ORCA Classroom Connections
September 2019
School is back in session and that means it's time for another edition of Orca's quarterly teacher resource newsletter.

Looking for free lesson plans and activities, discount codes and book suggestions for the first months of school? Keep reading—we’ve got you covered.

Back-to-School Boost: How to Build a Strong and Supportive Classroom Community

As you know, a strong classroom community sets your students up for success. When they feel safe and supported, students are more likely to take academic and social risks, come talk to you if they have problems and have a sense of agency in their learning.

Add the following ready-to-use activities to your repertoire of strategies to build a strong and supportive community in your classroom.
Artwork by Jane Heinrichs from
Stay Connected!
Check out previous editions of Orca Classroom Connections on the Orca Teacher Resources section of our website.

Know someone who might like discount codes, free lesson plans and classroom activities? Share this newsletter with teachers in your community.

Thanks for reading! We’re wishing you all the best for a smooth transition back to school! Stay tuned for your next newsletter in November.
Elementary School—Classroom Activity
This vibrant picture book encourages children to show love and support for each other and to consider each other’s well-being in their everyday actions. You Hold Me Up is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens. Also available as a dual-language edition in Plains Cree and English .
You Hold Me Up
by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Danielle Daniel
Picture Book
Download and print out the template below for a sheet that asks students to finish the prompt, “We hold each other up when…” This activity offers students the chance to think about the ways they can hold their classmates up through their actions and their words.

Once your students have all filled in their answers, consider creating a class book, bulletin board or bunting to display their responses. The collection of responses can then act as a guide to remind your class of your community values and ways they can treat each other with kindness and respect.
Middle School—Worksheet
Better Together: Creating Community in an Uncertain World
by Nikki Tate
Nonfiction Ages: 9 12
Looking for a way to involve your students in the process of building a strong classroom community? This worksheet prompts students to think about their individual needs and the needs of their community by visualizing what their ideal classroom looks, sounds and feels like, as well as its values.

This activity allows students to individually brainstorm some of these ideas and then collaborate and discuss how to address everyone’s needs in the classroom.
Better Together explores how people gather in groups of all kinds to fulfill the basic human need for companionship. From the smallest units of parents, siblings and friends to global organizations that try to build on a foundation of common human experience to meet their goals, people working together are a powerful force for change.
High School—Classroom Activity
While sailing alone, Greg comes across a family of refugees stranded in a lifeboat. Fearing for their lives if they are deported to their homeland, the family convinces Greg to help them get to safety. Refuge Cove is a thrilling story that demonstrates the importance of community and the power of conviction.
Refuge Cove
by Lesley Choyce
Fiction Ages: 12+ | Lexile: HL550L | Fry Reading Level: 3.2
Usable in any course or subject, this lost-at-sea survival activity will have your students working together in groups to decide which materials are most important to their survival and why.

Unlike other similar activities, this worksheet doesn’t have a correct answer—the purpose is to get your students talking to each other. They’ll be having too much fun to notice that they’re developing their collaborative problem-solving and communication skills!
A Reading Roundup (and Discount!) on Hi-Lo Books