Mrs. Speach's English 1 Honors & Advanced Communications Web Portal

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

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Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird follows a young girl named Scout through critical childhood years that shape her moral outlook and understanding of the world. The novel’s characters represent every segment of the 1930s Southern society as well as every facet of human nature. Although the novel is a coming of age story, it inspires readers of all ages and circumstances. From the fun and games of summer, to the frightening mystery of a reclusive neighbor, to the shocking drama of a courtroom trial, the story is engaging and enlightening. It will cause you to question society’s rules and customs of both the past and the present. It will ask you to define who you are in relation to absolute moral codes.

And it will teach you abiding truths that make our world a just and compassionate place for people to live.The author uses her tale to depict important themes in literature and life. For example, the notions of good versus evil, morality, social structures, courage, justice equality, and compassion are all presented in the story. 

In addition to concentrating on universal themes of literature, you will become familiar with the literary concepts that we have learned about this year, and some new ones. The specific points of view, diction, allusion, foreshadowing, and symbolism will be discussed.


Character List

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Scout: Scout is a young girl (full name is Jean Louise Finch) who is the main character and narrator of the story.
Jem: Jem is Scout’s brother (full name is Jeremy Finch) who is almost ten years old when the story begins 
Atticus: Atticus is Scout and Jem’s father. He holds to absolute truth and morality throughout the book 
Boo Radley: Boo is a reclusive man who lives close to the Finches 
Dill: Dill is a boy a little older than Scout (full name is Charles Baker Harris) who visits his aunt Rachel in Maycomb each summer and becomes friends with Scout and Jem
Tom Robinson: Tom is a black man accused of raping a white woman
Calpurnia: Calpurnia is a black woman who works for the Finches. She provides maternal nurturing and discipline for Scout and Jem
 Heck Tate: As the sheriff of Maycomb County, Heck appears several times in the book and demonstrates the just side of the law.


TKAM ~ Study Guide

Below is the full document of the "TKAM" study guide. Be sure to only print off the pages you need to, or else you will waste paper having to print off 9 pages.
tkam_study_guide.docx
File Size: 165 kb
File Type: docx
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To Kill a Mockingbird
"Growing up in the 1930s"
WebQuest

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Introduction
Welcome to the world of Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird. You are living in the 1930s. Your home, neighborhood, school, activities, clothes and social interactions are vastly different than anything you are familiar with in 2010.
This WebQuest will take you back in time to learn what your life is like as a young person growing up in the 30s. Using what you learn, write a series of pen pal letters to someone living in 1998. The task you are going to begin by researching the resources listed below to learn about your life in the 1930s. Using the information you learn, you will write four letters to your pen-pal living in 2010. Each letter will focus on the following four aspects of your life.

  • In your first letter, describe your home and neighborhood in detail. Include lots of specific and interesting information so that the reader of your letter can visualize your environment. 
  • In your second letter, tell about your family. What types of activites do you enjoy as a family? What is your standard of living? How do your parents make a living?

  • In your third letter, tell about your school and your friends. Describe your school, classes and teachers. Who are your friends, and what are some activities you enjoy doing together? 
  • In your fourth letter, describe what's going on in the world around you. What's happening in the nation politically and economically? Tell about popular fashions, music, radio programs, and other interesting facts.
Resources

Click on the following title links to take you to the websites.

"I Remember . . . " Reminiscences of the Great Depression
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, some Michiganians bartered and traded for food, clothes, shelter and services. Sharing and "making do" became a way of life. People who lived during the Depression have interesting stories to share about how they coped with hard times. The following reminiscences were published in Michigan History Magazine, January-February, 1982 (Vol. 66, No. 1).

Federal Writer's Project: Interview Excerpts
The Federal Writers' Project of the 1930s recorded more than 10,000 life stories of men and woman from a variety of occupations and ethnic groups. This site is a sampling of these interviews.


Interview: Growing Up White in the South in the 1930s
Like Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, the three women in this interview grew up in the deep South of the 1930s. All three were members of what could be described as prominent southern families. The three women discuss many of the issues raised in To Kill a Mockingbird: how they defined a "good family" (so dear to Aunt Alexandra's heart and so baffling to Scout and Jem); poor whites in Alabama and Florida (very like the Cunninghams); their relationship with African-Americans; and the expectations and realities of those who would grow up to be proper southern "belles."

Then and Now: Prices  
This site compares 1930s prices with prices today. 

The Great Depression and the New Deal 
Read about the Federal Works Progress Administration started by the federal government during the Depression.

American Cultural History: 1930-1939
This site summarizes the cultural history of the 1930s.
Highlights from the 1930s 
Students from Pocantico Hills School in Sleepy Hollow, New York report on the highlights from this amazing decade.


