The current parade of planets in the night sky has me thinking about the engaging ways to use this event in the classroom. After all, with the early sunsets and late sunrises in this season, even our youngest students will be awake as darkness descends and the planets become visible.

This January through March several planets in our solar system will be visible, almost looking aligned, along the ecliptic. What’s the ecliptic? It represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun. (NASA)

Many students are curious about the night sky and have ideas about what is happening out there, especially after the solar eclipse that impacted us last year. It’s a wonderful topic to let their imaginations soar with stories, songs and images.

Language 

*Use space related ideas as writing prompts such as what might exist in the solar system or even the galaxy. What would a planet need to be more ideal planet than Earth?

*Create poetry written from the perspective of each planet.

*Read aloud fiction and non-fiction fiction that encourages students to consider their role in the solar system. This is a great opportunity to read astronaut Chris Hadfield’s book, The Darkest Dark.

*Study Indigenous stories such as the Sky Woman creation story. Michelle Corneau wrote about it in “Strong Stories Kanyen’keha:ka: Creation Story Sky Woman”. It is also told in Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

*Share facts and ask further questions about the night sky.

 

Math

Our concept of time comes from mathematical calculations relating to the earth’s orbit of the sun and the daily rotation of Earth.

Science

*Explore the slogan “There is no Planet B” in relation to the curriculum expectations for your current science unit.

Social Studies

*What is it about the night sky that brings us together? All societies have been impacted by the night sky through navigation, science, exploration, myths, storytelling and the arts. Look at the far reach of van Gogh’s Starry Night painting! How does the night sky relate to your current social studies topic?

Physical Education 

Planet themed movement games can include the ideas or orbiting, gravitational pull, and space exploration.

The Arts

Create a Planet Parade! There are so many ways to dramatize, paint, sculpt, and sing together plus there are amazing music pieces to enjoy and use to choreograph dance/movement. Immediately I hear 2001: Space Odyssey, the Star Wars theme, and the Star Trek Next Generation narration, “to boldly go where no one has gone before!”

Planet Parade: When To See It In January 2025

Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, and Saturn will be visible together in January 2025, with Jan. 21 being a good time to look in the evening. (University of Guelph News)

Fostering students’ curiousity about the solar system and the galaxy gives teachers the opportunity to reinforce that our beautiful home planet is unique. Listening to Indigenous peoples we must take care of Earth as if she were our mother. I hope the parade of planets inspires you and your students to explore and create together.

Keep looking up!

Brenda

P.S. Students may also be interested to hear about Canada’s involvement in the 2026 Artemis II mission to orbit the moon. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be on board. (Canada Space Agency)

“Stretching Language”: Supporting ELLs in Building Academic Vocabulary

“Stretching” language is an essential but underrated way educators can teach academic language to students, especially those who are acquiring English as an additional language.

Incorporating new and infrequently used vocabulary into our linguistic repertoire is not easy – even for adults. As educators, we must often adopt new terminology to align our practice and professional discourse with ever-evolving instructional strategies.

For example, I probably never used the phrase “phonemic awareness” as a middle school teacher. But as foundational literacy or “science of reading” approaches have quickly become part of my day-to-day work, I kept running into the phrase.

But once I encountered the word a few times, and was compelled to use it in conversations with colleagues, it became a term I felt comfortable using. In short, I needed to find ways to “stretch” my language usage to make it a word I could use comfortably.

Students are constantly learning new, infrequently used words every day in Ontario classrooms, particularly in subjects like math, science, and social studies. But in order for them to make those words easy to retrieve and use, they must have opportunities for practice.

The practice of using new academic words is even more challenging for English language learners (ELLs), who may also be learning everyday social language as they learn subject-specific vocabulary. As educators, it is important that we create opportunities for students to “stretch” their linguistic abilities so they build language skills for academic success.

What does it mean to help Students “Stretch” Language?

Stretching language, as Pauline Gibbons points out in her book, Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning, is all about compelling students to step beyond their linguistic comfort zones. It is an essential element for teaching ELLs in the mainstream classroom: pushing students into their zone of proximal development, and encouraging to take risks with words.

