Stop scrolling – you’ve landed on a complete Frankenstein unit. Keep reading to learn about my absolute favorite unit activities.
I’ll throw some links your way throughout this blog post. But for quick reference, here’s my best TpT resource – the complete Frankenstein unit ready to print.
Frankenstein Unit Introduction
Knowing the complexities of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece can be, well, daunting, to say the least. How does one even start teaching this unit?
Answer: introductory stations.
I love this activity for the way it covers a ton of information in a relatively short amount of time. Basically, students work in small groups to tackle various topics related to Frankenstein. For example, one station features a biography on Mary Shelley. Another addresses Gothic literature. For the more science-minded folks in the room, they’ll read about genetic engineering.
I have students read the article independently before answering the comprehension questions as a group.
As a culminating or summarizing task, each group is then assigned one of my creative task cards. It allows them to be more creative as they specialize in one of the articles assigned.
This is a great way to start your Frankenstein unit. If you’d like to incorporate this into your classroom, click here.
Get Familiar with the Text
An activity you simply can’t replace is reading the text and engaging with it through comprehension questions. I have students do this with chapters one through six of the novel. This is where we really get to know Victor Frankenstein and Mary Shelley’s writing style.
Throughout my Frankenstein unit, I also sprinkle in some other days of independent reading. Those also pair well with the comprehension questions. It’s a nice way to still have students engage with the text. But, admittedly, we don’t read it cover-to-cover, simply for the sake of time.
Real Life Criminal Investigation
This year, I tried something completely new with my Frankenstein unit. In lieu of reading chapters seven through nine, I designed a real-life criminal investigation for my students.
Students worked in small groups to solve the murder of William Frankenstein. I set the scene with a “life-size” cadaver complete with crime scene tape. It really gets students curious as soon as they step into my room.
Then students get to work. Each group is presented with a criminal investigation folder. I throw in a flow chart to help them understand exactly what steps and procedures to follow. Generally speaking, students:
- Explore crime scene photos
- Get to know the victim
- Read the actual letter from Alphonse to Victor
- Consider suspects (Victor and Justine but also a fictitious Henri)
- Study fingerprints (bonus if you can collaborate with the science department to obtain magnifying glasses!)
- Read Victor’s witness testimony
- Consider Justine’s “confession” (I brought this to life by imagining her perspective and writing a page-long rendition of her confession)
- Read a summary of Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 to find out who “really” killed William
- Assert with finality who is guiltier: the creator or the creation
Each step along the way encourages collaboration and accountability thanks to the worksheets I designed.
I grade just one piece: the final worksheet asking who is guiltier. It helps me manage my workload but also serves the purpose I need it to.
Think this would work in your classroom? (Spoiler: it would!) Click here to get instant access to my entire crime scene investigation complete with “artifacts” and worksheets.
Frankenstein and Prometheus
Another critical component to understanding Mary Shelley’s best-known work is her allusions. One of the most notable of my Frankenstein unit is that of Prometheus.
For this activity, students read a shortened version of “The Myth of Prometheus” and a selected excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Prometheus Unbound.” Then we dive into a critical, comparative analysis of the three texts.
Specifically, I have students evaluate the similarities and differences in:
- Characters
- The motifs of defiance and rebellion
- The motifs of isolation and suffering
- Elements of Romanticism
Another Frankenstein Unit Activity: Paradise Lost
After we’ve read Chapter 17, I think it’s a great time to introduce another magnificent allusion: that of Frankenstein and Paradise Lost.
Quite simply, there is nowhere near the time needed to read all of Milton’s work. So I put together a condensed version that features a brief summary of each of the ten books.
Students read a summary of each book then find quick similarities and connections to Frankenstein. When they’re finished with this, we do another comparative analysis and really dive into the question of who Shelley intended to resemble God (Victor?), Satan (the creature?), and Adam (the creature again?).
Socratic Seminar
Once we’re familiar with the creature’s perspective and once he confesses to yet another murder, students start to really have some moral questions.
Cue the perfect time for a Socratic seminar.
After we’ve completed Chapter 20, I prep my students by assigning for homework a worksheet comprised of about 10 deep, critical, morally-complex questions about the text.
Topics range from nature versus nurture; responsibility; feminism; abortion; and who has the right to play God?
Be prepared to set aside at least a whole class period for this one: your kids are going to love to talk about these issues.
Film Viewing
As long as we can squeeze in some time with our Frankenstein unit, I like to show students one of the filmed versions of the novel. Specifically, I like the 1994 version starring Robert De Niro as the creature.
As we watch, I have students complete a worksheet with questions that help guide their viewing and help them appreciate the ways a filmmaker can bring a novel to life.
If you decide to watch this version, I definitely encourage you to screen it ahead of time. There are some creative liberties you might want to be prepared for. And shortly after the creature comes to life, there is a quick flash of nudity in the form of the creature’s rear. Be sure to check out the film’s rating and parental guide to know if it’s the right fit for your classroom or not.
Round Out the Frankenstein Unit with a Creative Project
I’m a huge proponent of voice and choice. My list of options for the Frankenstein project used to top 30 options (no kidding). But in recent years, I’ve winnowed that down. This year, I offered three solid choices, and all of my students were able to find the one that fit them best.
- Artistic option: Students create a graphic novel for Frankenstein
- Writing option: Students write an analytical essay that tracks a motif from the text
- Forensic option: Students conduct a forensic investigation of at least three murders from the text
ELL Students and Accommodations
I teach my Frankenstein unit in my British Literature course. It’s an elective mostly taken by seniors. I say this to give you a better sense of how few ELL students take this course. But I do have a few, so I like to be prepared.
To help out my ELL learners, my favorite resource has to be my abridged summary booklet. I give this to my ELLs at the start of the Frankenstein unit so they can follow along with us as we read, or they can go back and reread if they need a little more time with any given chapter.
My ELLs have found it to be majorly helpful and it’s one of my best sellers on TpT. Click here to find out more.
Concluding Thoughts
Maybe you’re like me, and you browse blogs like this to gain some inspiration. If that’s the case, I truly hope at least one of my activities inspires you.
And maybe you’re like me and you’re teacher tired. If that’s the case, then I hope to simplify your life — big time! Check out some of these low-prep, fully-customizable resources you can implement with your Frankenstein unit today.
- Frankenstein Complete Unit: This resource has 124 pages and covers all of the activities in this blog — plus MUCH MORE
- Abridged Summary Booklet for ELLs: It’s a MUST-HAVE for your Spanish speakers
- Frankenstein Introductory Articles: Here’s the resource mentioned earlier; it’s a great way to introduce your unit
- Crime Scene: If you have hands-on learners who love to be 100% engaged all class, check out this real-life forensic activity (covered at length earlier in this blog)
- Tracking Frankenstein: I didn’t cover this activity in this blog post (but it’s on another!), but it’s a great activity to implement towards the end of your Frankenstein unit. In total, Victor and the creature travel to about 30 geographical locations in the novel! This digital escape activity (via Google Forms) helps students “track” all those locations in a competitive way
As always, thanks for reading!
