Name: ______Period _____

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

1. Setting for the novel: ______

2. The Radleys: Summarize what you have learned about these neighbors, particularly the youngest son Arthur Radley (Boo)

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Characters / Background Info./Direct Characterization
Age, family situation, etc. / My inferences from indirect characterization (LATTE) plus evidence from the text (Why I have inferred this)
Scout
Jem
Dill
Atticus
Calpurnia

Chapter Two:

A.  Clarifying questions: These address reading comprehension; the correct answers should clear up any misunderstandings or confusion from the text that someone could have when first reading it.

1. Explain what you learn about Winston County. Miss Caroline is from Winston County, not Maycomb. Then describe how the class reacts to that news and explain why.

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2. The students in the first grade don’t understand the story about the cats. Why is a story with “Mrs. Cat call[ing] the drugstore for an order of chocolate malted mice” so foreign to them?

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3. Why does Walter Cunningham lie to Miss Caroline about his lunch? Include what you learn about his family

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4. Describe how Miss Caroline disciplines Scout. Why does a “storm of laughter break loose” from the class? ______

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B. “Under the surface” questions or discussion starters address ideas that the author does not explicitly state but wants the reader to think about. These questions do not have one right or wrong answer; the answer cannot be pointed to in the text but is answered through interpretation or inference. While there is no one “correct” interpretation, there are plausible conclusions based on evidence from the text.

1. Analyze how you think Scout has been affected by her mother’s death.

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2. Based on the related history of the Radleys, speculate about Boo Radley’s life by the time Dill comes to visit. How do you think he would react to the children coming around his house? Explain your reasoning.

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______3. When told that reading was “a crime” Scout retires to her seat and says, “I never deliberately learned to read, but somehow I had been wallowing illicitly in the daily papers.” How does Scout now feel about being able to read? Do you think the author wants us (the reader) to agree with Scout’s feelings or to feel a certain way about Scout and the teacher? Explain your answer by discussing the author’s tone.

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______4. Evaluate Miss Caroline as a teacher. Support your opinion with evidence from the text.

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Chapter 3:

1. Why do you think Jem invites Walter Cunningham home to eat lunch with them?

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2. Why does Calpurnia force Scout to go into the kitchen where Scout ends up finishing her dinner?

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3. Copy some phrases that describe Chuck Little: ______

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4. Copy some phrases that describe Burris Ewell: ______

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5. What do we learn about the Ewells? ______

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After watching part of the movie, add more details to the setting. Describe the houses, the town and anything else that helps “set the stage” for this time period and place. ______

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List at least one example of courage from what you have read and watched so far: ______

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List some examples of prejudice based on what you have read and watched so far: ______

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Atticus is a single father trying to raise his kids to be mature adults. Evaluate him as a parent and explain how well you think he is doing his job. Support your opinion with examples from his behavior and/or words. ______

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THE TRIAL OF TOM ROBINSON:

Witness / List important details from the testimony / What do you infer about this witness or about the testimony being presented?
Sheriff
Heck Tate
Witness / Details from testimony / Your inferences about witness and/or testimony
Mr. Bob
Ewell
Mayella Ewell
Tom
Robinson – the defendant

Jem thinks that the evidence Atticus has presented proves that Tom is innocent. What does the jury decide and why? ______

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Atticus hoped that Jem and Scout wouldn’t catch Maycomb’s “usual disease.” Do you think they managed to avoid it? Why? ______

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Three years have passed by the end of the story. Jem and Scout are now 9 and 13 years old respectively. Describe their last encounter with Bob Ewell and Boo Radley after the Halloween pageant.

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Describe a character that shows courage at the end of the story. What motivated that character?

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Scout is now able to see things from the perspective of Boo Radley and calls him a “mockingbird.” How does that show maturity? ______

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Symbolism: Tom Robinson and Arthur (Boo) Radley are both referred to as mockingbirds in the novel.

Atticus gives his children air-rifles for Christmas but he tells them, ”I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (90) Scout doesn’t understand what her father means so she asks Miss Maudie about it. She says: “Your father’s right. Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one [bad[ thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”(119)

Explain how Tom Robinson was a mockingbird symbolically:

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Explain how Arthur (Boo) Radley was a mockingbird symbolically:

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