S&L Response--Sarah

CCSS.SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation

This speaking and listening standard stands out to me because of the connection to a book I'm reading with one of our classes, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.  As a pre-reading activity, the students draw inferences about the author's purpose based on a cartoon that the protagonist, Junior, draws of himself.  It's a self portrait and on one side, Junior shows some of what represents him as a Native American, and the stereotypes often associated with it. The other side is a representation of his "white" self, and all the stereotypical things that are associate with that.  Additionally, the cartoon address deep socioeconomic disadvantages of life on a reservation, and the privileges of  being white.  Before we even read the book, we discussed the tone of the cartoon (both humorous and serious), and how it lends itself to Alexie's motives.  A specific example is on the Native American side of the cartoon, Junior is holding a glad trash bag as his backpack; on the white side is a designer messenger bag.  We used this example to lift our thinking and ask what is Junior's point in showing this?  He may deliver it in a humorous tone, but is it just about him?  What else could this be representing?  I think analyzing this cartoon as a small group helped them to think more critically about why authors do what they do, and what could be learned from it.