International Literacy Day In Canada
– B2-C1 (intermediate to advanced) –
Practice Your Listening Comprehension
Practice Your Reading Comprehension
Summertime in Canada can be described in many ways: relentlessly hot, peacefully quiet yet thunderous, relaxing but adventure-filled… The descriptors possible here are endless. But one characteristic of the season in Canada remains true, and that is literate.
Of course, not every Canadian enjoys reading books, but most Canadians do read daily, particularly in the summer when routine slows down to a season of vacation. Whether that reading is online articles, blogs, social media posts, newspapers, or magazines, or even language learning apps like Duolingo–to make those trips abroad that much more communicative–literacy is an important quality in Canadian society.
This is so true that the Government of Canada has adopted a national observance for it called, International Literacy Day, which takes place every year on September 8th. This holiday marks the official end of the summer season, a time of year during which educational institutions and libraries across the country hold summer reading programs so that, while students are away from their classes on vacation, enjoying the summer sun, they can shade their eyes with a book, or other reading material, hopefully improving their literacy skills in the process, before they head back to school.
Most summer reading programs are free in Canada, as they are a part of the public education system, which approximately 95% of the student population is enrolled in. These programs are often community-focused and aim to inspire fun while reading. A few ways that they achieve this is by incorporating a combination of literature-based activities for students to participate in like creating reading logs, entering reading challenges and setting reading goals, journaling, attending book clubs, author events, and book fairs, and much more.
One of the most memorable moments that I personally have related to International Literacy Day is when my elementary school put on an assembly where Robert Munsch, a beloved Canadian children’s book author, attended and shared his story of becoming a professional writer, while additionally providing various readings of some of his most popular works. His books were among my favourites, so, of course, I was super excited to meet him and have him read his stories to us.
I also remember having a conversation with one of my grandmothers about her experiences with International Literacy Day growing up in the 1940s in Saskatchewan. Back then, she said that the summer reading program counted French books as two, and the more books you read and kept track of in your reading log, the more opportunity you had to skip exams throughout the school year (if you maintained a certain grade level, that is). She said that on International Literacy Day, the results of the summer reading program would be announced to the school, and her friends were always envious of the fact that she was on the list of students who potentially wouldn’t have to write exams that year. And, according to my grandmother, she never did write an exam. At least, not until college.
Oh! How the times have changed! And yet, International Literacy Day is still observed throughout Canada, encouraging youth (and now even adults) to explore the importance of reading, writing, critically thinking, and using one’s imagination in not only the English language but also in French, a variety of Indigenous languages, and even some of the languages of Canada’s immigrant populations. The holiday hopes to inspire learning through the fun of literature and storytelling and also to spread awareness of the many language-related learning challenges that people of all ages across Canada may face, such as dyslexia, ADHD, dementia, and more.
To learn more about International Literacy Day in Canada, check out the following links:
Last year’s official statement on the holiday from the Prime Minister of Canada
Canadian Union of Public Employees on how the holiday is observed in the workplace
If you are located in Canada and are wanting to take advantage of International Literacy Day, or if you just want to read a book, take a look at some of these Canadian public libraries:
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