Tuesday’s with Morrie: An Old Man, A Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

ACTIVITY 1: “Ten Lessons”

Over fourteen Tuesdays, Mitch and Morrie discuss Morrie’s life lessons as part of his final “class.” Tuesdays with Morrie offers Morrie’s (the teacher’s) understanding of life, and Mitch once again becomes his student. Think about the theme Giving is Living and Death as a Lesson and write out lessons from the story that you would most want to pass on. Make a list of ten of these in your notebook.

Then, after 10 minutes, find a partner and together come up with ten lessons based on the twenty you wrote down between the two of you.

After ten more minutes, pair up with another set of partners and make another list of ten lessons based on the two lists you now have to work with.

Ten minutes later, come together as a class and decide on a single list of ten lessons.  

Teaching Suggestion: This activity can help students to think about what they took away from the book and come together in a discussion in which they have to politely argue for certain lessons and defend others.