I. Unit Introduction

Jessica Schummer

Unit Title: The Absolutely True Inside and Part-Time Outside: Cliques in the Classroom and

Community

Grade Level: 9th and 10th grade

Estimated Timeline for Teaching: 3 weeks

Unit Overview:

This unit covers the novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman

Alexie using the theme of cliques inside and outside of the classroom. Cliques outside the

classroom are groups of people that gravitate towards each other naturally in “the real world”. In

the novel, race is the main motivator of these cliques, but societal cliques could also occur due to

profession, religion, or other outside factors. This unit also includes examples from students’

lives today in the media and the history of race in America. I will be using clips from the movie

“Mean Girls” and the lyrics from the song “Where is the Love” by the Black Eyed Peas. I will

also be using an article as an informational text for students to evaluate. A few of my unit writing

activities include question bookmarks, literature circles, a “most important word” activity,

anticipation guides, and a unique multi-option final project.

Unit Rationale:

This unit is exceedingly valuable for students. In Alexie’s novel, Junior struggles to fit in, which

is something almost every 9th and 10th grader has had to deal with. Junior also struggles with

issues of poverty, alcoholism, violence, crime-related deaths, loss of pets and loved ones, and

losing friends. These issues permeate our school walls from outside and need to be discussed

within the school district because many students who are going through these types of situations

do not know what to do or even that other people may be going through the same thing. By

connecting with Alexie’s book, students will realize that there are other kids in the world that

deal with the same issues they encounter. This book and unit respond to students’ psychological

needs because it presents challenges to growing up, aspirations, and conflicts that affect students

in their everyday lives.

This unit also fulfills students’ social needs by preparing students to help construct a better

society in the future. By raising issues such as racism and discrimination, I will help students

realize that how they choose to treat people who look differently from them will influence their

lives in tangible ways. By expressing tolerance and compassion in their lives, students will be

able to grow up to teach their children the same things and restore equality in our society. This

lesson is also relevant to students’ interests and personal situations.

I am aware that there may be some counterarguments to my unit and use of Alexie’s book. One

main counterargument people might use against my unit is that these themes can be explored in a

less controversial way. Although this may have some validity, I argue that Alexie’s book is

truly a must-read for students. I believe that without his realistic approach to real issues students

face, we truly miss the mark with our students. Alexie tells it like it is, and that is exceedingly

rare in our society with politics, media, and other influences our students. I believe Alexie’s

novel is a fresh look at the struggles of poverty, alcoholism, and many other real-world issues

students may encounter after or during their time in the classroom.

Works Cited:

Alexie, Sherman. "Every Teen's Struggle: Speaking to a Universal Need." Publishers Weekly 255.7 (2008): 160. Online Database.

Bolt, Julie. "Hybrid Positioning and Student Agency in the Post-Colonial Americas: Why Teaching American Indian Literature Matters." The Radical Teacher (2008): 13-18. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/20710452>.

Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English By Design: How to Create and Carry Out Instructional Units. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Student Objectives:

1. Students will explore the nature and implications of racism and discrimination in society.

2. Students will compare the experience of Junior (protagonist) to their own life experiences.

3. Students will listen critically to interpret and evaluate the theme of hate and discrimination in the song “Where is the Love” by the Black Eyed Peas.

4. Students will compose a project that reflects the theme of cliques either inside of our outside the classroom.

5. Students will participate in literature circles to explain meanings of words, record knowledge and understanding through pictures, write succinct summaries of passages, and connect their readings to their lives.

Common Core State Standards:

Reading Standard for Literature Grades 9 & 10:

2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail itsdevelopment over the course of the text, including how it emerges and isshaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of thetext.

3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflictingmotivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters,and advance the plot or develop the theme.

4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impactof specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokesa sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

Reading Standards for Informational Texts Grades 9 & 10:

2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the courseof the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specificdetails; provide an objective summary of the text.

5. Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined byparticular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section orchapter).

9. Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g.,Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s FourFreedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”), including how theyaddress related themes and concepts.

