Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram a CCSS novel study/PDF/Google Drive

This is a close reading guide to the book Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram.

Darius Kellner is a Fractional Persian - he is half-Persian - on his mother’s side. He knows almost nothing about Persian social cue, and only slightly more about American social cues. He is about to take a trip to Iran that will change his life. Darius has never really felt as if he fits in in America. His clinical depression doesn’t really help. While depression medication is tough to explain to his grandparents, Darius meets Sohrab, his first, best friend. Soon, they are playing soccer and having long talks on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. This leaves Darius wondering…is it possible that he is more than “fractionally” Persian?

This is a MUST READ in the high school classroom. Darius the Great is Not Okay will give your students a different view of teenage mental health that will truly drive home the issues presented in this novel that are affecting our country every day. This book is a springboard that presents so many wonderful opportunities for reading, writing, and conversation moments within your classroom.

As close reading is such an important part of the Common Core, students need to be taught to be analytic as they read texts. This unit includes vocabulary slides (Google-ready) so that you may preview tricky vocabulary with your students before each chapter, as well as several Easel vocabulary assessments, writing/discussion questions for each chapter (answer key included), as well as larger-scale writing assessments. The classroom discussion questions deeply examine the themes of the novel as well as inferences that can be made as students read. All activities are available as PDFs as well as on Easel. I have used this unit with gifted grade 8 all the way through grade 12. I have used this unit in special education as well as regular education classrooms, and it has been successful across the board. It includes everything you need! There are chapter summaries, vocabulary activities, and class discussion questions for each chapter. I have used the questions for homework, classwork, or just as a springboard for Socratic discussions and literature circles. Please feel free to ask questions before your purchase. AND...don't forget to leave feedback. It's like free TPT money!