World on Our Shoulders Backpack

Gender Norms and Issues

ED4260
For Jana Boschee
Cassidy Shostak, Megan Axford, & Dana Farrell
Dear Parent(s) and/or Guardian(s),

Thank you for participating in the World On Our Shoulders Backpack Project! This
specific backpack focuses on gender norms and issues within society today. 2017 has been
a revolutionary year, especially pertaining to gender norms, roles, equality, rights, and
activism. To best prepare, educate and inform our students, authentically, in this age of
information and time of global activism, we compiled literature on the subject that
addresses this issue, from the perspective of youth and children, for youth and children,
so that they may better understand themselves, their peers, and modern society.

As educators, we believe this topic is important because we want all students in the
classroom to feel safe and comfortable to be their awesome, authentic, and amazing
selves. Plus, we do not want gender issues, struggles or questions to hinder their academic
or social learning and development both within and outside the walls of our classroom.
However, we completely understand that students and their familys choices or beliefs
may differ on the topic. It is important to note, that our resources do not touch on the
issue of sexuality, but rather simply on gender, which are separate entities, as gender is
how we identify ourselves internally. Respectfully, however, we do want to provide
resources and materials as an outlet and authentic source of information for our students
to engage with in the comfort and safety of their own home, with or without parent
participation. To facilitate family discussion OR personal reflection on the subject, we
have designed unique activities that parallel the stories in our backpack with the purpose
of engaging students with the literature in meaningful ways allowing them to better
understand themselves and their communities. The ultimate purpose of our backpack is to
help our students arrive at self-acceptance, so that they may accept others in return.

We hope that this backpack provides not only a source of information for your child
and/or family, but also a source of great literature that has been expertly selected to
touch on a social issue through childrens and youth books that pull on your heartstrings
and ask you to think differently about the world around you. To ensure that everyone and
anyone can engage with this backpack, we have selected books that meet beginner to more
expert reading abilities, and chose stories that are from various perspectives, from
transgender characters to other characters simply challenging gender stereotypes put
upon them.

If you have any questions or concerns on how gender is addressed within our
classroom or learning, feel free to consult the PRISM toolkit by the Alberta Teachers
Association, or contact me directly. We hope you enjoy our backpack and its activities, and
we thank you for endlessly supporting your childs development and well-being. Happy
reading!

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 RATIONALE FOR OUR SELECTION

Our selection of literature ranges from picture books all the way up to young
adult novels, making it accessible to all reading levels and abilities, all the while still
being relevant to the age group, which successfully differentiates to ensure reader
success and confidence. By scaffolding and organizing our selections in an
incremental fashion, students truly explore the topic of gender norms and issues,
in a way that allows them to interact with the content meaningfully.
Plus, our selection includes a variety of voices, point of views, and
perspectives in terms of gender norms, from the point of view of a parent, to a
child themselves. We were especially cognizant of finding literature that showed a
wide variety of experiences with respect to gender norms, from transgender
characters, to characters who simply challenge gender stereotypes, all the way to
characters who are simply learning self-acceptance.
In this way, the selection offers something for all, as the message and its
purpose is to ultimately inform, support, and delight readers through the telling of
stories that address a very contemporary issue that is pertinent in all levels of
todays modern society. With this in mind, we also chose literature that is modern,
recent, and therefore, of high interest to our readers, unlike anything they may
have ever read before

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 BOOK SUMMARIES

My Princess Boy
By: Cheryl Kilodavis
Aladdin, 2011

My Princess Boy tells the story of a family with two

parents, and two sons, and one of these boys likes to
wear dresses. The mother tells the story of her
child, with whom she calls her princess boy, through
acceptance, adversity, support and fear that they
face as a family on a daily basis. The mother even
addresses her feelings as a parent when he is not accepted, understood, or taken
seriously outside the loving and safe walls of their home. No matter what, the
family loves and supports each other unconditionally, making it an inspiration for
all, challenging readers to reflect on their own perceptions toward gender norms
through reflective questions that easily stimulate discussion in your own home.

