This complete They’re Made Out of Meat Short Story Unit is a ready-to-print resource designed for teaching They’re Made Out of Meat by Terry Bisson. It includes a 16-page printable student booklet and a teacher’s unit plan, giving you everything you need to teach this unique short story with zero prep time.
Perfect for Years 7–11 (ages 13–16), this resource is ideal for secondary English classes, high school ELA, independent study, or literature circles.
About the Short Story
They’re Made Out of Meat is a witty and thought-provoking short story told as a conversation between two aliens who discover that humans are entirely made of meat. Amused and horrified, they debate whether such lifeforms could truly think or communicate. The story humorously explores themes of prejudice, perspective, and what it means to be human—making it an excellent text for sparking class discussions.
Why Teachers Love This They’re Made Out of Meat Unit
No-prep resource: Student booklet, teacher plan, and answer keys included
Engaging activities: Combines comprehension, annotation, discussion, and creative writing
Flexible pacing: Can be completed in 1 week or extended to suit your needs
Perfect for text response preparation: Builds analysis and essay writing skills
What’s Inside the Student Booklet
Short story background notes
Webquest task on Terry Bisson
Observing the text: main idea and author’s purpose
Setting and context activities
Annotating the short story
They’re Made Out of Meat comprehension questions and answers
Creative writing task
Themes mapping
Character mapping
Language techniques page
Essay structure and planning pages
Sample teacher unit plan
What You Get
16-page student booklet for They’re Made Out of Meat
Teacher’s unit plan with suggested pacing
Answer keys for comprehension questions
This They’re Made Out of Meat Short Story Unit is perfect for teaching literary analysis, critical thinking, and text response writing. It also pairs seamlessly with my Text Response Essay Writing Unit for extended writing and assessment preparation.
Everything you need to teach They’re Made Out of Meat—printable, engaging, and classroom-ready.
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22 pages
3 weeks
Years 7-11
