August: Osage County Lesson Plan

Native American Stereotypes

Kind of Activity:

Research

Objective:

Students will examine Johnna's characterization in light of Native American stereotypes.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5

Structure:

Johnna is an outlier in the play for a number of reasons: she is the only non-family-member with a significant role, she is an employee in the Weston home, and she is a Native American. Begin by asking the students to discuss their impressions of Johnna. They should call out words to describe her, and the teacher should write these words on the board. When a number of words have been...