Monthly Archive for May, 2009

Welcome Author David Robertson

Published on May 29, 2009 in Author Spotlight. 0 Comments

P&M Press is pleased to welcome David Robertson to our team of exceptional authors.

David Robertson

David Robertson

David is an Aboriginal writer who lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with his wife and three children. As he was growing up, David became acutely aware of the lack of accurate, comprehensive, Aboriginal history being taught in schools. For this reason, he wrote The Life of Helen Betty Osborne: A Graphic Novel – to engage and educate youth about an integral event in Canada’s Aboriginal history.

David writes, “It has been an honour and a privilege to script and publish [The Life of Helen Betty Osborne], a work that has been in production for over three years. Since 2005, Betty has been a constant presence in my life and her undying and vibrant spirit has driven and changed me. I write to you, across this page, as a member of a larger community. The call of this story is to realize that one person can make a difference and, indeed, should feel personally responsible to contribute to the betterment of our society. It cannot be denied that much has changed and improved since November 13, 1971. However, many things remain the same. I offer The Life of Betty Osborne as a continuation of the profound work the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation has done and will continue to do. I ask you to contribute to the elimination of racism, sexism, and indifference.”

Please join David Robertson on Facebook.

A Workshop for Kindergarten Teachers

Published on May 28, 2009 in Join Us At. 0 Comments

J/K and S/K teachers are invited to attend an interactive workshop presented by Joni Bowman.

Don't Miss Out!

An Integrated Program for Kindergarten

Joni, co-author of  Hands-On Science and Technology, Hands-On Social Studies, and Hands-On Mathematics resources, is excited to share with you a number of fun, meaningful activities from Kindergarten Plus! that you can use in your classroom. The session includes:

  • hands-on activities that support the Ontario kindergarten curriculum
  • practical lessons that will get your students excited about mathematics, language arts, and integrated studies (social studies, science, art, etc)
  • examples of effective classroom learning centres
  • ways to establish effective home-school communication networks
  • a comprehensive handout
  • and much more!

The evening will include refreshments and finger food, door prizes, and a draw for one Kindergarten Plus! kit (a $475 value).

The workshop is on September 29, 2009 at the Admiral Inn Mississauga from 4 pm to 7 pm. For more information on this exciting event contact Paul Tyrrell by email at pgtyrrell@cogeco.ca or by phone at (905) 639-5748.

The cost is $20 per participant if registering before June 30th and $25 if registering after June 30th.

The Life of Helen Betty Osborne: A Graphic Novel

Published on May 26, 2009 in New Titles and Press Bytes. 0 Comments

P&M Press is proud to announce The Life of Helen Betty Osborne is now available!

graphicnovel2

A True Story

Helen Betty Osborne dreamed of becoming a teacher. Sadly, her dream never came true. Helen left her home in Norway House, Manitoba, to attend Guy Hill Residential School in 1969. In September 1971, she entered Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas, Manitoba. Two months later, on November 13, 1971, she was brutally murdered by four young, white men. Years later, the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry concluded that her murder was the result of racism, sexism, and indifference.

The Life of Helen Betty Osborne is a graphic novel about Betty’s life up to that tragic November day. Her story is told by a young boy named Daniel. The events in Betty’s story are true. The events in Daniel’s story represent our ability to change, learn, and grow.

Become a Facebook fan of The Life of  Helen Betty Osborne.

Subitizing: One Type of Mental Math

Published on May 20, 2009 in Tips and Tid Bits. 2 Comments

from Mental Math Activities a Hands-On resource

"I saw 8" or "I saw 5 and 3"

"I saw 8" or "I saw 5 and 3"

Subitizing is the brain’s natural ability to instantly recognize arrangments of objects. In the early-years classroom, subitizing can be taught using dot card, dice, and domino arrangements. These arrangements can be regular or irregular. Students who can subitize are able to determine the number of objects in an arrangement (fewer than 10) without counting the objects. A student who rolls the number 5 on a die and identifies the number, not by counting the dots but by recognizing the dot pattern, is able to subitize. Students who are unable to subitize may still need to point to each dot and “count.” One way to encourage subitizing skills is by doing flash math. You can use an overhead projector to flash arrangements of items to subitize, or you can simply flash dot cards by hand. Display arrangements for a few seconds, and then ask students: “What do you see?” instead of “How many?” The instructional focus then shifts from “getting the correct amount of items” to creating pictures in our brains of how we saw the number of items. For example, when you display a dot-pattern card of 8 dots, a student might say: “I saw 8,” or “I saw 5 and 3,” depending on the spacing in the arrangement.

