To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Year-long Theme: The Journey of a Lifetime
Unit theme: Innocence to Experience
Essential Questions:
· How can an understanding of theme, symbols, conflict, foreshadowing and point-of-view lead one to a better understanding of a short story or novel?
· How can using prefixes, suffixes and context clues help a person decipher the meaning of a word?
· How can identifying fragments, run-ons and types of sentences lead to a better understanding of how to fix grammar errors?
Focus Questions:
· What events occur in our lives that cause us to move from innocence to experience?
Literary terms:
*You are also responsible for all previous literary terms learned during “The Scarlet Ibis” unit.
· Indirect characterization
· Direct characterization
· Theme
· Diction: formal vs. informal
· Foreshadowing
· Tone
· Irony
Grammar terms:
· Syntax: independent and subordinate clause
· Types of sentences
o Simple
o Compound
o Complex
o Compound-complex
· Semicolons
· Conjunctions: FANBOYS
· Fragments
· Run-ons
Activities:
· Read the novel
· Identify imagery, indirect characterization, direct characterization and figurative language within a chapter of the novel
· Construct a plot chart using quotes from the novel
· Rewrite a passage changing the point-of-view from first person to third person limited and third person omniscient
· Answer four interpretive questions about the novel
· Create murals that illustrate aspects of the novel including:
o Internal and external conflict
o Theme: Innocence to Experience (Scout)
o Theme: Imprisonment
o Theme: Courage
o Symbol: Roly-poly, Mockingbird, Geraniums
o Foreshadowing
o Diction: formal vs. informal
o Characterization: Indirect/Direct
Assessment:
· Use context clues along with prefixes and suffixes to identify word meaning (multiple choice)
· Match literary terms with their definitions
· Identify how point-of-view can affect a piece of literature (multiple choice)
· Identify passages that best illustrate the themes of the novel (multiple choice)
· Identify internal and external conflict (multiple choice)
· Identify how symbols help construct a complex piece of writing (multiple choice)
· Identify and produce formal vs. informal language (multiple choice)
· Identify examples of foreshadowing (multiple choice)
· Identify and fix fragments and run-ons (multiple choice)
· Identify figurative language in context (matching)