This book was selected for the backpack because it challenges gender norms by
showing that a boy can express himself through feminine identifiers. It is also
from the point of view of a parent, which sets itself apart from some of our other
selections. Its also a good teachable resource for all ages and reading abilities as
it prompts the reader and its audience to think about how they might approach a
similar character in real life. Its illustrations are a great accompaniment to the
story, as the characters have no faces, making it more relatable to the reader, and
allowing them to insert themselves into the story.

A heart warming read that challenges even adults to think and rethink what
they know about gender norms, making it an inspiration for all. - Miss Farrell

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 Red
By: Michael Hall
Greenwillow Books, 2015

Red, is a wrong labelled crayon who can not seem to do

anything right. His friends and family try to help him
through trying to fix him however, it is not until a
specific friend, changes his mind and shows him how
wonderful he is through the work he CAN create being a
blue crayon. Red finally accepts himself for the beautiful artwork that he is able
to create. Once he shows his friends and family the wonderful art he created, they
also accept him for who he truly is. Red shows the importance of showing your true
colours because in the end it can create a beautiful masterpiece.

This book was selected for the backpack project because it teaches acceptance as
well as confidence within a picture book format. It corresponds with other books in
the backpack even though it does not specifically focus on gender norms and
issues, because it promotes and celebrates peoples differences. It promotes the
importance of being yourself and being confident in who you are and what you bring
to the world.

Red, a blue crayon, in the book Red is an excellent resource that teaches
the reader that it is okay to be your true self and to have confidence in
what you bring to the world. - Miss. Axford

I am Jazz
By: Jessica Hertel & Jazz Jennings
Penguin Group, 2014

Ever since she was just two years old, Jazz

Jennings felt like she was living in the wrong body.
She was born with the body of a boy, but the brain
of a girl, leaving her friends and family confused,
and left her feeling as though she was living a lie.
After years of confusion and trying to convince her family, her doctor diagnosed
her as transgender. Finally, Jazz felt relieved and comfortable to be herself, and
her family and friends were at peace knowing that she was finally happy. Even

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after her diagnosis, she still faces everyday challenges such as issues with bullying,
and yet, she continues to let her pride and uniqueness drive her instead of letting
it get her down.
Jazz Jennings is a seventeen year old transgender activist and notable for being
one of the youngest publically documented transgender youth and public figure for
the transgender community. She is a cofounder of the TransKids Purple Rainbow
Foundation which mission is supporting Transgender Youth as well as committed to
enhancing the lives of TransKids by educating the public and seek equal treatment
for the transgender community.
Embrace who you are and just be your authentic self because you are beautiful no
matter how much others may undermine you! -Jazz Jennings

This book was selected for the backpack to introduce a real life experience of a
child experiencing gender dysmorphia. Jazz Jennings is a relatable role-model for
children and teenagers and she continues to be an activist for LGBTQ+ to raise
awareness and support for Transgender Youth. Jazz Jennings continues to be a
public figure which allows youth to continue to follow her story as she undergoes
big steps in her transition both as a female and an adult. This book can be
approached by any level reader as well as shines a positive light on the experiences
of Jazz.

This is a must read for all students, regardless of their gender

identification. This unapologetic story shares the beautiful process of a
strong female Jazz - Miss.Shostak

Zibby Payne & The Wonderful, Terrible TomBoy

Experiment
By: Alison Bell
Lobster Press, 2006

Zibby Payne cant seem to understand why her friends

would want to spend their time doing their hair and
putting on their makeup, when she would rather spend
her time playing soccer with the boys. After struggling
to balance her time between these two worlds,
conflicts occurred between her and her girlfriends, and
she was labeled a tomboy for the first time, leaving her
unsure of its connotations. Zibby then decides to embrace this new lifestyle as she

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navigates grade six through her own tomboy experiment. This experiment
includes her challenging the gender norms expected of her, convincing others to do
the same through the creation of a tomboy club. Zibby also works through what
this means for her and her relationships, from friends and crushes to her family,
to see how this affects them as well. Zibby realizes how she is allowed to like
aspects from both her tomgirl world as well as her girl world recognizing that
gender norms are not binary.

