The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-Time
Daily Activity Guide
Day 1: Wednesday, October 3rd
Pages 1-23
Objective:
Students will be able to:
-Define autism as it refers to our future
character
-Describe first impressions of the book they
will be reading
To Reach the Objectives
1. Make predictions about the text based on the
title and outside of the book
2. Learning about Autism
3. Introduce Character Guide
4. Read aloud
5. Discussion questions
Learning about Autism
Powerpoint
Pages 1-23
Discussion Questions
Examine the footnote on p. 5 of the book.
When does Christopher use footnotes?
Page 8 also has an example of numbered lists.
When does Christopher resort to such additions
or "flourishes" in his storytelling?
What do these font changes, lists, and so on,
tell us about this narrator?
Sharing your Thoughts
In a group of 4 or less, share your thoughts on
the discussion questions.
Use this time to ask each other questions about
the reading and discuss the characters you
have met so far.
Have we reached the
objective?
With your shoulder partner:
-One of you will tell the other 2 things you
learned about autism today.
-The other partner will share 2 things they find
interesting about the book so far.
Day 2
Day 2: Thursday, October 4th
Pages 25-50
Objective:
Students will be able to:
-Describe a real life scenario from the point of
view of the lead fictional character in our text
To Reach the Objectives
1. Discuss pages 24-50
2. Discussion questions
3. Group activity about point of view.
Pages 24-50
Discussion Questions
Chapter 67 gives us a wonderful glimpse into the world of
non-autistic persons, through the eyes of an autistic person.
Examine, for example, the tee-shirt slogan that Christopher
quotes on p. 36, and his comments on the idea of
"chatting," on the top of p. 40.
When you see bits and pieces of your own world isolated and
discussed, in the way that Christopher isolates and
discusses them, how does your own world appear to you
now?
Discuss other pieces of our non-autistic world that
Think
With a group, think of something in your daily
life that may appear very differently to
Christopher. Be prepared to share this
example with the group.
Have we reached the
objectives?
Self assess:
On our scale from 1-4, rank your ability to
describe a real life situation from the point of
view of Christopher.
1
I cannot
2
I somewhat can
3
I can
4
I can do this very well
Day 3
Day 3: Friday, October 5th
Pages 50-74
Objective:
Students will be able to:
-Support a theme within the text using textual
evidence.
To Reach the Objectives
1. Discuss Pages 50-74
2. Discussion Questions
3. Theme Activity
Pages 50-74
Discussion Question
Christopher describes the "Monty Hall" math
problem on pp. 64-65 and he provides us
with a description of clouds on pp. 67-69. To
what extent are these digressions unrelated
to the story?
What do these digressions tell us about
Christopher? Find other digressions that are
interesting to you and/or that may be
relevant to the rest of the story.
Theme Activity
In groups, you will be given a theme below to discuss and
provide examples from what we have read in the text so
far. Find 4 quotes that support your theme. Be prepared
to share with the class.
Themes:
•
•
•
•
•
Truth
Identity
Freedom and
Confinement
Love
Reality
Language and
Fear
Order and Logic
Isolation
Versions of
Lies and Deceit
Reaching the Objectives
How difficult was it to defend this theme using
textual evidence from Curious Incident?
Share your answer with the person directly
behind you.
Day 4
Day 4: Monday, October
6th
Pages
74-99
Objective:
Pages 74-99
Discussion Question
"My memory is like film," says Christopher
(76). he continues to say that he never
forgets anything, and from this he derives a
great deal of confidence. What other tools
does Christopher have to deal with problems,
conflicts, uncertainty, and ambiguity?
Day 5: Tuesday, October
7th
Pages
100-124
Objective:
Pages 100-124
Discussion Question
To what extent does Christopher develop new tools
for being in the world, other than the ones he
already has, in order to solve problems that his
usual behavior doesn't permit him to solve? In
other words, can you locate a passage or chapters
that indicate that Christopher is changing in his
own way to meet the demands of his life? "The
mind is just a complicated machine," says
Christopher (116). How does Christohper adjust
to the complicated world around him by also
adjusting the "complicated machine" of his mind?
Day 6: Wednesday, October
8th
Pages
125-155
Objective:
Pages 125-155
Discussion Question
Pages 129 to the end of the book chronicle
Christopher's journey to see his mother in
London. How does Christopher survive on
this journey?
What characterizes this journey? Whom does
he meet? How does he cope?
What does he learn? What skills does he use in
order to arrive safely at his mother's?
Day 7: Thursday, October 9th
Pages 173-191
Objective:
Pages 173-191
Discussion Question
How would you describe Christopher's family,
once he moves back to Swindon? What has
changed for the better? How has the mother
changed, and how has the father changed?
To what extent does the book conclude on a
note that ties up all loose ends? Or are there
some loose ends still dangling?
Theme Activity
Last week, you identified quotes that explained one of the
following themes in your groups. In your groups, write
down 4 more additional themes that show how your
theme has developed or changed as the book continued.
Be prepared to share your findings with the class.
Themes:
•
•
•
•
•
Truth
Identity
Freedom and
Confinement
Love
Reality
Language and
Fear
Order and Logic
Isolation
Versions of
Lies and Deceit