English
Teaching Resource

Learning through Literacy

By ONlit Last updated 2026/06/25

Description

Learning Through Literacy is ONlit’s approach to integrated structured literacy instruction aligned with the Ontario Language Curriculum. Each grade level includes a selection of connected practices that show students how language, literacy, and curriculum areas work together through engagement with meaningful, Canadian content. Across the resource, educators will find features such as high-quality mentor texts, explicit vocabulary routines, structured writing supports grounded in the thinkSRSD approach, fluency practice, and contextualized syntax lessons drawn from authentic texts.

The collection is growing, so not every grade includes every element. Additional components will continue to be added as they become available.

Grade 3 Units:

  1. Terry Fox
  2. Beaver Dams
  3. Regions and Jobs
  4. How Forces Affect Toys
  5. Hockey Night in Kenya
  6. Salma the Syrian Chef
  7. Cultures, Foods, Traditions and Healthy Eating
  8. Two Row Wampum
  9. Alma Thomas
  10. Soil Types
  11. National AccessAbility Week
  12. Plant Adaptations

Grade 4 Units:

  1. Making Choices: Sleep
  2. Animal Categories
  3. The Wild Robot
  4. From Emperors to Elders: Governments of the Past
  5. Fireflies and Flowers
  6. Machines at Work in Our Community

Grade 5 Units:

  1. Turning Stress into Strength
  2. Who Does What in Canada? Comparing Governments
  3. Hurricane-Proof Homes: How  Structures Stay Safe in Storms
  4. Canada’s Fresh Water: A Precious Resource
  5. The Problem with Plastic: Five Friends Take Action
  6. Drums: The Heartbeat of a Culture

Grade 6 Units:

  1. The Convention on the Rights of the Child
  2. How Animals Fly
  3. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  4. Global Food Shortages
  5. Beyond the Stars

Grade 9 Units:

  1. Personal Narratives and the Power of Memory
  2. Informational Text: Ink and Identity
  3. Persuasive Text: Truth on Trial

Grade 2 Units:

  1. Describing Animals
  2. Passing Down Recipes
  3. How We Remember
  4. Useful Mixtures
  5. A Shining Smile
  6. Lawren Harris
  7. Pack for the Weather
  8. Making Life Easier
  9. Dances Around the World
  10. Fresh Water Access

Grade 4 Units:

Exploring Canada’s Physical Regions: An Alien’s Discovery

Fuel for the Day: Understanding Key Nutrients

Grade 5 Units:

Cerebral Palsy: Awareness, Support and Inclusion

Refusing Pressure and Making Choices

Grade 6 Units:

Accessibility and Vision Loss in Canada

The Seven Grandfather Teachings: Lessons for Living Well

Stories of Strength

Grade 9 Units:

Narrative Fiction

Cross Curricular Informational

Curriculum Connection

Learning Through Literacy supports the Ontario Language Curriculum (2023) and content-area curricula by embedding structured, explicit reading and writing instruction within meaningful disciplinary learning.
Grade(s): 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Topic(s): Explicit InstructionFluencyLiteracy Block PlanningVocabularyWriting

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