We can start by “front loading” new words and phrases when we start a lesson or unit of study. It is important not to overwhelm students too much with too many new words at once. Personally, I find that 2-3 words is great for elementary students including ELLs.

One great way to introduce new words is to use a strategy like picture word inductive model. This might involve projecting a detailed image related to the content on a white board and getting students involved in labelling it, and adding more “academic” versions of more commonly used words. For example, imagine a picture of a tractor plowing through a field of wheat. Students might come up with words like “tractor,” or “crops,” and the teacher might bring in words like “agriculture” or “commercial farming”.

You might also encourage students to notice new vocabulary in a video, information text, or article. Capture those words on a word wall or chart paper. Point out any morphological elements, like prefixes or suffixes to help students create meaning.Next is the fun part – getting students to use the new words in conversation.

“Strive for Five” Conversations: a Strategy for Stretching Language

One resource that explains how to stretch language effectively is Strive for Five Conversations, by Tricia A. Zucker and Sonia Q. Cabell. In this book, the authors focus on how oral comprehension and speaking skills support reading and language acquisition. How? For most people, talking and interacting in a target language is essential to learning how to read and communicate with it. Through hearing words and connecting their sounds with contextual meaning, we learn language. And in the case of English, once those sounds and meanings are learned, we can map them on to alphabetic code.

How does Strive-for-Five work?

Strive for five is a 5-turn conversation a teacher would have with a student while they are engaging in learning tasks, independently or in small groups.

1. Teacher asks an open-ended question
2. Student responds
3. Teacher responds with an upward or downward scaffold depending on whether they need a challenge or support.
4. Student responds
5. Teacher expands, and may incorporate academic vocabulary to help the student build their ability to understand and use more content-specific language.

Of course, there are a number of directions these conversations can go, and the authors do an amazing job of unpacking different scenarios. The main takeaway is that these simple conversations are a high impact way of getting students to stretch their academic language through meaningful talk. The book contains easy to reference scaffolding charts, plus examples of Strive for Five conversations in different contexts.

For example, classroom teacher might have important vocabulary listed on a word wall in the classroom. A sample conversation with an MLL about the water cycle might sound like this.

Teacher: What is happening in that picture? (points at graphic of the water cycle in a student science resource).

Student: The water is drying up, then it makes a cloud.

Teacher: Oh – I see what you mean, it is evaporating. That’s the word for drying in the water cycle. And then the condensation forms a cloud. And then what happens?

Student: The water goes back to the earth as rain from the cloud.

Teacher: Yes! That’s also called precipitation. First there’s evaporation, then condensation, and precipitation. 

Final Thoughts

“Stretching” language is an easy-to-implement instructional strategy that complements content based instruction for elementary learners, and will support students’ abilities to read and understand texts with increasing amounts of academic language. Using strategies like PWIM and Strive for Five can support ELLs as they work to acquire academic vocabulary as they learn English.

I’m a firm believer that integrating technology into teaching brings a whole new dimension to learning. It’s not just about gadgets—it’s about helping students create their own games, design 3D models, and even turn everyday objects into piano keys! These tools make learning hands-on, fun, and more relatable. Let me share some of my favourite ways to bring tech into the classroom, why it’s worth it, and how you can get started.

When I first introduced tech into my classroom, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But seeing students light up while working on projects like coding micro:bits to create wearable gadgets or designing custom toys with Tinkercad was incredible. These tools go beyond just fun; they build collaboration, critical thinking, and digital skills students will carry with them forever.

Take micro:bits, for example. These pocket-sized computers let students program light shows, step counters, and even digital dice. They’re also perfect for sustainability projects. Students can program a micro:bit to monitor temperature or track energy usage at home, connecting tech to real-world environmental solutions.

Then there’s Tinkercad, a 3D design tool that sparks creativity, whether it’s building geometric shapes in math class or designing prototypes for STEM challenges. A few years ago, one of my students designed a toy prototype for his media lesson, which we then brought to life using our school’s 3D printer. Even today, he still recalls that experience, showing how hands-on tech can ignite creativity and make learning memorable.