The Process

The following instructions will make completion of your task easy!
  1. Read the first chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird to familiarize yourself with the setting and characters in this novel. This preparation will help you as you begin to research life in the 1930s.
  2.  You are going to write a four part letter in the voice of a person growing up in the   1930s. Before you begin your research, consider the sex, race, and age of the "character" that you will become as you write this letter. You must then decide on a name for your character. Also, decide to whom you are going to address your letter. You might consider writing to a friend, family member, or even to your teacher.
  3. Begin your research by writing the following topics on the top of four 5x8 index cards: Home and NeighborhoodFamily and Standard of LivingSchool and Friends; and Social and Political Events in the 1930s.
  4. Begin exploring the resources listed above. You will find that the first three sites focus on personal interviews of people who grew up or lived in the 1930s. The last four sites focus on information concerning social and political events in the 30s.
  5. As you explore the sites, record facts on the appropriate card. Some tips to make notetaking more effective include printing excerpts from sites that you find useful and using highlighters to mark pertinent information. This information can then be recorded, in your own words, on your notecards.
  6. When you have collected information about each of the four topics, you are prepared to begin the writing process. This process begins with brainstorming and prewriting followed by the actual drafting of your letter. Remember, you are writing from the perspective of a person living in the 30s. You are explaining your life to a person living in 2004. Your letter should include enough detail and description for your reader to gain a good sense of what your life is like.
  7. When you have a rough draft of your letter, you will share it in two conferencing sessions, one with your teacher, and the other with a member of your class. After conferencing, you will have time to revise your letter and enter them into a word processing program.
  8. After your revisions, you and a classmate will work to edit your letter before final publication.
  9. You will be required to turn in your typed letter, your notecards, all writing drafts, notes, and highlighted copies of your research. These materials should be presented in an organized, labeled folder.

Evaluation

This WebQuest will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1.     Did you turn in a complete, revised, edited, and typed letter?


2.     Is your letter focused on the subjects described in the Task section of this WebQuest? Does your letter accurately describe facts about life in the 30s?


3.     Has your letter been written using the writing process? (Brainstorming, Prewriting, Drafting, Conferencing, Revision, Editing, Publication). Does your letter show improvement from first draft to final copy?


4. Is the presentation of your folder containing your letter, note cards and drafts neat and professional?

Conclusion

When you complete this WebQuest, you will be able to identify and understand the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird. As you read the novel, you will have a greater understanding of the personal, social, and political issues which are dealt with in the story.

The Scottsboro Trials

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In preparation for writing To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee spent time researching the infamous Scottsboro Trials that took place in Alabama in the 1930s.
Just like in the novel, the defendent(s), nine African-American boys are falsely accused of raping two white women. Despite glaring inconsistencies in the two women's testimonies and a lack of physical evidence that the rapes even actually occurred the nine men were convicted.
As you read the novel, you will notice many parallels between the trial of Tom Robinson and the Scottsboro Trials.
Below are the documents that are necessary to complete our study of the racially charged trials of the 1930s.

what_happened_in_scottsboro.docx
File Size: 14 kb
File Type: docx
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scottsboro_evidence_hunt.doc
File Size: 46 kb
File Type: doc
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scottsboro_essay_outline.doc
File Size: 42 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

To Kill a Mockingbird
Chapter Assignments

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Author Biography:
Nelle Harper Lee (born April 28, 1926) is an American novelist, best know for her Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Born in Monroeville, Alabama, Lee is the youngest of four children. After graduating from high school in Monroeville, she attended the female Huntingdon College in Montgomery for only a year before transferring to law school at the University of Alabama in 1945. While there, she wrote for several student publications and spend a year as editor of the campus humor magazine. Though she did not complete the requirements for her law degree, she pursued studies for a summer in Oxford, England, before moving to New York in 1950.


Assignments
Assignment #1
Chapters 1 & 2: Make a chart that includes Scout, Atticus, Jem, Calpurnia, Arthur "Boo" Radley, Miss Carolline, Walter Cunningham, Miss Stephanie, and the town of Maycomb. Fold a sheet of notebook paper in half (hot dog style). On one side, list the character (or town), on the other side, jot down notes about what you know or assume to be true about these people and places.

Assignment #2
Chapters 3 & 4: Briefly explain what you think Atticus means when he says, "You can never really understand a person until you consider things form his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." On a 5x8 index card provided by me, explain a time in your own life when you did this or should have done this.

Assignment #3
Chapters 5 & 6: You are going to work on a creative poem from the point of view of Boo Radley. Since you know very little about him, you will have to use your imagination. Is he really the angry, crazy man that Ms. Stephanie Crawford depicts, or is he lonely and sad? How does what Miss Maudie tell Scout and Jem about Boo change your view? Is Boo scared? Sick? You decide, and then write a twenty line poem from the point of view of Boo. Please do not make it rhyme; sometimes rhyming poems limit creativity.