This book is unique among the other selections in that it provides comedic relief on
a serious topic, allowing readers to feel more comfortable. It is also unique in that
it is from the perspective of a girl, which is less common in LGBTQ literature
selections to date. Plus, it tells the story of a girl challenging social norms of what
it means to be a girl allowing readers to understand that restrictions are fluid and
go far beyond girl, boy, and everything in between.

This book is an entertaining read as Zibby Payne shows the reader that it is
okay to be yourself which can include breaking traditional gender norms
placed and promoted in society - Miss.Axford

A Boy Named Queen

By: Sara Cassidy
Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press, 2016

When a new boy, Queen, joins Evelyns grade five class

she is surprised of his name, the way he dressed, and
the way he presented himself to the class. Evelyn is
taken back by his confidence, self-acceptance, and
attitude even while the other students in the class
snicker and comment on his appearance and his name.
Queen, lives by his own rules and creates his own norms,
expressing the power of acceptance and living your true
life. Queen does not let bullies in his class suppress his
interests, fashion-sense, and confidence which Evelynn both finds confusing and
admirable. In an unlikely friendship between Queen and Evelynn, Evelynn discovers
more about friendship, family and herself with her time spent with Queen
exploring what it means to be accept yourself and others.

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This book was selected for the backpack to show students the importance of self-
acceptance, challenging social norms, and the ability to be confident in who you
truly are. Queen is a confident character that portrays the ability and the power
to allowing yourself to live your true life. He shows strategies to live by your own
rules without letting others negatively affect your attitude. Queen does not
specifically identify with a particular gender but identifies with a lifestyle that
creates a happy and confident life.

A Boy Named Queen contains a lot of important messages and portrays

many important issues in a small book. It is beautifully written book to show
students there is nothing like being your own interesting and wonderful self!
-Miss. Farrell

George
By: Alex Gino
Scholastic Press, 2015

Through everyday activities at home and at school,

George always feels naturally inclined and attracted
towards feminine attributes and norms.
Unfortunately, she keeps these feelings and
inclinations internalized, while really wanting to have
people understand her. She always wanted to tell her
friends and family, but on several occasions, she
struggled to find the words to speak honestly, and
kept these thoughts inside. While the story is written
from the third person narrative, the she pronoun is always used, which has
profound meaning in itself. Furthermore, the tone of story is honest, and at times
brutally honest, expressing Georges true frustrations and other negative
sentiments as she navigates to gain acceptance from her peers. When George
finally expresses her thoughts and feelings, she was very afraid of what her friend
Kelly would say. Throughout the story, George knows she is different and has to
find a way to accept herself in order to tell her friends and family in a way that
they will understand. The story follows internal, social, and familial conflicts that
many, like George, commonly face. An ongoing conflict in the story, was the issue of
role-play in the Charlottes Web play, that both introduces and concludes the main
theme in the story; gender roles, norms, and self-identity.

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This book was selected for the backpack because it serves as a good resource or
teaching tool to differentiate between two separate entities that are commonly
fused and confused; sexuality and gender. It serves as a very personal account of
real feelings and experiences as a transgender youth struggling and learning to
accept their true reality, so that others may do the same. The authors craft is
concise, well organized and scaffolded to mirror Georges transformation and
growth from beginning to end.

