Ellen Bees

I am a middle school teacher with a passion for sustainability and human rights. Opinions are my own.

Environment

Climate Change Fiction for Middle Years

Climate change is an overwhelming topic. It is important for students to learn about it, but some approaches can provoke eco-anxiety and lead many students to feel disconnected from the environmental crisis. Until recently, it has been difficult to find fiction that allows students to engage with the reality of

LGBTQ Featured

Books for Trans Joy in the Middle School Classroom

March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. Transgender students deserve to see themselves represented in the books they read and they deserve affirming stories that bring joy. Here are some joyful books that I recommend for the middle school classroom and beyond. * The Cardboard Kingdom, by Chad Sell - This

Antiracism

Graphic Novels by Asian Authors - Improving Representation in my Classroom Library

I have the feeling that students are looking for mirror books that reflect their own experiences as Asian Canadians. As a result, below are four new graphic novels that reflect in different ways the experiences of Asian students at my school.

Environment

Not the End of the World

When I first started teaching about climate change in social studies over ten years ago, my starting point was typically the evidence of climate change. My class would check out resources like NASA's Climate Time Machine to better understand the evidence that demonstrates the climate is changing. I

Peace

The Ogress and the Orphans

I have a soft spot for fairy tales. As Neil Gaiman wrote, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." For this reason, The Ogress and the Orphans, a middle grade novel

Media Literacy

Accountable: Supporting students in an online world

Debating whether or not to ban cell phone sidesteps a much more important discussion focused on how schools, communities and government can act to help young people engage respectfully and purposefully in their digital spaces.

Courage

Rolling Warrior

I have been trying to introduce more books that focus on people with disabilities into my classroom library, since there is a large gap there. Rolling Warrior: The Incredible Sometimes Awkward True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/

Graphic Novel

Books about Japanese Incarceration in WW2

Recently I have been trying to update the novels in my human rights literature circle, focusing on themes relating to power and privilege. These days there are a wider selection of human rights themed books to choose from, ones where the author's own experiences or history help inform

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 youth. Happily, the community came out in force against this idea and the motion was voted down.

LGBTQ

Thanks A Lot, Universe

Thanks A Lot, Universe [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49202852-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 about friendship, mental health, standing up for others and being

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 club that focuses on a book with 2SLGBTQ+ characters. After asking

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 work on improving as a team. They spend two to four weeks practicing a strategy or technique

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 how to analyze news media, by evaluating supporting evidence, identifying bias, and investigating how topics are portrayed

Canadian

How to Change Everything

How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54304052-how-to-change-everything], by Naomi Klein with Rebecca Stefoff, is essential reading for young people who want to better understand the climate crisis. It covers where we are in

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 Collector [https://teacherbees.ca/the-ghost-collector/], by Allison Mills, both of which tackle grief and loss with stories

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 [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61070507-the-witness-blanket?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=36eGyJDCp5&rank=2] , by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson. This

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 to spend more time teaching my students the skills for assessing the accuracy of online information. Below

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 is in our classroom library. They have convinced their parents to buy them copies and asked the

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 [https://teacherbees.ca/indigenous-stories-in-graphic-novels/] that support that understanding. While I still think it is important to do

Courage

I Am Not Starfire

There are a lot of reasons to love I Am Not Starfire [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56120074-i-am-not-starfire?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=2xSshJEVzN&rank=1] , written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani. The art is fantastic, the characters are sharp, and

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 his relationship with his father and connecting with his Cree identity in Black Water [https://www.goodreads.

LGBTQ

Felix Ever After

Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead Felix Ever After [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51931067-felix-ever-after?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=cT2bWwtkJg&rank=1] , by Kacen Callender, tells the story of Felix, a seventeen year old student going to art school in New York. At the outset

Antiracism

Front Desk

Front Desk [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36127488-front-desk?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=8gCCUiQfWT&rank=1\] , 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

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 to set up a Dress Goods shop in the growing town. Hanna dreams of attending school and