ELA Writing Standards
 Grades 9-10
Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey
complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
 Indicator: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2a
 Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and
information to make important connections and distinctions;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures,
tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
Objective
 The student(s) will be able to indicate complex ideas in
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by analyzing the
content during the week of instructional class time The
student will show mastery by writing a response, which will
include at least 1 secondary source that the student will
compare or contrast with the complex ideas that are
presented in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
To Kill a Mocking
Bird by Harper Lee
•Published in 1960
•A “coming of age” novel
• set in a small southern town
• 1930’s
•
•
Segregation
“separate but equal”
Context
 Lee began writing in 1950’s
 Published before the peak of the American Civil
Rights Movement
 Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Characters
 Jean Louise “Scout” Finch – narrator and protagonist
 Atticus Finch – Scout and Jem’s father; lawyer committed
to equality
 Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch – typical American boy
 Arthur “Boo” Radley – a recluse
 Bob Ewell – represents the dark side of the south
 “mockingbird” characters symbolize innocence destroyed
by evil (Boo Radley, Tom Robinson)
Themes
 Racial inequality
 Appearance v. Reality
 Good v. Evil
 Moral Education
Questions for Thought
 Discuss the author’s portrayal of the black community and
the characters of Calpurnia and Tom Robinson. Are they
realistic or idealized?
 How do Jem and Scout change during the course of the
novel? How do they remain the same?
 Discuss why the author chose to name the novel “To Kill a
Mockingbird”. Why shouldn’t you kill a mockingbird? What
is the Mockingbird a metaphor for, in regards to the story?
Review
 Sparknotes Video: To Kill a Mockingbird Summary
 http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/quiz.html
Bibliography
 Batie, Mike. “Book Cover: To Kill a Mockingbird.” [Online
Image] 22 March 2011
<http://www.behance.net/gallery/Book-Cover-To-Kill-aMockingbird/1155169>
 Lee, Harper. “Harper Lee Bio” [Online] 26 Sep 2013.
<http://www.harperlee.com/bio.htm>
 Sparknotes. “To Kill a Mockingbird.” [Online] 26 Sep 2013
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/>
 Sparknotes. “Video Sparknotes: Harper Lee’s To Kill a
Mockingbird Summary.” [Online Video Clip] 12 Oct 2010
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqkohqLvClI>
Credits
This presentation was created using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation. This presentation was created by Katie
Hamons in EDUC 310, Fall 2013.