Skip to Main Content

Lesson 4

We will examine how Rebecca Skloot presents opposing perspectives in Chapter 17 and how she structures important details in Chapter 18. We will then complete a mentor sentence activity to study her use of syntax.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I gather and organize relevant and sufficient evidence to demonstrate an understanding of the ethics of medical research?

  • Can I recognize and interpret important relationships among key details within a chapter of a text?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, Crown Publishing Group, 2010

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write – Discuss

We will use the Attending to Details Tool to examine how the author presents opposing perspectives in the text.

Step 1

In Chapter 17, Rebecca Skloot presents the history of Chester Southam, who performed many experiments using the HeLa cells in the 1950s without the informed consent of the patients.

Review the chapter with your group. Pick one of the following questions to answer, using a copy of the Attending to Details Tool:

  1. How is Southam’s perspective presented in the chapter?

  2. How is the counter to Southam’s perspective presented in the chapter?

  3. What can we infer about Rebecca Skloot’s perspective on this?

Step 2

When you have completed the Attending to Details Tool, share your connections and conclusions with your group. Pick one to share with the class. Add to or modify your notes during the discussion as you deepen your understanding.

Step 3

Once the discussion is complete, review the Nuremberg Code online with your class and discuss its significance and inclusion in the book. After the discussion, write a summary of how the chapter presents one or more of the text’s central issues—race, ethics, class, and science. You will return to this in an upcoming lesson.

Activity 2: Read – Write – Discuss

We will examine the structure of chapter 18 by diagraming the chapter and using guiding questions.

With your group, examine the sequence and structure of Chapter 18 and write it down in your Learning Log. List the important details that are covered in this chapter in the order in which they appear. The first one has been done for you:

  • HeLa in space

Once you have completed the list, answer these guiding questions about structure:

  1. Where does the author put details that are most likely to grab the reader’s attention?

  2. What do you notice about the presentation of the most important details? Where do they occur in the chapter?

  3. How does the writer conclude the chapter?

  4. How would you describe the overall structure of this chapter? Use the terms in the Author CraftNote-Taking Tool. What purpose does this structure serve? What is the effect of the writer’s use of this structure on the reader’s understanding?

Be prepared to share one of your answers with the class. Add to and modify your answers during the class discussion as you deepen your understanding of the way Rebecca Skloot uses structure.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will discuss and analyze Rebecca Skloot’s sentences, analyzing the diction and sentence structure, and then write sentences that mimic her structure, style, grammar, and punctuation.

Step 1

Reading like a writer involves studying how an author writes and determining why the author makes specific writing choices at the paragraph and sentence level. Understanding what those writing choices mean and deconstructing how the author made those choices can help you emulate those choices in your own writing practice and diversify your range of writing strategies.

Follow your teacher’s direction regarding grouping, materials, and which mentor sentences you will analyze. Use the Working with Mentor Sentences Tool to work through the following steps for each mentor sentence:

Step 2

Read the sentence aloud. Unpack any unfamiliar vocabulary using your vocabulary strategies. Then, determine what the sentence is saying, and paraphrase the sentence to convey its meaning based on your initial understanding.

Step 3

Deconstruct the whole into parts. Split the sentence up into parts as directed by your teacher; sometimes your teacher will give you the parts, and sometimes you will have to split the sentence on your own. Complete the following for each part:

  • Determine the parts of speech and function.

  • Note other observations about the part, such as examples of effective diction or changes in verb tense or point of view.

Step 4

Follow along as your teacher reviews the relevant grammatical terms and concepts of specific phrases and clauses, punctuation, syntax, mood, and tone.

Step 5

Analyze the concepts. Review, discuss, and revise your deconstruction notes. Then, respond to the following questions:

  1. Which parts make up the main clause? The main clause is the main subject and predicate that expresses the central idea of the sentence. Write down the sentence, underlining the main clause.

  2. How do the other parts of the sentence (e.g., phrases, clauses, modifiers) enhance the main clause?

  3. How could you restructure this sentence so that it relays the same message to the reader? What is the impact of the different structures on your understanding?

  4. What revisions need to be made to your initial paraphrasing now that you have increased your understanding of the sentence?

Step 6

Analyze mood, tone, and meaning. Discuss the following questions:

  1. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How is this mood created?

  2. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How is that tone conveyed?

  3. What does this sentence contribute to the author’s ideas in the text? How does it expand your understanding of the text or author?

Step 7

Follow your teacher’s directions about choosing one or two mentor sentences to mimic. Use your deconstruction analysis of your chosen sentences to write your own, mimicking what the author does in terms of structure, style, grammar, and punctuation. The specific content of your sentences is your choice. Be prepared to share your sentences with your peers.

Activity 4: Read – Write

For homework, we will read chapters 19–20 in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

For homework, read and annotate Chapters 19-20 in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,and respond to the following text-specific questions in your Learning Log, citing evidence from the text to support your answers:

Chapter 19

  1. What do we learn about the Lackses in this chapter?

Chapter 20

  1. What is the "HeLa Bomb" and why is it important?

Write down new or interesting words in your Vocabulary Journal.