Writing Standards Grades 9 & 10:

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and updateindividual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’scapacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly anddynamically.

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, andrevision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range oftasks, purposes, and audiences.

Speaking and Listening Standards Grades 9 & 10:

1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their ownclearly and persuasively.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material understudy; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence fromtexts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful,well-reasoned exchange of ideas.b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making(e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation ofalternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate thecurrent discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporateothers into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas andconclusions.d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points ofagreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify theirown views and understanding and make new connections in light of theevidence and reasoning presented.

Language Standards Grades 9 & 10:

3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions indifferent contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and tocomprehend more fully when reading or listening.

a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual(e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian’s Manual for Writers) appropriate for thediscipline and writing type.

II. Unit Components

Resources:

Copies of Sherman Alexie’s novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”

for all of your students

Literature Circle Worksheets (included in this lesson plan)

Anticipation Guides (included)

Bookmarks (included)

Cliques Article (included)

Internet Access to YouTube

Notebook and Pencils for all students

Computer Lab Access

Teacher Preparation:

Photocopy all attached hand-outs the day before you present them to the class

Read the novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” before you begin the

unit

Reserve Computer Lab for Day 14 (day before final projects are due)

Detailed Lesson Plans:

These lesson plans are based on 50-55 minute class periods, but most days allow for some free-

reading, so if you have slightly less time each day, the lessons would still work well.

DAY ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS TIMEDay 1

Theme introduction with Mean Girls Cliphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRteokw7m80

Say a few couple things about cliques, maybe open with a personal story about your friends in high school, then play video clip

5 minutes

Introduce Novel and Racism theme

Introduce “Absolutely True Diary” by reading inside cover, also introduce connection you and students will be making between cliques inside of school and racism outside school

5 minutes

Anticipation Guide and Discussion

Hand out Anticipation Guide worksheet-students to fill out in class, follow-up discussion of controversial questions

15-20 min.

Read & Tease Hand out student copies of novel, read chapter 1 aloud in class

10 minutes

Explain Bookmarks and Assign Reading

Hand out Bookmarks, explain to students that they should put one question on their bookmark for each reading, Assign reading pg. 7-31 (Chicken-Hope)

5-10 minutes

Day 2

Bookmark Follow-up Ask students how their reading went, any interesting questions on bookmarks? Ask students to share common questions and other students respond with what they thought the answer was

5-10 min.

Literature Circles Introduce Lit Circles, Introduce Possible Roles, allow students to pick roles by asking: “Who wants to be a…(insert role here)” – assign those who don’t volunteer, explain everyone will do every role at some point.Explain ALL roles, and practice this with half of their reading from the previous night—“Why Chicken Means so Much to Me”

25 minutes

Assign Reading Assign pg. 32-53 (Hope-Monsters), remind students of bookmarks

5 minutes

Free-Read Time Allow Students to begin reading assignment in class

10-15 min.

Day 3

Student Journaling**Hand out notebooks at this time if students do not already have them

Have questions on board for student journaling, I suggest: “What do you predict Junior will experience at Reardan High School? Why?” and “How do your predictions fit in with how our school incorporates new members, and how society at large accepts members different from the group?”

10 minutes

Literature Circles Students get into their groups from the previous 20

day, evaluate reading from last night- approx. 10 minutes should be spent working on role, 10 minutes spent sharing with small group(collect role sheets after each class-put together portfolio of each “role” to evaluate at the end of the novel)

minutes

Most Important Word Activity

Hand out Most Important Word worksheet- explain logistics and allow them to get a head start. Students should pick what they think is the most important word in the passage they read and prepare to defend that position

10 minutes

Assign Reading Assign pg. 54-81 (Monsters-Slouching) and allow them to start reading with the remainder of class

10 minutes

Day 4

Literature Circles ROLE SWAP! Have students switch roles- I would let them decide which one they want to do next, but if bickering ensues, then switch them yourself

20 minutes

Most Important Word Debate

Ask students to come up and write their most important word from yesterday’s class on the board—find any common words and have them form teams. In a mad frenzy, have students roam the classroom either with their team or individually with the goal to convince others why their word is the most important, after this time, ask if anyone’s opinion had changed on what the most important word was. If you cannot settle on one word as the class definition of the most important word, that’s okay. This should be a fun persuasive activity to get students moving and interacting urgently.

