Language & Literacy Lab at Dalhousie University

Snow is a sure sign that winter has arrived. You can turn a snow day into a fun learning opportunity by using a stick to draw the alphabet or spelling words into the freshly fallen snow. Snow is a fun alternative to paper and a great way to get outside while still practicing reading skills! #SnowDay #LanguageFun #LanguageGames #LetterRecognition #LLL https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com//15-literacy-activit

Today’s wonderful, weird, winter word is clart. You have the best chance of seeing a clart if you go outside during or after a fresh snowfall! What do you think a clart is? #Logophilia #WWW #LLL

Check out these 15 fun language and literacy skill building ideas for young learners that include putting on a play of your child's favourite book or planning an imaginary trip! #ReadingIsFun #LiteracyLovers #ReadingRocks #LLL https://blog.brookespublishing.com/15-fun-ways-to-build-la/

New to Canada? Welcome home! Amani, Halifax Public Libraries' Newcomer Engagement Specialist, is here to help answer your questions. This is a free service. Con...tact Amani: https://bit.ly/31Ys1SJ Amani can help you: Take part in English language programs Discover the many free services and tools offered by Halifax Public Libraries Understand how to file your taxes and find a professional support for taxes Learn about immigration and your family's "next steps" for life in Canada Navigate buses/transit schedules and routes Find a family doctor or other support service Fill out and understand forms Apply for schools or jobs, or get more information on education and work opportunities Connect with other support organizations and groups Meet new people in Halifax with similar interests And much more! Learn more at the link below, and reach out. See more

Known as the 'gentle reads' of the mystery genre, cozy mysteries can be a comforting way to let out your inner detective. Over to you (and your holds list), Sherlock: https://bit.ly/3Kb9BiS

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.- Martin Luther King Jr. Children's Books for #MLKDay: https://bit.ly/3FvTGbb

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader." Quote by Margaret Fuller

Happy Friday everyone!

Register today for a round-robin tournament on Scrabble Go! The two highest scoring participants will have the chance to team up with celebrity players, @ColinM...ochrie, Debra McGrath and professional ringers for a 3 on 3 game of Scrabble during a live event on March 10, 2022, 7 pm ET. There will be prizes, live entertainment, and much, much more. Registration closes on March 1st, so check out www.scrabbleforliteracy.ca for more information and to register! #registernow #scrabbleforliteracy #scrabble #playscrabble #scrabbleplayers #frontiercollege #supportliteracy #learningforlife #hasbro #scrabblego #callingallscrabbleplayers #play #boardgames #virtualevents #play #winbig #celebrityplayers #words #letters #literacy

Exciting news - we are now able to share our tentative summer schedule! To help you get a head start on July & August, here are the planned camps for #CampSea...son2022... This schedule and other camp info is also on our website here: www.supernova.dal.ca/camps Registration will open next month, so keep an eye on our page for updates! See more

Today’s wonderful word is moorkavie. We often get moorkavies in Halifax in the winter. Some even cause schools to close for the day! Put what you think this word means in the comments below! #Moorkavie #Logophilia #WWW #LLL

Hey everyone, my name is Emmy, and I am a volunteer here at the Language and Literacy Lab. I am currently finishing up my third year at Dalhousie University, where I am studying Psychology and English. From a young age, I always loved to read. I want to share that love one day by working as a teacher and teaching children to read. I have had some good practice with helping my younger brother learn to read over the years. When he was younger, he used to love when we read together. One of the first books I ever read on my own was Harry Potter, which inspired me to name my dog Harry! I am currently getting back into reading fantasy novels. Do any of you have some good suggestions?

Have a great time while practicing your rhymes! This fun game is great for learning and practicing how to rhyme. https://pbskids.org//ga/wonder-reds-rhyme-racer/index.html

Meet the LLL Team Hi! My name is Emily Côté and I am a graduate student in the LLL. I have always known that I wanted to work with children, so after completing my degree in psychology I began studying to be a school psychologist. Although I grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I recently moved to Stellarton with my precious cat, Greg, to complete the internship part of my program! When I have the opportunity to read, I tend to pick up memoirs and thrillers, although my guilty pleasure book is Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella - sometimes we need to read something that just makes us feel good! I would love to hear about your guilty pleasure reads! :)

We hope you’re not too busy to enjoy some reading this weekend!

