48 pages 1 hour read

Steve Sheinkin

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team

Nonfiction | Biography | Middle Grade | Published in 2017

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Essay Topics

1.

The book focuses on Thorpe and his teammates from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Research other Indigenous athletes, and write an essay about how one of them (or their team) has impacted American culture.

2.

What are some of the stories that former Carlisle school students tell about their time at the school? How do these compare with Sheinkin’s description of Thorpe’s experiences in the book?

3.

The acronym G.O.A.T. has become popular for describing contemporary athletes as “the greatest of all time.” Is it possible to compare athletes from different historical moments? If so, what makes one a “G.O.A.T”? Support your response with quotations from the text and outside sources.