The Fault in Our Stars

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How are characters who have a terminal illness such as cancer typically portrayed in stories (television, film, literature)? What stereotypes sometimes are evident in these characters?

Teaching Suggestion: As cancer or other serious illness can be a difficult and emotional topic to discuss, it may be helpful to review class norms and expectations on considerate listening and avoiding assumptions to ensure a community of safety and respect as you navigate this unit. This prompt might be used to introduce what is meant by the novel’s theme Sentimental Cancer Narratives and the protagonist’s disregard for their often stereotypical portrayal of characters with cancer and terminal illness.

• “How to Set the Stage for Challenging Classroom Discussions” is a 2-minute Edutopia video with strategies for engaging in a challenging and potentially emotional classroom discussion. The suggested norms might be displayed in the classroom throughout the unit. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing)
• “A Daughter’s Story of Pushing to Try a New Experimental Drug for Her Mom’s Cancer” is a 3-minute NPR podcast with full transcript of the segment “My Unsung Hero.” It discusses a daughter whose request for an experimental cancer treatment for her mother is refused. This podcast discusses the value of being heard and how to disagree in a respectful, honorable way; as such, it may be used to review classroom discussion guidelines.

2. The novel features a protagonist who is both a cancer patient and a keen observer of the world around her. Consider the idea of The Heroic Observer and its depiction in literature. What qualities or characteristics make a character heroic in their role as an observer? How might these qualities or characteristics differ in a character whose perspective is influenced by a terminal diagnosis?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt provides an opportunity to introduce the theme The Heroic Observer. It may be beneficial to make predictions about the phrase’s meaning; once your class has created or reviewed a shared definition of the term, they can respond to the prompt with a more unified and consistent mindset.

• “What Is Mindfulness? Explained by ScienceGuy” is a 3-minute video discussing mindfulness and its benefits. This resource connects to the idea of The Heroic Observer and might lead to discussions of how mindfulness (intentional and purposeful observation, internally and externally) can be “heroic” or helpful.
• “The Mindful Revolution” is a TIME magazine article that details the practice and comments upon the individual and wide-spread effects of mindfulness and observation in modern society. During reading, students might apply this thought process to the idea of mindset when they reflect on Hazel’s unique perspective of the world.

Short Activity

This novel addresses the serious topics of terminal illness and cancer. To ground your comprehension of plot events and character motivations, it may be helpful to understand some basic facts about cancer treatment and its benefits and consequences. Work with a group to research one of the following topics:

1. How cancer affects the body

2. Specific treatments for cancer

3. How treatments affect the body

4. Social and financial consequences of cancer

List a minimum of 5 specific, detailed factual points for your topic. Explain which facts you discovered in your research that were surprising or new to you. Note the sites you used. 

When you are finished, work in a new group of 4 in which each group member represents a different topic they researched. Share your findings first. Then, as a group, discuss the various ways in which a terminal illness diagnosis might affect one’s life.

Teaching Suggestion: Due to the sensitive nature of this activity, students may prefer to work alone or to research a contextual topic that does not address illness, such as Amsterdam or the Anne Frank House. During the discussion portion of the activity, one student per group might be assigned the role of the “scribe,” writing notes representing shared sentiments along with the sharer’s name. Then, when moving to a full class discussion, students can practice verbal citations by referring to the scribe’s notes. This paper may also be turned in for credit, if desired.

• The “National Cancer Institute” website includes multiple subsections on the definition of cancer, how it starts/spreads, different types, and other information. This site may serve as a starter resource for student research.
• “Social and Emotional Side Effects of Cancer” discusses many of the personal and emotional effects of cancer. Group 4 members researching the social and financial consequences of cancer may use this site to identify the consequences of cancer outside of the physical symptoms.

Differentiation Suggestion: For classes that work best through independent strategies, the use of a graphic organizer with spaces that include the four areas of research may be beneficial. To incorporate communication and group work, partners might share their notes together prior to sharing with the class.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Consider this quote: “The guy who invented the smallpox vaccine didn’t actually invent anything. He just noticed that people with cowpox didn’t get smallpox.” (Chapter 25)

Reflect upon a time during which you were highly observant. What is something you noticed that led to a specific action or outcome? What was the overall effect or impact of your observation?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt relates to the theme The Heroic Observer. This optional, alternative prompt might spark additional ideas: What was a time when you should have been more observant, but weren’t? What was the consequences of limited observation?

• “Observing The Universe Really Does Change The Outcome, And This Experiment Shows How” is a Forbes article detailing a science experiment that demonstrates the observer effect in quantum physics and highlights the profound connection between observation and the behavior of particles at a quantum level. This article may be used to spark discussion of the impact of observation beyond an immediate, personal level.
• “The Hawthorne Effect” is a 2-minute video discussing the theory that human beings behave differently when they are being observed. Students might reflect on a time they behaved differently due to being observed, which can lead to discussion of the positive and negative benefits of observation.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an approach that focuses on writing strategies, ask students to write a short answer to the prompt on a piece of paper. Then, working in a small group, students pass the paper to a peer for their brief written response to the writer’s answer (a question, opinion, connection, counterpoint, or other response). The paper continues being passed until it returns to the initial writer; verbal follow-up discussion provides a chance for writers to share their reactions.