- Start with twoopening questions and a vote process: " Imagine you are a parent with a very sick childand you have the technology to intervene to save his life. Intervențion consists in the possibility to upload your child's mind to an AF ( artificial friend), a sort of a robot which at its turn has to abandon its initial body and to take the form of your child via a sort of a marionette. Would you do that?"

" Imagine your are an AF ( artificial friend", a designed robot capable to replicate the behavior of a child). You have your own artificial body and you are asked in the eventuality of death of the child that you were trained to observe for a long time , to continue his life, abandoning your own initial designed artificial body and accepting the uploading of the child's mind to your data. Would you do that? "

Collect the yes/ no answers and count them.

-Introduce the subject of the lesson : " Today we'll explore how literature, particularly the novel " Klara and the sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro ,helps us think critically about scientific innovation and its ethical implications. We'll begin by establishing the terminology framework"

- Project the following key-terms on the digital board, read the definitions with learners , mention that the key words are crucial for understanding the relationship between novel's characters and their interaction during the action depicted in the novel's excerpts that learners will work with.

Key Terms to Define:

"Genetic Intervention/Human Genetic Engineering": Medical procedures that alter human DNA to enhance physical or cognitive abilities;"Transhumanism": A movement advocating for using advanced technology to transcend current human limitations and extend lifespan/cognitive abilities;

"Bioenhancement": The use of biomedical technologies to improve human capabilities beyond typical functioning;"Playing God in medicine": The ethical concern about humans making fundamental decisions about life, death, and human nature that were traditionally considered divine domains;Genetic Enhancement/Lifting Modification of human DNA to improve intellectual capacity, physical abilities, or other traits;Mind Uploading Theoretical process of transferring human consciousness into artificial substrates/Digital consciousness preservation projects;Cloning Creating a genetically identical copy of a biological entity; in the novel's context, attempting to replicate/continue a person's identity and consciousness through artificial meansArtificial Intelligence (AI) Machine systems capable of performing tasks requiring human-like intelligence

1. Learners answer two ethical questions by voting yes or no on scenarios involving a sick child and the possibility of transferring consciousness into an artificial friend (AF). They participate in a short reflection based on the collected results.

Parent scenario:

“Imagine you are a parent of a very sick child and you have the technology to save their life by uploading their mind into an Artificial Friend (AF), a robot that would then take on your child’s identity and form. Would you do that?”

Artificial Friend (AF) scenario:

“Imagine you are an Artificial Friend (AF), a robot designed to imitate a child’s behaviour. You are asked, in the event of the child’s death after long-term observation, to give up your own artificial identity and accept the uploading of the child’s mind into your system, effectively continuing their life. Would you do that?”

2. Learners are introduced to the topic of the lesson and the ethical focus related to scientific innovation in Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. They prepare to work with key terminology.

3. Learners read, listen to, and take notes on key terminology presented on the digital board.

4. Learners record and learn key concepts such as genetic intervention, transhumanism, bioenhancement, “playing God” in medicine, genetic enhancement, mind uploading, cloning, and artificial intelligence, which are used to understand character relationships and interactions in the upcoming novel excerpts.

Key terms to define:

“Genetic Intervention / Human Genetic Engineering”: Medical procedures that alter human DNA to enhance physical or cognitive abilities.

“Transhumanism”: A movement advocating the use of advanced technology to transcend human limitations and extend lifespan and cognitive abilities.

“Bioenhancement”: The use of biomedical technologies to improve human capabilities beyond normal functioning.

“Playing God in medicine”: The ethical concern that humans are making fundamental decisions about life, death, and human nature.

“Genetic Enhancement / Lifting”: Modification of human DNA to improve intellectual, physical, or other traits.

“Mind Uploading”: Theoretical transfer of human consciousness into artificial substrates.

“Cloning”: Creating a genetically identical copy of a biological entity, in this context used to replicate or continue a person’s identity through artificial means.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI)”: Machine systems capable of performing tasks that normally require human-like intelligence.

