Most Libraries have community meeting rooms that you can book with your library card. Visit Book a Meeting Space for more information.
Celebrate the launch of this new book with Valentina Fox and special guests.
Read more about "Îethka:Stories and Language in Stoney Nakoda Country"School-age kids can find books and activities for their reading level in these areas.
Read more about "Questionariums"Calgary Public Library now has five mobile libraries that are rolling into communities around the city!Three vehicles are Book Trucks, bringing books, movies, and other Library services directly to the community. Our Book Trucks stop at regularly scheduled locations, and are also available to visit school or community events. Come aboard the Book Truck to get a free Library card, browse and borrow items, return items, or attend seasonal children’s programs.The fleet of libraries on wheels also includes two Story Trucks. These vehicles are designed to bring literacy activities directly to young children at day homes in select neighbourhoods. Library staff share stories, songs, and rhymes with children, through the Library Month at Your Day Home program.For our newest Story Truck, the Library worked with Mo Willems, children’s author and creator of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and many other beloved titles.“The fact that the Story Truck team is leaving the building and going directly to the kids means they rock that much more!” Mo Willems says.Want the Story Truck to visit your day home? Requests can be made via this form. You can also request a Book Truck visit for your community event or school.
Read more about "Stories Meet the Library’s Newest Story Truck"Go behind the headlines of today's news, explore biographies of important people, find resources, interactive maps, articles and videos by topic and more. World Book Online Student is designed specifically for grades 4 through 9 students.Not sure how to start? Watch the tutorial on Niche Academy: World Book tutorial.
Read more about "Research the history of people, places, and events"Borrow up to 99 items. Our collection of nearly 1.4 million items includes books, digital books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, magazines, newspapers, and even musical instruments. It’s a good thing you can take out up to 99 items at a time (including up to 30 DVDs and Blu-rays).
Read more about "Borrow up to 99 items."Chapter books, comics, and novels-in-verse to get avid readers energized for school.
Read more about "Weird and Wonderful School Stories"Celebrate National Library Month with these books by local authors and illustrators.
Read more about "Love Your Library"Check out books where the main character energy is just a bit....villainous.
Read more about "Welcome to our Villain Era"Interested in fiction featuring LGBTQ+ characters and perspectives? Try these recommendations by selecting Fiction A to Z and then LGBTQIA Fiction.
Read more about "Novelist Plus"Travel through time with characters in these books to the past or to the future.
Read more about "Journey of time"100L, H, 4.6…OMG! Understanding Reading Levels Did you know that the children’s collection at Calgary Public Library includes thousands of books? With so many options, it can be intimidating to choose books for your growing reader.One way to choose reading material is based on a book’s reading level. Reading levels are common in a school setting but can be confusing for caregivers wondering how reading levels apply to their child’s learning-to-read journey.What are reading levels?Schools may use a variety of leveling systems to help guide the book choices children make when reading. “Leveled readers” allow students to be challenged enough by the book that they are growing as readers, but not so challenged that they have lost all meaning and enjoyment from it. Books organized by reading levels are a classroom tool, meant for schools and the school market. In some cases, leveled-readers series can only be purchased by schools and the rights are not available for public libraries.Using leveled readers is just one way for students to experience books and to support the learning-to-read journey. Reading levels do not always align with a child’s age or ensure that a reader at that level will be personally interested in the topic.“A level is a teacher’s tool, not a child’s label.” (Fountas and Pinnell) There are several reading level book series you may come across, including these common systems:Fountas and Pinnell is one of the most widely used leveled reader series in the classroom. This publisher assesses the text of a book on criteria including word count, high frequency words, and sentence complexity. There are 27 Fountas and Pinnell reading levels.The Accelerated Reader (or AR) program was developed by Renaissance Learning, Inc. and uses quizzes to assess a reader’s skill. Their system of leveling books is called the ATOS® reading formula, which evaluates the text of a book based on average sentence length, average word length, vocabulary grade level, and number of words in the book. ATOS levels are numerical — the lower the ATOS® score, the easier the text should be.The Lexile Framework measures both an individual’s reading ability and a text’s readability. The Lexile levels are based on reading comprehension tests taken by students across the United States. The Lexile ranges change when new test scores are reported. Generally, the lower the number, the simpler the text. The letters before the Lexile numbers are “Lexile codes,” two-letter designations to give more information about the book. For example, AD stands for Adult-Directed, which is for books meant to be read to children by an adult.Publisher leveled readers are usually a series of books with their own system of leveling that vary from publisher to publisher. These books can be purchased at a bookstore or found at the Library and may also be used in a classroom. At Calgary Public Library, these books are called “X Books” or “Easy Readers.” For example, HarperCollins produces the popular “I Can Read!” series, which has six levels. The title Batman: Dino Dilemma is a level 2 reader, which the publisher says is geared towards kids who can read on their own but still need a little help.Should I use reading levels at home?While it may be helpful to understand