Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is more than a biography; it's a profound exploration of science, ethics, race, and medical history that has become a cornerstone text in modern classrooms. For educators, the challenge lies in navigating its complex themes—from the groundbreaking science of HeLa cells to the deeply personal story of injustice faced by the Lacks family. This article serves as a comprehensive guide for teachers looking to build a meaningful unit around this essential work, offering strategies, resources, and a framework for fostering critical discussion.
Why This Book Belongs in Your Classroom
Integrating The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks into your curriculum does more than fulfill a reading requirement. It bridges multiple disciplines, making it ideal for high school ELA, biology, ethics, and social studies classes. The narrative masterfully intertwines the story of a woman whose cells changed medicine with an examination of bioethics, informed consent, and racial disparities in healthcare. Teaching this book empowers students to think critically about the intersection of scientific progress and human rights, a conversation more relevant than ever. For a structured approach, many educators turn to a dedicated nonfiction curriculum unit, which provides organized lesson plans and activities to unpack these dense themes effectively.
Building Your Unit: Key Themes and Learning Objectives
1. The Science of Immortality: Understanding HeLa Cells
Start by grounding students in the scientific marvel at the heart of the story. Explain what HeLa cells are—the first immortal human cell line—and their monumental contribution to medical research, including the development of the polio vaccine, cancer studies, and in vitro fertilization. Use diagrams, videos, or even virtual lab simulations to make the science accessible. A key learning objective here is for students to appreciate the scale of scientific advancement while beginning to question its human cost. Resources tagged under science-ethics-teaching-resource often contain excellent materials to illustrate this duality.
2. Ethics and Informed Consent: The Central Dilemma
This is the ethical core of the unit. Henrietta Lacks' cells were taken without her knowledge or consent, a standard practice in 1951. Guide students through the evolution of bioethical principles, from the Nuremberg Code to the Belmont Report. Facilitate debates or Socratic seminars on questions like: "Who owns our biological tissue?" and "Do the ends of medical breakthroughs justify the means?" Connecting this historical case to modern issues of genetic privacy and commercial biobanks makes the discussion urgent and personal for students.
3. Race, Class, and Social Justice
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks cannot be taught without a frank discussion about the legacy of racism in American medicine. Explore the context of the Johns Hopkins public ward and the history of medical exploitation of Black bodies, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. This theme aligns powerfully with social justice in science curricula, encouraging students to analyze how systemic inequities shape who benefits from science and who bears its burdens. Analyzing the Lacks family's ongoing struggle for recognition and compensation provides a powerful case study in advocacy and restitution.
4. Narrative Journalism and Storytelling
From an ELA perspective, the book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction. Analyze Skloot's craft: how she builds narrative tension, interweaves multiple timelines (past and present), and uses meticulous research to reconstruct events and emotions. Students can practice their own research and narrative skills by writing a short profile of a local scientist or an unsung figure in science history.
Practical Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities
Moving from theory to practice, here are actionable activities to engage students:
- Timeline Project: Have students create a dual timeline: one tracing the scientific milestones achieved with HeLa cells, and another tracing the Lacks family's journey for understanding and justice. This visually underscores the disconnect between scientific progress and human impact.
- Ethics Committee Simulation: Form a mock hospital ethics board. Present students with a modern hypothetical scenario involving tissue donation and research, and have them debate and draft a consent form based on ethical principles learned from the book.
- Character Analysis & Debate: Assign students to defend the perspectives of different figures: a 1950s researcher, a bioethicist, a Lacks family member, and a patient saved by a HeLa-derived therapy. This builds empathy and complex argumentation skills.
- Connecting to Primary Sources: Explore the medical history education angle by examining historical documents related to consent forms or articles about HeLa cells from the 1950s, comparing the language and assumptions to today's standards.
Assessment and Project Ideas
Move beyond standard tests to assess deep understanding. Consider a multimedia project where students create a documentary short or podcast episode on a related bioethics topic. A research paper could investigate a contemporary issue in medical ethics, using the Lacks case as a foundational reference. For a more personal assessment, students could write a reflective essay on what "informed consent" means in their own lives, connecting it to digital privacy or personal data.
Addressing Challenges and Sensitive Topics
Teaching this book requires sensitivity. The story involves grief, medical trauma, and systemic racism. Create a classroom environment of respect and open dialogue. Provide content warnings, offer alternative readings if needed, and ensure students have avenues to process their reactions. Framing discussions around respect for personhood and dignity can help navigate these difficult but necessary conversations.
Extending the Learning: Supplementary Resources
To enrich the unit, incorporate the HBO film adaptation for a comparative media analysis. Invite a guest speaker, such as a bioethicist, medical historian, or IRB (Institutional Review Board) member. Direct students to the official Henrietta Lacks Foundation website to learn about ongoing efforts to honor her legacy and support her family.
Conclusion: A Legacy of Lessons
Teaching The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an opportunity to shape not just informed students, but ethical future citizens and scientists. It demonstrates that behind every scientific discovery are human stories that demand dignity and consideration. By using a robust nonfiction curriculum unit as your guide, you can confidently lead students through this multifaceted story, ensuring they grasp both the cellular biology that made Henrietta immortal and the enduring human questions her life story continues to raise. Her legacy, now firmly part of our cultural and scientific canon, provides the ultimate teachable moment on the price of progress and the imperative of justice.
