Summary
This companion lesson in the void explores the idea of nihilism and what it can teach us about the search for meaning and purpose in our lives, how we can reconcile existential questions with our own values and beliefs, and how one finds meaning, purpose, and value in a world seemingly devoid of inherent significance. Your students will grapple with the continuum of quotations taken from various pieces of literature,the Bible and philosophers. After collaborating to read the quotes and sorting them, the whole class will discuss the meaning and implications of the quotes. Next, they will get an opportunity to explore Elmo’s viral tweet which sparked an existential crisis among his many followers. After spending some time learning about optimistic nihilism, your students will dissect song lyrics for examples of nihilism. The songs your students can choose from include: “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” by U2, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” by Nirvana, “Losing my Religion,” by R.E.M., “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” by The Smashing Pumpkins, “Undone (Sweater Song)” by Weezer, “In the End,” by Linkin Park, and “Leave Me Alone,” by NF. The next day your students will flip the script, learn about resilience, and turn the nihilistic song lyrics into positive poetry using the instructional strategy Blackout Poetry.
Essential Question(s)
What does nihilism teach us about the search for meaning and purpose in our lives, and how can we reconcile existential questions with our own values and beliefs? How does one find meaning, purpose, or value in a world seemingly devoid of inherent significance or objective truths?
Snapshot
Engage - Students will receive quotes and determine where they would follow on a continuum that includes optimism and nihilism.
Explore - Students will read about Elmo’s viral tweet that sparked an existential crisis among his followers.
Explain - Students will watch a video to learn about optimistic nihilism.
Extend - Students will analyze song lyrics for examples of nihilism.
Evaluate - Students will turn nihilistic song lyrics into positive poetry using the instructional strategy, Blackout Poetry.
Materials
Lesson Slides - A Fuzzy Companion in the Void: Finding Meaning in the Meaninglessness (attached)
Tug-of-War Quotes - A Fuzzy Companion in the Void: Finding Meaning in the Meaninglessness (attached; one quote per student or pair of students)
Fishbone - A Fuzzy Companion in the Void: Finding Meaning in the Meaninglessness (attached; one per student)
Blackout Poetry - A Fuzzy Companion in the Void: Finding Meaning in the Meaninglessness (attached; one per student)
Wakelet - A Fuzzy Companion in the Void: Finding Meaning in the Meaninglessness (linked)
Elmo’s Viral Tweet Sparks an Existential Crisis Among His Followers (linked; one copy per student)
WiFi
Student devices
Pens or pencils
Yellow and Pink highlighters
Tape
Engage
Introduce the lesson using the attached Lesson Slides. Display slide 3 to share the essential questions and slide 4 to go over the lesson's learning objectives to the extent you feel necessary.
Display slide 5. Share the instructional strategy Tug-of-War and distribute the Nihilistic quotes to your students.
Have students line up according to which quotes are most nihilistic to most optimistic. Students should read their quotes and work together to figure out where they should stand with their quote along the continuum. Once they are sure about where their quote should be, have them tape it on the board. Allow students to share out about the quotes with the whole class. Ask students why they chose to place their quote along the continuum as they did. Encourage the whole class to discuss the quotes together.
Explore
Display slide 6 and share the tweet from Elmo on January 29, 2024.
Move to slide 7. Share the instructional strategy Categorical Highlighting with your students and distribute to students the Today article, “Elmo’s Viral Tweet Sparks an Existential Crisis Among His Followers.” Instruct them to highlight examples of feelings in pink and key information in yellow. Once your students have finished, ask a few to share with the class.
Display slide 8 and play the video, “Elmo Opens Up to Today about Tweet that Sparked Intense Reaction.”
After showing the video, use slide 9 to open up to a whole class discussion. “What reaction did the world have?” “What was Elmo’s response?” “Does Elmo exhibit nihilism or optimism?” “What advice to the Sesame Street characters give about facing life?”
Explain
Display slide 10 and share the video titled “Optimistic Nihilism.”
As students watch the video, have them keep in mind the Elmo story.
After viewing the video, get the students' reactions. Display slide 11, using the question to guide your discussion. “What connections can you make between this video and Elmo’s tweet story?”
Extend
Display slide 12. Share the instructional strategy Fishbone and pass out the attached Fishbone handout. Point out that the “fish head” or the effect the students are analyzing is “nihilism.” As they read the lyrics and find examples of nihilism, they will add them to the six “fishbones.”
Move to slide 13 and share the linked Wakelet, “Lyrical Stylings of Nihilism,” which includes videos and lyrics. Instruct them to choose only one song to work on for the time being. The song choices include:
Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2
Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Losing my Religion by R.E.M.
Bullet with Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins
Undone (Sweater Song) by Weezer
In the End by Linkin Park
Leave Me Alone by NF
Once your students have accessed the Wakelet, project slide 14 which has the instructions for them again. This is a good place to pause for the day.
Evaluate
This should be the start of a new day.
Display slide 15 and share the video “Famous Failures” with your students.
When the video ends, have a guided discussion with your students using the questions on slide 16.
Display slide 17 and share the instructional strategy Blackout Poetry with your students. The goal of the activity is for your students to “flip the script” on the song lyrics from the previous activity and create a positive poem!
Move to slide 18 and play the following video for your students that explains how to create Blackout Poetry with Google Slides. Once the video is over, use slides 19-21 to share a couple of completed examples with your students. Move to slide 22, and pass out the attached Compilation of Song Lyrics.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Blackout poetry. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/84
K20 Center. (2021).
Blackout Poetry - Google Slides [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADnAmvqXMRU
K20 Center. (n.d.). Fishbone. Strategies. Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/1664
K20 Center. (n.d.). Tug-of-War. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/98
K20 Center. (n.d.). Wakelet. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2180
Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell. (2017, July 26). Optimistic nihilism. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBRqu0YOH14
MotivatingSuccess. (2012). Famous Failures [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs&list=PL6P49nXsj_RyRa8udbr2ac_Xb9Sw4Pu5R&index=6
Today. (2024, February 1). Elmo opens up to today about tweet that sparked intense reaction. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xBidHiE2bzQ