Teaching The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Instructions for You

Objective: There are all kinds of reasons to get worked up about this book. From the unapologetic racism to the blatant lying by people in power, Henrietta exposes some pretty shameful parts of our country's history while unearthing some questionable behavior still going on today.

For this activity, students will each choose one topic from the book that's got them all hot and bothered and do a bit of research in that area to develop a solid, research-based opinion on that topic—just like Skloot did herself when she found out that pretty much no one knew a thing about the woman behind the all-important HeLa cells. You'll prep for this activity via class discussion as you make your way through the book, but the bulk of the work will take place post-reading.

This project will take a good chunk of time to complete—at least a week or two to do it right and to really give the kids enough time to brainstorm, research, and report back with their conclusions.

Materials Needed: Henrietta books, access to reliable research (which ideally includes Internet access, especially for more recent scientific developments), and help from your friendly school librarian would be a huge plus

Step 1: As your students make their way through Henrietta, note all of the topics and controversies that really catch their attention and spark conversation. You might accomplish this by updating a Google Doc or simply by jotting down key words and phrases on the board. The key here is to focus on those issues that aren't black and white—pun intended—and do not have clear yes or no answers. Check out our list of themes for the book, if classroom conversations are a bit lackluster.

Step 2: After you've finished discussing the book, take a look back at your list, and have students choose a topic or two that really stood out to them. Ask them to reflect on those topics by writing a five- or ten-minute journal entry that explains why those topics in particular struck a nerve.

For example, your students might say that the fact that Henrietta's family is super poor while all of these scientists are making major moola off of the HeLa cells is pretty upsetting. Perhaps they feel that the family is entitled to a percentage of the profits.

On the other hand, some students might feel just the opposite and claim that Henrietta's family didn't actually do anything to earn any money, so they should stop whining and stop trying to make a profit off their ancestor. Perhaps they feel that them being poor should have no bearing on the issue.

Step 3: Have your students do a Pair-Share with a partner first; then, ask for volunteers to share their chosen research issues as well as their current feelings about the matters with the whole class. This may help students who are struggling with choosing a topic to find one of interest to them. Be prepared for a bit of debate or even some eye rolling, especially in your more vocal classes. (You know which ones we're talking about.)

Step 4: After a good amount of healthy discussion, ask students to choose a topic they'd like to learn about in more depth, and have them submit those research proposals in writing so you can look 'em over and address any potential concerns. Even though many students will have already confidently taken a side on their issues, stress to them that they do not have to take a side just yet: they may surprise themselves once they learn more and see the big picture.

Step 5: It's time for students to jump into that wonderful world of research. This is where your school librarian (if you're fortunate enough to have one) can be a valuable resource, especially if you give him/her a heads-up by sharing students' project topics ahead of time. Have your students aim for five to ten solid, reliable sources to get a firm handle on these complex issues.

As research itself is its own beast of an issue, mini lessons on things like reliability of sources, using search engines, and Works Cited pages can be particularly useful at this stage in the game, especially if this is your first foray into research with the kiddos this year.

Step 6: Ladies and gentlemen, get your highlighters ready. Time to turn chaos into something manageable using the art of annotation. Give your students an ample amount of time to read through all of their research, annotating what's important and literally throwing out what's not. The goals here include the following:

• getting a grasp on the basics of their topics: the whos, whats, whens, hows, and whys
• exposing students to different viewpoints regarding their issues
• determining whether there are any gaps in students' understanding of the topics, which may be a sign that they need to do some further research

Step 7: Once students' research is in some state of coherence, it's time to have them formulate their claims and use their research to say something: What is their research telling them? What can they now argue for or against?

This is a super important step, as students must be able to support their claims with solid evidence from their research in to truly convince us of something. (This isn't a political debate: we're actually going to need to see the facts here.)

Step 8: Once your students have something to say and assure you they can back it up, it's time to see if they can put their money where their mouths are. We are big fans of taking the skills students learn in school and applying them to real-life situations, so have your students report their findings using one of the following methods:

• recording a four- or five-minute podcast, like this one arguing for a different approach to parenting a teenager, encouragingly titled "Why a Teen Who Talks Back May Have a Bright Future."
• filming a three- to five-minute PSA, like this one raising awareness for suicide, titled "Empty Seat."
• designing a full-page ad for a magazine or newspaper, like the emphatically titled "DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS!!!!" that warns pet owners about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars.
• writing a one- to two-page letter to the editor, like this one from the New York Times exposing the inherent problems with debtors' prisons, called "Fighting Debtors' Prisons."