The teacher tells learners that : "Before we analyze the ethical dilemmas in the novel, we need to establish context. I will present key information about the author, dystopian genre, and the novel's themes. Take notes and prepare to make connections."

Present Canva slideshow with info pack https://www.canva.com/design/DAG8OJ3I2rA/Qg-8oLcbMsc-Pb_9oUxRng/edit?utm_content=DAG8OJ3I2rA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Display information about Kazuo Ishiguro and dystopian genre characteristics

Show the novel's narrative perspective (Klara's fragmented, "boxed" vision)

Specify main themes (genetic enhancement, AI, cloning, social inequality) and symbols

The teacher tells learners : ""Now I will guide you through the novel's plot development and central conflict. Pay close attention to how the narrative reveals deeper ethical problems as it progresses. Your task is to track the conflict stages and understand the relationships between characters and their choices."Introduce learners the following narrative plot( a resume of the action): The action is set in a near-future dystopian world where Artificial Friends (AFs) are sophisticated robots designed to be companions for children. The story follows Klara, an AF with exceptional observational abilities, who is purchased by a teenage girl named Josie. Josie is one of the "lifted" children—those who have undergone a genetic enhancement procedure to boost their intelligence and future prospects. However, this procedure carries serious health risks, and Josie becomes gravely ill as a result. Tragically, Josie's older sister Sal had already died from complications of the same lifting procedure—a loss that haunts the family and makes the mother desperate to save Josie at any cost. The novel explores the deepening relationship between Klara and Josie, as well as the tensions between "lifted" children like Josie and "unlifted" ones like her good friend and neighbor Rick, who face social exclusion and limited opportunities .Through Klara's innocent yet perceptive eyes, we witness the harsh divisions this technology creates in society between unelevated children whose societal chances in life are reduced radically, we follow side consequences of bioengineering like personality effects, as children who have their AFs tend to grow up selfish, spoiled etc. Human relationships,interactions, social hierarchies, the capacity to respond emotionally intelligent to life challenges, actually humanity itself are questioned. As the story progresses, a disturbing plan is revealed: Josie's mother and an artist named Mr. Capaldi have been preparing Klara not just to be a companion, but to become a complete replacement for Josie if she dies like Sal did. The mother, having already lost one daughter (Sal) to the lifting procedure, cannot bear the thought of losing another child. Capaldi had previously created a "bereavement doll" of Sal that failed to comfort the mother, but now technology has advanced. Capaldi has created a physical duplicate of Josie—an empty AF body—and Klara has been unknowingly trained to learn everything about Josie's personality, thoughts, and behaviors. The plan is for Klara to "inhabit" this new body and continue being Josie, so perfectly that the mother can love her as if nothing changed. This reflects transhumanist ideas: the belief that consciousness can be transferred, that humans can transcend death through technology, and that there is nothing uniquely human that cannot be replicated. Explain Josie's situation: lifted child, health crisis, sister Sal's prior deathDescribe the social divide between "lifted" (Josie) and "unlifted" (Rick) children

1. Novel introduction

The activity is designed as a book review to provide learners with a contextual understanding of the novel. A Canva presentation is projected, containing information about the author, the dystopian genre and its characteristics, as well as the main themes and symbols of the book.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG8OJ3I2rA/Qg-8oLcbMsc-Pb_9oUxRng/edit

2. The learners are instructed to take notes while following the presentation and to focus on key aspects such as dystopian characteristics, narrative perspective, main themes, and the development of the story’s conflict.

3. Narrative conflict introduction

Learners are introduced to the plot structure and central conflict through the guided presentation. They learn about the two-stage development of the story: first, Klara as a companion to the sick Josie, and second, the revelation that Klara is intended to replace Josie if she dies. This provides the narrative context needed to complete the assigned tasks and understand character motivations.

Student Task

Take notes in order to:

List three characteristics of dystopian fiction.

Identify who narrates the story and from what perspective.

Recall the main themes presented in the slideshow.

Describe in two sentences how Klara’s AI perspective differs from human vision and narration.

Follow the narrative conflict presentation and take short notes in order to:

Explain why Josie is sick (consequence of genetic lifting procedure).

