Before students begin A Doll's House, give them a chance to wrestle with some of the ethical questions they will encounter in the play - without telling them how those questions connect to Nora.

Students respond to eight short scenarios involving secrecy, forgery, debt, loyalty, control, marriage, responsibility, and second chances. They make an initial decision on their own, compare responses with classmates, and defend one of their choices.

After the play, students return to the same scenarios. By then, some of the decisions that seemed fairly simple before reading may not seem quite so simple.

WHAT'S INCLUDED
• 8 ethical case files
• student first-reactions sheet
• moral continuum activity
• written defense page
• post-reading reconsideration page
• teacher connection key
• 8 discussion prompts
• 4 classroom-use options
• 20-25 minute quick version
• full 42-minute lesson plan
• complete printable PDF
• student-only PDF
• teacher-guide PDF
• editable PowerPoint file

CLASSROOM OPTIONS
Use all eight cases or choose a few. The lesson can be run as stations, an Ethics Court, a moral line-up, a silent gallery, or a whole-class discussion. The 20-25 minute plan works as a short pre-reading launch; the full-period plan gives students time to compare responses, discuss the cases that divide the class, and write.

After reading, students use the reconsideration page to look back at their original answers and connect what changed to Nora, Torvald, Krogstad, Mrs. Linde, and the larger questions of the play.

Want more pre-reading simulations like this one?

This A Doll’s House pre-reading activity is also included in the Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle, featuring six decision-based activities for major secondary texts.

Bundle:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literature-Pre-Reading-Simulations-Bundle-Critical-Thinking-Activities-17656452

DETAILS
• Designed for secondary ELA / grades 9-12
• For Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House
• Spoiler-free before reading
• Includes a post-reading follow-up
• Play text is not included
• PowerPoint is editable; PDFs are ready to print

Updated October 2026: Refined one pre-reading scenario to keep the activity fully spoiler-light while preserving the same ethics discussion and after-reading connections.

What changed:
• Case 8, “The Breaking Point,” no longer describes a parent leaving a family.
• The revised scenario focuses on obligation, expected roles, identity, and personal agency.
• The teacher connection for Case 8 was updated to match.
• The TPT preview and listing description were revised so they no longer mention “leaving” as a pre-reading topic.

No other cases, lesson formats, student response pages, pacing plans, or design elements were changed.