Environment - The Teacher Bees Blog

Environment

These blog entries detail books and resources to help students understand how to protect the natural world.

Indigenous Ingenuity

Indigenous Ingenuity

Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge, by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay, is a nonfiction book that focuses on the technological knowledge and achievements of Indigenous people from Turtle Island with a focus on precontact societies. The book is divided into various topics, such as transportation, medicine,

Climate Change Fiction for Middle Years

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

Not the End of the World

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

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.

How to Change Everything

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

Protecting Water in Picture Books

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 First Nations communities are in similar situations, with Canada currently having 52 long term drinking water advisories

Braiding Sweetgrass

Braiding Sweetgrass

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465709-braiding-sweetgrass?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lMNGySsZw9&rank=1] is a book that weaves together Indigenous teachings and worldviews with scientific knowledge about plants and our natural world. The

Music for Tigers

Music for Tigers

Music for Tigers [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50618252-music-for-tigers?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=T09RBK96ml&rank=1] , by Michelle Kadarusman, tells the story of Louisa, a Canadian middle schooler who is sent to the Tasmanian rainforest to stay at her family's remote

Stories that Challenge Greed

Stories that Challenge Greed

In previous posts [https://teacherbees.ca/nature-picture-books/], I have talked about using picture books as a way to help children develop greater eco-consciousness. The first step is to connect kids with nature, but the lessons shouldn't stop there. Our way of life is built on a system that

Picture Books that Teach us to Value Nature

Picture Books that Teach us to Value Nature

I have been struggling lately with when to start teaching my young kids about the ecological crises facing our planet. My son is a curious four year old and is starting to ask questions about conversations he overhears. While we try to answer him in age appropriate ways, it can

The Failings of Climate Change Fiction

The Failings of Climate Change Fiction

Young adult and middle grade fiction are useful tools for teaching about tough issues. Problems like the refugee crisis [https://teacherbees.ca/refugee-books-for-middle-years/] or poverty are difficult and stories are important to help us better understand these issues and to give them a human face. Unfortunately, there has been scant

Drawdown - Climate Crisis Solutions and the Classroom

Drawdown - Climate Crisis Solutions and the Classroom

As I write this blog entry, it is the early hours of the morning in Winnipeg and the Climate Strike is underway on the other side of the world. Early reports suggest the turn out is amazing, and I am keenly looking forward to participating in the strike here at

Don't Panic: Big Solutions to the Climate Crisis

Don't Panic: Big Solutions to the Climate Crisis

Today's blog post is about the climate crisis and I'd like to preface everything by saying Don't Panic. It is easy to get overwhelmed, but solutions do exist that can help us address this crisis. That being said, let's dig deeper and

Teaching with the World on Fire

Teaching with the World on Fire

Warnings about climate change have been around for years, but increasingly it feels like a problem no longer in the remote future. Living in Manitoba, climate change has been a problem we see distantly on the news. Hurricanes increase in frequency and severity, glaciers shrink, and coral reefs slowly turn

What Kind of Citizen?

What Kind of Citizen?

A key purpose of education is to prepare students to be good citizens. Few people would argue with this statement, but what does it mean to be a good citizen? What kind of citizenship are we talking about? When I was completing my post-baccalaureate degree in Education for Sustainability, I

World Without Fish

World Without Fish

The past few weeks, I have been reviewing books that help promote environmental awareness for middle school students. World Without Fish [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9423723-world-without-fish?from_search=true] , by Mark Kurlansky, is another excellent addition to a classroom library. The book describes the dangers facing Earth'

Environmental Action in Middle School

Environmental Action in Middle School

In my last blog entry, I discussed various texts that can be used to teach middle school students about climate change. However, often climate change education can be overwhelming for students and adults alike. If messages become too dire, it is all too easy for people to tune out the

Climate Change in Middle Years

Climate Change in Middle Years

Want to find some resources for teaching climate change in middle years? Check out this blog post!