Makey-Makey is always a hit—it turns everyday objects into touchpads. Once, my students used it to create an interactive timeline of ancient civilizations, where each button on the board played a short clip or fact about a specific civilization, such as the Inca Empire, the Six Nations, or Indus Valley. Students were having fun while learning—it doesn’t get better than that.

Over the past few years, I’ve been exploring a dynamic platform called Lumio, and it’s been a game changer for my lessons. This tool turns traditional teaching into interactive lessons and collaborative activities. I’ve seen the benefits of using Lumio in both congregated and mainstream classrooms. It supports differentiated learning, allowing me to adapt content for various skill levels, so every student can participate and learn at their own pace.

Starting with technology can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Pick one tool, introduce it during a lesson, and let students explore, you can even explore it with them. Tie activities into what you’re already teaching and the curriculum. For example, use Tinkercad during a geometry unit or let students code micro:bits to track steps in a health project. The best part? You don’t need to be an expert. Many school boards have educational technology resource teachers, teacher-librarians, or other knowledgeable individuals who can provide guidance and support.  

Check with your school board to see if they already have a license or offer a technology lending library. These libraries provide access to tools such as robotics kits, virtual reality headsets, and other resources, without needing to purchase them outright. These lending libraries allow you to experiment with technology while providing students with hands-on learning opportunities.

The learning journey is part of the fun—for you and your students. So grab a micro:bit, a Makey-Makey, or Lumio, and watch your students transform into creators and innovators. Trust me, they’ll love it—and so will you!

Explore these links to learn more:

https://microbit.org

https://www.tinkercad.com

https://makeymakey.com

https://www.smarttech.com/lumio

The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. This is the first sentence in the fundamental principles section of the Growing Success document. In this section, the Ministry of Education lists seven fundamental principles to support teachers with ensuring that assessment, evaluation, and reporting are valid, reliable, and lead to the improvement of learning for all students. Included in this list is providing ongoing descriptive feedback to support student learning.

In 2010 when the Ministry released Growing Success, I was in my first-year teaching. At that time, I was in a long-term occasional teaching assignment. I was hired as a Grade 7 rotary teacher assigned to teach Language and Social Studies to two classes. I was ecstatic because I received the opportunity to work with students at the age and grade that most interested me and teaching my favorite subject areas. Reading the Growing Success document that year, I strove to incorporate the seven fundamental principles in my assessment and evaluation practices. Particularly the principle on feedback because I believed and continue to believe that if I provide descriptive feedback to each student, it has the potential to improve their academic achievement.

One incident that continues to resonate with me is the feedback I received from a student. I remember spending hours reading student work then writing copious amounts of comments. I would sometimes write one to two pages worth of constructive and descriptive feedback to guide students in ways that I believed would lead them to improve the quality of their work along with a grade. I recall returning one written assignment to a student at the end of the instructional day where I watched her look at the grade, then crumple her paper into a ball and throw it into the recycling bin as she exited the classroom. I was shocked. Yet more than shocked I was disappointed in myself. I knew that I had made an error, but with a lack of teaching experience I had yet to identify what that error was.

Two years later, again teaching grade 7, this time in in a core model as a permanent teacher, I gained some insight to the experience with the student while attending a school staff meeting. A centrally assigned instructional resource teacher facilitated a session on assessment and evaluation. She shared that if teachers attach a grade to student work, they should include limited feedback. She went on to say that students think that the grade signals that they are at the end of a learning cycle so there is no opportunity for them to action the feedback to improve the quality of their work because they’ve already been evaluated. However, the facilitator also said, include enough, but not too much specific descriptive feedback to help students improve the quality of their work if students are in the assessment stage of their learning. She went on further to say that if students have ample time and opportunities to apply feedback to their work prior to being evaluated it has the potential to lead to improved student achievement.

These comments made sense and provided some clarity in relation to why the student ignored my comments when she saw the grade on her paper. The facilitators comments also helped me to understand that I provided far too much feedback to the student at the time of evaluation that may have been overwhelming and disheartening. Following this staff meeting, I began revising my assessment and evaluation practices but still I felt I had more to learn about feedback to support student learning.

