Introduction and Video: AIDS and Its Metaphors
Introduce Susan Sontag’s responses to the AIDS crisis in Regarding Susan Sontag, and explore students’ understanding of HIV/AIDS.
ILLNESS LESSON 2: HANDOUT 1
1 class period (45-60 min)
VIDEOS:
AIDS and Its Metaphors Video and Transcript
HANDOUTS:
Unit Background
Handout 1
Notes on Sontag (as needed)
About the Film (as needed)
TEACHING PLAN:
- History and Social Studies
People > LGBT
Themes > Civil Rights
Themes > Culture
Themes > History of Science and Technology
Themes > Modern World
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Biography
Genre > Essay
Genre > Short Story
Place > American
Place > Modern World
- Analysis
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Discussion
- Evaluating arguments
- Historical analysis
- Interpretation
- Logical reasoning
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Media analysis
- Summarizing
- Synthesis
- Writing skills
- ELA Reading: 1, 7
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-2
- HSS Reading: 1-2, 7-8
- Screen Regarding Susan Sontag and discuss with our Educational Screening Guide before the lesson. For a more in-depth discussion of illness-related myths and metaphors, pair this lesson with Illness Lesson 1.
- To deepen reflection after the screening, assign Sontag and Hodgkin’s The Way We Live Now.
- Reflection questions may also be assigned as short essays or response papers.