Name:
Miss White
English 2 CP
Rorschach Ink Blot Activity
GOAL  The goal of this activity is to delve into our imaginations and create an ink
blot test which will be shared with the rest of the class.
PURPOSE  The purpose of this activity is to allow us to connect with the protagonist,
Charlie Gordon, in Flowers for Algernon. It is aimed at helping us understand him
more, to feel what he feels, and see and react the way that he does in the story. It will
also allow us to see and recognize the ambiguity in test results, and show us that what the
results say is not always accurate. Furthermore, by gaining a broader understanding of
this character, our understanding of the novel will also become clearer.
EVALUATION  You will be receiving two different grades for this activity. One
grade is worth 15 points, and will be based on following the directions provided for
making your inkblot. The other grade will be worth 50 points, and it will be a written
response to your feelings, reactions, and insight about the activity. It will be graded
mostly on content, but a portion of the grade will consist of grammar, spelling, and
punctuation.
Steps To Follow:
1. You will receive a piece of plain white printer paper. Fold the paper in half and
then re-open it, leaving a crease in the middle of the paper. Don’t forget to write
your name on the back of the paper.
2. You will then be given a small dab of paint on your newspaper.
3. Think of an image in your mind (e.g. rabbit, fishing pole, father and son, etc.)
4. Using your opposite writing hand, dip your finger in the paint.
5. Close your eyes, and on half of the white paper, begin painting your image.
6. After you have painted your image, fold the paper in half at the crease to smudge
the painting.
7. Re-open your paper to see the ink blot.

You will be given approximately 15-20 minutes to complete this activity. If you
finish before time is up, you may wash your hands using the wipes provided, and
then begin reading in the novel until everyone has finished.
Next:
1. Once you have finished, you will then need to write what the students should see
in your ink blot. In addition, you will include what personality trait they exhibit if
they see it (good answers), and what personality trait they exhibit if they don’t see
it (bad answers). This can be done on notebook paper.
2. Once everyone has finished, we will go around the room showing the created ink
blots.
3. On your own paper, you must write down what you see in each image. (We
probably won’t finish this in one day.)
Name:
Miss White
English 2 CP
4. After everyone has shown the ink blots, we will go around the room, and tell what
they really are. Write the correct image to the side of your response, if yours is
incorrect.
Then:
1. When we have discussed everyone’s ink blot, you will then have to write a
response to the activity. Your response must follow the given criteria:
a. It may be no less that (2) paragraphs in length with (5-7) sentences per
paragraph. It can be longer if you wish.
b. It must discuss your reactions to your score (were you mostly right or
mostly wrong), feelings (knowing your results, how does that make you
feel), and insight (how can we sympathize with a person like Charlie, who
doesn’t know that the scoring is ambiguous).
c. You must hand-write these in ink, and skip lines.
d. Your grade for this response is out of 50 points – 30 points for content,
and 20 points for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.