Students explore the motivation behind characters' actions in "To Kill A Mockingbird" by creating psychological profiles for characters from the novel.

This resource is a Google Slides presentation designed to educate students about five various elements of literature that play an important role in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

FOCUS QUESTIONIs compassion the basis for morality?STUDENT OUTCOMESStudents will:examine and interpret the definitions of morality and compassion as presented in a variety of textsread, analyze, and discuss quotations and/or multimedia sourceswrite an original definition of a moral person (This definition will be used later in an argument paper which cites Atticus Finch's acts of compassion as evidence of his morality.) Image source: "Mockingbird" by skeeze on Pixabay.com.

During days 3-6 of the unit, students will complete a short, focused research assignment to learn about the characteristics of Sourthern Gothic Literature and to begin to view To Kill a Mockingbird through that lens.  As is true with the rest of the unit, the three day time frame is a suggestion only and can be adjusted based on your schedule and the needs of the students.Image source: "Mockingbird" by skeeze on Pixabay.com.

Students will read and analyze a short story from the Southern Gothic genre entitled "The Life you Save May be Your Own" by Flannery O'Conner.  They will continue to explore the ideas of human compassion and morality by examining the apparent  lack of compassion in the characters of Mr. Shiftlet and the old woman, Lucynell Crater.  Students will use close reading strategies to identify examples of indirect characterization that contribute to their analysis of these two central characters in the text. Image source: "Mockingbird" by skeeze on Pixabay.com.

Students will figure out flaws in society using the book To Kill a Mockingbird.

Using context clues from To Kill a Mockingbird to evaluate flaws in society.

Although most students would agree that To Kill a Mockingbird explores the brutal injustice of the Jim Crow South in a small town, they do not always realize that the novel has little explicit acknowledgement of the African-American response. While the injustice is clearly perpetrated against African Americans, readers observe the suffering only through the eyes of the white characters. Chapter 12 provides a brief moment where students can see the reaction of one African-American character, Lula. Spending time looking at and understanding Lula’s anger toward Scout and Jem is critical to teaching this novel.

A short quiz on CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5, featuring quotes from Margaret Atwood's book, The Robber Bride; Harper Lee's book, To Kill a Mockingbird; Leo Tolstoi's short story, "The Confessed Crime"; Anne Sexton's poem, "The Starry Night"; and, the TV Show, "Ben 10: Alien Force". Collected together, the quotes have a Dale-Chall text difficulty index of 4, and a Flesch-Kincaid level of 4.4.

An introduction to emotional and logical appeals, using To Kill a Mockingbird and the Civil Rights Movement as context.

This resource is a comprehensive worksheet with questions designed to better a student's understanding of the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.

This project is a cross-curricular approach designed to analyze, evaluate, and extend student understanding of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The project would be applied after students have read the novel and completed a final test (or you may use this project in lieu of a test). Teachers may use pieces of this project or can use this project in its entirety.Time Estimate: 2-3 weeksObjectives:The learner will:connect the novel to the current social and political climate.analyze the differences in treatment of minorities in the judicial system.argue and support with evidence the impact of race in both the novel and the real world. identify the use of forensic evidence in court cases and argue how forensic evidence is or is not used in the novel.collaborate with peers to create a presentation of findings and analyses. construct a visual representation of a theme. 

A group project for students. They must have an understanding of To Kill a Mockingbird. Students are to relate the issues in the novel to todays society. They will research current events, organizations, and come up with their own proposal to help fix these issues in their community.

As Harper Lee's narrator, Scout Finch, tries to draw out a reclusive neighbor, she bears witness to a racially charged trial that shapes the character of her Alabama community. The Big Read Readers Guide deepens your exploration with interviews, booklists, time lines, and historical information. We hope this guide and syllabus allow you to have fun with your students while introducing them to the work of a great American author.