  • Cirque du Soleil
  • Canadians: A Happy Bunch

O Canada (Volume II)

(9 articles, 64 pages, $27.)

  • Canada Cans the Penny
  • Money that Glows in the Dark
  • Funny Money
  • Queen of Diamonds
  • The Bluenose Sails Again
  • Canada's Best and Brightest 
  • Happy Birthday, CBC!
  • Come Celebrate in the Park!
  • The Last Spike

Our Great Outdoors

(5 articles, 40 pages, $15.)

  • Sable Island: A Sliver of a Park
  • Wildlife and Wi-Fi National Parks
  • Return of the Blue-Green Ooze
  • Saving the Last Ice for Polar Bears
  • Written in Stone

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

(6 articles, 60 pages, $18.)

  • Banning Plastic Bags
  • Canada Bans the Beads
  • Battle Over Bottled Water
  • Straw Wars
  • What a Waste
  • Trash Talk

Space

(7 articles, 52 pages, $21.)

  • Meet Canada's New Astronauts
  • Building a Space Elevator
  • Music Monday Is Out of This World
  • Six Months in Space 
  • Lego Man in Space
  • Canadian Astronaut Visits NEEMO 
  • It's a Supernova!

Technology

(11 articles, 99 pages, $33.)

  • Do Cellphones Belong in Schools?
  • Energy From the Tides
  • I Can See!
  • Will Robots Take Over Our Jobs?
  • Hockey-Playing Robot Learns to Ski
  • High-Speed on the Hyperloop
  • Self-Driving Cars
  • Building a Space Elevator
  • The Dreamliner Takes to the Skies
  • Shedding Light on Lightbulbs
  • Bridging the Big River

What in the World? Level 1

For grades five and up.
Order each title separately.
Titles include:

Animals - Level 1

(7 articles, 65 pages, $21.)

  • Poisoning Our Bees
  • Where Has Canada’s Wildlife Gone?
  • Lyme Disease
  • Bison Homecoming
  • A Controversial Hunt
  • The Flight of the Monarch Butterflies
  • A Controversial Soup

Environment - Level 1

(12 articles, 96 pages, $36.)

  • The Svalbard Seed Vault
  • Cape Town Water Crisis
  • Nestlé’s Water Fight
  • What a Waste!
  • Toxic Air
  • Volkswagen's Dirty Trick
  • The United Nations’ Global Goals
  • The Great Lakes
  • Sinkholes in the Spotlight
  • Disaster Debris
  • Aftermath of an Oil Spill
  • A Boat With a Message : Plastiki

Indigenous Events and Issues - Level 1

(6 articles, 55 pages, $18.)

  • Is the Water Safe to Drink?
  • Controversy at Muskrat Falls
  • Landmark Ruling on Métis Rights
  • Should We Say Hello?
  • Bringing Indigenous Languages Back to Life
  • Idle No More

Government - Level 1

(9 articles, 68 pages, $27.)

  • Phoenix Fails to Pay Off
  • A New Mission for Julie Payette
  • A Hero’s Welcome
  • Immigration Increases
  • Census 2016
  • Big Changes for Canada Post
  • Senate Scandal in the Spotlight
  • Canada's Best and Brightest
  • A Spy Story

Legislation - Level 1

(7 articles, 53 pages, $21.)

  • Raising the Minimum Wage
  • Quebec's Bill 62
  • Quebec's Charter of Values
  • Bill C-51
  • The Charter of Rights Turns 30
  • Bill C-30
  • Controlling Western Wheat

O Canada - Level 1

(7 articles, 58 pages, $21.)

  • Becca Told Me To
  • Viola Desmond
  • 35 Million and Counting
  • Farewell, Tragically Hip
  • Alice Munro's Nobel Prize
  • Payment for Blood Donations - overset
  • Where Has Our Game Gone

Space - Level 1

(12 articles, 93 pages, $36.)

  • One Less Star in the Universe
  • Proxima B
  • Wrinkles in Space Time
  • Chasing Comets: The Rosetta Mission
  • Chris Hadfield: Spaceship Superstar
  • Expedition 34/35
  • A Meteor Blasts Russia
  • Falling From Space
  • Curiosity Lands on Mars
  • Taking out the (Space) Trash
  • The End of The Shuttle
  • Finding Another Planet

Technology: Volume 1 - Level 1

(8 articles, 62 pages, $24.)

