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I Am Not a Number

I Am Not a Number

I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer

Title: I Am Not a Number (.pdf lesson plan)

Author: Jenny Kay Dupuis

Grade Level: 3-5

Standards*

  • Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1, 3.2, & 3.3; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1, 4.2, & 4.3; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1, 5.2, & 5.3
  • Virginia Standards of Learning: 3.5; 4.5; 5.5

Overarching Theme(s): Assimilation, Fairness, Point of View, Empathy, Inferencing

Timeframe: (60-90 minutes)

Summary

This story retells the experience of a young Native American girl forced to attend an American Indian boarding school in Canada. In detail, it describes the struggles she faces during her year at the school, including being beaten and forced to adopt Western norms and language. Over the summer, her parents decide to hide her so she and her siblings will not have to go back even though this means they are breaking the law and could go to jail.

Lesson Goals

  1. Identify feelings and motivations of characters
  2. Determine the fairness of American Indian boarding schools in their historical context