20 minutes(5-10 for writing on board and roaming, 10-15 for discussion and debate)

Assign Reading Assign pg. 82-117 (Slouching-Dance) and get started

10 minutes

Day 5

Lit Circles Continue same roles from yesterday, with new reading

20 minutes

Introduce Final Project Hand out Final Project sheet (included) and answer questions

5-10 minutes

Update Anticipation Guide

Have students pull out their anticipation guides and go through each question, writing their new, or possibly unchanged answer beside the answer they wrote at the beginning of the novel. This marks the halfway point in the novel, so this is a good indication of how the book is shaping student thought

5-10 minutes

Assign Reading Assign pg. 118-134 (Dance-Reindeer) and have students start reading

10-15 min.

Day 6

Lit Circles ROLE SWAP DAY! 20 minutes

4 Corners Poverty Activity

See attached worksheet titled: “Educate!” 10 minutes

Journaling How have you experienced poverty? Do you treat people differently in school if you think they’re poor based on their clothing, hygiene, etc.?

10 minutes

Discussion Ask students about how their answers fit into Junior’s circumstance at the school dance. Point out the comic on pg. 120 to help students remember what you’re referring to.

10-15 min.

Assign Reading Assign pg. 135-167 (Reindeer-Valentine) 5 minutesDay 7

Lit Circles Same roles as yesterday 20 minutes

Bookmark CollectingHand out new bookmarks

Students should have filled up their bookmark with questions at this point, collect bookmarks&make note of any theme-related questions and/or questions that occur more than once (after class) then hand out new bookmarks

5 minutes

Journaling At this point in the story, Junior has just lost his grandmother to a drunk driver. Some questions for student journaling might include: Have you ever lost someone to an accident or a loved one in general? How did you feel, and what traditions did you perform after their death?

10 minutes

Assign Reading Assign pg. 169-195 (Valentine-Basketball) and allow students to begin reading

10-15 min.

Day 8

Lit Circles ROLE SWAP! 20 minutes

Journaling Student journaling questions might include: How do you see Reardan’s win over the Wellpinit basketball team? If you were Junior, would you feel bad about defeating them? Why or why not?

10 minutes

Assign Reading Assign pg. 196-213 (Basketball-Remembering) 15-20 min.

Day 9

Lit Circles Same roles as yesterday, last day of lit circles! 20 minutes

Assign Reading Assign pg. 215-230 (Remembering-End) 5 minutesIndividual conferences with students about final project

Meet with students individually to find out what their plan is for the final project, touch base on what they thought of book

30-35 minutes

3 min/studentDay 10

How to Survive ActivityEx. situations-Large City During a RiotMountainside during a BlizzardDisneyland in the middle of summerThe Mall During Christmas TimeSchool during a week with 5 exams

List places with situations on note cards, 5 different places, and hand 1 to each student as they come into the room (there will be duplicates). Have students make a list of ways they could survive the situation (Do’s and Don’ts, How to guide) for about 10 minutes, then form groups based on their cards (they’ll turn out to be groups of about 4) for them to compare their lists and compile their top 5 tips to share with the class (15 minutes)Sharing will take another 10 min.

35-40 min.

Journaling Student journaling question: How would you survive Junior’s life of poverty, discrimination, and exclusion if it were you in his shoes? What advice would you give him going forward?

10 min.

Day 11

Cliques Article Hand out the attached article “Cliques: Teens search for an identity in social groups”. Introduce article (written by HS student!) and read the article out loud.

