It might be a challenge to find direct lesson plans for the book because of some of the topics raised in it. School districts might not be completely comfortable with some of the mild sexual innuendo as well as the character of the priest who struggles with his compulsion to harm another child. I think that the best way to progress with a plan of teaching the work might be hone in on the idea of carpe diem and bring this out in multiple ways with the students. Possible ideas could be writing prompts about what students would do, knowing their time on the planet was coming to an end. Perhaps, another topic of discussion or elaboration through debate would be if Ben has an ethical duty to fight through his disease and not decide to end his life. If one is bold, discussing the themes of regret and cruelty brought out by the priest might be another topic, but I would have to think that this should be broached with extreme caution and with some level of administrative clearance as it is bound to evoke feelings and sentiments in both students and parents that might be difficult to fully grasp.
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