Literacy Links ...

Here are just a few of the excellent sites on the Internet that help support literacy. Be sure to check back, as new links will be added on an ongoing basis. Have a suggestion for a link? Email us!

Book Adventure. Book Adventure is a FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 6,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read off-line, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. Book Adventure was created by the Sylvan Learning Foundation and is a non-profit organization.

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Website. This site is a collection of reviews of great books for kids, ideas of ways to use them in and out of the classroom, related books, and collections of books and activities about particular subjects, curriculum areas, themes and professional topics.

Young Poets. Launched last April to celebrate National Poetry Month, Young Poets is a project of The League of Canadian Poets, Canada's professional poetry organization. They are a non-profit organization working to promote poetry in this country and to promote Canadian poetry around the world. This site has many offerings for poets and teachers of poets-- feature articles, bio's of young poets, animated poems, and much more.

The Spaghetti Book Club. This web site is a place for kids who love to read and talk about books! It is the largest site of book reviews written and illustrated by kids for kids. The Spaghetti Book Club was created as a way to support and encourage kids' love for reading by giving them an opportunity to connect, on a personal level, with the books they are reading and then share their reactions, thoughts, and opinions with family members, friends, and kids around the world.

CBC4KIDS. Have you ever written something of which you are really proud? A short story, an essay, or maybe a poem? Here's your chance to publish your work on the Net! Send CBC your writing, either in e-mail or by regular mail, and they'll post your writing in the Writer's Corner. New entries are added every week.

Daily Grammar. Daily Grammar is a free service of Word Place, Inc. Much like A Word A Day (no affiliation), which teaches you a new word each day, Daily Grammar sends you e-mail messages with a grammar lesson five days of the week and a quiz on the sixth day. You can look at all the lessons in the Archive section.

The Hamilton Public Library. This is one site you must check out! Did you know that you can search the online catalogue, check your account, or reserve books from the comfort of your own home? All you need to know is your Library Card Number.

... and be sure to check out the Kids' section, especially the Reading Corner. You will find links to some of your favourite Book characters as well as booklists by library staff of new and exiting titles.

Children's Literature Web Guide. The most comprehensive guide to English-language children's book awards on the Internet.

Poetry 4 Kids. Created by children's poet Kenn Nesbitt, this kid friendly site contains many humourous poems, an excellent "How To" section on writing poetry, links to famous children's poets' web sites, and much more. Be sure to check out the Useful Writing Resources section, for links to on-line rhyming dictionaries!