Years later I read the book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond.  In the book Hammond writes, “Contrary to what we may think, simply giving feedback doesn’t initiate change. It has to be accepted as valid and actionable by the learner. He then has to commit to using that information to do something different” (p. 102).

This quote helped me to understand that I need to teach students how to read my feedback then show them how to use my suggestions, if they believe them to be useful, to improve the quality of their work.

The meaning that I’ve now been able to deduce from the experience with the student in my first-year teaching coupled with my ongoing learning about assessment and evaluation practices is that I provided too much feedback at the time of evaluation where she had no time to use the information to improve her work. I also failed to teach her how to use my feedback to improve the quality of their work. I further understand that feedback between students and teachers is a reciprocal and iterative process. Students through direct and indirect ways provide information regarding how well I am supporting their learning while I provide direct feedback for how well they are progressing at developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies outlined in Ministry curriculums.

When I work with teachers, I share these insights by encouraging them to think about the ways they use feedback from students to re-think the feedback they give to students to support their learning. I also ask teachers to consider embracing the idea that as we gain more practical experience assessing and evaluating student work combined with our growing knowledge and understanding of diverse student learning needs and revised curriculum documents, our feedback practices should adjust and evolve in ways that better support their learning.

From puppy love to mountain hikes, 2024 was my first full calendar year as a semi-retired occasional teacher. It’s been an incredible time of learning and adventure.

We adopted a puppy from the Northumberland Humane Society in December of 2023. We named him Obi-won but he has proven many times over that he could be known as Chewy! It turns out his mysterious mix of breeds is highly active with both hunting and herding instincts. It’s no wonder we met our 2024 goal of 1000 km of hiking and walking by October! We are very grateful that Obi has brought our family so much joy and love. He’s come a long way from the floppy-eared pup that was rescued from a parking lot with his mom and eight litter mates last October. Raising Obi has taught me patience in a new way and I’ve come to realize that his mistakes are usually because he’s trying but can’t read my mind. The parallels between raising a puppy and teaching children have brought me many smiles this year. Plus, if I’m in a new classroom and need to bond quickly with the students I just need to mention an Obi story and we have an immediate ice-breaker! In one small school there is a student who approaches me every time I’m there and asks me about Obi. She got a pup around the same time and we compare the latest stories like pups seeking sticks twice their size or the chaos of the zoomies.

 

One of Obi’s many nicknames is “Adventure Dog” because we have traveled around Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick with him. We just love to hike and explore together. We experienced a terrific storm while camping at Point Pelee in March and beautiful sunsets at a friend’s cottage in Sauble Beach. We hope to get Obi as excited about canoeing as he is about hiking. We had to do a few camping trips without Obi because there was paddling involved. We missed him but we’re in awe of the incredible beauty of the more remote parts of Lake Superior Provincial Park and Temagami. I also did a mother-daughter canoe trip for the first time and it was magical!

Ken and I are both uninvited guests on Turtle Island so throughout our travels we learned about the Indigenous peoples of the territory we were on. I got to experience the Curve Lake Pow Wow and participate in a full moon ceremony at Trent University.  We were able to pay our  respects at memorials of residential schools in Robinson Huron Treaty Territory near Spanish, Ontario and in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Territory at Kamloops, British Columbia. We have much to learn by listening, reading and joining in when invited to do so.

 

 

The trip to B.C. included hikes and exploring Yoho, Glacier, Revelstoke and Banff National parks. There is nothing like the mountains for stunning views and the freshest air!

 

 

At times in my full-time teaching career I could not picture myself supply teaching but I’m very happy with my decision to do daily OT work. The work-life balance is working really well for us right now.2

024 I thank you for your gifts. I wish all our readers at Heart and Art a wonderful 2025! Brenda

Lately, whenever I log into my news updates online, I’ve been noticing a lot of similarly styled articles. There’s always a “The 14 Must Haves For Winter” or “10 Ways to Bump Up Your Protein Intake”. Sometimes those articles have a little tip for me that I’ve forgotten or even some new nugget of information to learn.

