Books are an excellent way to learn about different issues and make sense of our world. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline creates a dystopian world where Indigenous People living in North America are hunted for their ability to dream. Here is the plot summary for the book:
"In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America's Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the "recruiters" who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing "factories."

In this class, students will read this novel and participate in class discussions where we learn about different Indigenous peoples in North America, and the history of Indigenous peoples, and learn how to analyze dystopian texts. I will be teaching background information that is relevant to the book to help students develop a better understanding of the plot and themes, and students will participate in class discussions where they expand their knowledge and understanding.

The book is considered young adult and appropriate for students ages fourteen and up. The book contains graphic content and language, violence, imprisonment, racism, and death. The book also touches on some of the traumatic histories of Indigenous people in both Canada and the United States which could be triggering for some readers. I will be addressing such issues through an educational and trauma-informed approach. 

Each class will be formatted as follows:
At the start of class, I will teach any relevant background information in order to better understand those chapters read.
We will then begin the class discussion where we will pose questions to each other and look at things like plot, character development, setting, vocabulary, and literary devices.
We will then complete the learning activity for that class. Some of these activities include creating a character development map, a journal entry, free style writing, etc. 
Then at the end of class, we will each come up with a question to keep in mind as we read the next chapters.

*if you do not see a time that works for you, please feel free to request another time*

The reading schedule:
Meeting #1 Background lessons, share overall thoughts and expectations of the book. No reading needs to be done for this first meeting as it is important to cover the historical information first.
Meeting #2 Read Frenchie's Coming-To Story - The Four Winds
Meeting #3 Read Wab's Coming-To Story - On the Road
Meeting #4 Read Found -Locks Mean Nothing to Ghosts