TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Literature Circle Assignments
We will soon begin reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The bulk of the reading will be assigned as homework and discussions will
take place in the classroom through literature circles as well as a whole group. Due to the nature of literature circles, you will be the
sole person responsible for finding specific information from each chapter to bring back to your group. You will receive points for this
unit based on your daily completion of each assignment. Late work will not be accepted (with the exception of an excused absence)
because each assignment is time-sensitive to specific chapters. As a group, use the calendar on the back of this worksheet to decide who
will be responsible for which role and write it in. Below is a detailed description of the four roles we will be using. You must complete
each role at least twice in the span of the novel.
Discussion Director
The Discussion Director leads the group in a deep discussion of the assigned reading. If done correctly, it will look like a mini-Socratic
Seminar. Your role is to come up with five open-ended questions that can prompt a discussion amongst your literature circle. Often, good
questions are questions that have more than one answer. They clarify, probe reasons or evidence, probe assumptions, probe implications
or consequences, and even question other questions! Most questions begin with how, what, or why. “What are the implications of the
character’s actions?”, “Why is ______ important?”, and “What is another way to look at ______?” are examples of strong openended questions. Avoid "can you..." or "do you..." questions, as they often lead to "yes" or "no" answers. After asking your question,
provide, in three to four sentences for each question, a possible answer. It doesn’t have to be “right”, but it should serve to foster a
discussion. Your questions will be the springboard for our larger class discussions. No pressure. 
Literary Luminary
As the Literary Luminary it is your job to pick three (longer) passages or parts of the assigned reading to share with your group. These
may be sections you find pivotal to the story, descriptive, informative, interesting, surprising, controversial, thought-provoking, or
personally meaningful. They may shed light on characters, conflicts, themes, or other literary devices. For each passage, you must write a
short reflection (5-7 sentences) explaining why you chose this passage and its significance to you. Try to connect it to the real world.
When the group meets, the Literary Luminary will read the passages he/she chose and share their reflections on each passage.
Device Detective
The Device Detective’s role consists of identifying 2-3 literary devices for each chapter assigned. You must provide the quote, page
number, what device it is, and explain its significance and why you chose it. Does it help convey the theme? Build suspense? Give insight
into a character? Lead the reader to think twice about something? Here is a list of possible devices: allusion, foreshadowing, metaphor,
simile, personification, symbolism, motif, irony, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, pun, diction, tone, hyperbole, imagery, mood, conflict,
characterization
Artistic Adventurer
The responsibility of the Artistic Adventurer is to create an artistic representation of the material he/she read to share with the group.
Get creative! You can choose to make artwork (sketch, cartoon, diagram, flow chart, or, if you’re blessed with my artistic abilities, a
stick-figure scene), write a song or poem, make a collage out of magazine cut-outs, a scrapbook page, or anything that is artsy-fartsy. As
an Artistic Adventurer your creation can be about something that is discussed specifically in the text, something that the reading
reminded you of, or a picture that conveys a symbol, idea, or feeling that you got from the reading. At the bottom of the picture you
must provide a written description of what you created and explain how it represents a facet of the assigned reading.
DISCUSSION DIRECTOR
Name: ______________________
Novel: ______________________
Date: _______ Chapters: _______ Pages read: _______
Question 1: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Possible Answer: ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Question 2: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Possible Answer: ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Question 3: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Possible Answer: ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Question 4: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Possible Answer: ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Question 5: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Possible Answer: ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
LITERARY LUMINARY
Name: ______________________
Novel: ______________________
Date: _______ Chapters: _______ Pages read: _______
Location of
Paragraph/Passage
Why is this passage important to the story?
what is your Reason for Choosing this Passage?
Page: ________
Paragraph #: __________
Location of
Paragraph/Passage
Why is this passage important to the story?
what is your Reason for Choosing this Passage?
Page: ________
Paragraph #: __________
Location of
Paragraph/Passage
Page: ________
Paragraph #: __________
Why is this passage important to the story?
What is your Reason for Choosing this Passage?
DEVICE DETECTIVE
Name: ______________________
Novel: ______________________
Date: _______ Chapters: _______ Pages read: _______
Pg #
Literary Device
&
& Definition
Chp
1.
________________
2.
________________
3.
________________
Quote
Significance
Reason you
Chose This
Quote &
Device
ARTISTIC ADVENTURER
Name: ______________________
Novel: ______________________
Date: _______ Chapters: _______ Pages read: _______
Description: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Explanation: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________