The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Lesson Plan

Film, Part 1

Kind of Activity:

Mixed Media

Objective:

Students will watch the HBO film based on the book and analyze the presentation.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7

Structure:

This is part one of a two-part activity.

In 2017, a made-for-television film based on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks premiered on HBO, starring Oprah Winfrey as Deborah Lacks and Rose Bryne as Rebecca Skloot. The movie is a dramatization of the book, not a documentary, and it received good reviews.

Show students the first 45 minutes of the film. Instruct them to take notes while they are watching. What parts of the book are left out? How does the director communicate all...