10 minutes

Text Reformulation Activity

This activity helps students process and analyze important parts of what they read. Have students reformulate this article into another type of text (I suggest a poem) that is approximately 6 stanzas long. Give students individual work time, and then allow willing students to share their poems at the end of class.

35 minutes(25 for prep, 10 for sharing)

Assign Journaling Assign a journal entry with this question: How do you see cliques in our school? Do they cross racial boundaries, or are they like the Mean Girls clip we watched? Do you see cliques as positive or negative in the school?

5 minutes

Day 12

Check Journals Walk by and put a check mark on students notebooks if they completed the journal (you’ll read them later)

3 minutes

Gallery Style This activity involves silent movement. Post student’s poems (anonymously) on the walls in the classroom, allowing students to walk around silently to view each other’s work. Then have students journal about how they felt their peers did on the poems

15 minutes

Introduce Cliques outside school

Ask students: How do you think cliques are organized after you leave school?(Race is what I think, but be open to other answers!)

5 minutes

MLK Speech Segue into speech by Martin Luther King Jr.—“I Have a Dream” pt. 2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1zxq0TCjIgAfter watching video, ask students what they know about these larger societal “cliques” between races (bring up school segregation, interracial marriage laws, etc if no one does)

10-15 min. (if you want to shorten, start video at 3:10)

Journaling Ask students to take some time to journal about what caught their attention in the video, and how they saw the issues of the Civil Rights Movement in Alexie’s novel

10 min.

Discussion Have a discussion based on student answers 15-20 minutes

Day 13

Grammar Mini-Lesson One thing I want to work on (because I still struggle with this) is an unnecessary shift in tense. Students should, when writing their creative papers, not switch between present and past on a whim. Use the attached grammar lesson “Who took the verbs out?” from Unnecessary Shift in Tense, and the Appendix “Tense Close Activity”.

15 min.

In-Class Work Time on Projects

Conference with students and help them with ideas for putting together their final project/writing the paper that goes with it

40 min.

Day 14

Computer Lab Work Time on Projects

Allow students use of the computer lab during this time. Students should be finalizing projects and typing the papers.

55 min.

Day 15

Project Presentationsand Unit Wrap-Up

Have students present their projects (but don’t grade this!) by telling what they liked best about the process and what was the most challenging. Also make sure students who want to read their “alternative endings” get a chance to do so. Collect all final projects for grading and if there is time left after all the students have talked about their projects, then have a discussion about the book—What did you like, what was controversial to you, how was it different from other books you’ve read?

55 min.

Sources Used:Mechanically Inclined, Jeff Anderson Teaching English by Design, Peter SmagorinskyWrite Like This, Kelly GallagherWhen Kids Can’t Read, Kylene BeersThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie“Cliques: Teens search for an identity in social groups”, Melissa Reyes

“Educate!”, Youth United for Global Action and Awareness, Plan USA

“Hybrid

Positioning and Student Agency in the Post-Colonial Americas: Why Teaching American Indian Literature Matters”, Julie Bolt

Mean Girls Video Clip- YouTube“I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. –YouTube

Student Assignment Guide

DAY Assignment Due DateDay 1(Monday)

Bookmark QuestionRead pg. 7-31(Chicken-Hope)

Day 2 (Tuesday)

Day 2(Tuesday)

Bookmark QuestionRead pg. 32-53(Hope-Monsters)

Day 3 (Wednesday)

Day 3(Wednesday)

Most Important Word ActivityRead pg. 54-81(Monsters-Slouching)Bookmark Question

Day 4 (Thursday)

Day 4(Thursday)

Bookmark QuestionRead pg. 82-117 (Slouching-Dance)

Day 5 (Friday)

Day 5(Friday)

Bookmark QuestionRead pg. 118-134(Dance-Reindeer)

Day 6 (Monday)

Day 6(Monday)

Bookmark QuestionRead pg. 135-167 (Reindeer-Valentine)

Day 7 (Tuesday)

Day 7(Tuesday)

Read pg. 169-195 (Valentine-Basketball)

Day 8 (Wednesday)

Day 8(Wednesday)

Read pg. 196-213 (Basketball-Remembering)

Day 9 (Thursday)

Day 9(Thursday)

Read pg. 215-230 (Remembering-End)

Day 10 (Friday)

Day 11(Monday)

Journaling Question: How do you see cliques in our school? Do they cross racial boundaries, or are they like the Mean Girls clip we watched? Do you see cliques as positive or negative in the school?

