10.3.1 Lesson 3 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Assessed Standard(s)
RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
RI.9-10.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
Quick Write
Student learning is assessed via a Quick Write at the end of the lesson. You will respond to the following prompt, citing textual evidence to support analysis and inferences drawn from the text.
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How does the cumulative impact of specific word choices and phrases advance Skloot’s purpose in this excerpt?
Provided Vocabulary
 deception (n.) – the act of deceiving (misleading by false appearance or statement)
 specimen (n.) – a sample of a substance or material for examination or study
Take out your written response to the previous lesson’s homework prompt and Turn-and-Talk with a classmate about two ways in which the events and ideas work together to shape the culminating event.
You will listen to a Masterful Reading of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, pp. 63–66.
Note: In the first paragraph on page 65 “Sadie, Margaret, and Day” are mentioned. Sadie and Margaret are Henrietta’s cousins. Day is short for David, Henrietta’s husband.

10.3.1 Lesson 3 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
reread pages 63–64 from “In early June, Henrietta told her doctors several times” to “She is obviously in pain. He sent her home to bed” and answer the following questions before sharing out with the class:
*Note: Remember to consult the 10.3.1 Unit Glossary for the terms found in today’s reading, including
deception and specimen.
*Directions while you read: Underline each time Skloot references a statement from the medical profession about Henrietta’s condition and circle Henrietta’s responses or feelings about her health.
Why does Skloot include repeated references to both Henrietta’s health and the doctor’s responses?
Based on Skloot’s explanation of “benevolent deception” on page 63, what is meant by the word
benevolent in this context?
How does Skloot’s description of the time period further develop the idea that Henrietta might have
“deferred to anything her doctors said” (p. 63)?
Why might Skloot have included this historical description when explaining Henrietta’s declining health?

10.3.1 Lesson 3 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Reread all of page 65, from “Until that point, no one except Sadie, Margaret, and Day” to “her cells died immediately in culture” and answer the following questions before sharing out with the class.
How does Skloot distinguish what the doctors knew and what they told the Lacks family?
What words or phrases does Skloot use to communicate Henrietta’s decline in health?
How does the description of Henrietta’s treatment on page 66, help you understand the meaning of the word vain in this context?
What phrase did doctors use to describe Henrietta on page 66?
The word specimen can be defined as “a sample of a substance or material for examination or study.”
Why might the doctor use that word to refer to a patient?
What is the impact of the word specimen in describing Henrietta?

10.3.1 Lesson 3 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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10.3.1 Lesson 3 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
We have been reading and analyzing texts (in this and previous modules) for several purposes, including developing skills in evidence-based discussion and writing. This type of reading and writing also fosters skills necessary to build evidence-based arguments around a problem-based question for research.
For the purposes of this and subsequent lessons, the text analysis is about analyzing the text itself, based on the standards, and about surfacing topics that are potentially interesting and rich to research.
These initial topics begin the inquiry process. As the process unfolds, aspects of the topics develop as questions are posed and refined and pre-research is conducted.
As you initiate the process of inquiry and research, you begin to contemplate issues surfaced in The
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The term issue can be defined as: An important aspect of human society for which there are many different opinions about what to think or do. Many issues can be framed as a problem-based question.
Handout: Surfacing Issues Tool
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is used to generate sample topics/issues for research in this module. Skloot touches on many topics/issues throughout the first excerpts of The Immortal Life of
Henrietta Lacks. Of these, they use human tissue research as a sample topic/issue to generate inquiry questions as a class.
Handout: Posing Inquiry Questions Handout
You are to focus on generating inquiry questions that they select and refine in later lessons. At this stage, the inquiry questions are meant to guide an initial exploration of a topic or issue that is surfaced from the text.
Question: How is human tissue research beneficial in disease prevention?
Volunteer possible topics:
In pairs, choose a topic from the Surfacing Issues Tool, and generate five inquiry questions for that topic/issue.

10.3.1 Lesson 3 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Conduct a web search to discover more about the Tuskegee syphilis studies conducted at the Tuskegee
Institute. Summarize the study in your own words. How do the resources you found help you understand this study?
Be prepared to discuss the nature of this study as well as the resources you found. These resources should include common online reference materials and other online resources such as audio and video.
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10.3.1 Lesson 3 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks