- To Kill A Mockingbird Wikipedia
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To Kill a Mockingbird in the Classroom ISSN 1525-5786 National Council of Teachers of English 1111 W. Kenyon Road Urbana, Illinois 800-369-6283 or 217-328-3870 www.ncte.org H arper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a staple of secondary school curricula nationwide. The novel has never been out of print since. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' author Harper Lee. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file. We need to be asking what we are teaching when we teach 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and how useful those lessons are. Do you teach Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird? Check out these two flipped classroom exercises that can help engage students in the issues central to the novel—and their own lives—including race, class, gender, justice, and moral growth. The first exercise activates student thinking about 'stereotype threat,' or how stereotypes can negatively affect us in our daily lives. Students who are more musical may enjoy writing a song about one of the themes in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Activities that combine music and writing can be a great way to draw in students that wouldn’t otherwise be interested. Have students share their creations with the class, after working individually or in groups to create a song. If you’re studying To Kill a Mockingbird for an exam, you need to get your class prepared for likely questions. This resource gives students the chance to read GCSE sample essays with examiner.
Comprehension
1. Who shot the dog and why?
2. Why was the dog not foaming at the mouth?
3. Why are Jem and Scout so shocked?
4. Why doesn’t Atticus let Jem tackle him?
5. Why does Atticus never tell anyone about his achievements?
Thinking
To Kill A Mockingbird Wikipedia
1.How was the dog sick during February?
2. Why did the dog stop and look at Boo Radely’s house?
3. Why was the dog so determined to make it to its original path?
4. What symbols were there in this chapter, if there were any at all?
5. What character development occurs this chapter? Give examples.
Connection
Read the following news story about a rabid dog. Could this have happened if the dog in Maycomb was not taken care of? Compare and analyze how the settings of these stories changes potential resolution and result/ consequence to this conflict.
Teaching Theme
I love to teach theme – it really is what literature is all about. Students often have trouble understanding it, so I go over it with just about every text I teach. I use a simple formula: topic + insight = theme. It seems to help students understand that constructing theme statements can be as easy as solving a simple equation – you just have to put the pieces together.
This lesson plan is part of my Ultimate To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Plan. It includes everything you need to teach the entire novel.
You can download it at http://englishunitplans.com/tokillamockingbird/
Lesson Plan
To Kill A Mockingbirdmr. Becker's Classroom Environment
- Begin by defining theme and briefly discussing what it means: The central message of a text, a theme says something about life. A theme is more than just a topic, and is different than a moral. Whereas a moral is a lesson, a theme doesn’t instruct someone, it is merely an observation of the human condition.
- Ask your students to make a list of topics in To Kill a Mockingbird:
- growing up
- racism
- prejudice
- empathy
- courage
- etc.
- Explain that to make each of these topics into a theme, you have to add insight.
- Topic + Insight = Theme
- Ask students to add insight to the topics they have listed. What does To Kill a Mockingbird says about each of the topics?
- Answers should follow this structure: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows that …
- Ask your students to write three theme statements using the above structure.
- Have students share their theme statements with the class.
- You can then have students write theme paragraphs using one of the theme statements as the first sentence and thesis. The paragraph should explain how Harper Lee Conveys the theme in To Kill a Mockingbird.