Day 12 (Tuesday)

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” Final Project

For the final project for this unit, you will have 3 different options. Choose ONE of these options to complete your project. I will be using ONE rubric for all projects, and will be grading based on four components: deliberate connection to theme, creativity, completion of requirements specified for chosen project, and use of classroom work time for the project.

1. Movie Poster Create a movie poster for the novel, advertising what the book is about, character traits of

2-3 lead ‘actors’ (characters), and highlighting the central theme of cliques, both inside and outside of the classroom.

Be sure to include:o A compelling summary of novel (make me want to read it!) without giving away

the endingo Images of characters, setting, and other visual enhancements (either hand-drawn

or taken from the internet) Remember, if you take images from any source you need to cite that source!

For your citation, include the Author (if any), date, and URL you found the image on

o Descriptions of 2-3 characters using 5 adjectives to highlight their personality In addition to the poster, write a 2 page essay about how you made your project, and how

your project and the novel fit within the theme of cliques inside and outside of the classroom.

2. Alternative Ending Write your own ending to the novel, starting at least one chapter from the end of the

book. Be sure to include:

o Characters changing their thoughts and/or actions from the original endingo Creative insights on how you think the story could have or should have endedo 3-5 pages (double spaced, times new roman, 12 pt) of text (NOT including

illustrations!)o 1-2 illustrations (see Junior’s illustrations for examples)o Your ending should also tie into the theme of cliques inside and/or outside of the

classroom.

3. Personal Connection Write a narrative (3-5 pages, double spaced, times new roman, 12 pt) about a personal

experience you had with the theme of cliques inside or outside of the classroom and connect that experience to Junior’s experience in the novel.

Be sure to include:o How you changed because of your experienceo How your experience was similar or different relative to Junior’s experienceo How the novel changed (or didn’t change) your views on cliques inside and

outside of the classroom

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” Final Project Rubric

Criteria Evaluation Comments

Student connects their project to the theme of cliques inside and outside of the classroom 1 2 3 4 5

Student shows creativity in writing, illustration, and

thought processes for their choice of project

1 2 3 4 5

Student completes ALL requirements outlined in the

final project hand out for their choice of project

1 2 3 4 5

Student uses class time wisely both in the classroom and computer lab, both during

free-reading times and final project work times

1 2 3 4 5

Final Project Score: /20

Cliques: Teens search for an identity in social groups4/7/2008 By Melissa ReyesUniversity Academy Charter High SchoolJersey City, NJ

Jocks. Nerds. Punk rockers.

You know them. They’re the ones you love to hate, or hate to love. The people you may wish you are among, or secretly envy. You may even be one of “them.”

Cliques, like the “skaters” or “cool kids,” can be found in every classroom corner. Just like prom, high school would not be the same without them. But what is it that keeps us fixated on these groups?

“In human nature people [feel] they need to click. They need to feel like they belong somewhere,” social worker Doris Dahdouh said.

A clique can be formed based on many things. It is through similarities that a clique becomes known and is identified. So some people said they aren’t able to tell the difference between the two.

“Some people would say [a clique] is a group of friends and some people could say it’s a group of people that have some common ground,” social worker Doris Dahdouh said.

Freshman Carmen Rivera said one possible difference between friends and a clique is by communication. “[With] a group of friends, [they’re] the people you call on the phone or talk [to] on MySpace. But then [in] a clique, you just hang out in school and don’t talk to them until school.”

Murray Milner Jr. states in his book, Freaks, Geeks and Cool Kids: American Teenagers, Schools and Culture of Consumption, social groups in school allow teens to have “status power” and “create their own status systems based on their own criteria.” With this kind of power, exercising it often becomes the focus of a teen’s life.

