Teaching The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Instructions for You

Objective: Junior has a very rich inner life, which he shares with his diary. His inner life doesn't always match his real life, though. Your students probably have very rich inner lives of their own, in which they are as deep, hilarious, and introspective as Junior—and just like Junior, their realities probably don't quite match their thoughts.

The purpose of this activity is to have kids dig into the disparities between Junior's internal and external lives. To do so, they will first do some close reading and then create their own diary entries, complete with drawings about their interactions with people over the course of a normal school day.

This will take at least a full class period (you might have kids finish up for homework) and is best done once you're finished reading.

Materials Needed: Paper and writing and drawing supplies; copies of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Step 1: It's rereading time. But first, ask your students to share some of their favorite moments in which there's a contrast between what happens in Junior's life and his thoughts about it in his diary. Need one to get the ball rolling? One of our favorites is when Junior punches Roger in the face in Chapter 8. Need a refresher? Click here.

With a few moments identified, read them aloud together and talk about the differences between what happens and what Junior's thoughts are.

Step 2: Now it's time to discuss every teenager's favorite topic—a.k.a. themselves. Ask your students to think of an interaction they've had recently, preferably at school. On a piece of paper, they then should write a narrative of what actually happened during this interaction. It should include dialogue and detailed description, and be written in the first person—like a diary.

Step 3: Once the students have written down what actually occurred, they should fill in whatever brilliant and witty thoughts were going through their heads at the time that they didn't actually say, adding them into the narrative of the interaction they had.

Step 4: One of the things that makes Junior's diary awesome is that it has illustrations. Have the kids make their diary entries equally awesome with their own cartoon illustrations.

Step 5: Set aside some time for sharing in small groups or reading in front of the class. These are bound to be pretty funny.

Instructions for Your Students

Objective: Junior has a very rich inner life, which he shares with his diary. His inner life doesn't always match his real life, though. He isn't so unique in this—we all think things we keep to ourselves—and you're probably pretty freaking hilarious inside your own head, even if what you think doesn't always perfectly mirror what happens. Get ready to share your diary with the world (okay, more like your class) because in this activity you're going to be writing your own Junior-style entry, complete with what actually happened and all the thoughts that swirled through your brain.

Step 1: Share some of your favorite moments in which there's a contrast between what happens in Junior's life and his thoughts about it in his diary. Then join in the rereading and conversation. Good times.

Step 2: Think of an interaction you've had recently, preferably at school. On a piece of paper, write a narrative of what actually happened during this interaction. It should include dialogue and detailed description, and be written in the first person—just like a diary.

Step 3: Once you have written down what actually occurred, fill in whatever brilliant and witty thoughts were going through your head at the time that you didn't actually say, adding them into the narrative of the interaction you had.

Step 4: One of the things that makes Junior's diary awesome is that it has illustrations. Make your diary entry equally awesome with your own cartoon illustration.

Step 5: Be prepared to share your work—and get ready to enjoy your classmates' entries. Some of them are probably pretty hilarious.