what reading levels mean, recent best practice in education and public libraries is to focus on fostering a love for reading first. Children learn to love reading when they are allowed to read what they want and families read together often in English and/or in their home language. Public libraries have books published in a wide range of world languages.Reading above or below the level that corresponds with the student’s grade or age is fine and often encouraged. A reader may be drawn to a challenging or “stretch” book if it’s about a particular topic that they enjoy. This is a great workout for their reading brain and an opportunity to share a good book together. A reader may also find it enjoyable and relaxing to read a book that is easier and familiar. Building positive associations with reading can help a child become a reader for life.Tip to Try When Choosing A New Book:Have your child choose a book that they will enjoy. Invite them to read the second page. Together, hold up a finger for each word they are not sure of or do not know. If there are five or more words they did not know, consider an easier book. If your child needs support to help them become a stronger reader, consult an education professional.Where should I start?The Library’s children’s collection complements kids that are learning to read and aims to support them by encouraging a love of reading. While the X Book or “Easy Reader” collection is targeted for kids learning to read, there are other collections that children enjoy, such as Z picture books, audio books, and nonfiction. Choose books with high interest characters, great illustrations, and humour to help keep readers engaged. An interested reader who is having fun is more likely to keep reading.The most important thing to do is to encourage any reading. All reading is good reading, whether fiction, nonfiction, comic books, chapter books, audio books, or picture books. Library staff are happy to help recommend amazing stories that are a great fit for your growing reader, whether in print or digital format. See a list of staff recommendations of Easy Readers for every reader.Easy readers and other collections are also available in digital format through OverDrive and TumbleBook Library, with audio options and accessibility features. Exploring a variety of formats helps children experience the joy of reading in different ways.Additional Resources:Reading Rockets Scholastic Family Literacy Brochure from the Calgary Board of Education This blog post is published as part of The Kitchen Table Classroom: A Series to Support Learning from Home, a partnership with Edmonton Public Library. Visit our Programs page to register for the next live online workshop in the series, coming up in January.
Read more about "Stories"The more reading a student does (whether it’s over the summer or during the school year), the more opportunity they have to build and strengthen their comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking skills, background knowledge and efficiency. Research has shown that children without summer reading and learning support may lose one to three months of the reading skills they built in the previous school year. This, in addition to a disrupted and stressful school year, might leave families wondering, how can we keep reading and learning this summer, while still having fun?Join the Ultimate Summer ChallengeBlast off to free summer fun with the Ultimate Summer Challenge at Calgary Public Library. Kids ages 0 – 12 can reach reading milestones, complete activities, and attend free interactive online programs. Those ages 13 – 17 can join the Teen Takeover. Registration automatically enters you to win prizes that are out of this world! Tracking your progress online helps you earn badges and qualify for weekly prizes.Sign up for Ultimate Summer ChallengeRead aloudA great way to expose kids to books that are slightly outside their range is by reading more difficult books aloud. Generally, it is good for kids to read things at their independent level and be read to at a higher level because it helps to build vocabulary and helps makes the listener a better reader.Do something unexpectedRead in unexpected places and ways, like a tent or around the campfire. Switch roles and have kids read to you at their bedtime!ListenListening to audiobooks counts as reading too! Listening to books can be a great way to immerse yourself in a series and can make a long car trip fly by. Download kids audiobooks for free with your Library card in our Digital Library.Browse audiobooksRead before you watchRead the book before you watch the movie. Why not start a family book club this summer and invite grandparents who live far away to read the book too? Check out great online videos of Canadian author readings and illustrator demos from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.Go to Canadian Children’s Book CentreShare through a book swapKids love to read recommendations from friends. This summer ask a group of friends to bring three to five titles over for a book swap. Kids will ask each other about the books and you'll naturally get the same kind of conversations that go on in the classroom.Get recommendations from the LibraryNeed new ideas? The Library is always a good place to start looking for children’s books. Check out our recommended reads for summer.See the listThis blog post is published as part of The Kitchen Table Classroom: A Series to Support Learning from Home, a partnership with Edmonton Public Library. Visit our website for information on the next live, online workshop in the series and for more tips and tools to support learning from home.
Read more about "Stories Top Tips for Reading and Learning All Summer Long The Kitchen Table Classroom: Slide into Summer"From artmaking techniques to teachings on the fabric of cultures and nations, these books have helped Claudia Chagoya develop throughout her artistic practice.
Read more about "Recommended reads from the Newcomer Artist in Residence"A selection of books for the Library's youngest members that celebrate Indigenous peoples, culture, and language.
Read more about "Acknowledging the Land"November hosts Financial Literacy Month. Pick up one of these books to explore and gain a better understanding of financial concepts.
Read more about "Financial Literacy Grades 7-12"