The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By: Sherman Alexie
Lexile Level: 600L
Suggested Grades: 9-12
Genre: Realistic Fiction
2007 National Book Award Winner
Summary: Junior is a 14-year-old living on the Spokane Indian reservation. Trying to better his life, he starts attending a nearby all-white high school. His own people look at him like he’s a traitor and the kids in his new school look at him like he’s an outsider. He struggles to make friends and adjust to his new environment. This novel is based on the author’s own experiences. It features drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character’s art. It tells a story of one young Native American trying to break away from the life he was destined to live.
Possible Learning Activity: Throughout the novel, Junior talks about how he draws pictures and comics. Ellen Forney created illustrations to supplement the writing of Sherman Alexie. Students will write a mini biography about themselves and include a narrative comic. There are several examples from the text that students can use. Here are a few examples:
Standards:
New York State Learning Standards and Core Curriculum:
CC.RL.9-10.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CC.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will draw parallels between themselves and the characters of the novel, develop an understanding of the internal and external expectations of their lives and will write a journal entry on how their lives relate to one of the characters from the novel.
- Students will explore the roles that other people play in their lives to develop an understanding of how societal and familial expectations shape their choices and work in groups to write down the different ways family and society affects their choices..
- Students will create a comic strip portraying an event in their lives. They will use examples from the text to creatively portray the event.
Possible Learning Outcome: Students will make connections to the characters of the novel and recognize that there are external and internal forces that shape their daily decisions. They will also create a mini comic strip that portrays an event in their lives.