As I think about the first day of work in 2025, I wonder what I would tell my younger self about starting the school year. What would be my tips for myself after all these years? There are a few things I want to keep in the forefront of my thoughts this month and throughout the year as I try to balance all the challenges that come with a career in education. So, in no particular order of importance, I’m sharing with you my Four Tips for January.

Tip 4: Reconnect with colleagues. If you’re new to a school or position after the break, connect with your new colleagues. If you’re returning to your position, then make sure to stop in and chat with your colleagues. January is a tough month with cold weather, report cards imminent, and changes for some of us in teaching assignments. The best school staff works together with the knowledge that they can lean on each other for advice, smiles, and encouragement.

Tip 3: Continue to build relationships with families and the school community. School is part of the community it serves. Families all have a story to tell, sometimes they are joyful and sometimes they need support. As a parent, my children’s educators are partners with me in helping to shape my children’s experiences and ensure their safety at school. I appreciate their willingness to talk with me, their ability to see the best in my kids, and to help our family feel welcome and part of the school

Tip 2: Show the kids how much you care. Educators are the most caring and compassionate people I know. For many students, school feels uncertain the first few weeks after a break; it seems like December was so long ago. For some students, they may be experiencing their ‘first day’ if they’ve just moved to your school. Make your caring visible with smiles, kind words, and opportunities to build community and wonder. Help them to see themselves as capable and brilliant learners.

Tip 1: Know your why. Let your why guide you each day, let it be the lens through which you view your success, professional growth, and your goals as an educator. For some people, articulating their why helps them to focus and centre themselves. For others, it might be a visual compilation of words, pictures, colours, emotions. Finding our own ‘why’ is personal and part of our identity as educators and it might evolve and change throughout our careers. It’s great to revisit, remember, and revise our why as we start each year.

Well, readers, those are my Four Tips for January. I hope you found something useful in my own short list of advice that I would give my young, teacher self. As I start 2025, I remember to say hello to students in the hall with excitement and greet families and staff with big smiles and enthusiasm. I remember that helping create a place where they feel like they are safe, belong, and confident is my why.

Once students start building self-awareness through self-assessment, another helpful tool is using visuals to support self-regulation. Visual reminders can help students quickly recognize when they need to regulate. Visuals are especially useful for younger students or those who struggle with verbal communication.

Visuals give students something concrete to refer to, helping them quickly understand and act on their feelings without always needing to put them into words. They can be used to remind students of calming strategies, set expectations, or guide decision-making throughout the day. Some ideas I enjoy using in my classroom to promote students to independently manage their learning include creating and using emotion charts, calming posters and visual schedules. 

An emotion chart is a visual which uses different faces that represent various emotions. Students point to how they feel. This helps them identify their emotions and opens the door for self-regulation. It also creates an opportunity for the educator to ask questions and provide support where needed. 

Calming strategy posters are a great tool in the classroom. You can create posters with visuals that show different calming techniques, like deep breathing, counting to ten, or listening to music. To make them even more meaningful, I co-create these posters with my students. It’s a fun way to personalize them and make everyone feel involved in the process. 

I’ve found that creating a visual schedule really helps students stay on track throughout the day. It can be just pictures—or, a simple daily schedule with checkboxes beside each task works just as well. Students can mark off completed tasks, giving them a sense of accomplishment and control. I also like to include breaks or fun activities to naturally incorporate self-regulation into their routine. While I originally used visual schedules for students who needed extra support, I’ve realized this visual work wonders for all students in the classroom. It’s a simple way to give everyone a little more structure and independence in their day.

In order to use visuals effectively, make them visible and accessible. Place visuals where students can easily see them and refer to them as needed. For example, you may want to use a clipboard with velcroed pictures, or hang them in a nearby calming corner. 

Take the time to teach students how to use the visuals—it’s so important! Trust me, I know it can feel like just one more thing on your never-ending to-do list, but walking them through each tool and practicing together will make a huge difference. When students know exactly what to do when they’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure, it’s a total game-changer. It might take a bit of extra effort at first, but I promise, it’s worth it in the long run!

