Flowers for Algernon Lesson Plan

Do you find Charlie’s early entries to be confusing or difficult to read? Why or why not?

Some students may at first have difficulty understanding Charlie’s spelling and grammar. Some may even have trouble relating to him because he thinks differently from a more traditional first-person narrator. Encourage struggling students to identify specific elements of difficulty. You may choose to springboard into a broader conversation about what makes narration accessible to the reader, and whether or not that is an important part of the novel-reading experience.

Analyze the quote at the beginning of the book. What do you think it means, in the context of Charlie’s story?