The Teacher Bees Blog

A teacher blog about books that promote justice, empathy, and courage

  • Home
  • Identity
  • Human Rights
  • Antiracism
  • Courage
  • Indigenous Characters
  • LGBTQ Characters
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Picture Book
  • Middle Grade Book
  • Young Adult Book
  • Canadian
  • Graphic Novel
  • Non-Fiction
  • Literature Circle
  • Peace
Education

Students are not software

Recently I have been hearing more about teaching sprints. For those who are unfamiliar, a teaching sprint is a process where a team of teachers pick a focus, something they would like to

Courage

Thirst

Thirst, by Varsha Bajaj, focuses on Minni, a girl who lives in the poorest part of Mumbai and faces the consequences of a water crisis.

Media Literacy

Analyzing News Media

Learning how to critically analyze the media we see is an essential skill for students to learn and practice. In my grade seven class, we start our study of media literacy by learning

Canadian

How to Change Everything

How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other, by Naomi Klein with Rebecca Stefoff, is essential reading for young people who want to better understand the

Courage

Moonflower

Sometimes the best way to approach and engage with a serious topic is through stories. Genre fiction does this particularly well. For instance, consider A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness, or The Ghost

Canadian

The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation

To prepare for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this year I chose to explore The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation, by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson. This non-fiction text talks

Media Literacy

Media Literacy Resources

Why teach about medial literacy and critical thinking in schools?At the beginning of the pandemic, I noticed a rise in misinformation and disinformation online surrounding masking, vaccinations and COVID. This spurred me

Graphic Novel

Popular Graphic Novels with 2SLGBTQ+ Characters

In the past few months, my students have become entranced with the Heartstopper series. They have binged the Netflix series, read through the webcomic online, and devoured the copy of Volume One that

Indigenous

Indigenous Storytelling Literature Circle

In the past, when teaching my students about Indigenous perspectives, I have often taken an approach that focuses on human rights. We spend time learning about colonialism in Canada and focus on texts

Courage

I Am Not Starfire

There are a lot of reasons to love I Am Not Starfire, written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani. The art is fantastic, the characters are sharp, and it is both

Canadian

Black Water, On the Trapline, and Kīwew

One amazing thing about the writer David A. Robertson is his ability to write compelling literature for any age group. Some of his most recent work demonstrates his versatility as he focuses on

LGBTQ

Felix Ever After

Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead Felix Ever After, by Kacen Callender, tells the story of Felix, a seventeen year old student going to art school in New York. At the outset of the book,

Antiracism

Front Desk

Front Desk, by Kelly Yang, tells the story of  ten year old Mia, a Chinese immigrant who helps her parents manage a motel. Mia's life in America is often challenging. She supports her

Antiracism

Prairie Lotus

Prairie Lotus, written by Linda Sue Park, tells the story of Hanna, a girl who is half-Chinese and living on the American frontier in 1880. Hanna and her father settle in LaForge, hoping

Graphic Novel

A Girl Called Echo: Road Allowance Era

A Girl Called Echo: Road Allowance Era, written by Katherena Vermette and illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, is the fourth and final volume in the Girl Called Echo series. The series focuses on

LGBTQ

The Stone Rainbow

The Stone Rainbow, by Liane Shaw, tells the story of Jack Pedersen, a gay teenager who is living a small town. A few people know he is gay, but otherwise Jack is committed

Indigenous

Graphic Novels and Indigenous Rights

Every year I try to improve how I include Indigenous voices and perspectives in my classroom. A unit I developed this year was a mini-literature circle that focused on graphic novels by Indigenous

Environment

Protecting Water in Picture Books

It is a mark of shame for Canada that Shoal Lake #40 reserve has had a boil water advisory since 1997, even though Shoal Lake provides drinking water for thousands of Canadians. Other

Graphic Novel

The Magic Fish

The Magic Fish, written by Trung Le Nguyen, is a beautiful graphic novel about Tiến and his mother, a Vietnamese refugee. Tiến wants to come out to his parents as gay, but he

Courage

Pet

Pet, written by Akaeke Emezi, tells the story of a Black transgender girl who must uncover a monster who is endangering her friend. The main character Jam lives in a city that seems

Antiracism

So You Want to Talk About Race

So You Want to Talk About Race, written by Ijeoma Oluo, offers knowledge and tools to help people engage in conversations about race. Oluo teaches about racism and pushes people to view it

Education

Braiding Sweetgrass

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants is a book that weaves together Indigenous teachings and worldviews with scientific knowledge about plants and our natural world. The book was

feminism

The Cardboard Kingdom

The Cardboard Kingdom is a graphic novel by Chad Sell about the power of imagination and being yourself. The book is a collection of short stories that follows children of the cardboard kingdom,

Antiracism

New Kid and Not Talking About Race

This year, I was able to teach my identity literature circle for the first time. Having put together the text sets before going on parental leave, I was excited to finally dive into

Human Rights

When Stars Are Scattered

When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, recounts Omar Mohamed's childhood in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Separated from his mother, Omar and his nonverbal younger brother live in

The Teacher Bees Blog © 2023
Latest Posts Twitter Ghost