Henrietta Lacks
Essential question: Humanity vs. inhumanity?



How does science benefit or disregard humanity?
How does scientific discovery bring about human consequence?
Do personal rights outweigh contribution to science?
Your jobs and requirements:
1. You will take on a role and a job for each lit circle.
2. The lit circles dates are tentative.
Assignment for lit circles &
other
Due Date
P/G
Ch. 1-3
11/2-3
Ch. 5, 6, 8
11/4-5
Ch. 12-14
11/9-10
Ch. 16-20
11/11-12
Ch. 21-24
11/13-16
Ch. 26-29
11/17-18
Ch. 31-34
11/19-20
Ch. 35-38
11/23-24
3. Each day you will prepare according to your role/job outside of class with The
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
4. You will also have a set of guided reading questions to help you in case you are
in need of ideas for bullets.
What will you need to do?:
Read/skim (see attached) chosen chapters of ILHL and create 3 bullet points to bring to
the discussion in your lit circle.
1
What should the bullet points include?
The bullet points should be tailored to fit what role/job you are doing for that lit circle.
For example, if my role is black hat- and the job is scientist by bullets would be:



George Gey was researcher but what was he going to do with Henrietta’s
cells?
The symptoms of Henrietta’s tumor were: weight loss, fatigue, pain.
The mitosis of the her rapid cells were caused by an abnormality in her
DNA.
Lit circle to prepare for
Your role/job
Date
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
2
What you do
What you look for or question
Role: Blue Hat
What are the laws/ethics?
Job: lawyer
Role: white hat
What are the historical facts that
Job: Historian
Create the context of this
Story?
Role: red hat
How do you/Rebecca Skloot/
Job: Psychologist
Other characters feel
in this chapter?
Role: Green hat
What bias is evident?
Job: journalist
What side of the debate is
Presented?
Role: yellow hat
Report on characters’ conflicts,
Job: Literary Anaylst
Plot, climax, description, details.
Resolution.
Role: Black hat
What is the logical evidence
Job: Scientist
Presented or experimentation?
3
Skimming and Scanning through The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Practice chapter 8
Skimming: Let’s say you are doing research on a long chapter or a web site. By reading the first few
paragraphs in detail, you will get a good idea of what information will be discussed. Once you know
where the reading is headed, you can begin to read only the first sentence of each paragraph.
Also called topic sentences, they give you the main idea of the paragraph. If you do not get the main
idea in the topic sentence or if the paragraph greatly interests you, then you may want to skim more.
At the end of each topic sentence, your eyes should drop down through the rest of the
paragraph, looking for important pieces of information, such as names, dates, or events.
Continue to read only topic sentences, dropping down through the rest of the paragraphs, until you
are near the end. Since the last few paragraphs may contain a conclusion or summary, you
should stop skimming there and read in detail. Remember that your overall comprehension will
be lower than if you read in detail. If while skimming, you feel you are grasping the main ideas, then
you are skimming correctly .Because skimming is done at a fast speed with less-than-normal
comprehension, you shouldn’t skim all the time. There are many times, however, when skimming is
very useful.
Scanning: look only for a specific fact or piece of information without reading everything.
Learning to use your hands while scanning is very helpful in locating specific information. Do you
do anything with your hands to locate a word in a dictionary? Using your hand or finger is extremely
helpful in focusing your attention and keeping your place while scanning a column of material.
Your peripheral vision can also help you scan effectively. When your hand moves down a list of
names, you see not only the name your finger is pointing to, but also the names above and below.
Let your eyes work for you when searching for information.
Keep the concept of key words in mind while scanning. Your purpose will determine the key
words. Suppose you are looking for the time a train leaves from New York City for Washington,
D.C.The key words to keep in mind are “from New York City” and “to Washington,D.C.” When to
scan.? You scan when your aim is to find specific pieces of information.
4
Assignment:
As you read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, you are to create 3 bullet points that
you will bring to class.
The bullets should be based on your role as lawyer, psychologist, scientist, literary analyst, journalist,
and historian.
Use the following chapter focus questions to help create your bullet points for discussion in your lit
circles.
Chapters to skim (we will not do lit circles on these chapters):
4, 7, 10, 15 (SKIP), 18, 25, 30.
For each answer, an acceptable response is considered to be explained in
