The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2020)

Students grapple with themes of race, culture and class in the immigrant experience. Through deep analysis of texts, seventh graders explore a variety of perspectives as they wrestle with the authenticity of the American Dream.

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ELA

Unit 12

7th Grade

This unit has been archived. To view our updated curriculum, visit our 7th Grade English course.

Unit Summary


In the first unit of the year, seventh graders will read an autobiographical account of Sherman Alexie’s upbringing on a poor Native American reservation. The book is beloved by teens and adults alike for its uplifting story of triumph by a boy with few advantages, as well as its candid and fresh voice. It is selected by teachers across the country for its appeal to reluctant readers and because it introduces vital issues such as the struggles of young adulthood, the search for personal identity, bullying, and poverty.

It is important to note that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been banned from several school districts across the country. Teachers should make sure to send a letter to parents explaining that there are adult themes, cursing, and sexual references in this book, but that the novel will serve as a vehicle to introduce themes that will be addressed throughout the seventh grade course such as the disillusionment of the American Dream and the search for personal identity. Please visit the Supporting Materials section of this Unit for a Sample Parent Letter.

In this unit, students will also develop the fundamental skills and habits around several key practices in class: vocabulary building, annotating text, literary conversation, independent reading, and evidence-based writing. As students read, discuss, and write about the text, they will examine how an author makes deliberate decisions around tone, theme, mood, conflict, and point of view to convey a deeper meaning to the reader.

Texts and Materials


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Core Materials

Supporting Materials

Assessment


This assessment accompanies Unit 12 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.

Unit Prep


Intellectual Prep

  1. Read and annotate the "Unit Summary” and “Essential Questions” portions of the unit plan prior to reading the novel.
  2. Read and annotate the text with the essential thematic questions in mind.
  3. Take the unit test and write your mastery response to the essay portion of the exam.
  4. Optional: Read all Supporting Materials.

Essential Questions

  • What factors shape our identities?
    • Is it possible to be yourself and part of a group—even if you don’t identify with parts of that group?
  • What are the expectations placed on us by our communities?
    • How do we rise above others’ expectations in order to live the lives we want to live?
  • What challenges do Native American people face in trying to attain hope and the American Dream?
  • What role does education play in the American Dream?

Writing Focus Areas

In this first unit of the year, students will focus on reading and dissecting the prompt to ensure they fully understand the task at hand. Then they will also zoom in on the writing process of brainstorming, outlining, and drafting for on demand prompts (test-taking style prompts). Students will not be given graphic organizers, but instructed on creating their own outlines from a blank piece of paper. They will ultimately be assessed on whether they addressed the prompt itself, made a structured and accurate claim, previewed strong reasons in their leads, and grouped information into meaningful paragraphs.

Spiraling Literary Analysis Writing Focus Area

FCA #1 – Overall:

  • Addressed the prompt.
  • Made a structured and accurate claim
  • Provided 1-2 pieces of evidence for each reason (can be paraphrased or a direct quote)
  • Each part of the text built their argument, and led to a conclusion without redundancies

FCA #2 – Lead:

  • Stated their claim and previewed reasons that accurately support the claim
  • Got their readers to care by including a cool fact or jazzy question about topic
  • Introduction matches the organization of the body paragraphs
  • Interested readers in their argument and helped them to understand the backstory through purposeful word choice

FCA #3 – Organization:

  • Grouped information and related ideas into paragraphs
  • Put the parts of their writing in the order that most suited their purpose and helped  prove their reasons and claim
  • The order of the sections and the internal structure of each section made sense
  • Used topic sentences, transitions, formatting (where appropriate) to clarify the structure of the piece and to highlight their main points

Vocabulary

Literary Terms

tone, theme, internal conflict, point of view (first person), word meaning in context, mood, suspense, text features, compare and contrast, figurative language, juxtaposition

Roots and Affixes

im, in, il = not, in = inside,re = again

Text-based

poverty (11), orbit (3), realize (13), powwow (17), brawling (17), decrepit (31), reservation (3), burden (43), contemplate (33), ambitious (47), naive (79), arrogant (107), shallow (127), lust (127), sacred (165)

Idioms and Cultural References

"cut to the chase" (94)

Supporting All Students

In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the intellectual preparation protocol and the Unit Launch to determine which support students will need. To learn more, visit the Supporting all Students teacher tool.

Content Knowledge and Connections

  • American Indian Reservations
  • Alcoholism
  • Sports mascots that depict Native Americans in a stereotypical or negative manner

Lesson Map


Common Core Standards


Core Standards

L.7.3
L.7.4
RI.7.1
RI.7.2
RI.7.3
RL.7.1
RL.7.2
RL.7.3
RL.7.4
RL.7.5
RL.7.6
RL.7.10
SL.7.1
SL.7.1.a
W.7.1
W.7.1.a
W.7.2
W.7.2.a
W.7.4
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Unit 6

Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States

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