George is a moving novel to learn about self-acceptance, friendship, and

understanding. It is an important novel both to students and parents which
brilliantly challenges our ability of acceptance. - Miss. Shostak

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 THREE RESPONSE ACTIVITIES

For these activities, we chose to not provide exemplars for students to take home
in order to allow for students to not be tempted to simply repeat the sample work.
Seeing as how our activities are highly introspective, and require deep personal
reflection, which will depend highly on the student and their individual experiences,
we did not see the need for exemplars, but rather just clear, concise directions
that would guide the activity.

Wreck this Journal - Booklet

Students will work through the Wreck This Journal progressively, as they
explore the novels in our backpack. The Wreck This Journal is designed to scaffold
their reflection and responses to the literature, and it is organized to increase
with complexity incrementally, to help support student success. The journal entries
are designed to be low-stress, to encourage deep, introspective reflection and to
stimulate creative and critical thinking through fun and engaging journal prompts.
It encourages students to explore not only the literature, but themselves, through
the stories, to develop a strong sense of confidence and self acceptance for all
students, regardless of their gender identification. The journal activity builds on
three strands of the language arts curriculum, reading, writing, and visually
representing. The journal prompts are intentionally designed to promote higher
level thinking skills developing students ability to analyze, evaluate, and create. The
value of students thinking deeply about the prompts and expressing themselves as
well as what they have newly discovered and unfolded. By breaking down
information, judging the value of ideas presented, as well as using new knowledge to
create something new, students are developing important skills while thinking
deeper about the literature. The journal package is a separate entity.

Visual Project - Mirror Mirror Activity

Students will fill out the full-page mirror template (included) with
compliments and phrases that would boost their self-esteem, and their peers self-
esteem. The idea here is that they could say the compliments out loud and they
could be easily reciprocated to someone else creating a mirrored effect. This
activity targets the student and focuses their attention on themselves to identify
traits and other characteristics that they celebrate, to instill a sense of pride and
acceptance in the student. For, in order to accept others, students must first
accept themselves; it is a reciprocal relationship. This helps promote socio-
affective development in students, which helps develop character and help promote

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healthy living and a strong sense of community within the classroom, which is
reinforced throughout the curriculum from K-12. (Mirror template can be found on
page 13 in the package).

Conversation Starters/ Journal Entries

This activity was included within the backpack as a way to create open
discussion about the topic matter presented within the pack. The questions could
either be used to guide discussion for all family members in the home, or could be
used as questions to guide journal entries and promote the reflective process. This
activity is connected through outcomes within the program of studies as it gets
students to critically think as well as reflect about their findings within the
backpack. This activity provides opportunities for development of speaking,
listening, writing, viewing, and reading skills within students, which are five of the
six main strands focused in the language arts curriculum. This activity also works
with the various forms of literature presented within the backpack as the
questions below focus on main ideas presented within the books.
When do you feel the most like yourself? What does it look like? Where
does this happen? Who are you with? Why do you feel the most like yourself
in this moment?
How do you make your friends and family feel accepted? :What do you do to
make them feel this way?
Why is it important to feel accepted?
If you were in Parker or Connors shoes, what could you have done different
than what they did in the book A Boy Named Queen, to make Queen feel
accepted?
What would our world be like if we were all the same? : What if we had all
the same interests and opinions?
If you saw a Princess Boy, like in the book, Princess Boy would you laugh at
him? Would you call him a name? Would you stand up for him?
Can a boy wear pink? Can a girl like football? Why? :Can a boy like pink and
also like football? Can a girl like pink and also like football?
What is a stereotype? :What is a gender stereotype? What are some
examples of gender stereotypes that you have seen in the media?
Zibby Payne likes to play soccer at recess while the other girls do not. Does
Zibby Payne break a gender stereotype in her book? Why?
Watch this one minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
7gjICQ3kL4. After seeing a video of Jazz, was she what you expected her
to be like?

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 Jazz uses many words to describe who she is as a person, including being
transgender. She states that all of these characteristics and interests are
what contributes to her being her true self. What are some key
characteristics about you that contribute to you being your true self?

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