Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of gender identity! Below you will find a list of curriculum resources, followed by documents on specific topics. Sources are cited in parentheses.
General Info all Grades
The Gender Spectrum: What Educators need to Know (Pride Education Network)
Safe Space Kit: A Guide to Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in Your School (GLSEN)
Six Easy Steps Towards Gender Inclusive Practice (Gender Spectrum)
10 Things you need to know about trans people (a short video by Jazz Jennings)
Book List 1 (I seem to have misplaced the source for this, I think it is either Venus Envy or the Youth Project.) Book list 2 (Edmonton Public Schools and Edmonton Public Library)
Curriculum P-6
Gender Doesn’t Limit You is a six-lesson series developed in the USA to address gender-based bullying. Topics covered are: Exclusion from peer interaction e.g., “girls can’t play”; exclusion from particular roles e.g., “girls have to be the nurses”; teasing about cross sex-typed activities, traits, or possessions e.g., “you have a girls’ lunch box,” directed at a boy; biased judgments e.g. “boys are better at math than girls”; sex-typed beliefs e.g. “only boys can fix cars”; and highlighting of gender e.g. “boys sit over here and girls sit over there”. The lessons are sequenced to introduce the problem, teach students a catchphrase and then practice using the response. (taken from the website http://gendercreativekids.ca/resources/gender-doesnt-limit/)
Ready, Set, Respect! GLSEN’s Elementary School Toolkit
A resource for P – 5 on name calling, family diversity, gender roles and gender diversity. Lesson titles: Our Classroom Community (K-2); Words Do Matter (K-2); The Ins and Outs of Groups (3-5); I Can Make a Difference (3-5); What Makes a Family? (K-2); Family Roles and Responsibilities (K-2); Families on TV (3-5); Respect for My Family…and Yours (3-5); That’s Just For… (K-2); Such a Tomboy (K-2); Let’s Go Shopping (3-5); What are Little Boys and Girls Made of? (3-5).
Curriculum 7-12
A resource from British Columbia, “Out in Schools curates films that compel youth to step into the challenges and the triumphs of LGBT2Q+ youth. The films debunk stereotypes, humanize LQBT2Q+ youth and envision the next generation of LGBT2Q+ youth and allies.” Aims include: To allow students to identify and analyze the stereotypical images inherent in mass media. To facilitate the development of a critical eye for commercial messaging and encourage students to be creative in addressing social injustice.
Specific Topics
Reflect on the role of gender in your personal and professional life(Gender Spectrum)
Using the pronoun they (originally published on Feminist-ing.com, by Davey Shlasko)
How to ask about students’ pronouns (New York Times, by )
A teacher’s perspective on a student’s transition (Rethinking schools, by Maiya Jackson)
First-person narratives from student, teacher, and parent perspectives (Huff Post, by
Does one of your coworkers identify as transgender? Consider these helpful tips (Transgender Law Center)
Perhaps you have been thinking about gender identity for a while or perhaps you are newer to the subject. Either way I hope there is something on here that you find meaningful.
Many of the visuals from this website and more are available on gsnspes in the folder ‘diversity posters’ created by Crystal Sampson. More visuals and edugraphics are also available for download HERE from the website by Sam Killerman.
For trans* and questioning staff
There is an online listserv for trans educators HERE.
There is a teacher’s GSA run by Daniel Blynn and Sue McKay that anyone in the NSTU can attend. Contact Daniel or Sue and request to be added to the mailing list.
First Love Yourself (FLY) offers group peer support for adults in the community who are questioning their own gender and those who identify as transgender. Find information about weekly meetings on Facebook or on the website.
Education for Gender Inclusion 