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Sherman Alexie Letters

Satisfactory Essays

I hope you had an excellent summer and that this letter finds you in good health. I would like to take this opportunity to ask your assistance in making sure your child completes his/her summer reading assignment by the first day of school. You will find a copy of this assignment enclosed with this letter. If you have any questions regarding the assignment, please do not hesitate to email me at the email address below.

Along with the summer reading I would like to bring to your attention the award wining novel written by Sherman Alexie, The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian” We will be reading this novel as a class in September. You will find a New York Times article about this book also enclosed with this letter.

Although this novel is an excellent read with some very important themes addressing many of the topics we cover over the year, it is written through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy and does possess some light profanity. I want to make you aware of this and give you the opportunity to read the book, ask any questions or address any concerns you may have with your child reading this novel. I would also like to share my rationale for using this book. …show more content…

As you may already know students study Civics in the 8th grade and I design my units so that Reading, Writing & Civics are interwoven. Under this umbrella, students will consider issues of race, class, culture, and gender, how they are tied to the construction and perception of identity, and how these factors impact life choices. Students will also discuss the expectations imposed by ones community, friends and family, and how, oftentimes, these can be the hardest ties to break. My hope is that students will learn that they are not without power; choices can be made and it is possible to resist negative

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