Be sure to download the Vocabulary Guide.
We will be using these words throughout the duration of the book. We
will have weekly quizzes on assigned word groups every Friday. Pre-Reading Quiz - Look over very carefully.
We will be working on Group Presentations
before we begin reading the book. These presentations will help with
general background information and there will be questions on the final
test about these topics.
Complete the Jim Crow Webquest and understand the various implications it had on the culture.
Reading Assignments
On average, we will have approximately 30 pages per night of reading. Please refer to your reading calendar to know the exact due dates. Reading quizzes will be given throughout the unit. These quizzes will likely be pop quizzes and unannounced. Use the following study guides to assist you with your reading assignments:
Reading Assignments are posted in the English 10 iCal or will be given out in class.
pre-reading discussion questions
1. Where do values, morals, and beliefs come from? Do more people adopt what they know from their upbringing, or do they shape their own views of the world?
2. How do you judge other people?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages to living in a small town?
Scottsboro : An American Tragedy
We will watch the documentary of the Scottosboro trials in class. Download the Scottsborro Movie Guide and answer the questions as we watch. Be prepared to discuss the events in class and understand how these events compare with the novel.
If you are gone when we watch this video, please use the web link below, or any other resource, to find information about the Scottsboro trials and use the Scottsboro Handout as a resource for notes.
For additional information about the Scottsboro trials, including a timeline of the events, visit the PBS Scottsborro Webpage.
Post it Note Essay Questions
_Use your books to find specific
examples with page numbers and quotes as we read.The more SUPPORT, ORIGINALITY, and THOUGHT you use in your essays, the
better grade it will receive.
As we read, you will need to put sticky
notes in your book.These sticky
notes will be used to help construct the final in class essays.
Many
characters in the book exhibit some form of courage.Discuss the idea of courage, who
shows it?Explain what real
courage is and how each person meets the criteria for real courage.
Discuss
the title of the novel.What
does it mean literally and metaphorically in the book?Who qualifies as a “mockingbird”
in the novel?Why?What forces kill or try to destroy
the mockingbird (physical and ideologically)?
What lessons
does Atticus teach to his children in this book?Some of the lessons are direct and some are indirect. Is Atticus a good father? Why or why not. Be specific and use examples to
support your ideas.
Although TKM is set during the Great Depression, many critics have considered it a timeless classic. What themes or ideas in the book could be considered timeless? What are some modern day examples that prove this point to be true?
The Radley place undergoes a change in the course of the novel. At the beginning, we are told, “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom” (p. 8). By the end, Scout fearlessly walks Boo up to his front porch. What change has taken place in Scout that allows her to walk with Boo?
Maudie Atkinson says, “Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time” (p. 98). What lessons do the Finch children learn from the incident with the mad dog? Explain in detail, indicating how they change their understanding of their father. How is the mad-dog a symbol of some Maycomb citizens?
Part of the Ewell property was described as...“against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson” (pp. 170-171). What do the flowers tell us about their keeper, Mayella Ewell? Are the geraniums a symbol? If so, why, and if not, why not? Should we as a reader hate Mayella or feel sorry for her?
How does Harper Lee use minor characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to explore some of the main concerns/themes of the novel? Choose three of the following: Mrs. Dubose; Mayella Ewell; Heck Tate; Dolphus Raymond; Tim Johnson; Grace Merriweather; Miss Caroline; Lula. Write a descritiption of the character, the importance of what the character says and does, how Harper Lee uses that character to explore the big issues.
A Class Divided Documentary
Watch the PBS documentary called A Class Divided. The full video is available online at the link provided. This compelling story of an Iowa teacher and her 3rd grade class is an excellent example of how quickly students observe and absorb the world around them.
Us and them: A history of Intolerance - articles
Every few days we will be reading articles out of the magazine Us and Them: A History of Intolerance. The articles that we read will cover a wide range of discrimination topics from around the United States and from various time periods. Use these Discussion Questions to help guide your way through each of the articles.
Look at Aunt Alexandra's character and discuss the significance of the Mission Circle. How do these women represent a bigger part of society?
visit www.pbs.org/race and go through the information on race and racism. How does this information relate to the bigger picture of the book?
Visit the Project Implicit website and look at the subconscious power of race in our society.
To Ban or Not to Ban?
_To Kill a Mockingbird has been challenged repeatedly by the
political left and right, who have sought to remove it from libraries
for its portrayal of conflict between children and adults; ungrammatical
speech; references to sex, the supernatural, and witchcraft; and
unfavorable presentation of blacks. Which elements of the book-if any-do
you think touch on controversial issues in our contemporary culture?
Did you find any of those elements especially troubling, persuasive, or
insightful?
Read the following articles about TKM and another controversial books:
1. What is the significance of Jem saying, "I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside." How does this quote relate to a bigger idea of the book and even of human nature?
2. What are mockingbirds? Make a list of as many examples you can think of from the book. Make a separate list of mockingbirds that are not covered in the book. Be able to justify why each person fits the example of a mockingbird.
3. What is courage? What is heroism? Who displays these characteristics and why?
4. TKM is an excellent analysis of human nature. However, some will argue that it is not a story Good vs. Evil because the book ends on a gray note. What is "gray" about the ending? Why is the ending not a clear cut example of good vs. evil? Do you agree with the ending?
Character Wheel
_
Choose
any 5 characters from the book to complete the character wheel below.Remember, you should think about finding information that
will help you on the final test.Think about the quotes you pick and how those convey a particular mood,
tone, or detail for an individual character.
Be able to identify quotes from characters.How do they act and behave? What do they sound like?What tone or attitude do these characters typically have?
Plot Questions:
Review the study guide and understand the basic plot of the book.
Historical Context: Review information from our pre-reading presentations.What were the key facts from each group?
·Great Depression
· Scottsboro Trials
· Civil Rights Movement
· Segregation
· Harper Lee & Truman Capote · Herbert Hoover · Women in the South · Growing up in the Great Depression (kids) · Lynching in the South · Jim Crow Laws · Black Tuesday · New Deal · 1930’s Overview—typical day/prices/activities/games · What was the Great Depression? · Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Novel and Author Information:
When was the book published?
Why was the book published?
What elements of Harper Lee’s life did she use to write the book? (lots
of them)
Setting:
How does the setting of the book impact the story?
Symbolism & Themes: Understand how different themes and symbols are relevant to the story.Find examples of how each are used. oMockingbirds oHeroes oCourage oRight vs. Wrong oDiscrimination oRacism
Pre-Reading Vocabulary
Project Implicit What does this measure? (Hint, it does not say you are a racist. Think sponge)
Understand the concept of Race What do you think of when you think of Race? What are the facts about Race?
A Class Divided Video (Blue Eye Brown Eye movie)
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The title of Lee's book is alluded to when Atticus gives his children air rifles and tells them that they can shoot all the bluejays they want, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." At the end of the novel, Scout likens the "sin" of naming Boo as Bob Ewell's killer to "shootin' a mockingbird." Do you think that Boo is the only innocent person, or mockingbird, in this novel?
A Time To Kill
Complete the following Writing Assignment based on the movie A Time to Kill. You will need to use quotes from the book and from the movie.