Explore Flowers for Algernon through this comprehensive 6-deck study unit, designed around discussion, interpretation and active learning rather than worksheets.

This resource includes six analysis packs covering context; themes; character; language features and narrative structure; teaching sequence; and analytical paragraph exemplars.

Students explore:
• Daniel Keyes’s context, the novel’s engagement with cognitive science and disability, and its exploration of the ethics of scientific experimentation
• Themes including intelligence versus emotional understanding, the ethics of experimentation on human subjects, the treatment and perception of intellectual disability, isolation and belonging, and the fleeting, bittersweet nature of change
• Character analysis of Charlie Gordon, Algernon the mouse as symbolic parallel, and the researchers and community members who shape Charlie’s experience before and after his transformation
• Language features and narrative structure, including the novel’s epistolary “progress report” format, the deliberate shifts in Charlie’s writing style and vocabulary as his intelligence rises and falls, and dramatic irony
• A ready-to-teach sequence guiding lesson flow across the unit
• Exemplar analytical paragraphs modelling strong textual analysis for student reference

Includes rich learning activities such as debates, scene analysis, collaborative tasks, visual literacy activities, retrieval practice, exemplar analysis and essay planning.

Teaching approach
This resource is activity-based rather than a scripted lesson-by-lesson program. Teachers can select and adapt tasks to suit their classroom needs, with an emphasis on discussion, interpretation and collaborative analytical learning.

Content note: This unit touches on the treatment of intellectual disability and includes mature themes. Please approach with sensitivity and preview before use.
File information
• Non-editable PDF
• Not an editable PowerPoint
How to use
• Upload to your LMS for digital learning
• Print selected pages for classroom use
• Display pages to guide discussion and activities
• Adapt in presentation or design platforms if desired (formatting may vary)