paragraph form, most expected to be in multiple paragraphs. Short answer is
unacceptable.
These questions are to help guide your bullet points.
Prologue:
“We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with
its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of
triumph.”
-
Elie Wiesel, holocaust survivor, author of Night (we will read in class). From The Nazi Doctors
and Nuremberg Code.
- Placed before the prologue.
1. How does this quote apply to Henrietta’s story and Skloot’s possible purpose in writing this
book?
2. What is the context in which this book was written by Skloot after reading the prologue?
Deborah’s Voice (after the prologue).
Deborah states, “But I always have thought it was strange, if our mother cells done so much for
medicine, how come her family can’t afford to see no doctors? Don’t make no sense…I just want to
know who my mother was.”
3. Why is the knowledge about who her mother was so important to Deborah once she is already
a grown woman? How might this knowledge help or harm her? Shape or influence her?
4. Is it wrong that Henrietta and her family did not financially profit from HeLa? Why?
Chapter 1
5. Describe Henrietta’s feelings and attitudes toward the medical community?
6. Give evidence to support your answer.
7. Google Jim Crow laws and tell how these relate to Henrietta’s story.
5
Chapter 2
8.
Skloot notes social and racial inequities. How did the cultural context, including Jim Crow
segregation, influence the medical care Henrietta received and her attitude toward her doctor?
9. Why does this chapter, and many others, include details of Henrietta’s childhood- cultural
context?
10. Why include these details if the central conflict, use of cancerous cells without consent, didn’t
start until she was in her early thirties? Which one of the appeals is Skloot trying to stir in the
reader. WHY?
Chapter 3
11. Carefully read the permission form Henrietta signed before surgery. Given that she had a sixth
grade education do you think she understood what she signed? Give evidence.
Chapter 5
12. How does Henrietta maintain dignity and individuality during her struggle?
13. Give four examples from diagnosis to death that supports #12. You may have to look in Ch. 8,
11.
Chapter 6
14. Why does Pattillo ask Skloot what she knows of African-Americans and science before giving
Deborah’s phone number?
15. What is the definition of persona? Describe the persona that Skloot takes on in this chapter.
Chapter 8
16. What is ‘benevolent deception’ according to SKloot?
17. Describe the persona that Skloot takes on in this chapter.
Chapter 12
18. On page 89-90 “They said {doctors} they wanted to run tests that might help his children
someday…so eventually Day agreed and signed the autopsy permission form.” This is evidence
that the doctors did not fully explain and inform what they were going to use Henrietta’s cells.
IS it ethical for a doctor to use a patient’s body without getting his/her informed consent or the
family’s informed consent if the research is intended to benefit mankind and the medical
would?
19. Should a doctor have to disclose all the reasons for wanting to complete an autopsy?
6
Chapter 13-14
20. Compare the experiments on and distribution of Henrietta’s cells done by Tuskegee Institute
with the Tuskegee syphilis studies (p.50), both conducted by the same institute at the same
time. What are the similarities and differences? PUT IN A VENN DIAGRAM
21. Does the good brought about by research outweigh the ethical offenses of Dr. Gey and his lab?
EXPLAIN WITH SUPPORT FROM BOOK?
22. Did Dr. Gey act ethically in the information given to journalists? WHY or why not? Explain what
he gave them?
Chapter 16-17
23. In ch. 16, we learn about Henrietta’s past. Explain why Skloot included this information and why
was it important to the context?
24. In ch. 17, we learn of the research done by Dr. Southam. Was the cancer research done by him
immoral, illegal or deplorable? Include the dangers in your response. This is your opinion,
however, you must support yourself with evidence from the book. Use at least one PEE chain.
Chapter 19, 20
25. What does Joe mean when he writes “the most critical time on earth is now”? How can you
relate to this statement?
26. Predict the shocking news that Deborah is about to get. Based on Skloot’s description of her at
the beginning of the book, how will she handle the news?
27. What is the HELA bomb? Why were scientists and doctors so concerned with the news
delivered by Stanley Gartler at the conference?
28. What would happen to scientific and medical research if Gartler’s idea of the contamination is
true? Give specific examples.
Chapters 21-24
29. Why did the Lacks family finally open up to Skloot?
30. What was the original purpose of Johns Hopkins Hospital? Did doctors uphold the original
purpose? Why or why not?
31. Why did no one inform the family that Henrietta’s cells were taken? Is it right that the family
were not updated? Would you be upset? Explain
32. In ch. 23, Susan Hsu is introduced. Why is she important in the story and did she act in an
ethical manner?
33. Ch. 24, what does it say about Gey’s character that he didn’t make money or patent the roller
drum from the HeLa cell line?
34. What do you think were the implications when the world found out in 1976 that one of the
most important tools in medicine came from a black woman? Be sure to address context,
historical references of the 50s and 60s.
7
Chapters 26-29, 31-38
35. Ch 26 -Why is doctor/patient confidentiality so important? Why is it important that your
medical information is not given out to anyone but you and whomever you would like to know?
36. Should the dead have rights to privacy? Give support for both sides and then tell on which side
you stand.
37. Ch 27. If you were given the option to be immortal, would you? Why or why not?
38. Should scientists have to right to manipulate DNA to produce “designer babies”? Defend your
argument.
39. Ch. 28: How did Kidwell’s (Hopkins attorney) attempt at protecting Deborah lead to her
breakdown?
40. Why do you think the group from Hopkins that had been working on a way to honor Henrietta
suddenly stopped their planning?
41. Ch 32: What was the symbolism of Deborah, Zakariyya, and Rebecca meeting at the Hopkin’s
Jesus statue as they readied to see Henrietta’s cells; Henrietta herself had nearly passed the
statue 50 years earlier (Ja. 29, 1951).
42. Explain why Christoph told Deborah and Zakariyya the analogy of Henrietta Cells to Oil rights.
43. Ch. 33: Relate this quote to your own life,“Sometimes learning can be just as painful as not
knowing.”
44. Ch36: Explain your thoughts about Skloot asking , “You believe Henrietta is in those cells?”.
45. Do you think researching and writing this book and interacting with the Lacks affected Skloot’s
religious beliefs?
46. Ch 38 Contrast Henrietta’s great grandchildren’s dreams and lives in 2009 with her own at their
age.
End of book –
Reread Elie’s quote
What is the quote’s connection to Henrietta and Deborah’s stories? Be specific.
-if one were to look at Henrietta as an abstraction, what would he/she see? If one looked at
Henrietta as a whole person, what would he/she see?
if one were to look at Deborah as an abstraction, what would he/she see? If one looked at Deborah
as a whole person, what would he/she see?
Learning targets:
RI 9-10. 1 : Define inference and explain how to use textual evidence to reach a logical conclusion.
Analyze an author’s words and determine multiple pieces of textual evidence that strongly and explicitly supports both explicit
and inferential questions.
RI 9-10. 4. Recognize words that have technical meaning and understand purpose in this text of scientific words.
Analyze how specific word choices build on one another to create a cumulative impact on tone and meaning.
RI 9-10. 7Determine credibility of author and her purpose. Identify claims that are supported by fact vs. opinion.
RL 9-10. 5 Analyze a text and determine why an author organized events in a particular order and creates effect on the reader.
RL 9-10.9 Identify source material from one author found in the work of another (scientific articles and relate topic to book).
RL 9-10.10 Determine reading strategies for reading informational texts independently and proficiently.
8
Prep and Reflection sheet
10 pts:
To be completed for each lit circle meeting; only one per day.
7 total will be completed. Do on separate sheet of paper.
PREP
1. What chapters are you discussing?
2. List 5 discussion points you will add to discussion based on your prepared notes.
□
□
□
□
□
Check them off as you discuss in reader/seminar groups.
REFLECTION over lit circle
3. Evaluate each- 5 high, 1 low.

Participation
54321

Thoughtfulness
54321

Preparedness
54321

respectfulness
54321

group as a whole
54321
 comments : ___________________________________________________
4. List 3 of the most important discussion points discussed today.
◊
◊
◊
5. Who contributed the most?
6. What did you learn from the group about the topic and how does it relate to essential
question or to the book My Sister’s Keeper?
9
Exit slip and PREP work For next Lit Circle
7 total will be completed.
Do on separate sheet of paper.
Do this on back of prep and reflection sheet.
1. When is the next lit circle?
2. For which chapters are you preparing to discuss?
3. For seminar: what is your role/job for the next lit circle?
4. How do the chapters covered relate to the essential question? Give only one
sentence summary.
5. How can lit circles improve for next time?
6. Discuss one of the following and how it related to your discussion:
a.
Context
b. Persona
c.
Credibility
d. Appeals
Please note: Some of the essential questions will vary: for example, you may be asked to
pick one from #7 and do a CER from each member of the group or you may be asked
expound (explain with depth and example) of specific questions.
10