This learning module contains assessments, teaching guides, texts and materials on A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines and a series of related literary and informational texts to explore the question: What makes us human?

Both background about the author and aids to studying "A Lesson Before Dying" are included at this site. Audio clips of conversations with Gaines, and the beginning of the novel are featured.

Questions and discussion ideas abound in this teacher guide, which also includes significant quotations from the book for discussion and writing.

Gather and organize evidence to prepare for a discussion about the similarities between Grant and Jefferson and their placement on Maslow's hierarchy. This will help us understand how Gaines is using characters to develop a theme.

Ninth graders will be introduced to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and will explore how this hierarchy relates to the needs that humans have. Students will also be introduced to background information about the South during Jim Crow through...