Harrison Bergeron, Literary Analysis + Video, Kurt Vonnegut, PDF & Google Drive

Use this compelling two-day (or possibly three-day, depending on your pacing) lesson on Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s chilling futuristic short story, “Harrison Bergeron,” as a stand-alone lesson, as part of any short story unit, or as a supplement to any larger dystopian novel study, such as Brave New World, The Giver, or The Hunger Games.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s story presents a chilling vision of a future where everyone has the exact same level of intelligence, talent, and beauty. Shouldn’t we want to level the playing field so everyone is the same? Travel to the Year 2081, where a world of pure equality is exactly what we are horrified to find. This multimedia lesson will get your students thinking and debating the consequences of true equality.

This download includes:

1 slide (PDF & JPG) featuring an introductory Quickwrite topic

2 pages detailed suggested lesson plan notes with online media links

2 student handouts featuring depth-of-knowledge questions requiring students to analyze the text and a 27-minute short film version of the story

3 pages of detailed answer keys to help you easily grade students’ work and guide in-class discussion

All student handouts are included in both PDF and Google Drive format.

Want more Sci Fi lessons at a 20% discount? Click HERE to check out my budget-priced two-week Science Fiction Mini-Unit, which includes this lesson. No need to purchase the item on this page separately if you buy the money-saving bundle of lessons.

Please note: This lesson is NOT included in my 4-week Short Story Unit bundle.

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Cover image: Pixabay, Public domain