Teaching Flowers for Algernon

Have you ever started off a conversation sounding totally awesome and smart…and then slowly lost your steam and devolved into "I'm rubber, you're glue"-style non-comebacks?

That's the basis of Daniel Keyes' classic Flowers for Algernon…kind of. Its protagonist, Charlie, is a simple dude who undergoes an experimental surgery to become hyper-intelligent—and as the novel progresses, his newfound smarts completely unravel. Highly teachable metaphors ensue.

In this guide, you'll find

• a research-driven dive into the ethics of scientific experimentation, with a focus on intelligence augmentation.
• a text-to-self project about self-discovery, to engage students in the novel's many themes early on.
• a closing activity assessing the experiment's successes, failures, and value.

So please—join us on our scientifically-dubious travels with Charlie.

What's Inside Shmoop's Literature Teaching Guides

Shmoop is a labor of love from folks who love to teach. Our teaching guides will help you supplement in-classroom learning with fun, engaging, and relatable learning materials that bring literature to life.

Inside each guide you'll find quizzes, activity ideas, discussion questions, and more—all written by experts and designed to save you time. Here are the deets on what you get with your teaching guide:

• 13 – 18 Common Core-aligned activities to complete in class with your students, including detailed instructions for you and your students
• Discussion and essay questions for all levels of students
• Reading quizzes for every chapter, act, or part of the text
• Resources to help make the book feel more relevant to your 21st-century students
• A note from Shmoop's teachers to you, telling you what to expect from teaching the text and how you can overcome the hurdles

Want more help teaching Teaching Flowers for Algernon?

Check out all the different parts of our corresponding learning guide.