All the Light We Cannot See Close Reading Questions Anthony Doerr Introductory Activity

Item description

This includes two lessons for Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. Students should complete this lesson while reading section One 1934 (Pages 40-41). During the first lesson, students watch a short Ted EDU video about the causes of blindness, the history of cataracts, and the advancements in science for curing blindness. I created this lesson to provide students with both historical background and scientific understanding of blindness so that they could better relate to/understand Marie-Laure’s life experience. My studnets enjoyed this lesson because they found the history of cataract surgery interesting since most of them knew very little about the subject. After students watch the Ted Edu, they then answer reflective questions to connect the video content to their world as well as make connections to Marie-Laure’s character.

For the second lesson, students complete a close reading activity of a scene where Marie-Laure is learning how to navigate her world as a blind girl. I find a lot of value in analyzing this scene with my students, because Doerr does such a wonderful job of providing us with a realistic perspective of the struggles that one would face as a blind person. Students complete literary analysis questions after they finish the close reading scene to gain a deeper understanding of Doerr’s message.

All documents were made on Google Docs. and are compatible with Google Classroom. These assignments were intended to be completed digitally, but you can print this out as a packet and have students complete the questions on a separate sheet of paper if this better suits your classroom needs.

Included with this purchase:

• Google Doc. Assignment with Ted EDU video link and questions, close reading passage, vocabulary practice, analysis questions and grading rubric.

• Answer Key