Finally, be consistent with visuals—they work best when they are a regular part of your classroom routine. Keep referring to them and gently reminding students to use them when needed. Check in to see how they are working for each student, and don’t be afraid to model how to use a specific visual yourself. Making them a natural, everyday tool helps students see their value and use them proudly!

In my teaching journey, visuals have helped me in so many ways in the classroom. I’ll never forget one time when two students was really upset while I was handling another issue. Instead of needing to intervene right away, I simply pointed them to the tool they needed (e.g., calming strategy poster to use noise cancelling headphones, and deep breaths), and they were able to calm themselves down. Visuals make self-regulation so much more accessible for all students, offering an easy, non-verbal way to pause, check in, and refocus energy. There is something so rewarding about seeing a student use a tool to self-regulate independently—it’s a powerful reminder of just how impactful our work really is. 

 

For additional reading on self-regulation check out:

Self-Regulation Part 1: Daily Affirmations

 

Fostering Self-Regulation Through Self-Assessment: Strategies for the Classroom Part 2

In December of 1989 I was in the 2nd year of my undergraduate degree. In those days I had no television and the Internet was not available. Even so, on December 6th, 1989, I learned of the horrific murders that happened in Montreal at L’École Polytechnique. Fourteen women studying engineering were shot and killed and thirteen other students were injured. The gunman took his own life.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. The Montreal Massacre shifted my reality. I had previously felt safe as a woman in my university classes but that level of safety disappeared. I grieved the loss of these brilliant young women who were centred out and killed because of their gender.

Violence against women continues to be a major concern in Canadian society and educators are making a difference by taking action.

On average, a woman is killed every 48 hours in Canada as a result of intimate partner violence. Other acts of violence against women are reported at alarming rates. As women who teach we may experience violence against ourselves, our students, or members of our staff or community.

How do we respond to gender-based violence?

Gender-based violence (GBV) is violence committed against someone based on their gender, gender expression, gender identity, or perceived gender. GBV can take many forms, including physical, sexual, societal, psychological, emotional, economic and technology-facilitated violence. (Government of Canada)

Children who witness gender-based violence (GBV) may experience a range of physical, emotional, psychological, and social effects that impact their overall well-being and capacity to learn. Members can make a difference in the lives of these children by providing support and advocating for learning communities that are free from violence. (ETFO)

In our classrooms we can be vigilant about reporting violence. This is an important step toward having supports in place.

If you are experiencing or at risk of violence or harassment at work:

• Tell your administrator.
• Report all incidents (including attempts and threats).
• Call your ETFO local if you need support.
• Remember your right to refuse unsafe work.
• Find out more: https://etfohealthandsafety.ca/site/workplace-violence/ (ETFO Voice; Summer 2022.)

ETFO continues to recognize the issue of gender- based violence and you can find more information through your local. In my area there have been vigils, fundraisers for local women’s shelters, awards to promote women, and conferences where we learn, share and lift up women.

Written in memory of the women killed in Montreal on December 6, 1989.

Geneviève Bergeron; Hélène Colgan; Nathalie Croteau; Barbara Daigneault; Anne-Marie Edward; Maud Haviernick; Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz; Maryse Laganière; Maryse Leclair; Anne-Marie Lemay; Sonia Pelletier; Michèle Richard; Annie St-Arneault ; Annie Turcotte

I can’t teach what I don’t know. This statement may seem redundant, but I think it’s worth reiterating. From experience I’ve learned that I need to feel confident in my knowledge and understanding of curriculum and instruction to support student learning and teacher professional development. When the Ministry of Education released the revised Grades 1 – 8 Language curriculum (2023) that changed the way we teach students to read, one of my initial questions was: What was wrong with the way that I and other elementary teachers had taught students to read? I had some insight from my own educational experiences learning to read and from my experience in the role of special education support teacher working with students in junior/intermediate grades who had yet to consolidate their foundational reading skills. However, I read the full report seeking to gain a more informed understanding to support my work with students and teachers.

The inquiry found that thee cueing instructional approach included in the 2006 version of the Grades 1 – 8 Language curriculum to be an ineffective method for teaching students to read words accurately and efficiently. The three cueing system taught students to use strategies to predict words based on context clues from pictures, text meaning, sentences, and letters in addition to a belief that simply immersing students in spoken and written language was enough to build their foundational reading skills. The way teachers often assessed students reading skills was through running records and miscue analysis.