Cliques can be created in various ways. “I think usually there’s someone who has a charismatic personality and that person usually becomes sort of like the leader or the voice of a clique,” Dahdouh said. “They [others] see something in that person that they want for themselves.”

Whether a clique has always existed or just formed, cliques are here. Walking into the lunchroom, you can see the breakdown of groups. With the tables already set, it’s just a matter of knowing which one is “yours.”

Comfort can go a long way sometimes, especially since it may contribute to how a clique may form. “Cliques in this school [can originate with] students who’ve known each other since grammar school,” sociology teacher Eileen Cuellar said.

“Every school you go to you’d find [them],” Dahdouh said. “I have seen the jocks, the most popular, and those who keep to themselves and things like that,” she said.

But some don’t think there are many cliques.

“I don’t think we have an intense level of cliques, I think it’s just [more of] groupings of friends,” senior Samantha Masinsin said.

Recalling the senior day assembly, “every senior had their own group of friends” Masinsin said she noticed. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t integrate and socialize with other people.”

Getting In

Big. Small. Exclusive. Just the guys. Whatever your preference may be, cliques vary in all shapes and forms. There are various ways cliques form.

“It depends on their [a person’s] personality and some who can relate [to them], that’s who they join with,” senior Sarah Hensley said.Sophomore D’Von Hill said there’s an easier ticket into a clique sometimes. “If you’re new to school and know

someone, you get sucked into them.”

Milner states in his book that these social groupings, cliques, are products from three processes that can bring people together or apart: separation, combination, and linking. Separation results from differences in things such as activities or experiences that people may have between each other. Combination can join some together either by luck or intent due to common interests or living close to one another. Titles such as the “jocks” and “preps” are typically created in this process.

Although there are differences, there are still interactions that occur between groups. This is known as linking. These interactions can be along the lines of a “jock” dating a “prep” or some of the “cool kids” participating in the science fair.

Some are looking for an identity. “When [a person] see a group that everyone knows, they want to be part of that group that’s mostly known in school. So they figure out ways to get to those groups by doing stuff for them,” junior Henry Rojas said.

“You want to belong, feel like you fit in [and] that someone can relate to you,” Masinsin said. “Cliques are as they are because so many people [have] similar interests and then they pick one thing. They want to open their eyes to other things but they’re afraid.” Because there is a tie that holds everyone in a clique together, everyone is “sticking to one thing,” she said.

Invisible Lines

Reported in May 2006, The Student Voice randomly surveyed 20 students and 80 percent said they felt students segregate themselves. Some said it was based on proximity amongst each other or cultural similarities.

Race and ethnicity are also play a part in how a clique forms. “If you really look around, a lot of Spanish [people] hang with Spanish [people],” Hill said.

Cuellar said she sees it in the school. “I definitely see more of the split between the blacks and the Hispanics.”

Though this is apparent, sometimes it might not be intentional. “Sometimes they hang out with people of their own race [because] sometimes they think they have a lot more in common than with [another] race,” sophomore Andrew Alas said. 

“It’s just like on the street, you’re more likely to socialize with someone of your own race just [for] communication purposes,” Masinsin said. But for more racially diverse groups, “they find something [else] in common.”

Labeling

Even though there are truly such cliques present in the school, some said they feel like they are stereotyped as being a part of a clique.

Masinsin said she is stereotyped as being part of the “smart people” clique. “I remember being scheduled and getting all these honor classes and AP classes, and such. I considered it but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put that load on myself,” she recalled. “I think I was stereotyped to have specific classes because I’m considered [as] one of the “academically achieving” people. It wasn’t just thought about, it was like a pre-destined [thing for me]. So I think teachers stereotype me too,” she said.

But Masinsin said she doesn’t take offense. “People’s definition of smart and my definition of smart [are] two different things.” She said that though she is seen stereotyped as one type of person, others “not classified as the ‘smart clique’ [also know] that I’m not just a person who studies, I’m part of the drama club [and] I skateboard.”