Assignment #4
Chapters 9 & 10: We learn that Atticus will be defending a black man accused of raping a white woman; as a result, Jem and Scout deal with many verbal attacks from people who are angered by Atticus' decision to defend the black man, Tom Robinson. Answer the following questions on a 5x8 index card provided by me.
Questions: What kind of parent is Atticus? What is important to him and what is not? How do you know what is important to him?

Assignment #5
Chapters 12 & 13: Answer the following questions:
1. Describe the African-American community in Maycomb - what is it like and how do you know?
2. Why does Aunt Alexandra move in with the Finches?
3. Make some educated guesses about what you think is most important to Aunt Alexandra and why?

Assignment #6
Chapters 14 & 15: Write two journal entries on the following topic relating to Scout's coming-of-age:
1. Her experience with the trial will shape her view of the world; what experiences have shaped you? Respond to the following quotation:
"I know that the moment marked the end of innocence. Innocence involves an unseeing acceptance of things at face value, an ignorance of the area below the surface."
2. Write about a moment or experience in your life that changed you and your view of the world. Explain how and in what ways you changed as an individual.

Assignment #7
Chapters 16 - 18: Pretend you are Atticus Finch. As Tom Robinson's lawyer, you have been sitting at the bench taking MANY notes as the witnesses have been giving their testimonies. Now, recreate on notebook paper the SAME PAGE that Atticus might have come up with after hearing the testimonies given in chapters 16-18. 
HINTS: Atticus might have set up a column for each person, and he might HIGHLIGHT any lies he catches. He might also write down his OWN questions that he wants to follow up on when he gets a chance to question the witness.

Assignment #8
Chapters 20-22: Write a 1/2 page response to how the trial turned out? Does it change the way you look at Maycomb?
Then answer the following questions:
1. At the end of Chapter 21, discuss the significance of the last sentence. What happened? What is Reverand Sykes asking Jem and Scout to do? Who else is doing it? Why?
2. Find the best sentence in Chapter 22 that describes Jem's new opinion of Maycomb as a result of the Tom Robinson trial. Just write out that sentence and be sure to include the page number.
3. What does Bob Ewell doe to Atticus at the post office corner, and what is his threat? What do you predict will be Bob Ewell's revenge?

Assignment #9
Chapters 25-27: Create your own "Assignment"
Your assignment should cover Chapters 25, 26, & 27. Write questions for these chapters that can be comprehensive and creative. Your questions should indicate that you have read all three chapters and should address the most important events from each chapter.

Assignment #10
Chapters 29-30: Pretend you were someone in the woods watching what happened the night that Jem and Scout walked home from the Halloween play. 
Write a journal entry in your own words (as an innocent bystander who just happened to see the whole thing) explain EXACTLY what happened that night.

The Many Faces of Boo Radley
"Is the account of Boo Radley a myth or a fact?"

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The Radley Mystery House
Boo Radley represents fear. Small town folks dread that if they behave odd and fail to adhere to social rules they too will end up like Boo, isolated and portrayed as a grotesque monster. It is in that fear that supports the social status quo and keeps individuals from standing up for that which they believe. The rumors about Book in Maycomb are somewhat farfetched. Different stories were said about Boo and his parents. Kids used to hear them and at the same time create different stories that would later scare them. Scout, Jem and Dill are frightened by Boo, but at the same time interested in getting a glimpse at this peculiar stranger.

The Many Faces of Boo Radley Project (35 points)

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You will work to create your vision of Boo Radley. Make sure to include as many character traits as possible and compose a one-page story about Boo Radley similar to the stories that the citizens of Maycomb told.
Be as creative as you'd like and don't forget to profile Boo Radley. Is he man, myth or monster?

To Kill a Mockingbird
"A Newspaper of the Times"

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As you know, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is a young girl growing up in the South at a time when racism is prevalent. Scout experiences several events that will change her forever. Your job (with your assigned partner) will be to produce newspaper articles covering some of the issues and/or events contained within the novel and some of the actual history of the time.
You should already have a good base of background knowledge from our study of the Scottsboro Trials and your WebQuest about life in the 1930s. 
Your newspaper should be a blend of fiction (based on fact) and events from the novel.
Be sure to make your newspaper look as authentic to the 1930s as possible. That means computer applications that have templates, such as Microsoft publisher. You may use such computer programs to set your newspaper stories to the correct column format, but you must try to make the newspaper look very much like a real newspaper of the time.
GET CREATIVE...include photos that would have been printed in the paper. These you can pull from the Internet, but make sure they are representative of the 1930s. Give your newspaper a name.


Resources
Use the following website links to conduct research for your TKAM newspaper