The Night Watchman

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “The Lived Effect of Laws”

Begin the lesson with a short writing exercise, based on the following prompt:

Choose one character and discuss what they saw as the potential effect the 

Termination Bill would have on their life. Be as specific as possible. 

Play the closing section from the audio version of The Night Watchman, which is narrated by Erdrich.

Then, ask one student to read the closing note of the acknowledgements, highlighting briefly that acknowledgments can offer some insight into who and what was on the author’s mind when writing.

Project the following passage from House Concurrent Resolution 108 on the screen and then split students into groups of 3 or 4. They should discuss the questions that follow the passage, looking specifically at “The Iron” (78-80) and “A Bill” (90-92):

“Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is declared to be the sense of Congress that, at the earliest possible time, all of the Indian tribes and the individual members thereof located within the States of California, Florida, New York, and Texas, and all of the following named Indian tribes and individual members thereof, should be free from Federal supervision and control and from all disabilities and limitations specially applicable to Indians: The Flathead Tribe of Montana, the Klamath Tribe of Oregon, the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, the Potowatamie Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and those members of the Chippewa Tribe who are on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota.