[CALIBK12] (TITLE REQUEST) 9th grade level Native American stories

[Aileen Willoughby]

An excellent book for 9th grade that deals with contemporary 
Native-American issues is called The Absolutely True Diary of a 
Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007).   Touches upon issues such 
as  life and despair on the today's Indian reservations (when I recently 
booktalked it, a student asked, "Are there still reservations today?"), 
the hostility directed at one teen who left the reservation to attend a 
nearby white high school in hopes of a better education, friendship 
between teens, identity and acceptance, racism, cultural conflict, 
poverty, coming-of-age, and it conveys all this with a light touch of 
humor.  Teens can really connect through the cartoon drawings that 
appear throughout the book (the narrating main character is artistic).  
A very popular and highly recommended read!

Aileen Willoughby, LMT
Palos Verdes High School





dsampson at suddenlink.net wrote:
> One of my English teachers has requested a recommendation for a title to replace the current multi-cultural book they teach at the end of the freshman year.  They have been using 'When the Legends Die' but none of the teachers are happy with it.  It is felt we don't address our Native American culture in our curriculum adequately so they would like to stay with something that would fulfill that need.  It could be a single story or a book of short stories.
>
> I would love to draw from your collective wisdom for a title that our students would really respond to and that meet the needs of the teaching staff.  Any suggestions?  
>
> I offer many thanks for any assistance.  
>
> sincerely,
> Darleene Sampson
> Fortuna High School
>
> _______________________________________________
> CALIBK12 site list
> CALIBK12 at lists.sjsu.edu
> http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/calibk12
>
> For information about the Calibk12 listserve, please
> visit  http://www.calibk12.net.
>
>
>   




Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District