  • Elon Musk, Reinventing Our World
  • Do Cellphones Belong in Schools?
  • Cell Phones in the Spotlight
  • Energy from the Tides
  • Will Robots Take Over Our Jobs?
  • Machine Versus Human: A Victory at Go
  • Computers that can Out-Think Humans
  • The Facebook Phenomenon

Technology: Volume 2 - Level 1

(8 articles, 60 pages, $24.)

  • A Sunny Future
  • Did North Korea Attack Sony?
  • The Age of Drones
  • Heartbleed Hack Attack
  • 'Smart Cars'
  • How Steve Jobs Changed the World
  • Byting Web Users in the Wallet
  • Swiss Cheer World's Longest Tunnel

What in the World? Level 2

For grades eight and up.
Order each title separately.
Titles include:

Animals - Level 2

(7 articles, 67 pages, $21.)

  • Poisoning Our Bees
  • Where Has Canada’s Wildlife Gone?
  • Lyme Disease
  • Bison Homecoming
  • A Controversial Hunt
  • The Flight of the Monarch Butterflies
  • A Controversial Soup

Environment - Level 2

(12 articles, 97 pages, $36.)

  • The Svalbard Seed Vault
  • Cape Town Water Crisis
  • Nestlé’s Water Fight
  • What a Waste!
  • Toxic Air
  • Volkswagen's Dirty Trick
  • The United Nations’ Global Goals
  • The Great Lakes
  • Sinkholes in the Spotlight
  • Disaster Debris
  • Aftermath of an Oil Spill
  • A Boat With a Message : Plastiki

Indigenous Events and Issues - Level 2

(6 articles, 57 pages, $18.)

  • Is the Water Safe to Drink?
  • Controversy at Muskrat Falls
  • Landmark Ruling on Métis Rights
  • Should We Say Hello?
  • Bringing Indigenous Languages Back to Life
  • Idle No More

Government - Level 2

(9 articles, 71 pages, $27.)

  • Phoenix Fails to Pay Off
  • A New Mission for Julie Payette
  • A Hero’s Welcome
  • Immigration Increases
  • Census 2016
  • Big Changes for Canada Post
  • Senate Scandal in the Spotlight
  • Canada's Best and Brightest
  • A Spy Story

Legislation - Level 2

(7 articles, 54 pages, $21.)

  • Raising the Minimum Wage
  • Quebec's Bill 62
  • Quebec's Charter of Values
  • Bill C-51
  • The Charter of Rights Turns 30
  • Bill C-30
  • Controlling Western Wheat

O Canada - Level 2

(7 articles, 59 pages, $21.)

  • Becca Told Me To
  • Viola Desmond
  • 35 Million and Counting
  • Farewell, Tragically Hip
  • Alice Munro's Nobel Prize
  • Payment for Blood Donations - overset
  • Where Has Our Game Gone

Space - Level 2

(12 articles, 93 pages, $36.)

  • One Less Star in the Universe
  • Proxima B
  • Wrinkles in Space Time
  • Chasing Comets: The Rosetta Mission
  • Chris Hadfield: Spaceship Superstar
  • Expedition 34/35
  • A Meteor Blasts Russia
  • Falling From Space
  • Curiosity Lands on Mars
  • Taking out the (Space) Trash
  • The End of The Shuttle
  • Finding Another Planet

Technology: Volume 1 - Level 2

(8 articles, 62 pages, $24.)

  • Elon Musk, Reinventing Our World
  • Do Cellphones Belong in Schools?
  • Cell Phones in the Spotlight
  • Energy from the Tides
  • Will Robots Take Over Our Jobs?
  • Machine Versus Human: A Victory at Go
  • Computers that can Out-Think Humans
  • The Facebook Phenomenon

Technology: Volume 2 - Level 2

(8 articles, 61 pages, $24.)

  • A Sunny Future
  • Did North Korea Attack Sony?
  • The Age of Drones
  • Heartbleed Hack Attack
  • 'Smart Cars'
  • How Steve Jobs Changed the World
  • Byting Web Users in the Wallet
  • Swiss Cheer World's Longest Tunnel

Well-written, well-researched and well-represented! Students really like to use this material.

A. Longo, Grade 6 teacher Richmond Hill, ON