1. Location

The Curriculum Collection of K-12 textbooks, Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs), and books for children and young adults is located on the Second Floor of the SFU Bennett Library.  Designed for students in the Faculty of Education's Professional Development Program (PDP), the Curriculum Collection is also available to all members of the SFU community.

2. Scope of the Collection & Tips for Finding Materials

Three types of materials are collected: selected Integrated Resource Packages and curriculum guides, K-12 textbooks, and books for children and young adults.

To find Curriculum Collection materials through the SFU Library Catalogue, select Curriculum Collection (instead of the default Entire Collection option) from the drop-down search menu and choose to search these materials by Keyword, Author, Title, etc. 

 2. a. Integrated Resource Packages and Curriculum guides

The Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs) outline the BC curriculum for specific subjects.  Recommended learning resources for each subject are listed in Appendix B the IRPs and also in the Catalogue of Learning Resources on the BC Ministry of Education website.

Curriculum guides describe the BC curriculum in subjects for which the IRP has not yet been completed.

Tips for finding IRPs and Curriculum guides:

• Paper copies of selected IRPs are shelved in the Curriculum Collection under: LB 1564 C325 I55 no. 1, etc.
• All IRPs are also available online linked from the B.C. Ministry of Education website.
• Curriculum materials can generally be searched by grade level (e.g. a keyword search limited to the Curriculum Collection for grade 6).
• To find curriculum guides on a particular topic, try a keyword search in the Library Catalogue (e.g. tourism and curriculum and guide).

 2. b. Textbooks

Selected textbooks recommended for use in B.C. schools,  including teachers' editions,  form a major part of the collection.  Note:  Out-dated texts will  be removed as new texts are added, with some retained in the Lam Graduate Research Centre for historical research.

To find out which  texts are prescribed  for a particular subject and grade level, and for ordering information, consult:

• Appendix B of the IRP (Integrated Resource Package) for the subject
• BC Ministry of Education's Catalogue of Learning Resources page

Tips for finding textbooks

• To find a specific textbook, search by the author's name or by title in the Library Catalogue.
• Textbooks can generally be searched by grade level (e.g. a keyword search limited to the Curriculum Collection for grade 6).
• You can also search by subject area (for example, by doing a keyword search limited to the Curriculum Collection for mathematics).

 2. c. Books for children and young adults

The children's and young adult literature collection includes fairy and folk tales, picture books, fiction, comics/graphic novels, beginning readers and non-fiction/informational texts. 

Other children's literature research resources available via SFU Library are listed on the Children's Literature Information Resources guide.

Tips for finding children's literature

• The literary works are generally classed in PZ and can be found in the Library Catalogue under author or title.
• Juvenile non-fiction works are catalogued under their subject followed by the sub-division Juvenile literature.  To find call numbers for juvenile non-fiction works, search in the Library Catalogue under keywords (e.g. astronomy and juvenile literature).
• You can also search for fiction books on a particular topic (for example, a search for halloween, limited to the Curriculum Collection).
• In general, children’s literature (fiction and non-fiction) cannot be searched for in the Library Catalogue by grade level or age.

2. d. What's not in the Curriculum Collection?

The Curriculum Collection does not include kits, games, pictures or any non-print material. Teaching aids in these formats are available in many district resource centres. For software and videos, visit the Centre for Educational Technology in the Education Building.

3. Finding Other Curriculum-related Materials

3. a. Teaching methodology guides

Books relating to the study and teaching of a particular subject may be shelved in the regular Bennett Library stacks as well as in the Curriculum Collection. Find books about the study and teaching of a subject through a keyword search in the Library Catalogue (e.g. search for the keywords mathematics and study and teaching to find books about how to teach mathematics).

3. b. Lesson plans

Books that include lesson plans may be shelved in the regular Bennett Library stacks as well as in the Curriculum Collection. To find lesson plans, do a keyword search in the Library Catalogue (e.g., search for the keywords mathematics and lesson plan* to find lesson plans related to mathematics).

Lists of recommended Canadian, U.S. and international lesson-planning websites/resources are also available through the Additional Resources section of the Education research guide.

4. Further Help

Please contact one of our Ask A Librarian services for further help in person or via phone, email, or online chat.