Senior Ekuegan Teko said he also feels stereotyped into as an athlete sometimes. “I just take it [to be that] everybody has a different way of looking at things.” With sports, people tend to think of the players as jocks and think they have an idea of the type of person sports players may be. Basketball may tie Teko and his friends together most, but “even though I play sports, I don’t call my basketball team a clique.Sports aren’t everything to him, Teko said though. “[I] could still have fun outside of sports.”

Too good to be true?

It all sounds good, right? Cliques can provide needed comfort and support, but can also complicate a teen’s life. 

“One danger would be that if the clique thinks that they run something and comes to power because [there are] so many people in it and they kind of seem threatening to those who aren’t in the clique, who aren’t friends with them,” Cuellar said.

Guaranteed protection is one comfort some said that can mainly attract a teen to join a clique. But you must be able to give it back. “Some cliques might start a fight with another clique, if they don’t like each other,” Teko said.

Getting out can be harder than getting in. “Sometimes you might not want to chill with them [your friends] anymore and they probably take that in the wrong way and beat you up [for it].” Someone will “get angry and with anger comes violence.” As a result, “they [may] just ignore you and treat you like dirt,” Teko said.

Dahdouh said she considers a major risk a teen can face when being in a clique is “never really get to discover who you are and you kind of lose yourself.” As a teen, they “go through a stage where they’re trying to define who they are, [and] figure out who they are.”

Family may be key. “That’s where the foundation starts. Not saying people are meant to be exactly the way they were brought up but, there’s some kind of foundation they can lean on or at least refer to,” Dahdouh said. Without that, there’s a risk of not “becoming someone they’re not meant to be, or to not ever discover who they are because they’re too busy trying to belong.”

Artist Your role after yesterday’s reading is to pick your favorite part of the story. Draw a picture that shows what is happening in the story. Write 2-3 sentences that tell about the event in the story.

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

ConnectorYour role for yesterday’s reading is to think of something the story reminds you of in your own life. The connection could be a book, a TV show, or something you’ve done. Write about what the story made you think of and why it made you think of it.

Discussion

For yesterday’s reading, your job is to think of questions you could ask your group about the story. Remember to think of “fat” questions.

1.___________________________________________

2.__________________________________________

3.__________________________________________

____________________________________________

4.__________________________________________

StorytellerYour role for yesterday’s reading is to identify the main characters and setting of the story. You will write a story summary and tell the main events in 4-5 sentences.

Main characters: _______________________________

Setting: _____________________________________

WordsYour role for yesterday’s reading is to find three words that you do not know, words that are interesting, unusual, cool, or just funny. Write the words on this sheet and look them up in the dictionary. Write their meanings so you can tell your group.

Word # 1_________________________ page_______

Definition: _______________________________________________________________________________

Word # 2_________________________ page_______

Definition: _______________________________________________________________________________

Word # 3_________________________ page_______

Definition: _______________________________________________________________________________

By Joanne Griffin Clip art by Microsoft

Anticipation Guide

Directions: Read each statement and write Yes in the blank if you believe the statement could support it or put No in the blank if you do not believe the statement and could not support it. After you finish reading the selection, revisit the statements. This time, decide how a character in the story would react to each statement.

Before Reading After Reading

_____________ 1. People who are poor could make more money _____________ if they would work hard.

______________ 2. If you work hard you can be successful. ______________

_____________ 3. It’s okay to hurt people who have hurt you ______________ in the past.

_____________ 4. Even when your friends don’t agree, you should ______________ stand up for what you believe is right.

_____________ 5. Children should be obedient to their parents even ______________if it means having to do something they don’t want to.

_____________ 6. Race discrimination has been largely eliminated. ______________

_____________ 7. A book that is taught in many colleges is all right ______________ to read/study/analyze in high school.

_____________ 8. Reservation schools are just as good as those in ______________ the suburbs and rural areas.