This document provides strategies for teaching Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird. It includes essential questions, supplemental texts, and pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading strategies. For pre-reading, it suggests hexagonal thinking, a tea party activity, and an anticipation guide. During reading, it recommends intentional annotation, character analysis, and reading quizzes using Kahoot. For after reading, it proposes Likert scales, identifying important words, sketching scenes, a chalk talk, discussion web, and Socratic seminar. The goal is to engage students and encourage critical analysis of themes like prejudice, morality, and social justice.

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Rachael Hall
LLED 6430
September 2, 2020
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Table of Contents:
Essential Questions & Supplemental Texts:
Pre-reading Strategies
Strategies During Reading
After Reading Strategies
Essential Questions & Supplemental Texts:
● How are we shaped by the morals and values of adultsaround us? Is it
important to challenge them?
1. “Greta Thunberg to world leaders: 'How dare you – you have stolen my
dreams and my childhood' - video” (video)
a. This video is provided through The Guardian and includes a short
blurb about how Thunberg challenged political leaders in an emotional
speech about how their focus on economy and money has neglected
the climate crisis surrounding us. It’s one of theclips that brought fame
and attention to the young adult, which has given her more authority in
the fight for better conditions.
2. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes
a. The class will most likely focus on how their lives have been impacted
by their parents, which is important and should be explored; however,
it is also important to see how history and culture has shaped the lives
of black individuals throughout the years. Hughesprovides insight into

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how the history of black Americans has shaped how he views the
world, as well.
3. The House on Mango Street: Those Who Don’t by Sandra Cisneros
a. The twelfth chapter in Cisneros book provides the viewpoint of a
young girl who describes the discomfort individuals have when
venturing into neighborhoods that are primarily of a different race than
theirs. It’s a powerful chapter that depicts how what society tells
individuals impacts their view of the world - whetherblack or white. To
challenge what society says is to be daring and grow as an individual.
● Who is the hero in the book? How do we know this? What does it really mean
to be a hero?
1. “How to Become a Hero” by Sheba Kanshozi Kirabo (article)
a. The inclusion of this article is meant to help definehow society views
heroes, as well as inspire students to be better than past generations. It
gives a few examples of what “heroes” do and tipson how to spend
your time if you want to see the world become a betterplace.
2. “The White Savior: Racial Inequality in Film” by Kenneth Best (article)
a. The topic of white savior stories is not one exploredas often in
academia as one would think it would, so I included this article as an
introduction to the concept and to, hopefully, engage students in
critical thinking as to whether or not this novel would qualify. Atticus is
the lawyer who comes in to do the saving, but ultimately doesn’t
succeed. Whether or not it qualifies would have to be explored in class
through further analysis of the text, which wouldbe led by students.
3. Harper Lee's Only Recorded Interview About 'To Kill A Mockingbird'
[AUDIO]

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a. To hear an author’s voice is a magical thing. In this interview, the only
one actually ever conducted with this author, Lee shares with the
audience her background and her writing style as well as the effect the
movie had on the actors and herself. She addresses the Southern
society she was raised in. This being said, students would have the
chance to listen to the author herself and decidewhat Lee had in mind
when she wrote this book. To tell a story of a southernhero or to
simply write a novel?
● What are the consequences of ignoring the prejudicesaround us?
1. “Capturing the Struggle for Racial Equality, Past and Present” by Maurice
Berger (photo collection)
a. The pictures included in this article from the New York Times
documents and explores protests against the racial injustices in
America. They’re powerful and moving in every sense, and they
highlight the fact that so many instances have been overlooked and
ignored in the U.S. Where the government overlooks, the people must
speak up. It ties in the conversation of heroics andprejudices into one.
2. “How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody” by Evan Hill, Ainara
Tiefenthäler, Christiaan Triebert, Drew Jordan, Haley Willis and Robin Stein
a. This article explains the tragic death of George Floydwhich caused a
rise in the supporters of the Black Lives Matter Movement.The class
could spend a period talking about how Floyd’s death was built on a
culmination of biases, utilizing critical thinkingskills and analyzing the
oppressive systems America was built upon.
3. “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou

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a. Angelou delivers a poem that pulls at the heart-strings and, when
analyzed, provides a vicarious experience of whatit’s like as a black
american.
Pre-reading Strategies
Hexagonal Thinking
★ This pre-reading strategy prompts students to make connections between
different themes, concepts, and ideas that may be explored in the upcoming
model. I would most likely execute this during a pandemic by copying a
template similar to the one given on the cult of pedagogywebsite. Three
different templates would be placed into one google doc that I would share
with students after dividing the classroom into groups of three. From there, I
would have them work virtually and discuss face-to-face how the various
themes connect to one another before introducing the way these concepts
relate to the text itself.
Tea Party
★ I’d like to try to do this pre-reading strategy but in a class-wide manner that
can allow students to stay in their seats. At the beginning of class, I would ask
for a few volunteers to raise their hands and I would share notecards with
them with quotes or ideas from various chapters in the novel. I would also
have students pull up padlet and respond to each thought or idea that’s
presented. Any ideas that come across as interesting would be brought to
attention and asked to be explained upon. This way, there could be digital