You can use a variety of objects for subitizing, such as bingo chips or interlocking cubes, by placing sets of them onto an overhead projector. Subitizing patterns can be regular patterns or random configurations. Four types of subitizing templates (number-cube cards, dot-pattern cards, domino cards, and ten frames) are included in the Hands-On Mathematics resources.

5 Tips for Using Mental Math in Your Classroom

Published on May 19, 2009 in Tips and Tid Bits. 0 Comments
TIps taken from Mental Math Activities

Tips taken from Mental Math Activities

Mental Math is a core focus of mathematics. It helps students develop essential skills they will need for working with numbers and assists them with daily mathematical thinking and problem solving.

Tip 1

Writing equations horizontally on the page, rather than vertically, lets students focus on the “numbers,” not just the “digits” they are dealing with. Much of the current international research suggests that vertical algorithms inhibit a student’s ability to develop number sense. At all grade levels, students should do Mental math activities daily for approximately five minutes. Mental Math activities should be connected to real-world contexts in order to make the numbers in calculations more meaningful.

Tip 2

When students are calculating mentally, speed should not be a factor in determining how successful they are with the task. Mental Math is not to be confused with mental recall. Students differ in the amount of time they need to process mathematical concepts, and, so, it is recommended that Mental Math activities not be timed. Continue reading ’5 Tips for Using Mental Math in Your Classroom’

On The Same Page wrap-up at McNally Robinson

Published on May 15, 2009 in Author Spotlight. 0 Comments
Beatrice Mosionier signs copies of In Search of April Raintree

Beatrice Mosionier signs copies of In Search of April Raintree

On Tuesday, May 5 at McNally Robinson Polo Park, Beatrice Mosionier addressed her final On the Same Page audience.

The audience sat quiet and reflective as Mosionier read an excerpt from her book In Search of April Raintree.

After the reading, Mosionier announced her upcoming autobiography – an announcement met with anticipation and excitement from the audience. Stay tuned to www.portageandmainpress.com for release dates and news. Continue reading ‘On The Same Page wrap-up at McNally Robinson’

Readers Theatre: A Workshop Handout

Published on May 15, 2009 in Tips and Tid Bits. 0 Comments

Download The Lively Art of Readers Theatre: The Love and The Lure

Click here for the Readers Theatre Handout

P&M Press authors, Dr. Carl Braun and Winn Braun delivered a passionate and informative workshop at the IRA annual convention last week. For those teachers not able to see this workshop, the handout from the session can be downloaded(see above). This handout, The Lively Art of Readers Theatre: The Love and The Lure, is filled with many useful ideas including:

  • how Readers Theatre opens doors to literacy
  • how to get started with Readers Theatre
  • how children can compose their own Readers Theatre scripts
  • a bibliography of Readers Theatre scripts

and much more!

Easily Download Our Catalog

Published on May 14, 2009 in Press Bytes. 2 Comments

Visit Our Online Catalogcoversm1

Portage & Main Press is committed to implementing policies that will facilitate the meaningful conservation of ancient and other endangered forests globally. In response to this policy, P&M Press has significantly reduced its print quantity of the 2009 catalog. Instead, P&M Press has included its catalog online. You can choose to browse, download, or print a copy of the catalog.

Browse by clicking here.

Download and print by clicking here.

Literature Circles: Tools and Techniques

Published on May 1, 2009 in Book Review. 0 Comments

A Book Review of Literature Circles: Tools and Techniques

Are you trying out literature circles in your classroom for the first time? Are you looking for more success when using literature circles with your students? Take a moment to read this book review for Literature Circles: Tools and Techniques and see why Deborah L. Begoray thinks this book is helpful.  Deborah is a language arts professor at the Faculty of Education, the University of Victoria. [click here]

You can order this book online at www.pandmpress.com.

See Our Authors in Minneapolis, MN

Published on May 1, 2009 in Press Bytes. 0 Comments

Time Well Spentpicture-1801

Are you attending the International Reading Association Annual Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota? Do you want to attend a fantastic session? Join our authors Carl Braun and Winn Braun for a lively workshop on Readers Theatre. Vgotsky put it so well: “Children grow into the intellectual life around them.” Readers Theatre does, indeed, draw kids into literate engagement as they “grow into” enriched oral language, listening, reading and writing. It’s fun! It’s inclusive!

  • Where: Minneapolis Convention Center – L100ABIJ
  • Date: May 5, 2009
  • Time: 2:15 pm to 3:15 pm