Looking for tips to help your child develop into a great reader? Check out this article shared by the Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation on how to raise a reader! https://www.nytimes.com/guides/books/how-to-raise-a-reader

My name is Alex Ryken and I’m a PhD student at the Language and Literacy Lab! I’m in the Experimental Psychology program at Dalhousie which means I get to spend the majority of my time on my favourite thing research! I’m originally from London, Ontario and moved to Halifax in 2017 to do my MSc and now PhD. I love living near the water and enjoy exploring the city! I’ve always been a big reader and even started an English degree before falling in love with Psychology. Study...ing early literacy development is a perfect blend of my interests in reading and human behaviour. My specialty is prosody or speech rhythm and I spend a lot of time thinking about how our awareness of what speech and text sounds like is related to our understanding. Some of my favourite books include Harry Potter (go Ravenclaw!), Ender’s Game, and The Hunger Games. I’d love to hear about some of your favourites! See more

Meet the LLL Team Hi! My name is Klaudia Krenca, and I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Language and Literacy Lab. I grew up in Toronto, Ontario and completed my PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education at UofT. As a Canadian-born English language learner, I spoke Polish as my first language and began to learn English when I started kindergarten. Although it was a difficult transition, my kindergarten teacher was impressed by my ability to acquire English within the f...irst three months of the school year. Throughout my graduate studies, I discovered that I was able to use the literacy skills I developed in my first language as a springboard for learning how to read, write, and communicate in English. Recently, my friends and I have started a monthly virtual book club. Do you have any suggestions? I’d love to hear your recommendations! See more

We hope you will have some beautiful spring weather and are able to enjoy some time outside this weekend!

Your child can become a Super Reader by helping Super Why collect letters and build a story! https://pbskids.org/superwhy/games/super-why-saves-the-day/

Meet the LLL Team Have you ever read the same book that you’ve already read (approximately fifty times) over again before choosing to read a new book? Yes? Okay good. I’m not the only one. My name is Emily Taylor, and I am a Research Assistant at the Language and Literacy Lab and a third-year neuroscience student at Dalhousie University. I also love to read and have a lot of favourite books that I have ready many times over. One of these books is Just as Long as We’re Toge...ther by Judy Blume. I just adopted a kitten and I named her after another Judy Blume character, Deenie! My family and I also have three dogs, two cats, five goats and five horses. Because I am home while school is online, I get to spend tons of time with my animals and more time reading (new books)! I just finished a really great book called The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. If anyone has any new book recommendations, I would love to hear them! See more

Have you ever wondered how the literacy of family members influences a child's reading ability? Check out this captivating article from ABC Life Literacy Canada that contains information about the impact of family literacy on a child's academic success and literacy skills. https://abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy/

Meet the LLL Team Hi all! My name is Jalyssa Shadbolt, and I’m a research assistant here at the Language and Literacy Lab. After finishing a degree in psychology, I am now pursuing a second in social work. One day, my goal is to work with young students in schools. I grew up in Sackville, Nova Scotia, and have loved reading ever since I was little and my twin sister and I would pick out and read books together (kind of like our own little book club). Some of our favourite series were the Berenstain Bears, Geronimo Stilton, and later Harry Potter. Most of my current reading is school-related, but when I have some spare time, I love true crime and fantasy novels. Recently my friend has been trying to convince me to take on the Game of Thrones series, which I find a bit intimidating, but I would love to hear your thoughts if you have any!

Take a look at this awesome infographic made by Tiffany Peltier, Kari Kurto and Dr. Nathan Clemens to learn about phonemic awareness and how to teach it to your children! If you are interested in understanding more of the science behind reading and how to best help your child read at home, check out Tiffany Peltier’s blog: https://understandingreading.home.blog

Do you prefer to type or write by hand? Even with the increase in digitization, there are many benefits to learning handwriting skills. Take a look at this insightful article to learn about the importance of teaching children handwriting. https://www.readingrockets.org//importance-teaching-handwr