Name: ______
English 1
To Kill a Mockingbird – Pre-Reading Anticipation Guide
Complete the following questions prior to reading Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The questions touch on issues found in the novel. Answer them in preparation for reading To Kill a Mockingbird--Complete sentences are expected.
1. Have you ever stood up for something that wasn't popular with everyone else? If so, when?
2. Do you find it difficult to stand up for what you believe if no one else agrees? Do you think other people feel the same way? Why is it easy or hard to stand up for what you believe when others do not?
3. Have you ever started something you knew would fail? If so, why did you choose to go ahead with it?
4. Have you ever experienced prejudice? If so, describe the circumstances.
5. Do you believe it's natural to fear the unknown? Why?
6. Describe a time when someone made assumptions about you based on knowledge of your family or friends?
7. Do you think people are basically good or evil? Can people be classified this easily? Why?
8. What is the most important thing you learned before you were 10 years old? Why is this your choice?
9. When you were a young child, what was your idea of a best friend? Has this changed as you’ve matured?
10. Are there differences in small town values and big city values? If so, give some examples.
Name ______
English 1
Pre-Reading Study Guide:
Understanding the Historical Context of To Kill a Mockingbird
Directions: Use the internet or other print resources to answer the following questions. These responses will help you gain background knowledge of the era in which To Kill a Mockingbird is set and will prove valuable in your understanding of the social climate of the novel. You do not need to cite your sources for this activity. Answers should be composed in complete sentences. Attach additional sheets of paper as needed.
The Great Depression:
1. During what years did the Great Depression take place?
2. Briefly describe the event(s) that began the Great Depression.
3. Describe what life was like during 1933, which often considered the worst year of the Depression.
4. What happened to many banks during the Depression?
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt is credited with telling Americans the “Only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” What did he mean by this quote? What did he do to try to end the Depression?
6. What event is credited with ending the Great Depression?
The Civil Rights Movement:
7. What were the Jim Crow laws? Under the system of segregation in many southern states, how were experiences different for white Americans and black Americans?
8. During what years did the civil rights movement take place?
9. What was the Montgomery bus boycott? What important decision came out of this boycott?
10. What was Brown v. Board of Education? Briefly explain the case and the outcomes. Was it completely successful?
11. What is a sit-in?
12. Explain the importance of the Civil Rights Act (1964)?
Important Civil Rights Trials:
13. What were the circumstances of the famous “Scottsboro Case”? Who was arrested, where, and why? What was the verdict of this case?
14. Why were people upset about this verdict?
15. In the Emmett Till case, who was arrested, where, and why? What did the persons involved admit to doing, and why did they say they did it? What was the verdict?
Learn a New Word (or 30!)
The language used in To Kill a Mockingbird is rich and complex. Though the narrator appears as a young girl, her reflective tone provides a much older, wiser interpretation of the story. Your job is to flag at least one unfamiliar term from each chapter. It is suggested you keep a list or a sticky note with the words and associated page numbers while you are reading.
Task:
- Create a word list with a minimum of 30 unfamiliar terms from the novel.
- Define each term using a dictionary and tell its part of speech.
- Provide the chapter and page number for each term.
- Write the sentence from the text that uses the term in context.
*Note: You need to cite your sources of information in MLA format. Please provide a citation for the dictionary used for this assignment.
Name ______
English 1
To Kill a Mockingbird Top Ten List
Purpose: To help you to read closely and reflect on what you’re reading.
Your ongoing assignment while reading To Kill a Mockingbird is to chronicle a top ten list of memorable moments in the novel. You can choose from the following Top Ten List categories or propose your own. To ensure that your list spans the entire novel, you must include a minimum of three items from chapters 1-10, three items from chapters 11-20, and three items from chapters 21-31.
Ideas for list focus:
· Top ten things that Scout learns
· Top ten humorous moments
· Top ten lasting images
Example: (Your top ten list should be completed in this format. No, you may not use this example.)
Ch. #/Page # / Describe the moment. Include context and quotes. / Add your own commentary. Explain why this particular moment made your list.
10. / Ch. 5/
pg. 48 / Jem, Scout, and Dill are in the process of trying to get a note into Boo’s house when Atticus comes home from dinner and catches them: “Shoulder up, I reeled around to face Boo Radley and his bloody fangs; instead, I saw Dill ringing the bell with all his might in Atticus’s face” (48). / I love this visual because I picture Dill taken aback, desperately trying to think of a cover story. While he thinks, he rings the bell almost as a distraction. I picture his body bent back slightly as if to move away from the trouble he is about to be in. It is a humorous image that speaks about their actions that summer.