Go over all of the options with your students, complete with examples of what they look like in their finished form. Have students choose which option they believe would best convey their message and showcase their research. Allowing students to choose lets students play to their strengths and really shine.

Note that all of the options include clear claims with specific, research-based evidence that support those claims. So no matter how your students choose to demonstrate their learning, Shmoop's Essay Lab's Argumentative Essay Guidelines are here to help make them look good.

Now, if only all people did this much work before they voiced their opinions, the world would certainly be a better—albeit less entertaining—place, don't you think?

Instructions for Your Students

Student Intro: There are all kinds of reasons to get worked up about this book. From the unapologetic racism to the blatant lying by people in power, Henrietta exposes some pretty shameful parts of our country's history as well as unearthing some questionable behavior still going on today.

For this activity, you'll each choose one topic from the book that's got you all hot and bothered and do a bit of research on that topic to develop a solid, research-based opinion. You'll be emulating what Skloot did herself when she found out that pretty much no one knew a thing about the woman behind the all-important HeLa cells. You'll prep for this activity via class discussion as you make your way through the book, but the bulk of the work will take place post-reading.

Step 1: As you make your way through Henrietta, take note all of the topics and controversies that really catch your attention and spark conversation with your classmates. Focus on those issues that aren't black and white—pun intended—and do not have clear yes or no answers. Check out Shmoop's list of Henrietta Lacks themes if you're not feeling too inspired.

Step 2: After you've finished discussing the book, choose a topic or two from your list that really stands out to you. Reflect on those topics by journaling for five or ten minutes, explaining why those topics in particular struck a nerve.

For example, you might say that the fact that Henrietta's family is super poor while all of these scientists are making major moola off the HeLa cells is pretty upsetting. Perhaps you feel that the family is entitled to a percentage of the profits.

On the other hand, you might feel just the opposite and claim that Henrietta's family didn't actually do anything to earn any money, so they should stop whining and stop trying to make a profit off their ancestor. Perhaps you feel that them being poor should have no bearing on the issue.

Step 3: Do a Pair-Share with a partner, discussing your potential topics; then, feel free to volunteer to share your chosen issues with the whole class. If you're still struggling with choosing a topic, listen up here, as this may help you find one of interest.

Step 4: After a good amount of healthy discussion, choose a topic you'd like to research and submit a research proposal in writing so your teacher can look it over and address any potential concerns he/she may have. Even though you might already have a strong opinion about your issue, it's important to stress that you do not have to take a side just yet: you may surprise yourself once you learn more and see the big picture.

Step 5: It's time to jump into that wonderful world of research to find out all you can about your topic. This is where your school librarian can be a valuable resource; if you find yourself stuck, there's no shame in asking for help. We'd suggest aiming for five to ten solid, reliable sources to really get a handle on these complex issues.

Step 6: Ladies and gentlemen, get your highlighters ready. Time to turn chaos into something manageable, using the art of annotation. Read through all of your research, annotating what's important and literally throwing out what's not. The goals here include the following:

• getting a grasp on the basics of your topic: the basic whos, whats, whens, hows, and whys
• exposing yourself to different viewpoints regarding your issue
• determining whether there are any gaps in your understanding of the topic, which may be a sign that you need to do some further research

Step 7: Once your research is in some state of coherence, it's time to formulate your claims and use your research to say something: What is your research telling you? What can you now argue for or against?

This is a super important step, as you must be able to support your claim with solid evidence from your research to truly convince others of something. (This isn't a political debate: we're actually going to need to see the facts here.)

Step 8: Once you have something to say and can promise us that you can back it up, it's time to see if you can put your money where your mouth is. We are big fans of taking the skills you learn in school and applying them to real-life situations, so you're going to report your findings using one of the following four options—your choice:

• recording a four- or five-minute podcast, like this one arguing for a different approach to parenting a teenager, encouragingly titled "Why a Teen Who Talks Back May Have a Bright Future."
• filming a three- to five-minute PSA, like this one raising awareness for suicide, titled "Empty Seat."
• designing a full-page ad for a magazine or newspaper, like the emphatically titled "DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS!!!!" that warns pet owners about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars.
• writing a one- to two-page letter to the editor, like this one from the New York Times exposing the inherent problems with debtors' prisons, called "Fighting Debtors' Prisons."

Listen up as your teacher goes over all of these options with you, and then choose which option you believe would best convey your message and showcase your research.

Note that all of the options include clear claims with specific, research-based evidence that support those claims. So no matter how
you choose to demonstrate your learning, Shmoop Essay Lab's Argumentative Essay Guidelines can help you out.

Now, if only all people did this much work before they voiced their opinions, the world would certainly be a better—albeit less entertaining—place, don't you think?