LGBTQ Queer History in Middle Grade Books Earlier this month, a presentation was made to a school board in Manitoba requesting the need to set up a committee to evaluate books in school libraries, particularly focusing on books about transgender
LGBTQ Thanks A Lot, Universe Thanks A Lot, Universe, by Chad Lucas, is a book I would like to put in the hands of every boy as they enter middle school. The novel has a lot to say
LGBTQ The Pants Project I help to facilitate my middle school's Gender-Sexuality Alliance. This year, we've decided to pursue different projects that celebrate the 2SLGBTQ+ community. One project we've decided to undertake is to organize a book
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
