Evaluating Resources
- Provincial Resource Review Guide (Alberta)
This guide, found on the Curriculum Implementation Information Hub on the new LearnAlberta website, provides guidelines for selecting and evaluating resources for teachers' local learning environment. In particular, see Part 2: Guidelines for Resource Selection, with the following headings- Curriculum Alignment
- Developmentally Appropriate
- Student Experience
- Pluralism
- Key Considerations
- Select evaluation resources from a variety of education-based sources:
- Resource Evaluation Criteria Form (Langley School Division, BC)
- Evaluation Criteria Guides (Focused Education Resources, Vancouver, BC)
- Learning Resource Evaluation Form (Mission Public Schools, BC)
- Evaluating resources (teachresi!iency, an online community/resource database for Canadian educators, developed by PHE Canada)
- Identifying and Evaluating Instructional Materials (Indiana University, USA)
Finding Book Reviews
Search for book reviews in the library catalogue
From the Library home page, select Advanced Search. Then, enter the search terms describing the book (e.g. title, author name) along with "book review*" as shown in the following sample search.
Birdsong
AND
Flett
AND
"book review*"
Search for book reviews in selected databases and ejournals:
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Book Links For teachers and all other adults interested in connecting children with high quality books.
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The Horn Book Magazine Essential for everyone who cares about children’s and young adult literature. Includes articles, reviews and editorials. In publication since 1924.
Additional Tools
- How to Choose a Book
A resource published by the The Canadian Children's Book Centre: - Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books
This article provides a selection framework based on based on "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism", an article in the Interracial Books for Children Bulletin, published by the Council on Interracial Books for Children.
- Guiding Voices Evaluation Tool: A Tool for Including First Nation, Métis and Inuit Perspectives
One of many tools available on the website Guiding Voices: A Curriculum Development Tool for Inclusion of First Nation, Métis and Inuit Perspectives Throughout Curriculum (does not appear to be maintained).
- How We Rate and Review Websites
A number of considerations for selecting appropriate websites used by Common Sense, an organization that supports digital literacy for students, parents and teachers.
- Readability Checker
Useful for checking the readability of texts or websites; appears to be a free and ethical resource