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engagement from every student as well as discussion about what the book
could be exploring.
Anticipation Guide
★ As with all anticipation guides, I would format this into a worksheet exploring
the main themes and concepts brought to light in To Kill A Mockingbird. A lot
of the “questions” on the handout would be statementsabout prejudice,
morality, good and evil, and social inequality that students would either then
need to agree or disagree with. When my mentor teacher did this earlier in the
year for Antigone, he also accompanied it with a google jamboard that allowed
the students to share with everyone if they agreedor disagreed. I would like to
do something similar because it promotes engagement and serious
conversation in the classroom.
Strategies During Reading
Intentional Annotation
★ This novel is a very intense book that has a variety of themes and symbols
throughout. Intentional annotation encourages students to take a close look at
what they’re reading and to take notice of importantsubjects. I would provide
a graphic organizer for students to refer to and a short mini-lesson on tips and
tricks when it comes to annotating in extensive novels. Most students, when
given ideas or guidance on how to annotate, respond well to this method. It’s
common, so very few resist or are unsure when it comes to responding to this
strategy; however, it can be annoying to some to have to stop in the middle of
reading due to the fact that it interferes with comprehension. Additionally, it’s

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primarily focused on what the one individual is doing and doesn’t always allow
for discussion or a lot of critical thinking.
Fleshing Out a Character
★ This particular strategy would be helpful when teaching this specific novel due
to the fact that I would be having the class focus on who the real hero of the
story is, primarily focusing on the dynamic between Scout, Atticus, and Boo in
relation to the other characters. By having the opportunity to flesh out one -
or a multitude of the characters in this book - studentswould be given the
chance to think critically about who a hero really is and what makes a
character one. I would like to focus primarily on Atticus as a hero due to the
fact that much of the novel is the character tryingto aid Tom Robinson.
Exploring the concept of a white savior would alsobe on the table due to this
exploration of character and motives. A great thingabout this strategy is that it
would allow for deep thinking and considering. On the other hand, it would
take a very long time to go through all of the characterswe would be
considering as a possible hero in the tale, which makes me wonder how
efficient this would actually be in the long run.
“Games”
★ For the games segment, I would like to install and advocate for Kahoot! as a
substitute for reading quizzes. Constructing a Kahoot to play in class isn’t
exceedingly difficult or time consuming, which makes it a good review tool. I
could easily create one to utilize after students were assigned a few chapters to
read. This way, I can evaluate whether or not students are comprehending the
novel as we go and can introduce various themes and concepts. The good
aspect to focus on is that all students are engaged, and I’m provided a sense of

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whether or not they are reading. Kahoot answers, however, are anonymous, so
I have no way of identifying which students are strugglingto keep.
After Reading Strategies
Likert Scales
★ This after reading strategy forces students to decide whether they agree or
disagree with the statements or actions made in the book. The utilization of
this scale could result in fiery discussion about how students feel about the
main theme in this novel. I would most likely develop a worksheet with a few
differing statements from To Kill A Mockingbird and give it to students to
complete before hosting a class discussion to see what individuals thought.
The highlight of this strategy is that it forces studentsto think for themselves
and construct solid reasoning based on text and their own beliefs. There is no
one right answer, however, which may be hard for some students to fully
comprehend and settle with.
Most Important Word
★ Students in this scenario would be forced to review and reflect on the text to
identify what they believe to be the most important word. For my class, I
would most likely provide a jamboard in which students would be asked to
post what they believed to be the most important word. Following a few
minutes to gather their thoughts and explore the text, we would observe and
discuss the answers on the board. My concern is that the students may take
the assignment too literally and answer with a word that was simply repeated a
lot, rather than one with a multitude of meaning inthe novel.

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Sketch to Stretch
★ Most high schoolers don’t get the opportunity to express their artistic side in
non-extracurricular environments, so I think providing them the time to
reflect on what scene they find to be important enough to illustrate would be
exciting. Additionally, since To Kill A Mockingbird is primarily a ninth or tenth
grade level book, I think the younger students would be more receptive to this
strategy. While allowing them to have some diversity in their assignments, the
required explanation on the backside of the sheetas to why they drew the
specific image or scene would encourage their argumentative skills.
Discussion Strategies
Chalk Talk
★ This strategy is important due to the fact that it allows both quiet and loud
students to fully engage and respond in a classroom setting. Essentially,
students are to go up to the board and, silently, write a question, theme, or
thought that they have about the book. If they agreewith a previous concept,
they are able to make note of that by drawing a circleor a sign next to it. This
would be easy enough to implement in class as a warm up before discussion of
some sort. The drawback is that some students may be shy when approaching
the board and hesitate to write a notion that they really wish to explore.
Discussion Web
★ When wanting students to make connections between various characters,
themes, and thoughts, this strategy is a good place to start. I would need to
develop a graphic organizer and a series of questions(such as: Who did Boo
Radley save?) to go along with a discussion we would host out loud. The

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drawback is that older students may not react as well to such a simple concept,
but if it’s presented to ninth graders, it shouldwork accordingly. It prompts
the students to make connections between varying characters, symbols, and
themes, which they’ll need to form compare and contrast essays as they grow
as writers.
Socratic Seminar
★ There has always seemed to be a mixed consensus on this strategy because of
the different ways it can be implemented - meaning, it generally forces
students to prepare and interact if the teacher sodesires. After reading this
novel, students would be prompted to sit and discuss as a whole class, if the
class size isn’t too large, that is. If it is, I wouldsplit them into a fishbowl
design to allow some watchers and some speakers. Grading wouldn’t be based
on these discussions due to the fact that it can be daunting to some students
to speak in front of their classmates. It would, however,be based on a short
reflection that would serve as an exit ticket explaining what was something
new they learned from the discussion that day. The positive facet of this
strategy is that all students are given the chance to participate and develop
their thoughts into coherent and fluent speech. The negative aspect is that
most would be reluctant to speak at first, forcing awkward silence until they’re
ready to open.