1. Lesson 25: Understand a Theme in “Flowers for Algernon”
About this lesson
Students work collaboratively to determine a theme in “Flowers for Algernon” and analyze its development over the course of the text.

2. We finished reading “Flowers for Algernon.”
Let’s Review!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~1 minute
Directions:
Briefly review the previous learning.

3. Determine a theme of “Flowers for Algernon.”
Today we will:
Determine a theme of “Flowers for Algernon.”
Analyze how the theme is developed through the characters, structure, and plot.
Let’s Prepare!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~1 minute
Directions:
Read the slide.
Briefly explain how this lesson prepares students for another lesson and/or the end-of-unit assessments.
Throughout the lesson, compare students’ responses and work to the student look-fors. Determine the students who need additional support with reading, understanding, or expressing their understanding of complex, grade-level texts. During this lesson or before the next lesson, support those students individually or in a small group using the Additional Supports for Diverse Learners.

4. “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
You will need:
“Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
Your before/after surgery chart
Your reading log
Your irony tracker
The theme handout
Let’s Prepare!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 5 minutes
Directions:
Distribute the text.
Access the theme handout. Wait to distribute the theme handout until later in the lesson.
Ask students to locate their before/after surgery chart, their irony tracker, and their reading log.

5. With a partner, review the text and your notes taken throughout the unit.
Write a summary of the events of “Flowers for Algernon” in your reading log.
Underneath the summary, create a list of the ideas/topics discussed in the text.
Let’s Practice!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 20 minutes
Directions:
Divide the class into pairs using an established classroom routine.
Purposefully pair together students with similar levels of language proficiency.
Establish norms for the group work and explain that students will be held accountable for their learning by writing a summary and a list of topics in their reading log.
Direct students to review the text and their notes and then write a summary of the events of “Flowers for Algernon.”
As students work together, prompt them to use the conversation stems.
Conclude the group work by asking pairs to write underneath their summary a list of ideas and topics discussed in “Flowers for Algernon.”
Possible Supports During the Lesson:
If students are learning English as a new language, allow pairs to collaborate in their home language as they write a summary in English.
As needed, remind students of the “Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then” strategy used to summarize “The Story of Prometheus.” Prompt them to use the same strategy in developing their summary for “Flowers for Algernon.”
Student Look-Fors:
Possible summary: Charlie Gordon wants to be smart to be like everyone around him. While he is not intelligent, Charlie is very hard working, and Miss Kinnian, his teacher at the adult night school, wants to see Charlie succeed. Only some people around him treat him well. Joe and Frank, his coworkers, ask Charlie to come around so they can make fun of him. Charlie is selected to participate in an experiment to triple his intelligence. Two doctors perform surgery on Charlie’s brain, which is successful at first. Charlie gains intelligence, but he becomes so smart that he is smarter than everyone around him and still not like everyone else. Algernon, a mouse who goes through the same experiment, starts to lose his intelligence, which tells Charlie he will lose his intelligence. Charlie begins to lose his intelligence and ends up with the same amount of intelligence that he started with. At the end of the text, Charlie decides to leave his home so he doesn’t have to be reminded of what happened to him.
List of topics:
Intelligence
Friendships/relationships
Medical experiments/man playing God
Using science to change our natural state
Belonging/being normal
Treatment of those with learning disabilities

6. Determine a theme of “Flowers for Algernon.”
Locate relevant evidence from “Flowers for Algernon” which develops your identified theme.
Explain how that evidence develops your identified theme.
intelligence
Let’s Express Our Understanding!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~ 30 minutes
Directions:
Distribute the blank theme handout using an established classroom routine.
Say: “We learned that theme is the underlying meaning of a text. It is what the text reveals or comments on about the main topics of the text. Today we will explore themes in ‘Flowers for Algernon’.”
Explain that students will be held accountable for their learning by determining a theme of “Flowers for Algernon” and locating and explaining relevant evidence that illustrates the development of that theme in the story.
Give students 30 seconds to review the list of topics they identified with their partner, select a single topic, like the example on the slide, “intelligence,” and write their topic in the bubble on the top left of their theme handout.
Ask: “What does ‘Flowers for Algernon’ reveal about your chosen topic or idea?”
In response to the question, direct students to write a theme statement for “Flowers for Algernon” based on their chosen topic.
Then direct students to review the story and their notes to locate evidence which supports the development at their theme statement.
Have them record the evidence in the first column in the chart using proper citations and then explain in the second column how each piece of evidence develops their theme statement.
Collect the completed handouts.
If students finish early, have them engage in self-selected independent reading.
Possible Supports During the Lesson:
If students are not completing the handout similar to the Student Look-Fors:
Assign students a specific topic.
Model how to develop a theme from a different topic on the list. Use the completed theme handout.
Prompt students to locate a piece of evidence from their notes or handouts and say: “Tell me what this evidence reveals about _____ (Charlie, Charlie’s experiences, or how the text is structured).” Then ask: “Does what this evidence teaches you connect to the theme you identified? Why or why not?” If it does support the identified theme, direct students to record the evidence in the first column and their oral explanation in the second column in on their handout. If it does not support the identified theme, repeat the process until they locate an example of relevant evidence.
Student Look-Fors:
Access the completed theme handout.
Possible themes:
Intelligence: Being intelligent is not the same thing as being smart or talented.
Intelligence: Everyone is valuable and has something to offer even if they are not intelligent or smart.
Intelligence: Gaining knowledge can have positive and negative consequences.
Relationships: Being smarter doesn’t make you a better friend.
Using science to change our natural state: It is better to be happy with what you have than to try to be something you’re not.
Using science to change our natural state: Trying to gain access to what is forbidden can lead to negative consequences.
Using science to change our natural state: No good can come from trying to be something you’re not.
Being normal: Everyone has something that makes them different from everyone else.
Being normal: “Being normal” is a myth.
Treatment of people with disabilities: All people are worthy of respect and kindness.
Treatment of people with disabilities: Everybody has something to offer the world.
Students should note evidence which reveals changes in Charlie’s character and how the structure of the text and the events of the plot contribute to the development of a theme.

7. In this lesson, you summarized the events of “Flowers for Algernon” and determined a theme based on what the text teaches us
about a topic or idea.
You also analyzed how a theme is developed through characters, structure, and plot.
Let’s Close!
Teaching Notes
Suggested Pacing: ~1 minute
Directions:
Read this slide