Sherman Alexie
Lesson plans and teaching resources

|Biography and Background| |The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian| |Flight| |The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Smoke Signals| |Reservation Blues|

Biography and Background

Contemporary People: Sherman Alexie
This lesson plan focuses on biography and the importance of cultural diversity. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

"I Hated Tonto (Still Do)"
Text of the essay.

Journeying to Create
This lesson, based on an episode of Now with Bill Moyers uses an interview with Alexie and others to explore where creativity comes from. A free transcript is available.

Sherman Alexie
Biography, reviews, criticism.

Sherman Alexie
A bibliography of online resources from the Internet Public Library.

Sherman Alexie
Listen to an interview from 2003, follow links to other interviews.

Sherman Alexie Fuses Tribal and Western Cultures
A 2009 interview emphasizing poetry, 5:23.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Scroll to page 3 for a set of 11 discussion questions. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

Excerpt: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
"The Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club"

Flight

"Flight"
This unit plan consists of 10 lessons, including a project.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Smoke Signals

Debunking the Myth of the American West
Using resources including The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Smoke Signals, students research the stereotypes of the American "Old West" and see it revealed more accurately through modern fiction.

Native American Literature -- A Paradigm Shift
This lesson plan uses Smoke Signals and works by other Native American writers to explore differences between traditional Native American thought and traditional European thought. It requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Watching, Writing, and Learning: Watching Film and Writing Film Essay as an Introduction to the Elements of Narrative Structure, Character Development, and Causal Logic
This extensive lesson plan includes Smoke Signals as a component.

Reservation Blues

Enrichment Activities: Sherman Alexie's "Reservation Blues"
An extensive list of activities to support reading.