Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain about what he knows?
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
30 minutes total
ByRobert Louis Stevenson
Grade9-10
Time30 minutes
Essential question
Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain about what he knows?
Marked passage
Passage location
Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative
Start anchor
He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp.
End anchor
I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it; and yet now when that sight has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer.
Passage focus
Lanyon sees Hyde become Jekyll
Ways to teach it
Listening
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
Solo
Read the exact passage independently.
Supported
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
Teacher guide
Close
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
Evidence
Use the visible transformation, Lanyon's insistence that he saw it, and his later inability to assimilate what he witnessed.
Mark
Underline the physical changes Lanyon says he sees. Circle the sentences in which he insists on the reality of his senses. Then star the line where he admits he still cannot fully believe what he witnessed.
Instructional move
Track what happens when evidence exceeds a witness's worldview
Notice
• What normally makes eyewitness evidence persuasive? • Why is Lanyon’s problem not lack of evidence? • What happens when new evidence is stronger than the worldview a witness uses to interpret evidence?
Strong answer
Lanyon has overwhelming sensory evidence of transformation, but the event violates the scientific worldview he uses to decide what is possible. The stronger the evidence becomes, the more destabilized his certainty feels.
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain about what he knows? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not say Lanyon doubts his eyesight because the evidence is weak. The crisis comes because the evidence is too strong for his framework.
Why this passage
Lanyon witnesses the transformation with his own eyes, yet the event violates the intellectual framework through which he decides what counts as possible. The evidence is overwhelming, but it destroys rather than stabilizes his certainty.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain about what he knows? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Underline the physical changes Lanyon says he sees. Circle the sentences in which he insists on the reality of his senses. Then star the line where he admits he still cannot fully believe what he witnessed.
Notice
What normally makes eyewitness evidence persuasive? Why is Lanyon’s problem not lack of evidence? What happens when new evidence is stronger than the worldview a witness uses to interpret evidence?
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain about what he knows?
Write
Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage. Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
Ready-to-teach lesson
TumbleTA 6-12 · TEXT-BASED LESSON
BATCH 06 · 9-10 · LESSON 113
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain
about what he knows?
TOTAL TIME
PASSAGE
30 minutes
Lanyon sees Hyde become Jekyll
FIND THE ANCHOR TEXT
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
SECTION / LOCATION
Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative
START
He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp.
END
I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it; and yet now when that sight has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer.
PASSAGE ID
sec-jh-03
THE MOVE
Track what happens when evidence exceeds a witness's worldview
WHY THIS PASSAGE
Lanyon witnesses the transformation with his own eyes, yet the event violates the intellectual framework through which he decides what counts as possible. The evidence is overwhelming, but it destroys rather than stabilizes his certainty.
MARK
Underline the physical changes Lanyon says he sees. Circle the sentences in which he insists on the reality of his senses. Then star the line where he admits he still cannot fully believe what he witnessed.
page 1
NOTICE
What normally makes eyewitness evidence persuasive?
Why is Lanyon’s problem not lack of evidence?
What happens when new evidence is stronger than the worldview a witness uses to interpret
evidence?
THINK
Answer provisionally: Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain about what he knows? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
WRITE
Write a short evidence-based response to: Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain about what he knows? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
CLOSE
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
STRONG ANSWER
Lanyon has overwhelming sensory evidence of transformation, but the event violates the scientific worldview he uses to decide what is possible. The stronger the evidence becomes, the more destabilized his certainty feels.
EVIDENCE
Use the visible transformation, Lanyon's insistence that he saw it, and his later inability to assimilate what he witnessed.
WATCH FOR
Do not say Lanyon doubts his eyesight because the evidence is weak. The crisis comes because the evidence is too strong for his framework.
SOLO
Read the exact passage independently.
SUPPORTED
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
LISTENING
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
page 2
STUDENT PAGE · SAME PASSAGE, SAME THINKING
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel certain
about what he knows?
START ANCHOR
He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp.
END ANCHOR
I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it; and yet now when that sight has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer.
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
OPEN THE MARKED PASSAGE IN TUMBLELIT
SOLO: read independently. SUPPORTED: use narration + highlighting. LISTENING: listen to the exact passage. The question and evidence task stay the same.
1.MARK - Underline the physical changes Lanyon says he sees. Circle the sentences in which he
insists on the reality of his senses. Then star the line where he admits he still cannot fully believe what he witnessed.
2.NOTICE - What normally makes eyewitness evidence persuasive? Why is Lanyon’s problem
not lack of evidence? What happens when new evidence is stronger than the worldview a witness uses to interpret evidence?
3.THINK - Answer provisionally: Why does seeing the transformation fail to make Lanyon feel
certain about what he knows?
4.WRITE - Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage.
Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
page 3
Original printable PDF
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