Name:____________________________________
To Kill a Mockingbird: Essay brainstorm The lesson: ​
State it as a ​
full sentence​
. Book detail: ​
Who, what, when, Direct quote​
from the book that where, why, how in the book in the relates to the lesson. Make sure lesson taught. BE SPECIFIC! you write the page number. Bullet points. Personal connection: Why is this a lesson ninth graders need to know? Or important in today’s world? Or why is this a lesson that you personally think is important? Be specific and insightful. Important: (body 1) Even more important: (body 2) MOST important: (body 3) To Kill a Mockingbird ​
Essay Directions Task: Write a five paragraph essay in which you explore what you think are the three most important lessons taught in the book. INTRODUCTION: 1)HOOK: Begin with a hook that engages your reader about your topic. Your hook can be question, a thought or emotion­provoking statement, or a famous or important quotation from the book (not one you’ll use in body) or about the book (feel free to look one up but be sure to mention the speaker as you lead into the quote). Your hook MAY NOT have the word “you” in it. MY HOOK IDEA:___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2) BACKGROUND: Give a little bit of background on the book: the author, ​
title​
, year published and BRIEF overview of what it’s about Harper Lee’s novel ​
To Kill a Mockingbird​
is about/tells the story of... 3) THESIS: End with your thesis statement, which is a statement that mentions the three most important lessons taught in the book. ● The three most important lessons taught in ​
To Kill a MOckingbird​
are x, y, and z. ● Of all the lessons taught in the book, the three most powerful ones are x, y, z. ● To Kill a Mockingbird​
has taught me three valuable lessons: x, y, and z. BODY PARAGRAPHS x 3 1)TOPIC SENTENCE: A transition word + the lesson that the paragraph will focus on. ​
Example: One important lesson taught in To Kill a Mockingbird is ... 2) BOOK DETAIL: Use ​
specific detail from the boo​
k, including a ​
minimum of one *quotation per paragraph, to explain when, where, why, and how the lesson is taught in the book, and the characters involved. *The quotation must be embedded and cited, meaning lead into it with your words, placing it INSIDE your own sentence and put its page number in parenthesis before the period. Example: MIss Maudie reminds the children that “People in their right minds never take pride in their talents” (126). 3) YOUR THINKING: You must include your own thinking, experience, and opinion as to why that lesson is important. You can discuss why it is important in our current world, in our school, for teenagers, or specifically, for you. Get personal and specific. CONCLUSION: 1) Summarize what you’ve said: review your three lessons 2) End with interesting thoughts about the book a) Connect back to your hook b) Explain why reading the book is a valuable experience c) Describe why you think the book has remained so popular since its first release Sample: Although Alabama’s literary giant, Harper Lee, passed away this past spring, it is certain that her acclaimed Pulitzer­Prize winning novel will continue to live on as one of the most widely read American books across the globe. Not only does ​
To Kill a Mockingbird ​
paint an accurate picture of the 1930s South, with all of its small­town charm and its hateful racial injustice, but it also teaches the readers many valuable lessons that will never lose relevance no matter how many years have passed since the book was first published. Of all the lessons taught in the book, the most important to today’s reader include x, y, and z. One important lesson conveyed in ​
To Kill a Mockingbird ​
is ​
x. I​
n chapter #, when this person and this other person are blah blah blah, so and so does this or that. They think that blah bla because la­te­da. In reaction, what’s her face reminds them that “advicey advicevice, and so on and so forth” (999). What this means is that shama lamma ding dong. So and so thinks about the lesson and later in the book, she shows she has remembered it when she does this or that showing her behavior had changed,. Even though this advice is given to a small child in the 1930s South, today’s readers, myself included, also need to be reminded of this important lesson. This lesson is important in today’s world because of this­or­that, and because people today tend to rat a tat a bing bing. Personally, I often encounter situations like that in the book. For example, at lunch the other day, I insert conflict here. Remembering the wise words of the character from TKM, I reacted to the situation by doop doop de doop. If we all followed so and so’s advice to do whatever the lesson says, then we would have much easier time with rooty toot toot. Even more important than the lesson mentioned above, Lee’s novel reminds readers that y (lesson 2)... Insert the rest of paragraph... The most important lesson of all those taught in the book is z (lesson 3) Insert the rest of paragraph… Twenty­first century readers finish T​
o Kill a Mockingbird​
much more empathetic and fair­minded than they were before reading. X, Y, and Z, are valuable lessons that really connect to me because of googlie google goo. Harper Lee’s novel is one that is not only unforgettable, but leaves an indelible mark on its readers, and has certainly shaped my thinking and treatment of other people.. Harper Lee’s legacy is that she affected eight million people’s thinking for the better, and counting.