Summarize the relationship between lifted and unlifted children in this society.

Interpret why Chrissie wants Klara to replace Josie (grief over Sal’s death, inability to cope with losing another child).

Examine the escalation of the conflict.

Teacher announces : "We will now analyze the crucial revelation scene where the truth is unveiled to Klara. This excerpt contains the novel's central ethical conflict and raises profound questions about identity, consciousness, and human uniqueness. Guide learners through careful reading, ensuring they support all interpretations with textual evidence. Emphasize that there are multiple valid interpretations, but all must be grounded in the text."Distribute the excerpt learners handout or display on screenRead aloud or have learners read silently the key passage (10 minutes)Guide annotation process using color-coding systemCirculate during independent work to support struggling learnersFacilitate brief pair-share discussions before whole-class synthesisPrepare to collect written responses for assessment

1. Learners receive the excerpt and the task:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10GsfytgsmBEvt6FXoVsT8f7CblOmg6NRaNnYvON6nac/edit?usp=sharing

2. Learners read the passage either aloud or silently for about 10 minutes.

3. Learners complete the tasks on the worksheet and annotate the text using a guided color-coding system:

BLUE: References to science, technology, consciousness, or technical concepts

RED: Ethical dilemmas, moral conflicts, or problematic decisions

GREEN: Emotional appeals, manipulation tactics, or persuasive strategies

YELLOW: Statements about human identity, uniqueness, or what makes us human

a. Wordwall activity part

Use the following Wordwall " match up" exercise to resume learners' reflection :Wordwall, https://wordwall.net/resource/105282010. Once you access it via this link you can share the automatically generated QR code with learners for their individual work on smart phones, tablets or you can choose to project questions on the digital board and solve the quiz as a class activity alongg with learners.

Tell learners: "Let's test what you've learned today! This Wordwallwill cover terminology, plot understanding, character analysis, and ethical concepts we've explored. "

Display questions on the digital board and/or share the link/QR code with learners as well.

No Wordwall account required.

b. Play trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNgdXFupbjIAsk few questions "Watch the 2026 film adaptation trailer. Does it capture the novel's themes? , "What was your first reaction?, "Did the trailer show the ethical dilemmas we discussed?", "Would you want to see this film? Why or why not?"c. Bridging with the opening questions Return to the opening poll questions from Activity 1 and revisit them: " At the beginning of class, we voted on two scenarios:Would you, as a parent, upload your child's mind to an AF to save them?Would you, as an AF, agree to abandon your body to continue a child's life?Let's vote again. Have your answers changed after analyzing the novel?"Re-poll the learners (show of hands or digital poll)Compare results with the initial pollAsk volunteers who changed their answers: "What made you change your mind?"Ask volunteers who kept the same answer: "What reinforced your position?"Collect answers and close with a final statement " The questions this novel raises—about consciousness, identity, genetic enhancement—aren't just fiction. Nextgenerations will face these choices. Literature helps us practice thinking critically before we're confronted with these decisions in reality."

1. Learners complete a Wordwall “match up” activity to review and consolidate their learning. The quiz covers terminology, plot understanding, character analysis, and ethical concepts explored in the lesson. It can be completed individually via QR code on mobile devices or as a whole-class activity with the teacher projecting the questions. https://wordwall.net/resource/105282010

2. Learners watch the trailer for the 2026 film adaptation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNgdXFupbjI After watching, learners discuss guided questions: Does the trailer capture the novel’s themes? What was your first reaction? Did the trailer reflect the ethical dilemmas discussed in class? Would you want to watch this film? Why or why not?

3. Learners return to the opening questions from the beginning of the lesson: Would you, as a parent, upload your child’s mind to an AF to save them? Would you, as an AF, agree to abandon your body to continue a child’s life? Learners vote again to see whether their answers have changed.

4. The class compares the new results with the initial poll.

5. Volunteers explain why they changed their opinion or why they kept the same position.

6. The lesson ends with a final reflection by the teacher, emphasizing that the ethical questions raised in the novel (consciousness, identity, genetic enhancement) are not purely fictional but may become real societal issues.