The inquiry also shared that researchers in reading development have studied how children learn to read for decades. From their collective body of research, they have found that due to our innate human capacity for oral communication, the best way for children to develop their word reading skills (decoding) is by making explicit connections between oral and written language. This looks like first explicitly teaching children phonemic awareness. The sounds of the language. Alphabetics, the symbols of the language. Phonics, the ability to connect the sounds of the language to the symbols of the language. Fluency, the ability to decode words accurately, automatically, and with prosody. Vocabulary, the meanings of words and phrases. They also shared that reading comprehension, the goal of reading, is an outcome of these combined skills and knowledge in addition to an understanding of the parts of speech, sentence structures, sentence types, capitalization, punctuation, and background knowledge.

The findings from the inquiry provided the insight I needed to reconsider the instructional approaches I use, and advocate teachers use to support students reading development. The information also convinced me that shifting my instructional approaches while also encouraging teachers to shift theirs, could lead to more students developing the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to be proficient readers.

Yet I like other teachers know that our work with students is complex, meaning there is no single approach that will work for every student. We as teachers know that that assessment data and students’ learning needs must always inform the instructional approaches we use to support student learning. Our professional judgement rooted in our knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, students, interpretations and insights to assessment data, and our understanding of which instructional approach to utilize to best support student learning at any given time should consistently inform our practice. The more experienced we become by reflecting on our practice then revising it as needed, learning what we don’t know, and monitoring our instructional impact on student learning, the more proficient we become at knowing which instructional approach we need to utilize to support student learning at any given time. Of course, remaining aware that this is a continuous and ongoing process.

Knowing and understanding terminology is essential for me to feel competent and confident in my work. I know that I need a clear conceptual understanding of terms to ensure I use them accurately and appropriately in my work with students and teachers. In the Right to Read Inquiry it states, “This report uses terms like the “science of reading,” “reading science,” “research-based,” “evidence-based” and “science-based” to refer to the vast body of scientific research that has studied how reading skills develop and how to ensure the highest degree of success in teaching all students to read”. This led me to believe that the terms were analogous. Yet in the curriculum context section of the revised Grades 1 – 8 Language curriculum (2023) there are numerous specific references to evidence-based instruction. This then led me to question the differences between the terms and why the revised curriculum seems to exclusively focus on evidence-based instruction. In chapter 17 titled, Evidence-Based Practices in Education, in the APA Educational Psychology Handbook: Vol.1 Theories, Constructs, and Critical Issues, researchers Bryan Cook, Garnett Smith, and Melody Tankersley provide some clarity,

“As far as we are aware, there is no commonly acceptable definition for any of these terms, and they have been used for different purposes by different authors. Nonetheless, in this chapter we consider best practices to mean instructional approaches recommended by experts or others that may or may not be evidence-based or effective […] We use research-based as a broad term referring to educational approaches that are supported by research findings of some sort […] The term evidence-based practices represents a systematic approach to determining which research-based practices are supported by a sufficient number of research studies that (a) are of high methodological quality, (b) use appropriate research designs that allow for assessment of effectiveness, and (c) demonstrate meaningful effect size [positive impact on student learning] that merit educators’ trust that the practice works”.

From the Cook, Smith, and Tankersley chapter, I gained the insight I needed to understand why the curriculum focuses on evidence-based instructions. I now know that what the Ministry, through the curriculum, requires that we ensure the instructional approaches and practices that we use, are those that have shown to have a proven positive impact on students’ language and literacy development.

Yet, as educational researcher Steven Graham explains in his lecture on Research-Based Writing Interventions, the purpose of evidence-based practices is to share with educators’ things that have worked with other teachers and students, and for educators to use their professional judgement when applying them. The sharing of these practices is not meant to degrade or deny the knowledge, skills, or experience that teachers have developed from their practices.

I use and advocate for the use of evidence-based practices. For me, in my daily work these include practices that I know support the growth and development of early readers. I encourage all educators to consider doing the same.