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There There
New unit focused on There There by Tommy Orange
Coming Summer 2025
ELA
Unit 5
11th Grade
Unit Summary
In his debut novel, Tommy Orange, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, weaves together a wide web of twelve Native characters of different ages and backgrounds who are living in present-day Oakland, California, and intersect at the Big Oakland Powwow. His characters are Urban Natives, those who were born in the city, and each of whom is navigating what being Native means today. Orange's novel pushes back against the story about Native people usually depicted onscreen or in books—"reservation stories, and shitty versions from outdated history textbooks" (p. 149)—showing instead that Native people are a "present-day people, modern and relevant, alive" (p. 141).
Prior to reading the novel, students will analyze the poem "Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question" by Diane Burns, examining how she uses the structure of a one-sided conversation to expose longstanding and ignorant stereotypes about Native people that continue to persist today. Then, students will engage in a text set to build background knowledge on Indian Relocation and Termination policies of the 1950s, providing essential context for Orange's novel. While reading the novel, students will analyze how Orange uses multiple narrative points of view, the interconnectedness of characters, and symbols to convey ideas about what it means to be Native today.
In the middle of the unit, students will conduct a mini research project, delving deeper into a historical event or topic referenced in the novel and analyzing how knowledge of that event or topic leads to a deeper understanding of a character and/or theme in the novel. In the summative Socratic Seminar, students will discuss the essential questions of the unit, considering what Orange's novel reveals about the challenges and complexities of being Native today, the role of stories and storytelling in the Native community, and how the structure of the novel reinforces its themes.
As the final Performance Task of the unit, students will follow in the steps of Orange's character Dene Oxendene, whose storytelling project aims to elevate often-overlooked Native stories. In small groups, students will research a historical or contemporary Native individual, designing a text set for their classmates will explore to learn about the individual's story and significance. In this final project, students will disrupt dominant narratives that ignore, erase, or stereotype Native people, showing instead the power of storytelling to uplift unheard stories.
Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Book: There There by Tommy Orange
Supporting Materials
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Poem: “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
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Article: “Bureau of Indian Affairs Records: Termination” (National Archives)
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Video: “The Indian Relocation Act of 1956 | American Experience” (PBS Learning Media)
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Photo: Family in Waukegan (National Archives)
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Photo: Chicagoland Indians Get Good Jobs (National Archives)
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Article: “Five myths about American Indians” (The Washington Post)
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Video: “Not Your Mascot: Native Americans and Team Mascots” (Twin Cities PBS)
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Video: “'Writing out of a loneliness,' novelist explores the range of native experiences” (PBS NewsHour)
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Resource: TEAL Paragraph Graphic Organizer
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Resource: Sentence Stems for Academic Discourse
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Assessment
These assessments accompany Unit 5 and should be given on the days suggested in the Lesson Map. Additionally, there are formative and creative assessments integrated into the unit to prepare students for the Performance Task.
Socratic Seminar
The Socratic Seminar assesses students on their ability to push themselves and their peers to think critically and participate meaningfully in conversation by collecting and evaluating evidence, actively listening, and responding thoughtfully. Socratic Seminar assessments may occur mid-unit as a way to synthesize the ideas of the text/unit to that point or summative, taking place at the end of a unit.
Performance Task
The Performance Task is the culminating assessment of the unit in which students have the opportunity to show the skills and content they have learned.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Essential Questions
- What does it mean to be Native today? What, in particular, are the challenges and complexities of being an Urban Indian?
- How can stories and storytelling serve as counternarratives?
- How can the structure of a text reinforce its themes?
Vocabulary
Text-based
forgemonolithreclaim
Literary Terms
counternarrativeepigraphinterludeprologue
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 5, view our 11th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Notes for Teachers
In this unit, students will encounter different terms used to identify Native people. American Indian, Indian, Native American, or Native are acceptable and often used interchangeably in the United States; however, Native Peoples often have individual preferences on how they would like to be addressed. For example, some Native Americans use the term "Indian" to describe their identity, whereas others reject this term because that is what they were called by white colonizers. If possible, it is best to ask someone which term they prefer. If not possible, then it is best to describe individual Native people by their Native nation affiliation. In the unit materials, the term "Native American" or "Native" is used. For more resources to prepare yourself and/or your students on using appropriate terminology, see the following resources:
- "The Impact of Words and Tips for Using Appropriate Terminology: Am I Using the Right Word?" by the National Museum of the American Indian
- "How to Talk about Native Nations: A Guide" by Twyla Baker, Wizipan Little Elk, Bryan Pollard, and Margaret Yellow Bird (Native Governance Center)
There There contains several emotionally intense and potentially triggering scenes and themes that some readers may find difficult, including racism and historical trauma, violence, substance abuse and addiction, suicide and self-harm, rape, grief and loss. Before starting the text, it is imperative that teachers prepare students for this content, which may be sensitive and triggering for students. To foster a safe learning environment, teachers should create or re-establish their classroom contract and have a dialogue with students about what would make them feel safe when reading and discussing upsetting moments in the novel. Prior to students reading There There, teachers should provide students with an overall warning about the sensitive content in the play. Before students complete a homework reading with disturbing scenes, teachers should warn students about the upsetting content they will come across in that particular reading, so that students can mentally and emotionally prepare themselves for it.
Below are some resources to prepare you and your students for the challenging content within this text:
- "Contracting" by Facing History and Ourselves
- "An Introduction to Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings" by Philip Michael Abdoo (University of Michigan)
- "Content Warnings" by the University of Waterloo
- "Responding to Dating Violence" by The Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness
- "A Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Awareness and Prevention" by Kailen Stover (Edutopia)
- "'But She Didn't Scream': Teaching About Sexual Assault in Young Adult Literature" by Kathleen C. Colantonio-Yurko, Henry “Cody” Miller, & Jennifer Cheveallier (Journal of Language & Literacy Education)
Lesson Map
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
Supporting Standards
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