Teachers Teaching Trans: Creating a More Gender Inclusive Classroom Through Literature: Every Day

It is a hard cycle to conquer. The body is working against you. And because of this, you feel even more despair. Which only amplifies the imbalance. It takes uncommon strength to live with these things. But I have seen that strength over and over again.”

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12
AUTHOR: David Levithan
GENRE: FICTION

REVIEW
Every Day is a story about a person named A. This person has jumped into a different body each day of their life. They have been every gender and every race, but have aged normally, only jumping in a body that would be the same age as A. The book opens when A is the body of a sixteen-year-old boy, this is also the day that A falls in love for the first time; her name is Rhiannon. All love is complicated at some point, but because A lives in a different body every day, they struggle with showing Rhiannon who they really are despite the complications of being in a different body. I think this story will appeal to a wide audience of readers. Although, the book doesn't specifically address a transgender theme, it does open a reader up to discussions about identity and to the idea that someone's identity does not always match the body they are in.

I was super excited to read this book and fell in love with the plot before I even began to read it. It quickly became the book I couldn't put down. I immediately told my high school students about it and many are interested in reading it. After talking with my students, it became clear to me that this was a book that would appeal to large variety of students. I think it is a book that is accessible to a lot of people which allows teachers to create discussions around identity without putting the spotlight on the trans community. There are some companion books, an upcoming sequel, and a movie in the works for those that fall in love with the characters.

CLASSROOM TOOLBOX:

Here is a link to some of the CCS that I think will work well with this book. If your school has adopted other standards, I think the crosswalk should be fairly easy. I did grades 9/10, but I think it could be read in 11/12 as well.
What about creating a multi-genre project around the theme of identity. The student could take on the persona of one of the characters in the story and explore the conflicts. themes, and motivations of the character and then reflect them through different genres of writing. I am sure there are many creative ways to take a multi-genre approach with this project and it kind of compliments the plot of the book.
Students could write a play or short=story that explores the theme of identity through their own characters.
Students could create a trailer for the movie. You could give give them instructions to show the audience glimpses of characters, conflict, and theme.
Students could create a digital story for the book. It is basically a retelling of the book using digital media techniques.

LINKS TO OTHER TOOLBOX IDEAS

Extensive Lesson Plans and Ideas From For 9th Grade

Interview With The Author

Guiding Questions on Teachers Pay Teachers

Free Discussion Questions